Importing contacts into your CRM

Bring your existing client list into PulseHub quickly and cleanly so you can start communicating straight away.

What importing contacts means

If you have an existing list of clients or leads stored in a spreadsheet, another CRM, or your email platform, you can upload that list into PulseHub in bulk using a CSV file. This avoids the need to enter contacts one by one and gets your database into the system quickly.

Once imported, your contacts will appear in the Contacts section of PulseHub and can be segmented, tagged, added to workflows, and communicated with directly from the platform.

Before you start: preparing your CSV file

PulseHub only accepts CSV files (.csv format). Excel files (.xlsx) and Google Sheets files cannot be uploaded directly. If your data is stored in either of these formats, you will need to export or save it as a CSV first.

Follow these guidelines before uploading.

• Your file must have a header row as the first row. Column headers such as First Name, Last Name, Email, and Phone allow PulseHub to map the data correctly.

• Each contact needs at least one of the following: a name, an email address, or a phone number.

• Your file must contain only one sheet or tab.

• The file size limit is 30 MB. If your file is larger, split it into smaller files and import them separately.

• Phone numbers should be formatted with the country code if you are importing numbers from outside New Zealand. For example, a US number should include +1 before the area code.

• Remove any duplicate rows before importing to keep your contact list clean.

Pro tip: If your contact list has come from another system such as Mailchimp, HubSpot, or a previous CRM, export it as a CSV from that platform first, then review the column headers before uploading to PulseHub.

How to import your contacts

Step 1: Navigate to contacts

1. In the left-hand menu, click Contacts.

2. Click the Smart Lists tab at the top.

3. Click the Import Contacts button. It looks like a downward arrow pointing into a box.

Step 2: Select what you are importing

1. A prompt will appear asking what you would like to import. Select Contacts, or select both Contacts and Opportunities if your CSV includes deal or pipeline data as well.

2. Click Next.

Step 3: Upload your file

1. Click Upload File and select your CSV from your computer.

2. Choose how you want to handle existing contacts. You have three options.

• Add new and update existing: creates new contacts and updates any that already exist in PulseHub based on their email or phone number. This is the recommended option for most imports.

• Add new only: creates new contacts and ignores any that already exist.

• Update existing only: updates existing contacts and does not create any new records.

Step 4: Map your columns

1. PulseHub will display each column from your CSV and ask you to match it to the correct field in the system. For example, your column labelled Email should be mapped to the Email field in PulseHub.

2. Mapped fields with correct values will show green indicators. Fields with issues will show a warning.

3. If a column in your CSV does not match any PulseHub field, you can leave it unmapped and tick the box to skip unmatched columns. That data will not be imported.

Note: If your CSV includes data for a custom field that does not yet exist in PulseHub, you will need to create that custom field before completing the import. Go to Settings, then Custom Fields, and create the field first. Then return to complete the import.

Step 5: Review and confirm

1. Give your import a name so you can identify it later if needed.

2. Optionally, you can add a tag to all imported contacts (for example: imported-march-2025). This makes it easy to find and filter this group of contacts later.

3. You can also add imported contacts to a workflow or create a Smart List from the import at this stage.

4. Tick the checkbox confirming your contacts have provided consent to be contacted. This is a required step.

5. Click Bulk Import to begin.

Monitoring your import

PulseHub processes the import in the background. For large lists, this can take a few minutes. You can monitor progress under Bulk Actions in the Contacts section.

Click Show Stats next to your import to see how many contacts were successfully imported and how many had errors. If there are errors, you can download an error log that explains what went wrong for each affected row.

Common import issues and how to fix them

Phone number errors: Ensure phone numbers do not include brackets, spaces, or dashes. For New Zealand numbers, format them as +6421XXXXXXX. Remove any formatting characters before importing.

Duplicate contacts: PulseHub checks for existing contacts based on email first, then phone number. If duplicates are found and you selected the update option, the existing record will be updated rather than duplicated.

File not accepted: Check that the file is saved as .csv and not .xlsx or .xls. Open it in Excel or Google Sheets and use Save As or Download As to export a .csv version.

Country name errors: If your CSV includes a Country field, the value must match exactly the country names accepted by PulseHub (for example: New Zealand, not NZ or Aotearoa). Check the GHL documentation for the full list of accepted country values.

Pro tip: Before running a large import, test with a small sample of five to ten contacts first. This confirms your field mapping is correct and saves time if adjustments are needed.

After your import

Once your contacts are in PulseHub, you can segment them using tags and Smart Lists, add them to automations, and begin communicating with them through the unified inbox. If you applied a tag during import, use that tag to pull up the full group quickly.

If you need help reviewing your imported contacts or setting up your first workflow, visit support.pulsehub.nz or reach out to the PulseHub support team directly.