Importing Contacts

Introduction

You can bulk-import your contacts into Panalitix.com using a spreadsheet. Download the template by clicking the Import button on the main Contacts screen, and follow the steps below.

Exporting your existing data

Most of your current applications will allow you to export contacts to a CSV file. Once you have done this, consolidate all of your contact data into a single spreadsheet.

Prepare your data

With your contact data now all in one place, prepare it for import:

1. Arrange the fields so they are consistent with the template column headers and the examples shown.
2. Delete any columns or extraneous data that are not required by the template.
3. Remove duplicate contacts.

Fine tuning the data

1. Keep the first 3 (three) rows of the template unchanged, and leave them in place at the top of your data.
2. Delete the example data, perhaps making a copy of it first so you can refer to it during the import process.
3. Panalitix.com distinguishes between two types of contacts: people and organizations. The following tips will help you with a clean import.
   • A Person record will be created for each line item where First Name and/or Last Name are populated.
   • An Organization record will be created for each unique name in the Organization column.
     • The Organization name must be spelled consistently. For example, if your data shows some people working for “Griffin Corp” and some for “Griffin Corporation”, you need to choose one spelling and apply it exactly to all Griffin records. Copy and paste are your friend here.
     • It is not necessary to create stand-alone Organisation line items (i.e. without Person Details) if you don’t need to. It is useful to include them where information is Organization-specific, e.g. generic company phone number or email.
   • Sometimes a person is not associated with an Organization, e.g. sole trader or a personal contact. In this case, just leave the Organization-related fields blank.
   • Sometimes a person works for more than one Organization. In the template example data, Leanne Fowler works for two separate organizations, and has a third record not connected to any organization. She needs a separate line item for each, because contact details vary depending on the situation.
     • Where a person has multiple line items, keep the spelling of the First Name and Last Name consistent, and ensure that they are grouped together in the list. If you happen to have two people with identical names, do not group them together, or else the system will think they are the same person.
   • Sometimes an organization has more than one office. Create a separate Organization line item for each office. See the “Grotoworth” example in the template. That organization has both Brisbane and Sydney offices. The first office in the list will be tagged as the head office.
   • An Organization office is created for each unique Address Line 1 line item, so use copy and paste to ensure consistency. Once again, see the Grotoworth example for clarification.
   • Data entered in the country, state, industry, relationship columns need to be copied from the data fields in the template’s corresponding worksheet. This is to ensure data integrity when Panalitix.com generates reports.
   • Make sure there are no commas in any of the data you are importing.

Importing the data

Once you are happy with the data in your spreadsheet, export the Import Template worksheet as CSV, and import it using the Import button on the main Contacts screen.

Further information about each field

Here are some extra tips relating to each field when populating line items. No field is mandatory.

First Name, Last Name

If either of these fields is populated, a Person record will be created. A separate line item is required for each organization with which a person has a relationship. Also, a separate line item is needed for contact details not related to an organization, e.g. personal contact details.  Please refer to the Leanne Fowler example in the template. Multiple line items relating to a person must be grouped together, and the spelling of the names needs to be exactly the same. If two contacts happen to have exactly the same name, do not group them together, or else the system will think they are the same person.

Job Title

This usually relates to person’s role with the organisation on that line item.

Mobile

Where a person has a work mobile and a personal mobile, a separate line item is needed for the personal mobile. Refer to the third Leanne Fowler example.

Organization

Ensure exact consistency of spelling in this column to avoid the creation of duplicate organizations. A separate organization record will be created for each unique field in this column.

Organization Legal Name

It is sometimes handy to know the full legal name of an organization if it differs from the display name. The legal name only needs to be entered once for each organization. If it is entered more than once for an organization, only the spelling of the first record will be picked up by the import.

Industry

These fields must be pasted from the Industries tab to ensure data integrity. Any spelling inconsistent with that which is contained in the Industries tab will not be imported.

Registered Business Number

This is the unique number assigned to companies by the relevant regulatory authority. In Australia, this field is where you would put the ABN.

Website

Populate this field with the organization’s URL. The field only needs to be filled out once for each organization. In case of different URLs applied against each organization, the import will pick up only the first one.

Address Line 1

Please ensure exact consistency of spelling among these records, as a new office address will be created for each unique record in this column. Use copy and paste to ensure the records are the same. Also, please ensure that the other address fields are filled out for the first record. For subsequent instances of an identical Address Line 1 record, the office will inherit the other address fields of the first record, so you only need to fill out the other address fields once. Please see the example data for further clarification. It is good practice to have a separate Organization line item for each organization (i.e. a record with no Person Details), as well as a separate Organization line item for each office. Please see the Grottoworth example in the template.

Address Line 2

This field will normally be blank unless the address requires two lines.

Country

Country should be pasted from the Countries tab to ensure data integrity. Any inconsistent spelling will not be imported.

State Code

State should be pasted from the States tab to ensure data integrity. Any inconsistent spelling will not be imported.

Postcode and Suburb

There is no special data requirement for these fields.

Phone 1

If an organisation has a generic phone number (e.g. a 1800 number or main switch) then it should be entered here against an Organization line item, i.e. a record with no Person Details. If the line item is a person record, Phone 1 will appear against that person’s record.

Phone 2

This field is only used for Organizations, and is normally blank unless an organization’s office has two main phone numbers e.g. a 1800 number and a normal number.

Email

Where there is a generic organization email such as info@griffincorp.com.au, the Email field should be populated against a stand-alone Organization line item (i.e. with no Person Details). Otherwise this field will be interpreted as applying against a person.

Further recommendations about refining your data sets for optimal usage within Panalitix.com can be found in another article: Recommended data set for fields when importing a CSV into Contacts