Importing Contacts

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  3. Importing Contacts

Emma Clark
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Importing your contacts is the best way to get started with Follow Up Boss. Use the tips below to get the information you need in Follow Up Boss and avoid the clutter of data you don’t need!

Preparing your file for import

  • Make sure each column is clearly labeled for what is in it, ie Email, in the top row of your file.
  • Make sure to remove any instance of an agent's email address from the file. For example, if an agent uses joe@realtyexample.com in their Follow Up Boss settings, any instance of that email address should be removed from the file before import.
  • Save the file as a CSV. A CSV (comma-separated value) file is a common data format for imports and exports. If your file is in another format like Excel .xls you'll want to convert it before uploading it to Follow Up Boss.

What data can I import?

Most Frequently Used:

  • Name - can be one "Name" column or two columns for "First Name" and "Last Name"
  • Phone numbers - up to 6 columns of phone numbers (one per column) can be imported at once
  • Email addresses - up to 6 columns of email addresses (one per column) can be imported at once
  • Mailing/Physical addresses - up to 6 addresses can be imported at once. Addresses can be split across multiple columns, ie columns for Street, City, State, Zip. Use the "Address - " fields to map contact addresses.

  • Date added - this will be the created date for the contact and can be in the past.
  • Lead Source - this is where the lead is from. If no column is mapped to this, "Import" will be used as the Source.
  • Assigned Agent - who the contact belongs to or who is working with the contact. Whatever is in this column will also be added as a unique tag, ie "Imported Agent: Jane Doe," so you can easily find or update contacts after import.
  • Assigned Lender - if your account has Lenders, you can import the lender assignments. Whatever is in this column will also be added as a unique tag, ie "Imported Lender: John Smith," so you can easily find or update contacts after import.
  • Stage - Stage is important for defining your database. Importing will not create new stages (the Account Owner can create new stages). Whatever is in this column will also be added as a unique tag, ie "Imported Stage: Warm," so you can update stages easily with mass actions after importing. 
  • Tags - Useful for data that groups and identifies many contacts across your system. Multiple tags can be in one column of your file. You can also map more than one column to Tags in a single import. A comma, semicolon, or vertical pipe can be used in the file to separate tags. Examples:
    • Sphere, Top Referrer, Holiday Card List
    • Sphere; Top Referrer; Holiday Card List
    • Sphere | Top Referrer | Holiday Card List

  • Background - best for high-level notes. you can map as many fields to Background as you want. The column heading will be added with the content.
  • Notes - best for a "catch-all" of data you want to import that doesn't match another field type.  Notes are searchable in Follow Up Boss. You can map as many fields to notes as you want. The column heading will be added with the note content.

  • Custom Fields - best for data like Birthdays or other fields you want on all contacts. A new custom field can be created by an import. Best practice is to pick an existing custom field before creating a new one to keep your custom fields organized. Note: An import will overwrite custom field data for existing contacts.
    • If you are creating a new custom field, choose the appropriate field type:
      • Date - supports a MM/DD/YY or MM/DD/YYYY format
      • Number - will only accept a whole number. No decimals or other special characters.
      • Text - accepts any text
      • Drop-down - if you are creating a drop-down field on import, the choices in the drop-down will be created using the data in your CSV. This will happen in the order the file is processed and you can't change the order of the choices later. What does that mean?? If you care what order the drop-down choices are in, set them up under Admin > Custom Fields before importing.
  • Relationships - you can import up to 6 different relationships per contact/row. The available fields for Relationships include the following:
    • Relationship # First Name
    • Relationship # Last Name
    • Relationship # Type
    • Relationship # Phone 
    • Relationship # Phone  - Type
    • Relationship # Email 
    • Relationship # Email  - Type
    • Relationship # Address  - Street
    • Relationship # Address  - City
    • Relationship # Address  - State
    • Relationship # Address - Zip
    • Relationship # Address - Country
    • Relationship # Address  - Type

Less Frequently Used

  • Property Address - if you want to import an address the contact inquired about, use the "Property - " fields. These addresses are added to the contact's timeline as an Inquiry, not to the contact info.

What data do you recommend skipping?

Focus on the most important data that you will reference/use as you continue to work with your contacts. Skip any data that is immediately outdated, ie Last Login, Viewed Properties, etc unless you are going to use that data to filter or prioritize your contacts.

What data can't be imported?

  • Collaborators - if your file has a collaborator assignment, ie Listing Agent, import it to a custom field. Then use mass actions to find and update the collaborators.
  • Tasks
  • Appointments
  • Deals

* Only the first 300 columns will be imported.

Setting Defaults

After choosing which columns from your CSV you wish to map to Follow Up Boss, we'll check to see if you set an Assigned Agent and Stage column. If not, we'll ask you to choose the Agent and/or Stage for us to use.

We'll only use these values for any new contacts that will be created from the import. (We will not update Assigned Agent or Stage for existing contacts from an import.)

You can also use this screen to add any tags to contacts in the import. The tag(s) will be added to all contacts included in the import (new and existing).

How do I find contacts from a past import?

Head to Admin > Imports and click on "View past imports".

You will be presented with a list of all past imports. Click on the numbers in each column to view those contacts.

NOTE: If you imported a file and you can't see all the contacts when clicking the number on this page, they might have been assigned to another user. Contact the owner or admin of your team to confirm.

Who will the contacts be assigned to?

If you have an assigned agent column, with the full name of the agent (matching what is in our system), then it will be assigned to that specific agent. Otherwise, you can choose to set an agent on the second step of the import (see setting default above). Don't worry if it doesn't get assigned correctly, you can always reassign contacts after the import!

What CRM systems can I import contacts from?

As long as your contacts are in a CSV format, we can import them. We do, however, specialize in importing contacts from the following:

  • Boom Town
  • Chime
  • Commissions Inc
  • Contactually
  • Copper
  • Firepoint
  • Keller Williams eEdge
  • Kunversion
  • Liondesk
  • Market Leader
  • Matrix
  • Money Tree
  • Open Home Pro
  • Realtor.com
  • Tiger Leads
  • Top Producer
  • Trulia 
  • Zillow
  • Zillow Premier Agent

Why should I have all my contacts in Follow Up Boss?

While not all contacts might be active right now, that doesn't mean you should just forget about them. Discover and engage your past leads using our smart lists.

Can I send all of the contacts I've imported a mass email?

Yes! You can send out mass emails with our  Batch Email feature. 

We also integrate with MailChimp and Sendgrid.

What if I have duplicate contacts or a contact that already exists in Follow Up Boss?

We will merge contacts based on the following criteria:

  • If the email address matches, we will combine the contact info
  • If the phone number AND name match, we will combine the contact info

If the system detects a match based on one of the criteria above, the contact will NOT be duplicated.

NOTE: If an import updates any pre-existing contacts, the added info to that contact cannot be removed even if the import is deleted.

How do I delete an import?

  • Click Admin > Import > View Past Imports
  • Click the trash can/delete icon on the respective row of the import that you wish to remove

NOTE: An import can only be deleted for 14 days after the original import date. After that, we are not able to delete the import.

Can I download my import file from FUB?

Temporarily, yes! We will store your CSV file for 14 days after the import. You can click on the name of the file under Admin > Import > View Past Imports to download the file. 

Need help importing contacts?

If you need any help, email a .csv file of your past clients or leads to support@followupboss.com and we will be happy to import them for you!

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