How do you import contacts into a CRM?

Which import path should you use

Use your Google or Microsoft account when the people you want are already in your email, and a CSV file when they live in a spreadsheet, an event list or another system. The two paths can be combined, but run them one after the other so you can check each.

An email account import is quick but broad. It can pull in suppliers, newsletters and personal contacts, so plan to tidy or exclude those before they reach your sales segments.

How do you prepare a CRM CSV import

Prepare the CSV as one row per person, with a single header row naming each field and one value per cell. Most import errors come from the file, not the CRM, so a few minutes here saves an afternoon of fixes.

Save the file with UTF-8 encoding so accented names survive, write dates in one format throughout and remove merged cells, totals and blank rows. The columns below make a sensible CRM import template for most B2B teams.

• First name and last name, in separate columns.
• Work email, one address per cell.
• Job title and company name.
• Company website, which helps link the contact to the right company.
• Country or city, if you segment by location.
• Lead source and owner, so every record arrives with both.

How do you import contacts from Google or Outlook

Import contacts from Google or Outlook by connecting the account in the CRM and choosing which contacts to bring in. Sign-in happens with the provider, so you never hand your password to the CRM.

Before you confirm, decide whether you want everyone or only people you have emailed recently. A narrower import keeps your segments about customers and prospects rather than every address you have ever touched.

How do you migrate contacts to a new CRM

Migrate contacts to a new CRM by exporting a full CSV from the old system, cleaning it outside both systems and importing contacts before anything that depends on them. Deals, tasks and notes refer to contacts, so the people need to exist first.

Use the move to drop what you no longer need. Map each old field to a new one, create the new custom fields first, and leave behind fields nobody filled in. Run the old and new systems side by side for a short period, so nothing is lost while the team switches.

What should you do after the import

After the import, check for duplicates, confirm every record has an owner and add the new contacts to the segments you sell by. An import is finished when the records are usable, not when the progress bar ends.

Open a few records at random and read them as a seller would. If a name, title or company looks wrong there, it is wrong in many others too, and it is easier to fix now than after the first send.