Records, imports, and enrichment

How to import contacts into CRM

Spacebrain calls an individual CRM contact a Person. To import customer contacts, open CRM → People and select Import.

1. Prepare a CSV, XLSX, or XLS file no larger than 10 MB. Put field names in the first row; a People import requires an Email field. Start with a small file that represents the real data.
2. Open CRM → People → Import and upload the file.
3. In Map Fields, review every automatic match. Map columns to standard or custom fields, skip columns you do not need, or create a custom field when the value has a clear long-term purpose.
4. In Validate, fix blocking errors and review any warnings before continuing.
5. Decide whether to enable Update existing records. It is off by default. When enabled, the importer can match People by email, external ID, or phone; confirm the chosen identity strategy before applying updates.
6. Add import-wide tags only if they are useful for ownership, source tracking, or a controlled follow-up.
7. Run the import, then review Created, Updated, Skipped, and Failed counts in Results. Download the error report when rows fail, correct only those rows, and re-import them carefully.

Use CRM → Leads → Import when the file represents unqualified lead intake rather than durable customer contacts. Use Chat & Voice → Contacts for a voice-outreach audience; that contact list is separate from CRM People.

Create a record manually

Open CRM → Leads, People, or Companies, choose the create action, and enter the minimum trustworthy identity. Search first using email, phone, name, company, or another stable identifier. Add an owner and lifecycle state only when the team can act on them.

Open a record to review its details and related activity. Depending on record type and workspace features, the detail view can surface notes, tasks, conversations, associated records, enrichment, and other operational history.

Understand identity

Email addresses and phone numbers are useful identifiers but can be shared, changed, or formatted differently. Company names and domains can also vary. Use normalization and the duplicate review tools presented by the product; do not merge records solely because names look similar.

Prepare an import

1. Export a backup from the source system.
2. Remove unnecessary columns and clearly label the header row.
3. Normalize dates, countries, phone formats, email values, owners, and lifecycle labels.
4. Preserve source, consent, suppression, and acquisition dates.
5. Decide how the file should match existing records and what should happen on a conflict.
6. Create required custom fields before mapping.
7. Test with a small representative file.

During field mapping, inspect every low-confidence or guessed match. Map identifiers and consent fields manually. A successful upload only confirms processing; validate actual records, ownership, associations, and duplicates afterward.

Work with duplicates

Use the duplicate-review experience where available. Choose the survivor based on the most reliable identity and history. Before merging or deleting anything, compare ownership, consent, activity, company relationships, deal associations, tasks, and custom fields. Keep an audit note when the decision matters operationally.

Use enrichment

Enrichment can propose or add details for a lead, person, or company. Availability and usage cost can depend on plan and provider. Before running it:

• Confirm the record is the intended person or business.
• Understand which fields may be written and whether existing values can change.
• Select only records for which enrichment is appropriate.
• Review usage estimates or limits presented by Spacebrain.

After enrichment, verify important facts against an owned or authoritative source. Enriched data can be outdated or refer to a similarly named entity. Never treat a generated or third-party field as proof of consent.

Export and cleanup

Apply the intended view and filters before exporting, verify the row count, and protect the downloaded file as customer data. Bulk edits and deletes should start with a narrow selection and a second review of workspace, record type, and count.

Contact import FAQ

Does an import automatically prevent duplicate contacts?

No. Update existing records is off by default, and identity data can be incomplete or inconsistent. Enable updates only when matching by email, external ID, or phone is appropriate, then inspect the small test import for both duplicates and incorrect matches.

Why can't I see the Import button?

The CRM import action requires edit access. Verify the active workspace and ask a workspace admin or owner for Editor access if the page is read-only.

Should contacts go into Leads, People, or Chat & Voice Contacts?

Use People for durable individual customer records, Leads for records still being qualified, and Chat & Voice → Contacts for a voice-outreach list. See the CRM overview for the record model and custom fields and lead scoring before adding a large set of new fields.