Bulk import your contacts into Tourism Accelerator to streamline your contact management. This feature saves tourism operators time by allowing them to upload a CSV file of contacts, instead of manually entering each contact individually. This ensures you can easily keep in touch with past guests, potential future customers, or even local partners.
Accessing this feature
Go to Contacts
How to use it
Preparing Your Contact List
Open your contact list in a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or Apple Numbers. Ensure each piece of information (like First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone Number) is in its own column.
Use clear and simple headings for each column, such as "First Name", "Last Name", "Email", "Phone Number", "Company", "Notes", etc.
Each contact needs either an Email Address or a Phone Number to be successfully imported. It is recommended to have both if possible.
Check for any typos, missing information, or duplicate entries. The cleaner your data is now, the smoother your import will be!
Go to "File" > "Save As" and choose "CSV (Comma delimited)" or "CSV UTF-8" as the file type.
Uploading Your CSV File
Once you're on the Import Contacts page (from Contacts), the page displays a section labelled "Upload Your File".
Click on the Choose File button. This opens a window on your computer where you can find and select the CSV file you just prepared.
Select your CSV file and click Open. The name of your file appears next to the button.
Click the Next: Map Fields button to move to the next stage.
Matching Your Fields (Mapping)
The system displays two columns: "Your CSV Column Header" (which are the headings from your spreadsheet) and "Tourism Accelerator Field" (which are the fields in our system).
Go through each row. For example, if your CSV had a column called "Email Address", the system will likely automatically match it to "Email".
If a field isn't matched correctly, or if you have a column you want to import but it's showing "Do not import", click on the dropdown menu under "Tourism Accelerator Field" and choose the best match from the list.
Ensure your "Email" or "Phone Number" columns are correctly matched.
If you have a column in your CSV that you don't want to import, leave it as "Do not import".
When you're happy with all your matches, click the Next: Review & Import button.
Handling Duplicates & Review
The system helps you manage any contacts that might already exist in your account.
The system presents an option for "How to handle duplicate contacts".
Update existing contacts: If a contact with the same email or phone number already exists, the system will update their information with the new data from your file.
Skip new contacts: If a contact with the same email or phone number already exists, the system will ignore that row from your file and keep the existing contact information as is.
Create new contacts (even if duplicates): This option will create a brand new contact, even if one with the same email or phone number already exists. It is generally recommended avoiding this unless you have a very specific reason, as it can create clutter.
Review the summary of your import – it will show you how many contacts are new, how many might be updated, and how many might be skipped.
When you're ready, click the Start Import button.
Import Complete!
A confirmation message appears letting you know your import is underway or complete!
Depending on the size of your file, it might take a few moments for all your contacts to appear in your account. You can navigate away from the page, and the import will continue in the background.
Tips
Regularly update your contact lists to ensure accuracy.
Segment your contacts for targeted marketing campaigns.
Use custom fields to store specific information about your contacts.
Need help?
For further assistance, contact us at [email protected]