FaceBot Bulk Contact Import and CSV Mapping helps businesses move customer and lead data from spreadsheets into a structured contact database quickly and accurately.

Instead of creating contacts manually one by one, your team can upload a CSV or Excel file, map its columns to FaceBot fields, review the data before importing, choose how duplicates should be handled, organize contacts into groups, and monitor the import until it is complete.

The result is cleaner contact data that can be used more effectively across campaigns, sales follow-up, customer communication, and other FaceBot workflows.

What is Bulk Contact Import and CSV Mapping in FaceBot?

Bulk Contact Import is FaceBot's guided workflow for bringing larger contact lists into the Contacts workspace.

It supports CSV and Excel files and gives your team control over how spreadsheet data is translated into FaceBot contact records.

  • CSV and Excel uploads: Import existing customer or prospect lists.
  • Field mapping: Match spreadsheet columns with FaceBot contact fields.
  • Smart column matching: FaceBot can recognize common fields such as name, phone, and email.
  • Import preview: Review mapped information before processing the file.
  • Duplicate handling: Choose whether matching contacts should be skipped, overwritten, or merged.
  • Phone sanitization: Normalize phone numbers for cleaner storage and more reliable matching.
  • Group assignment: Organize imported contacts during the same workflow.
  • Progress tracking: Monitor import processing and review final results.

Why bulk contact import matters

Many businesses already have valuable customer and lead information stored in spreadsheets. The challenge is turning that data into something the sales and marketing team can actually use every day.

Manual entry is slow, difficult to maintain, and more likely to create inconsistent records. FaceBot's import workflow helps businesses move existing data into a more structured CRM environment while keeping control over how the information is processed.

  • Save manual work: Import large contact lists instead of creating records individually.
  • Improve data consistency: Map spreadsheet fields into a standard contact structure.
  • Reduce duplicate clutter: Decide how existing contacts should be treated before import.
  • Organize audiences immediately: Assign contacts to groups during onboarding.
  • Preserve useful business data: Store additional spreadsheet columns as custom properties.
  • Prepare contacts for action: Create cleaner audiences for campaigns, follow-up, and communication workflows.

How Bulk Contact Import works in FaceBot

1. Upload your contact file

Start from the Contacts workspace and select Import CSV.

FaceBot accepts:

  • CSV
  • XLSX
  • XLS

Excel files are processed through the same import workflow, allowing teams to work with the spreadsheet format they already use.

After upload, FaceBot reads the file and shows the number of detected records. Relevant package limits, including contact capacity and row-per-import allowances, are also considered before processing continues.

2. Map spreadsheet columns to FaceBot fields

The next step is deciding where each spreadsheet column belongs inside FaceBot.

Standard contact fields include:

  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Phone Number
  • Email

A phone field must be mapped before the import can continue.

FaceBot also attempts to recognize common spreadsheet headings automatically, helping reduce manual setup for fields such as first name, last name, phone, and email.

You can adjust any automatic mapping before moving forward.

3. Keep additional business information with custom properties

Not every spreadsheet column needs to fit into a standard contact field.

Additional information can be mapped as Custom Property (Key-Value), allowing useful business data to stay connected to each contact.

For example, an imported file could contain information such as:

  • City
  • Lead source
  • Product interest
  • Sales representative
  • Customer type
  • Internal qualification information

Columns that are not needed can simply be skipped.

4. Preview the data before importing

Before FaceBot processes the file, you can review a preview of the mapped columns and sample rows.

This gives your team an opportunity to catch mapping mistakes before thousands of records enter the contact database.

It is especially useful for checking:

  • Phone number mapping
  • Name fields
  • Email fields
  • Custom properties
  • Unexpected or unnecessary columns

5. Choose how duplicates should be handled

FaceBot gives you control over what happens when an imported phone number already matches an existing contact in your account.

Three duplicate strategies are available:

  • Skip Duplicates: Keep the existing contact unchanged and ignore the incoming duplicate.
  • Overwrite Data: Replace existing contact information with the imported values.
  • Merge Data: Add useful incoming information while preserving existing values where appropriate.

Merge Data is especially useful when you are enriching an existing contact database instead of replacing it.

6. Sanitize phone numbers

The import workflow includes an optional Sanitize Phone Numbers setting.

When enabled, FaceBot normalizes phone information to create cleaner records and improve consistency when comparing imported numbers with existing contacts.

This can be particularly useful when spreadsheet data comes from multiple sources with different phone-number formatting styles.

7. Assign imported contacts to a group

Imported contacts can be organized into a group during the same workflow.

You can choose:

  • GLOBAL
  • An existing contact group
  • A new custom group

Choosing a group during import means the contacts are organized as soon as they enter FaceBot, making them easier to filter and use later.

If GLOBAL is selected, the records are imported without an additional specific group tag.

8. Process the import in the background

Once everything is configured, FaceBot queues the import for processing.

The import screen shows the current status, which can include:

  • Queued
  • Processing
  • Completed
  • Failed

This allows larger contact files to be processed without requiring the user to remain on a frozen page while every record is created.

9. Review the import results

After processing is complete, FaceBot provides a summary of what happened during the import.

You can review information such as:

  • New contacts imported
  • Existing contacts updated
  • Rows skipped

This gives teams a clearer understanding of how the uploaded file affected the existing contact database.

How to import contacts into FaceBot step by step

  1. Open Contacts: Go to the Contacts workspace in FaceBot.
  2. Select Import CSV: Start the bulk contact import workflow.
  3. Upload your file: Choose a CSV, XLSX, or XLS file containing your contact records.
  4. Review the detected records: Confirm the file has been read correctly before continuing.
  5. Map your columns: Match spreadsheet fields with FaceBot contact fields.
  6. Map Phone Number: Ensure at least one column is assigned to the required Phone Number field.
  7. Map additional information: Store useful extra columns as custom properties or skip fields you do not need.
  8. Review the preview: Check sample records and confirm the mapping is correct.
  9. Select duplicate behavior: Choose Skip, Overwrite, or Merge.
  10. Choose phone sanitization: Enable normalization when appropriate for your dataset.
  11. Assign a group: Select GLOBAL, an existing group, or create a new group for the imported contacts.
  12. Start the import: Submit the file for background processing.
  13. Monitor progress: Follow the import status until processing is completed.
  14. Review the results: Check how many contacts were created, updated, or skipped.
  15. Open Contacts: Verify the imported records and begin using the new audience in your FaceBot workflows.

Information and settings available during import

  • Supported files: CSV, XLSX, XLS
  • Standard mapping fields: First Name, Last Name, Phone Number, Email
  • Custom properties: Additional spreadsheet information stored with contact records
  • Required mapping: Phone Number
  • Duplicate options: Skip, Overwrite, Merge
  • Phone sanitization: Optional phone-number normalization
  • Group assignment: GLOBAL, existing group, or new group
  • Import status: Queued, processing, completed, or failed
  • Package controls: Contact capacity and row-per-import allowances

Example: importing an event lead list

Imagine your sales team receives a spreadsheet containing leads collected at an industry event.

The file includes:

  • Name
  • Mobile number
  • City
  • Product interest
  • Sales representative

The sales manager uploads the spreadsheet into FaceBot Contacts.

Name and Mobile are mapped to standard FaceBot contact fields, while City, Product Interest, and Sales Rep are saved as custom properties.

The manager selects Merge Data so existing customers can be enriched with new information without unnecessarily replacing useful data already stored in FaceBot.

The contacts are assigned to an EVENT LEADS group.

Once processing is complete, the sales team can immediately filter the Contacts workspace by that group and use the organized audience for follow-up or campaign selection.

Instead of manually rebuilding the event list inside the CRM, the spreadsheet has been transformed into a structured, searchable, and actionable FaceBot audience.

When should you use Merge, Skip, or Overwrite?

Use Merge when enriching existing contacts

Merge is useful when an incoming file may contain additional information about contacts that already exist in FaceBot.

It allows the imported dataset to add value without automatically replacing useful information already stored in the CRM.

Use Skip when you only want new contacts

Skip is useful when the goal is to add contacts that do not already exist while leaving all existing records untouched.

Use Overwrite when the imported file is your source of truth

Overwrite is useful when the spreadsheet contains the latest trusted version of your contact information and should replace existing values.

Because existing information can be replaced, teams should review the file carefully before using this option.

How bulk imports prepare contacts for campaigns

Contact import is not only about storing data. It is often the first step in preparing an audience for sales or marketing activity.

By mapping fields correctly, cleaning phone information, handling duplicates, preserving custom properties, and assigning a group during import, teams can create audiences that are immediately easier to work with.

Those organized contact groups can then support related FaceBot workflows such as campaign audience selection and follow-up activity.

Package limits and contact capacity

Bulk import behavior is connected to FaceBot package entitlements.

Depending on the active plan, controls can include:

  • Maximum contacts available in the account
  • Maximum rows allowed per import
  • Access to import or export capabilities

FaceBot displays relevant limit information during the workflow so teams can understand available capacity before processing larger contact files.

Best practices for importing contacts

  • Use clear spreadsheet headers: Names such as First Name, Phone, and Email make mapping easier and improve automatic field recognition.
  • Check phone mapping first: FaceBot requires a phone field before the import can proceed.
  • Clean unnecessary columns: Remove information you do not need or skip those columns during mapping.
  • Use custom properties strategically: Keep business information that will be useful for segmentation, qualification, or follow-up.
  • Preview before processing: Verify sample records carefully before starting a large import.
  • Use Merge for enrichment: This is often the safer choice when updating an existing contact database.
  • Use Overwrite carefully: Choose it only when the imported dataset should replace existing information.
  • Normalize phone numbers: Use phone sanitization when your source data contains inconsistent formatting.
  • Assign a useful group: Organizing contacts during import makes future filtering and audience selection easier.
  • Review package capacity: Check available contact and import limits before processing very large files.

Frequently asked questions

Can I import Excel files directly into FaceBot?

Yes. FaceBot accepts CSV, XLSX, and XLS files and processes them through the contact mapping and import workflow.

Is a phone number required?

Yes. At least one spreadsheet column must be mapped to Phone Number before the import can proceed.

Does FaceBot automatically recognize spreadsheet columns?

FaceBot attempts smart matching for common field names such as first name, last name, phone, and email. You can review and change the mappings before importing.

How does FaceBot detect duplicate contacts?

Duplicate handling uses phone matching within the account context. Matching records are then processed according to the selected Skip, Overwrite, or Merge strategy.

Can I import custom contact information?

Yes. Additional spreadsheet columns can be mapped as custom properties and stored alongside the contact record.

What happens to invalid phone rows?

Rows without usable phone information are skipped. If the uploaded file contains no valid phone records, the import fails with a clear message.

Can imported contacts be placed into a group?

Yes. Contacts can be assigned to GLOBAL, an existing group, or a new custom group during the import workflow.

Can I see import progress?

Yes. Imports are processed in the background and FaceBot shows status and progress information during processing.

Turn spreadsheet data into usable FaceBot contacts

Bulk Contact Import and CSV Mapping makes it easier to move from static spreadsheets to an organized contact database your team can actually use.

By combining file upload, smart field mapping, custom properties, duplicate management, phone cleanup, group assignment, and progress tracking in one workflow, FaceBot helps teams prepare cleaner contact data for campaigns, communication, and sales follow-up.

Related FaceBot features

  • Contacts Management
  • Contact Groups
  • Contact Export CSV
  • Campaign Audience Selection
  • Plans & Billing