Importing contact data into a new CRM is one of those chores that looks quick on paper, but can turn into a mess if you’re not careful. If you’re using Spiky, you want to make sure your contact lists are clean, complete, and actually useful—without spending hours untangling bad data or dealing with import errors. This guide is for anyone moving contacts into Spiky, whether you’re migrating from another system or wrangling a bunch of spreadsheets from different sources.
Let’s walk through the step-by-step process for importing and cleaning your contact data in Spiky, with a focus on what actually works—and what you can skip.
1. Know What You’re Importing (and Why)
Before you even open Spiky or fire up Excel, take a beat. Importing all your contacts “just in case” sounds tempting, but you’ll regret it when you’re sorting through outdated leads and duplicate emails later.
Ask yourself: - Which contacts do we actually need in Spiky? - Are these current customers, prospects, or something else? - What info do we need to keep (name, email, phone, notes, etc.)—and what can we leave behind?
Pro tip: If you’ve got multiple lists from different sources, resist the urge to dump them all in at once. Combining messy lists only multiplies your problems.
2. Export and Gather Your Source Data
Most people have contacts scattered across email, spreadsheets, old CRMs, and maybe even their phone. Gather everything you plan to import into Spiky and export it to CSV or Excel format. Spiky eats CSV files for breakfast, so stick with those if you can.
What works: - Exporting a separate CSV for each source—don’t try to merge raw data yet. - Including column headers (like First Name, Last Name, Email). - Backing up the originals somewhere safe, just in case you need to start over.
What to skip: - Exporting every field “just in case”—stick to relevant info to keep things simple.
3. Clean Up Your Data Before Importing
The less garbage you bring in, the less you have to clean up later. Here’s where most people get tripped up: bad emails, weird formatting, missing names, and duplicates. Fix as much as you can now.
The basics: - Delete obvious junk: Remove test contacts, empty rows, or sample data. - Standardize columns: Make sure every file uses the same column names (e.g., always “Email” not “E-mail” or “email address”). - Check for missing key info: If you need email addresses, make sure every row has one. - Fix formatting: Get rid of stray spaces (e.g., “ bob@example.com ”), inconsistent capitalization, and weird characters. - Remove duplicates: Most spreadsheet tools have a “remove duplicates” function. Use it.
Pro tip: If you’re not a spreadsheet whiz, Google Sheets and Excel both have built-in tools for cleaning up data. Don’t fuss with fancy scripts if you don’t need to.
4. Map Your Data to Spiky’s Fields
Every CRM has its own idea of what a “contact” looks like. Spiky, like most CRMs, expects certain standard fields—think First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, Company, etc. If you want to import custom info (like “Favorite Coffee”), you’ll need to map it to a custom field in Spiky.
What to do: - Open Spiky and find the import template or field list. - Rename your spreadsheet columns to match Spiky’s fields exactly. - For any extra info, create custom fields in Spiky before importing. Otherwise, you’ll lose that data. - Double-check your column order and names—small typos here cause big headaches later.
What doesn’t matter: Column order usually doesn’t matter, as long as the headers match. Don’t waste time rearranging unless Spiky specifically says to.
5. Test with a Small Sample First
This is the step most people skip—and wish they hadn’t. Don’t import your entire list right away. Start with 10–20 rows as a test.
Why bother? - It’s the fastest way to catch mapping mistakes, weird formatting, or import errors. - You can see exactly how Spiky handles your custom fields and data types. - If something’s wrong, it’s easier to fix 20 contacts than 2,000.
What works: - Import a test batch, then check the result in Spiky. - Look for missing data, formatting issues, or duplicates. - If it looks good, you’re ready for the real import.
6. Import Your Full List
Once your test batch looks clean, import the full list. Spiky’s import tool is pretty forgiving, but pay attention to any warnings or error messages.
Tips for a smooth import: - Don’t multitask—watch for errors during the process. - If Spiky flags any rows, fix them in your CSV and re-import just those. - Keep a backup of your cleaned CSV, just in case.
Don’t stress about: Minor formatting issues (like phone number dashes). You can clean those up later inside Spiky if needed.
7. Post-Import Cleanup and Dedupe
Even with the best prep, some issues always sneak through. After importing:
- Run Spiky’s built-in deduplication tools if available.
- Manually spot-check a few contacts for obvious problems.
- Tag or segment your new contacts so you know which batch they came from (useful if you need to roll back or re-import).
What works: Tackling small batches at a time for cleanup is much less overwhelming than trying to fix everything at once.
8. Avoid These Common Mistakes
A few pitfalls you can skip:
- Importing stale or bad contacts: If you haven’t emailed someone in years, consider leaving them out.
- Forgetting about GDPR or privacy: Only import contacts you’re allowed to contact, especially if you’re in Europe or dealing with EU residents.
- Over-customizing: Resist the urge to create dozens of custom fields. You’ll end up with cluttered records you never use.
9. Keep Your Data Clean Going Forward
A clean import is a great start, but the real trick is keeping things tidy. Set up a simple process:
- Only allow imports from trusted sources.
- Regularly run deduplication and cleanup tools in Spiky.
- Train your team on what info actually matters—less is more.
Pro tip: Schedule a quarterly review of your contact list. Delete old, unengaged contacts and update info as needed. It’s a five-minute task that saves hours later.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Importing and cleaning contact data in Spiky isn’t rocket science, but it does pay to slow down and do it right. Don’t aim for perfect—just focus on getting your most important data over, cleanly and simply. You can always add, update, or refine your contacts as you go. Start small, fix what matters, and resist the urge to overcomplicate things.
Good luck—and remember, a little prep now saves a lot of headaches down the line.