Importing Contacts Challenge - Seeking Community Guidance

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1

Hello HubSpot Community,

I hope you’re all doing well. I’ve been using HubSpot for a while now and have generally relied on a consulting company for help with more complex tasks. However, I’ve decided that it’s time to take the plunge and try to import contacts on my own this time. I’m facing a bit of a challenge, and I’m hoping some of you can provide guidance based on your experiences.

I need to import a sizable list of contacts into HubSpot, and while I’ve done this successfully in the past, this time, I’m encountering some issues. Please answer these questions for me..

  • I’m struggling to map the columns correctly from my CSV file to HubSpot properties. I want to ensure that all the data ends up in the right places.
  • I’m concerned about duplicates. How can I ensure that I don’t end up with a cluttered database full of duplicate contacts?
  • I have a few custom properties I want to include, but I’m unsure how to set them up properly during the import process.
  • What’s the best way to ensure data integrity during the import? I don’t want any incomplete or inaccurate information in my contact records.
  • Are there any automation options I can set up during the import to streamline the process for future imports?

I know these are quite a few challenges, but I’m determined to learn and do this on my own. If any of you have experience with these issues or can point me to some helpful resources, I’d greatly appreciate it.

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve used triotech systems for similar tasks in the past, but I want to become more self-reliant and knowledgeable about HubSpot’s functionalities. Your assistance will go a long way in helping me achieve that goal.

Thank you all in advance for your time and expertise!

Best regards,

Rehes

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Hi @Expertopinionsa,

Happy to help here!

@Expertopinionsa wrote:
I’m struggling to map the columns correctly from my CSV file to HubSpot properties. I want to ensure that all the data ends up in the right places.

Can you give an example of where you’re unsure? Mapping is very contextual to each portal.

@Expertopinionsa wrote:

  • I’m concerned about duplicates. How can I ensure that I don’t end up with a cluttered database full of duplicate contacts?

As long as you have the email address mapped, HubSpot will automatically deduplicate by email address. Deduplicate records in HubSpot

@Expertopinionsa wrote:

  • I have a few custom properties I want to include, but I’m unsure how to set them up properly during the import process.

You would map them during the mapping process and HubSpot should tell you whether everything looks good by showing a green checkmark. If anything is off, HubSpot will point that out to you. If you have a specific example, feel free to share a screenshot of a mapping you’re unsure of.

@Expertopinionsa wrote:

  • What’s the best way to ensure data integrity during the import? I don’t want any incomplete or inaccurate information in my contact records.

HubSpot will perform checks during the mapping process already. If anything is wrong and HubSpot cannot fulfill what you’re trying to map, there’s going to be an error message. In terms of your data being incomplete or accurate, HubSpot cannot do anything about this, unfortunately. There is a saying in a lot of industries; “garbage in, garbage out”. You would have to make sure that whatever you’re feeding HubSpot is correct and up to date. HubSpot cannot do this for you, unfortunately. If you assume that you’re data is outdated, incorrect, incomplete, it’s better to review the import data outside of HubSpot first.

@Expertopinionsa wrote:

  • Are there any automation options I can set up during the import to streamline the process for future imports?

Typically, each import file is a bit different and especially if you’re new to this process, I’d recommend going through the process slowly, reading the instructions carefully to avoid any problems. There isn’t a reverse / back button for imports. If you have the same format in your import file every week or month, HubSpot does let you use an import template. Just watch out for that option during the import wizard. HubSpot will suggest mappings based on your previous imports then. You can also reduce the risk during the import process by naming the columns in your import file exactly like the HubSpot properties.

As a general tip, if you don’t feel comfortable yet, don’t start by importing 1,000, 10,000 or 100,000 at once. Nothing’s stopping you from mapping just 5 rows of your import file and checking the import and whether everything went well. If all looks good, you can still import the rest. This reduces the potential need for clean-up, should anything go wrong.

Let me know if you have any follow-up questions!