Arlo allows you to import contacts from a spreadsheet using the contact importer. This allows you to create new contacts and update existing records.
The following article outlines the functionality available within the contact importer. It can be used for a one-off import or as part of a routine process to keep contact records synchronized with another system, e.g. HR, CRM, or member database.
Read our tips and tricks for importing data and how to update existing contacts' and presenters' information using this tool.
Access the Importer
- From the main menu select Contacts.
- Press More and select Import Contacts.
Contents
- Key Points
- Required Columns
- Rules for Updating Contacts
- All Columns and Rules
- Importing Custom Contact Fields
Key Points
- The importer supports importing all fields/columns listed below.
- Requires only the FirstName, LastName, EmailAddress, and Status columns to be included in the import file. All other supported fields/columns can be added or omitted as required.
- Matches and updates existing contacts' details.
- The order of columns/fields within your spreadsheet (CSV file) does not matter.
- Column headings are not case sensitive.
- Supports linking contacts with existing organisations or creates new organisations if they do not already exist.
- Supports the ability to add a presenter role to a contact and set up/update presenters' information.
- The import file must be a CSV (Comma delimited) file type. Use the Save as. feature in Microsoft Excel to save the import file in the correct file type format.
- The default limit for a contact import is 1000. Contact Arlo Support to increase this limit.
Required Columns
The following columns must be included in your import file to create new contacts: FirstName, LastName, EmailAddress, and Status.
Rules for Updating Existing Contacts
The importer is designed to allow you to update the details of existing contacts. Arlo will attempt to match a contact being imported with an existing contact when;
- The IDKey is the same, or
- The FirstName, LastName, and EmailAddress are the same
The system will first attempt to match on IDKey, and then Firstname, Lastname, and EmailAddress.
If the system matches on IDKey first then all other information, including a contact's ContactCode, FirstName, LastName, and EmailAddress will be updated (if changes are made to those columns).
To retrieve contacts IDKey to use to update existing contacts name and email details:
- From the main menu, select Contacts.
- Select Export Contact Information with Date Offset.
- The IDKey can be found in the Contact_Key column of the export.
- Copy the Contact_Key column from the export, to a new column, labelled IDKey in the contact import file.
If the system matches IDKey with an existing contact, all information including names and email address can be changed. If you try to update a contact's name or email, without including the IDKey in the import file, a new contact will be created. Contact Arlo Support if you need assistance with this.
Note: A first name, last name and email address are still required when trying to update a contact matching on the 'IdKey'.
- When completing the import, tick Update existing contact's information to activate this option.
If you choose to update existing information where a match is found, the following rules apply;
- If the existing contact contains data in a field, and the same field being imported has no value (is blank), then the data in the existing field will be deleted. Hint: If you don't want the existing data to be deleted from these records, delete the columns from the sheet in Excel.
- If the existing contact contains data in a field, and the same field being imported also contains data, then the data in the existing field will be updated with the data being imported.
- If the existing contact contains data in a field, but the field is not included in the file being imported, then the existing data will remain unchanged.
If you do not choose to update existing information, then where a match is found the details for the existing contact will not be updated.
Columns and Rules
The following table provides a list of columns that can be included in your import file. The table also includes any additional rules that must be followed for an import to be successful.
COLUMN HEADING | REQUIRED | VALUE | NOTES |
---|---|---|---|
FirstName | Yes | Single line of text | Mandatory field. |
LastName | Yes | Single line of text | Mandatory field. |
EmailAddress | Yes | Valid email address | Mandatory field. |
Title | Single line of text |
Your platform will be setup with a predefined list of values for this field. For example; "Mr", "Mrs", "Ms", "Miss", "Sir", "Dame", or "Dr". The importer supports importing any value into the field, provided it is in the format of a Single line of text. Once imported you will be able to edit the contact and view the imported value, but you will only be able to change it to one of the predefined values set up on your platform (above). |
|
PreferredName | Single line of text | Use PreferredName field only if a contact wishes to be called by a name other than their given first name. | |
Information | Multiple lines of text | Field does not support HTML tags. | |
NationalStudentNumber | Single line of text | NSN number | |
ContactCode | |||
Phone Details | |||
WorkPhone | Single line of text | ||
HomePhone | Single line of text | ||
Mobile | Single line of text | ||
Fax | Single line of text | ||
Internet | |||
Website | Valid website address | e.g. "www.google.com" | |
Skype | Single line of text | Skype username. | |
Address Details | |||
PostalAddressLine1 | Only if any other Postal Address lines are included. | Single line of text | |
PostalAddressLine2 | Multiple lines of text |
If an address contains more than two lines, use PostalAddressLine1 for the first line and concatenate the other lines into PostalAddressLine2. Hint: Read Concatenate (merge) two columns of data into a single column within Tips and tricks for importing data. |
|
PostalAddressSuburb | Single line of text | ||
PostalAddressPostCode | Single line of text | ||
PostalAddressCity | Single line of text | ||
PostalAddressState | Single line of text | ||
PostalAddressCountry | Single line of text | ||
WorkAddressLine1 | Only if any other Work Address lines are included. | Single line of text | |
WorkAddressLine2 | Multiple lines of text |
If an address contains more than two lines, use WorkAddressLine1. for the first line and concatenate the other lines into WorkAddressLine2. Hint: Read Concatenate (merge) two columns of data into a single column within Tips and tricks for importing data. |
|
WorkAddressSuburb | Single line of text | ||
WorkAddressPostCode | Single line of text | ||
WorkAddressCity | Single line of text | ||
WorkAddressState | Single line of text | ||
WorkAddressCountry | Single line of text | ||
Area | |||
Regions | Short region name separated by commas or AllRegions | This column is only relevant to platforms that have multiple regions setup. Either set the value to;
If this column is not included, Arlo will associate contacts with all regions. Important note: This is a required field for customers with multiple region platforms. If this column is not included, the default (All regions) will apply to all contacts. |
|
Organisation Details | |||
OrganisationName | Single line of text | Arlo will attempt to match the OrganisationName with an existing organisation. If a match is found, the contact will be linked to the organisation. If a match is not found, a new organisation will be created and linked to the contact. | |
Position | Single line of text | ||
ManagerText | Single line of text | e.g. "John Smith" | |
Department | Single line of text | ||
BusinessUnit | Single line of text | ||
Personal Details | |||
SpecialDiet | Single line of text | e.g. "Vegetarian". If field is left blank then tickbox will default to 'No' | |
Disability | Single line of text | e.g. "Vision impaired". If field is left blank then tickbox will default to 'No' | |
Gender |
Single line of text |
Your platform must be set up with a predefined list of values for this field. For example; "Male" or "Female". The importer supports importing any value into the field provided it is in the format of a Single line of text. Once imported you will be able to edit the contact and view the imported value but will only be able to change it to one of the predefined values set up on your platform. |
|
Citizenship |
Single line of text |
Column will need to be added to the import file. | |
DateOfBirth | Date format: d-mmm-yyyy |
e.g. "1-Mar-1984". Read how to format the dates. |
|
Status | Active or Archived | If this column is not included in the import file then all imported contacts will be set as Active by default. Note: This is not referring to active account(s). | |
AgeGroup | Your platform must be set up with a predefined list of values for this field. For example; "15-20" or "65+". | ||
Ethnicity | Your platform must be set up with a predefined list of values for this field. For example; "NZ European" or "Maori". | ||
Resident | TRUE / FALSE | Enter TRUE if a resident or FALSE if not. | |
PriorActivity | |||
HighestLevelofAchievement | Your platform must be set up with a predefined list of values for this field. For example; "NZCE" or "University qualification". | ||
Marketing | |||
Newsletter | TRUE / FALSE | Enter TRUE to subscribe to a newsletter. | |
NewsletterTopics |
Important: Your platform must be set up with a predefined list of values for this field. For example; "Sales" or "Marketing". Where a contact is subscribed to multiple topics, separate the topic values with a comma in the cell, e.g. If your topics are more than one word, you will need to add speechmarks around the values and then spearate each value with a comma, e.g. |
||
NewsletterDelivery |
Available options are: "Email", "Post" or "Post and email" | ||
NoBulkEmails |
TRUE / FALSE |
Enter TRUE if Contact does not wish to receive bulk emails. | |
NoBulkPost |
TRUE / FALSE | Enter TRUE if Contact does not wish to receive bulk post. | |
PreferredContactMethod |
Available options are: "Email" or "Phone" | ||
LastCampaignDate |
Date format: d-mmm-yyyy | e.g. "1-Mar-2011". Read how to format the dates. | |
ReferredBy |
Your platform must be set up with a predefined list of values for this field. For example; "Word of mouth" or "Colleague" | ||
MembershipExpiry |
Date format: d-mmm-yyyy | e.g. "1-Mar-2016". Read how to format the dates. | |
Presenter Details |
|||
PresenterRole |
TRUE / FALSE | Enter TRUE if the Contact will be marked as a Presenter. | |
PresenterProfile |
Multiple lines of text | ||
PresenterInterests |
Multiple lines of text | ||
PresenterQualifications |
Multiple lines of text | ||
PresenterOnWebsite |
TRUE / FALSE | ||
PresenterContactDetailsOnWebsite |
TRUE / FALSE | ||
PresenterContactDetailsInCommunications |
TRUE / FALSE |
Each of the fields listed above must be activated on your platform before they are visible when editing a contact. Read more information about adding fields.
All fields have a maximum number of characters that they will accept. Typically this is either 63 or 127 characters. If an import fails with an 'Inner Exception' error, look for a field in your import file that exceeds this character limit then edit it down.
Importing Custom Contact Fields
Custom contact fields can be imported with your contacts if they have been created in Arlo. If your custom fields do not exist, read more information about adding fields.
The column name to use to import custom fields is the field's system name.
To find this:
- From the dashboard, select Settings.
- Select Fields.
- Select Contacts.
- Find the custom field you would like to import and press Edit.
- Copy and paste the System Name of the field onto your import template as a new column.
- Enter the data you would like to import in the new column.
- Repeat for other fields if needed.
- Save the import file to your computer, and complete the standard import process.
Hint: To easily see the custom fields set up on your platform:
- Open a Contact.
- Press Edit.
- Select the Personal tab from the vertical menu. All custom fields will be displayed on this list.