You no longer have to use the Command Contact Import template to import contacts into Command. Now, you can upload a custom CSV, as long as it only has one row of column titles, and map the fields from your spreadsheet to Command.
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Each contact must have at least a first name, in order to import. Your custom spreadsheet can only have one row of column titles. If there are no column titles or if there is more than one row of column titles, you will get an error when trying to upload. |
As you import using a custom file in Command, there is a ton of flexibility built in to the process. Basically, you will see the column title and an example from your custom spreadsheet, you just need to choose a Command field to map it to. See below for nuances around each option available to you:
Contact Name
Full Name - use this if your import file has one column for both first and last name.
Preferred Name - don't map to this field, it currently doesn't map to any field in Command.
First Name - use this if your names are broken up in separate columns. This would be used for the first name.
Middle Name - use this if your names are broken up in separate columns. This would be used for the middle name.
Last Name - use this if your names are broken up in separate columns. This would be used for the last name.
Prefix - this is an addition to the name field in Command. Anything you add here will display before the name (i.e. - Dr. Joe Williamson).
Suffix - this is an addition to the name field in Command. Anything you add here will display after the name (i.e. - Joe Williamson Ph.D.).
Email Addresses
Primary Email - this is the primary email option. This marks the email address as Primary with the "Personal" email label.
Primary Email Type - this field is not meant for an actual email address, but an email label. The email labels you can use here are "Personal," "Work," or "Other." Really, the only time you need to use this mapping option is if you need to import email addresses as Primary, with either a "Work" or "Other" label (if you use the "Primary Email" option for mapping email addresses, they will be automatically labeled as "Personal").
Additional Email - use this option if you already have a column for primary email addresses and need to import additional email addresses. This option automatically imports the email address with a "Personal" label.
Additional Email: Work - use this option if you already have a column for primary email addresses and need to import additional "work" email addresses.
Additional Email: Personal - use this option if you already have a column for primary email addresses and need to import additional "personal" email addresses.
Additional Email: Other - use this option if you already have a column for primary email addresses and need to import additional "other" email addresses.
Phone Numbers
Phone numbers can be formatted in multiple ways, all of the following will work:
- 1234567899
- (123) 456-7899
- 123.456.7899
- 123-456-7899
Primary Phone - this is the primary phone option. This marks the phone number as Primary with the "Personal" phone label.
Secondary Phone - use this option if you already have a column for primary phone numbers and need to import an additional phone numbers. This option automatically imports the phone numbers with a "Personal" label.
Primary Phone Type - this field is not meant for an actual phone numbers, but a phone label. The phone labels you can use here are "Personal," "Home," "Mobile," "Cell," "Work," or "Other." Really, the only time you need to use this mapping option is if you need to import phone numbers as Primary, with a label other than "Personal."
Additional Phone: Personal - use this option if you already have a column for primary phone numbers and need to import additional "personal" phone numbers.
Additional Phone: Home - use this option if you already have a column for primary phone numbers and need to import additional "home" phone numbers.
Additional Phone: Mobile - use this option if you already have a column for primary phone numbers and need to import additional "mobile" phone numbers.
Additional Phone: Cell - use this option if you already have a column for primary phone numbers and need to import additional "cell" phone numbers.
Additional Phone: Work - use this option if you already have a column for primary phone numbers and need to import additional "work" phone numbers.
Additional Phone: Other - use this option if you already have a column for primary phone numbers and need to import additional "other" phone numbers.
Lead Sources and Tags
Lead Source - use this option to map lead sources to the contacts you are importing.
- Personal Command account - if you import a lead source that does not yet exist, the system will add this as a new lead source, in Settings. Make sure to capitalize a new lead source, as it will be created exactly as typed in the import file.
- Team Command account - only associates with Enhanced/Unlimited permissions can create new lead sources for the team.
- If an associate with Standard permissions imports a lead source that doesn't exist, the contact will import with no lead source added. A team member with Enhanced or Unlimited permissions will need to create the lead source prior to the import.
- If an associate with Enhanced/Unlimited permissions imports a lead source that doesn't exist, the system will add this as a new lead source, in the Team Settings. Make sure to capitalize a new lead source, as it will be created exactly as typed in the import file.
Tags - use this option to add tags to the contacts you are importing. You can enter multiple tags. Enter each tag separated by a comma and a space. Also, these custom tags are case sensitive, so ensure that you add the proper capitalization.
- Personal Command account - if you import tags that do not yet exist, the system will add these as new tags, in Settings. Make sure to capitalize a new tag, as it will be created exactly as typed in the import file.
- Team Command account - only associates with Enhanced/Unlimited permissions can create new tags for the team.
- If an associate with Standard permissions imports a tag that doesn't exist, the contact will import without that tag added. A team member with Enhanced or Unlimited permissions will need to create the tag prior to the import.
- If an associate with Enhanced/Unlimited permissions imports a tag that doesn't exist, the system will add this as a new tag, in the Team Settings. Make sure to capitalize a new tag, as it will be created exactly as typed in the import file.
Addresses
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Once you start mapping address fields as a certain type (i.e. Primary Address: Address Line One, or Mailing Address: Address Line One), make sure to map the rest of the fields for those addresses with the same label. If you map any of those fields with a different label, that column will import as a totally separate address. |
Primary Address - use this option to import full addresses that are entered into one column, as opposed to addresses broken up into multiple columns. These will import as the primary "mailing" address.
Primary Address Type - his field is not meant for an actual addresses, but an address label. The address labels you can use here are "Home," "Work," "Rental," "Vacation," "Imported," or "Other." Really, the only time you need to use this mapping option is if you need to import addresses as Primary, with a label other than "Mailing."
Primary Address: Address Line One - use this option to import addresses that are broken up into separate columns. These will import as the primary "mailing" address.
Primary Address: Address Line Two - use this option to import addresses that are broken up into separate columns. These will import as the primary "mailing" address.
Primary Address: City - use this option to import addresses that are broken up into separate columns. These will import as the primary "mailing" address.
Primary Address: State - use this option to import addresses that are broken up into separate columns. These will import as the primary "mailing" address.
Primary Address: : Zip/Postal Code - use this option to import addresses that are broken up into separate columns. These will import as the primary "mailing" address.
Primary Address: Country - use this option to import addresses that are broken up into separate columns. These will import as the primary "mailing" address.
Mailing Address: Address Line One - use this option if you already have columns for primary addresses and need to import additional "mailing" addresses that are broken up into separate columns.
Mailing Address: Address Line Two - use this option if you already have columns for primary addresses and need to import additional "mailing" addresses that are broken up into separate columns.
Mailing Address: City - use this option if you already have columns for primary addresses and need to import additional "mailing" addresses that are broken up into separate columns.
Mailing Address: State - use this option if you already have columns for primary addresses and need to import additional "mailing" addresses that are broken up into separate columns.
Mailing Address: Zip/Postal Code - use this option if you already have columns for primary addresses and need to import additional "mailing" addresses that are broken up into separate columns.
Mailing Address: Country - use this option if you already have columns for primary addresses and need to import additional "mailing" addresses that are broken up into separate columns.
Other Address: Address Line One - use this option if you already have columns for primary addresses and need to import additional "other" addresses that are broken up into separate columns.
Other Address: Address Line Two - use this option if you already have columns for primary addresses and need to import additional "other" addresses that are broken up into separate columns.
Other Address: State - use this option if you already have columns for primary addresses and need to import additional "other" addresses that are broken up into separate columns.
Other Address: Zip/Postal Code - use this option if you already have columns for primary addresses and need to import additional "other" addresses that are broken up into separate columns.
Other Address: Country - use this option if you already have columns for primary addresses and need to import additional "other" addresses that are broken up into separate columns.
Other Address: Home - use this option if you already have columns for primary addresses and need to import additional addresses that are entered into one column, as opposed to addresses broken up into multiple columns. These will import as secondary "home" addresses.
Other Address: Work - use this option if you already have columns for primary addresses and need to import additional addresses that are entered into one column, as opposed to addresses broken up into multiple columns. These will import as secondary "work" addresses.
Other Address: Rental - use this option if you already have columns for primary addresses and need to import additional addresses that are entered into one column, as opposed to addresses broken up into multiple columns. These will import as secondary "rental" addresses.
Other Address: Vacation - use this option if you already have columns for primary addresses and need to import additional addresses that are entered into one column, as opposed to addresses broken up into multiple columns. These will import as secondary "vacation" addresses.
Other Address: Other - use this option if you already have columns for primary addresses and need to import additional addresses that are entered into one column, as opposed to addresses broken up into multiple columns. These will import as secondary "other" addresses.
Social Profiles
In the following fields, you are able to add links to a contact's social profiles. This makes it easy to access these social profile links from within the contact record. To capture these links, go to the social platform in question, go to the contact's profile, and copy the web address:
Social Profile: Facebook
Social Profile: Twitter
Social Profile: Instagram
Social Profile: LinkedIn
Social Profile: Pintrest
Social Profile: SnapChat
Social Profile: Website
There are several formats for each profile that will work, here are the Facebook examples, but this also applies to the other social profiles as well (except website):
- https://www.facebook.com/paul.polansky485757
- www.facebook.com/paul.polansky485757
- facebook.com/paul.polansky485757
- paul.polansky485757
Legal Name
Full Legal Name - use this option if your contacts have a legal name other than what you entered for their everyday name, and your import file has one column for both legal first and last name. This is not a replacement for the primary name field, but added in addition.
Legal First Name - use this option if your contacts have a legal name other than what you entered for their everyday name, are broken up in separate columns. This is not a replacement for the primary first name field, but added in addition.
Legal Last Name - use this option if your contacts have a legal name other than what you entered for their everyday name, are broken up in separate columns. This is not a replacement for the primary last name field, but added in addition.
Description and Notes
Description - use this option for contact descriptions. These will be separate from Notes, in the contact record, and will show up in the About section. These will also show up in Task Details when viewing a task. This can come in handy when using Tasks to make phone calls to stay connected with your database.
- As of writing this article, I was not able to find a character limit for this field, though any formatting (bold, italics, bullet points, paragraph spacing, etc.) will not pull through to the contact record.
Notes - use this option to add notes to the contacts, as they import. You will be able to view these in the Notes tab of the contact record and will also show up in Task Details when viewing a task. This can come in handy when using Tasks to make phone calls to stay connected with your database.
- There is a 10,000 character limit for notes, and any formatting (bold, italics, bullet points, paragraph spacing, etc.) will not pull through to the contact record.
- This field is the only field that you can map to multiple times. If there are several fields, on your custom file, that you need to map to Command as notes, you can use this field as many times as needed.
Import as Note - import additional notes, and this is a good catch-all field for data you can't find an equivalent field for, in Command. You can use this to import that field as a note, which allows you to access that data later and keep it organized.
- There is a 10,000 character limit for notes, and any formatting (bold, italics, bullet points, paragraph spacing, etc.) will not pull through to the contact record.
Key Dates
When importing the following two dates into Command, it's not required to enter a year, however, it will import these with the current year if you don't add an actual date. The Birthday and Home Anniversary SmartPlans will still work in this situation, so the year is more of a reference in the contact record.
When you enter dates into the spreadsheet, there are a few formats that will work:
- July 27, 1986 (Excel will auto-format this to be 27-Jul-86)
- 27-Jul-86
- 7/27/1986
Birthday - use this option to import contact birthdates into Command. The system uses these dates to trigger the KW Birthday SmartPlan.
Home Anniversary - use this option to import contact home anniversary dates into Command. The system uses these dates to trigger the KW Home Anniversary SmartPlan.
Work
Company Name - use this option to add the company the contacts you are importing are employed at.
Job Title - use this option to add the job title of the contacts you are importing.
Custom Fields
As long as you have created the custom field in Command, prior to importing, you have the ability to map to those custom fields. While there are several custom field types to choose from in Command (date, text, multiple choice, etc.), the import process for these are pretty flexible and Command will generally accept whatever you import. For instance, it you map to a multiple choice custom field and import an option that has not been created in Command, that choice will import exactly as you type it in your custom file.
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When using the drop-down to map to a custom field, only the 10 most recently created custom fields will actually show in the list. That being said, you can use the search, at the top of the drop-down, to find and map to any custom fields that are not showing in the list: |
Relationships
The Relationships field, in Command Contacts, is a way to link two contacts together in your database. This makes it easy to switch between related contacts, within a contact record, and also enables related contacts to show up on the same exported mailing labels (as long as they also have the same mailing addresses).
- These fields are currently not mapping properly. It is not recommended to use these options, though it will not affect any other portion of your import if you do.
Relationship: Spouse
Relationship: Father
Relationship: Mother
Relationship: Son
Relationship: Daughter
Relationship: Brother
Relationship: Sister
Relationship: Sibling
Relationship: Parent
Relationship: Child
Relationship: Sibling of Parent
Relationship: Child of Sibling
Relationship: Cousin
Relationship: Grandparent
Relationship: Grandchild
Relationship: Step Sibling
Relationship: Step Parent
Relationship: Sibling-in-Law
Relationship: Parent-in-Law
Relationship: Business Partner
Relationship: Partner
Relationship: Other