The complete process to import and organize contacts in Folk for B2B teams

If you’re in a B2B team, you know wrangling contacts is a headache. Between spreadsheets, email threads, and half-baked CRMs, it’s easy to lose track of who’s who. Folk is supposed to make this easier, but only if you set it up right from the start. This guide is for people who want to get their contacts into Folk quickly, organize them in a way that actually works, and skip the fluff.

Whether you’re new to Folk or trying to clean up a mess, you’ll find real steps here—plus a few warnings about what not to bother with.

Step 1: Get Your Contacts Ready for Import

Before you even touch Folk, take a minute to prep your data. Bad imports make a mess that’s hard to clean up. Here’s what to do:

  • Pick your sources: Where are your contacts now? Common spots:
  • Google Contacts
  • Outlook or Exchange
  • LinkedIn exports
  • CSVs from old CRMs (HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, etc.)

  • Spreadsheets your team has cobbled together

  • Clean your data: Don’t import junk.

  • Remove obvious duplicates.
  • Standardize columns. Folk understands names, emails, company, phone, job title—keep those consistent.
  • Check for weird formatting (like all caps, or phone numbers with odd symbols).

Pro tip: If your data is a mess, spend 15 minutes cleaning now. It’ll save you hours later.

Step 2: Choose the Right Import Method

Folk gives you a few ways to get contacts in. The best method depends on where your data is:

a) CSV Import (Most Reliable)

  • Export your contacts as a CSV.
  • In Folk, go to your workspace and click Import > Import from CSV.
  • Upload the file, map columns, and review before importing.

Why it works: CSV import is the least buggy and gives you full control over what goes in.

What to watch for: - Folk sometimes guesses columns wrong—double-check the mapping. - Custom fields (like “Favorite Snack”) need to be created first in Folk, or they’ll get dumped as “Other.”

b) Google Contacts / Gmail Import

  • In Folk, hit Import > Google Contacts.
  • Connect your account and pick the contacts to pull in.

Pros: Fast, easy if you use Google Workspace. Cons: Imports everything by default; you might bring in personal or junk contacts. There’s no granular filter.

c) LinkedIn Import

  • Export your LinkedIn connections as a CSV (LinkedIn hides this under “Settings & Privacy > Get a copy of your data”).
  • Import the CSV to Folk as above.

Note: LinkedIn exports are bare-bones (usually name and email, sometimes only email if you’re lucky). Don’t expect more.

d) Old CRM Import

  • Most CRMs let you export data as CSV. Use that.
  • Some tools (Zapier, Make) can push data in, but that’s overkill for most teams.

Skip: Copy/pasting from email signatures or scraping web pages. It’s slow and error-prone.

Step 3: Map and Merge Your Fields

When importing, Folk will ask you to match your CSV columns to its fields.

  • Double-check every field. Don’t assume “Company” and “Organization” are the same—Folk might not, either.
  • Set up custom fields for anything important (e.g., “Lead Source” or “Contract End Date”). Do this before the import for a smoother process.
  • Ignore junk fields. If you don’t need “Fax Number,” don’t bother mapping it.

Pro tip: Less is more. Only import what you’ll actually use.

Step 4: De-duplicate and Clean After Import

No matter how careful you are, duplicates slip through. Folk claims to have automatic deduplication, but it’s not perfect.

  • Use Folk’s “Merge duplicates” tool right after importing.
  • Manually spot-check—especially if you have similar names or shared emails.
  • Delete or merge anything suspicious. If you’re not sure, leave it for now; better to have a near-duplicate than to accidentally nuke a contact.

What doesn’t work: Relying 100% on automation. Folk’s dedupe is decent, but not wizard-level.

Step 5: Organize Contacts with Groups and Tags

Here’s where most B2B teams get tripped up: organizing contacts so you can actually find and use them.

Groups: For Big Buckets

  • Use groups for major categories (e.g., “Clients,” “Prospects,” “Partners”).
  • Don’t go overboard—if you have more groups than contacts in some, you’ve gone too far.

Tags: For Details

  • Tags are for characteristics like “SaaS,” “Investor,” “2024 Event.”
  • You can add multiple tags to a single contact.
  • Don’t create a tag for every little thing. If you have a tag nobody ever clicks on, nuke it.

Custom Fields: For Searchable Data

  • Use custom fields for structured info you’ll want to filter or report on (e.g., “Deal Size,” “Last Contacted”).
  • Avoid cramming random notes into custom fields—keep notes in the actual notes section.

Pro tip: Set up a “Needs Review” tag or group for contacts you’re unsure about. Triage them later.

Step 6: Set Up Workflows and Automations (Optional)

If you’ve got a lot of contacts, consider basic automation—but don’t overcomplicate things.

  • Folk can send bulk emails, assign contacts to team members, or set reminders.
  • Start simple. For example:
  • Tag all new imports as “To Contact.”
  • Assign new leads to the right sales rep.
  • Skip advanced integrations (Zapier, Make) unless you really need them. They’re powerful, but most B2B teams end up with brittle, hard-to-debug automations.

What works: Reminders for follow-ups and basic task assignments. What doesn’t: Trying to automate every scenario. Keep it human.

Step 7: Keep Things Up to Date (Without Losing Your Mind)

Contacts get stale fast. Here’s how to stay on top of it without making it a second job:

  • Set a monthly or quarterly calendar reminder to review contacts.
  • When someone leaves a company or changes roles, update their record—or just tag as “Outdated.”
  • Don’t obsess over perfection. You’ll never have a fully up-to-date database, and that’s fine.

Pro tip: Encourage your team to actually use Folk. If everyone keeps their own spreadsheet, you’re back to square one.

What to Ignore (and What to Watch Out For)

  • Ignore: Importing every possible field “just in case.” You’ll end up with clutter.
  • Ignore: Building complicated hierarchies with sub-groups and sub-tags. Folk isn’t Salesforce, and that’s a good thing.
  • Watch out for: Importing personal contacts by accident (especially from Google or LinkedIn).
  • Watch out for: Folk’s UI sometimes “helpfully” merges contacts it thinks are the same. Double-check merges before confirming.

Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate As You Go

Getting your contacts into Folk doesn’t have to be a slog. Start clean, don’t overthink structure, and focus on what actually helps your team work better. Folk is a tool—it won’t magically fix bad habits or messy processes. But set it up right, and you’ll spend less time searching, more time doing.

If you’re not sure about something, skip it and come back later. The best contact systems are the ones you actually use.