If you already have a contact database, you can easily bring it into User.com using a CSV or XLSX file. This is a convenient way to transfer your existing customer data into the platform without having to add contacts manually.
Before you begin, make sure your file is properly structured and that you understand how contact data is stored in User.com. The platform uses both standard attributes (built-in fields such as email address or phone number) and custom attributes (fields you create yourself).
Match Standard Attributes: If your spreadsheet columns match standard attributes, you can import the file immediately.
Create Custom Attributes: If you want to include additional information that is not supported by default, you will need to create the relevant custom attributes first. Follow the steps in “How to Create a Custom Attribute“.
Verify Data Types: Make sure that each column has the correct attribute value type. For example, if you want to import "Scoring", make sure your attribute is an integer. If you want to import a "Date", set the attribute as datetime. Refer to “What Is an Attribute” for details on specific data types.
Before uploading, ensure your file is formatted correctly. If you aren't sure how your file should look, you can download a ready-to-use template directly from the app by clicking the “xlsx” or “csv” button in the “Data” → “Import” section.
To find more tips about data formatting, check our dedicated article.
Required Fields
You must have a unique identifier for each contact. This can be either an email address or a user ID. You can have several contacts with the same email address but with different user IDs.
Column Headings
Always include column headings in the first row of your file. Try to give your columns exactly the same names as the existing in User.com attributes have. If the column name is identical to the attribute name, the system will match them automatically during import.
Encoding
What is encoding? Encoding tells the computer how to interpret the text characters in your file. The default and most highly recommended format is UTF-8. Choosing UTF-8 ensures that special characters, accents, and symbols are imported correctly without turning into random symbols.
Separator
What is a separator? In CSV (Comma Separated Values) files, a separator is the punctuation mark used to divide your text into distinct spreadsheet columns. Common separators are commas (,) or semicolons (;).
Multi-value Fields
If one column contains multiple values (for example, “Tags” or any attribute with the fixed choice type with multiple values allowed), separate them using the pipe character: “|”
Example: tag1|tag2|tag3
Go to “Data” → “Importers” and choose “Import Contacts”.
OR
You can go with “Data” → “Contacts” → “Add contacts” → “Import contacts”.
Upload or drag&drop the file.
Choose the encoding to be suitable to your file. (UTF-8 is a default one)
Choose the separator used in your file.
Add lists and tags if you want them to be applied to the contacts.
Turn the “Trigger Automations” toggle on or off, depending on whether you want automations to run for these contacts after import. (Based on lists and tags).
This step is about mapping the column headers from your file to the existing attributes in User.com.
Auto-matching: If the name of the column in your file is exactly the same as the attribute name in the system, they will be matched automatically.
Manual matching: For unmatched columns, simply select the correct existing attribute from the drop-down menu to connect them.
Once all the columns from your file are matched with attributes, click “Next”. You will be redirected to the “Confirmation” step.
In the “Confirmation” step, you review the summary of the import and confirm the process. After confirmation, the system starts processing your file.
Once you click “Import”, you will see the GDPR confirmation notification. It’s an obligatory step to upload the data to the workspace.
You can monitor the import process and check the final results in the “Import Results” section, where you are redirected automatically.
You can visit this section any time via “Data” → “Importers” → “Import Results” path.
Here you will see:
Import status (Started/Pending/Complete/Archived)
Date created
Completed at
Type (what kind of data was imported)
Created by (team member who uploaded the file)
File name
Total rows (from your file)
Succeeded (final number of rows imported)
Failed (shows number of failures)
If something goes wrong during the import, click on the file name to view a detailed error report.
To view the newly imported profiles, go to “Data” → “Contacts”. You can filter your database by the specific contact list or tag you attached during the import to easily review the imported data.
You can use the same import process to update existing contacts. To update a contact, the system must recognize it by:
The same email address
or
The same user_id (if used in your workspace)
How user_id affects updates:
if you use user_id in the workspace and import CSV/XLSX with existing contacts with the same user_id → contacts in the system will be updated
if you don't use user_id in the workspace and import CSV/XLSX with existing contacts without any user_id → contacts in the system will be updated
if you use user_id in the workspace and import CSV/XLSX with existing contacts without user_id → new contacs will be added
if you don't use user_id in the workspace and import CSV/XLSX with existing contacts with user_id → new contacts will be added
CSV import troubleshooting
How to Import Companies from CSV/XLSX
