How Do I Import New Contacts to Swell?

Before you begin

Your file must be a .csv file no larger than 10 MB and no more than 50,000 rows. If you're not sure how to format your file, you can download the Swell contact template from the upload step of the import and use it as a starting point.

Each row in your file needs the following information:

Field	Required?	Details
Target Brand	Required*	The Brand the contact belongs to. You can include multiple Brands in one file, as long as you have access to manage them.
Target Locations	Required*	One or more Locations within that row's Brand. Separate multiple Locations with commas. If the Brand only allows one contact per Location, list exactly one.
Name, or First Name and Last Name	Required*	Use a single Name column or separate First Name and Last Name columns.
Phone or Email	At least one required*	You can include both.
Country	Optional	Defaults to US if left blank.
Status	Optional	Enrolled, Unenrolled, or Blocked. New contacts default to Enrolled if left blank.
Groups	Optional	Must match Groups that already exist in Swell. Separate multiple Groups with commas.
Tags	Optional	Must match Tags that already exist in Swell. Separate multiple Tags with commas.
External ID	Optional	An ID from another system that helps Swell recognize the contact in future imports.

Any other columns in your file, such as birthdate or notes, can be skipped during the import and won't cause errors.

Important: Groups and Tags are not created automatically during an import. Make sure they already exist in Swell before you upload, or the rows that include them will be flagged as errors.

Importing your contacts

Navigate to People > Contacts > Import contacts.
If you manage more than one Enterprise, select the Enterprise you're importing contacts into. If you only manage one, it will be selected for you.
- Note: Each import can only include contacts for a single Enterprise. To import contacts for another Enterprise, complete this import first and then start a new one.
Drag your CSV file into the upload area, or click to browse to select it from your computer.
Click the Analyze Columns button. Your file won't be uploaded until you click this button, so you can swap in a different file beforehand if needed.
On the Map Columns step, review how each column in your file has been matched to a Swell field. Swell suggests matches based on your column headers, but you can change them by using the dropdowns. Set any columns you don't need to be skipped.
On the Map Values step, confirm how the values in your file match what's set up in Swell, such as your Brand names, Location names, Groups, Tags, Country, and Status. Any value Swell couldn't match will be highlighted so you can select the correct option.
- Note: Rows with values that are left unmatched will be skipped, but the rest of your file can still be imported.
On the review step, check the summary of how many contacts will be created, updated, unchanged, or skipped, along with any warnings or errors. Each row shows its Target Brand so you can confirm contacts are going to the right place.
Choose how existing contacts should be handled under Existing Contact Policy. See Handling existing contacts below for details on each option.
If any rows have errors, you can download the error report now to fix them later. When you're ready, confirm the import. Only valid rows will be importe◦
- Important: Keep this page open until the import finishes. If you leave the page for about an hour before confirming, you'll need to validate your file again before importing.
Once the import is complete, review the results to see which contacts were created, updated, skipped, or couldn't be imported. From here, you can import another file or return to People.

Handling existing contacts

Swell checks each row's phone number, email address, and External ID to see whether the contact already exists. You'll choose one of two options for any matches it finds.

Skip is selected by default. Existing contacts are left exactly as they are and appear as skipped in your results, so you can import a file without worrying about changing data you already have.

Update Existing applies the information in your file to contacts that already exist. Blank cells in your file won't erase any existing information, and Locations, Groups, and Tags in your file are added to the contact without removing the ones it already has. A contact's External ID can't be changed through an import.

Important Notes:

Contacts that sync to Swell from an integration, such as your practice management system, can't be updated through an import. These rows will show as not updatable so your integration remains the source for that
Contacts who have unsubscribed will stay unsubscribed, and Unsubscribed can't be set as a Status in your import file.
If a row's phone number, email, and External ID point to different contacts, or if two rows in your file match the same contact, those rows will be flagged as conflicts and won't be imported. Review the error report to see which rows need attention.

Fixing errors and re-uploading

The error report lists the row number and the reason each row couldn't be imported, such as a missing required field, a Location that doesn't belong to the row's Brand, or a Group or Tag that doesn't exist in Swell. Make your corrections in your original CSV file rather than in the report, since the report only contains row numbers and error messages.

On the review step, download the error report.
Open your original CSV file and correct the rows listed in the report.
Click Upload Corrected File and select your updated file.
If your column headers haven't changed, Swell will reuse the column and value matches you already set, so you can go straight to reviewing your file.
- Note: Column and value matches are only saved for your current import. If you start a new import later, you'll need to match your columns again.

If a contact you expected to see wasn't imported and you aren't sure why, please reach out to our Support team, and we'll be happy to help.