Let’s be honest: importing contacts into any CRM can be stressful. Data goes missing, fields don’t line up, and suddenly you’re dealing with duplicates you can’t explain. If you’re here, you probably want to get your contacts into Freshworks without any of that drama—and you want them organized in a way that actually makes sense. This guide is for admins, team leads, or anyone stuck with the import job and worried about losing data (or their mind).
Below, you’ll get a step-by-step process to import and organize your contacts in Freshworks, with some real talk about what works, what doesn’t, and how to avoid the usual headaches.
Step 1: Prep Your Data Before You Touch Freshworks
Don’t skip this. The biggest messes happen because people dump raw lists into Freshworks and hope for the best.
Here’s what you should do:
- Work from a spreadsheet: Excel or Google Sheets is fine. Make sure every row is a contact, and each column is a field (like Name, Email, Phone).
- Clean up duplicates: Use your spreadsheet’s “Remove duplicates” function. If you skip this, you’ll be cleaning up duplicates in Freshworks for days.
- Standardize your fields: Make sure columns have clear, consistent headers (e.g., “First Name” not “FName”).
- Check for missing key info: At a minimum, you’ll want Name and Email. If you’re missing these for a contact, either fill them in or delete the row.
- Decide on custom fields: If you track something special (like “Favorite Coffee” or “Contract Renewal Date”), add those columns now—you’ll set them up in Freshworks later.
Pro tip: If your data is coming from another CRM, export as CSV and check the file in a spreadsheet before doing anything else. CRM exports are notoriously messy.
Step 2: Plan Your Contact Organization
Before importing, think about how you want to organize people in Freshworks. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a giant, unmanageable list.
Consider:
- Tags: Quick way to group contacts (“Newsletter,” “VIP,” “Lead”). Add a “Tags” column in your spreadsheet if you want to use these.
- Custom fields: For anything not covered by default fields, like “Account Manager” or “Industry.”
- Lists or segments: If you plan to email or report on specific groups, use fields or tags to make this easy.
What to ignore: Don’t overdo it with custom fields or tags. Only add what you’ll actually use. More fields mean more clutter.
Step 3: Back Up (Just in Case)
This sounds paranoid, but it’s quick and can save your skin.
- Save a copy of your final spreadsheet. If anything goes wrong, you’ll have a clean version to start over with.
- If you’re replacing contacts in Freshworks, export what’s there already. That way, you can roll back or compare.
Step 4: Set Up Custom Fields in Freshworks
If you have fields in your spreadsheet that don’t exist in Freshworks by default, set them up first.
To add custom fields:
- Go to Settings > Contacts > Fields.
- Click “Add Field” and match the names to your spreadsheet columns.
- Choose the right type (text, number, date, dropdown, etc.). Don’t just use “text” for everything—you’ll regret it later if you want to filter or sort.
Honest take: Custom fields are useful, but too many slow things down. Only create what’s necessary.
Step 5: Start the Import Process
Time to get your contacts in. Here’s how to do it safely:
- Go to Contacts > Import Contacts.
- Upload your CSV file. Freshworks asks you to map each column in your file to a field in the system.
- Map carefully: Double-check each field. If something doesn’t match up, fix it now—not after import.
- Set rules for duplicates: You can usually choose to skip, update, or create new records if a duplicate is found. “Update existing” is safest if you’re refreshing data.
- Import a small batch first: Don’t upload 5,000 contacts at once. Try 10–20 as a test, make sure everything lines up, then do the full list.
Pro tip: If you mess up a test batch, it’s easy to delete and try again. If you mess up a full import, you’ll spend ages cleaning up.
Step 6: Review the Import Results
Freshworks will give you a report of how many records were imported, skipped, or had errors.
- Check for errors: Download the error report and see what didn’t import. Usually, it’s missing required fields or bad email addresses.
- Spot-check contacts: Search for a few contacts you know should be there. Check that fields like tags or custom info are correct.
- Look for duplicates: Even with prep, you might get a few. Use Freshworks’s duplicate management tools to merge or clean up.
What works: Taking the time to do a test import almost always prevents major issues.
Step 7: Organize Contacts with Tags, Segments, and Lists
Now that your data’s in, it’s time to make it useful.
- Tags: Use them to group contacts for quick filters—like “Partner,” “Customer,” “Lead.” You can bulk-edit contacts to add tags if you missed some during import.
- Smart segments/lists: Use Freshworks’s filters to create dynamic lists (e.g., “All contacts in California,” or “All leads added this month”).
- Custom views: Save views you use often, like “All current clients” or “Prospects with no email in 30 days.”
Don’t bother: With organizing contacts in too many overlapping lists. Stick to the ones you’ll actually use for sales, support, or marketing.
Step 8: Set Up Regular Backups and Data Hygiene
Nobody talks about this, but it’s how you avoid future disasters.
- Export contacts regularly: Monthly or quarterly, just in case.
- Schedule a cleanup: Once a quarter, check for duplicates, outdated info, or contacts you no longer need.
- Review custom fields and tags: Prune unused ones; every extra field adds clutter.
Real talk: CRMs only stay clean if you keep them that way. It’s easier to tidy up once a month than to fix a year’s worth of mess.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
A few things that trip up even experienced admins:
- Importing without a test run: Always test with a small sample.
- Mapping fields incorrectly: Double-check every mapping before you hit “Import.”
- Overcomplicating organization: More tags and fields don’t mean better organization.
- Ignoring errors: Don’t just breeze past the error report—fix the issues before moving on.
- Assuming Freshworks will “magically” deduplicate: It’s good, but not perfect. Manual review is still sometimes needed.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Importing and organizing contacts in Freshworks isn’t rocket science, but it’s easy to make a mess if you rush or skip the prep work. Keep your data clean, start simple, and don’t overthink your organization structure. Import in small batches, learn as you go, and tweak as your team’s needs change. If you keep things tidy from day one, you’ll spend less time fixing mistakes and more time actually using your CRM.