Import Contacts from a Spreadsheet

How to prepare a CSV file, map columns, import contact records into JobsiteOn, and handle duplicates during the import process.

Written by Ava MartinezUpdated over a month ago8 min readIntermediate

What this guide covers

This guide explains how to bulk-import contacts into JobsiteOn from a CSV or Excel file. You will learn how to prepare your file, map spreadsheet columns to JobsiteOn fields, run the import, review results, and resolve duplicate records. This is the fastest way to migrate an existing customer list into your workspace.

Before you begin

You need Admin or Owner permissions to run an import.
Your file must be in .csv format. If you have an Excel workbook (.xlsx), export it as CSV first using File > Save As > CSV.
Remove any rows that are not contact records (summary rows, blank rows, header duplicates) before uploading.
Back up your original file before making changes.

Step 1: Prepare your CSV file

Required columns

Your file must include at least these columns for each row:

Column	Description	Required
First Name	Contact's first name	Yes
Last Name	Contact's last name	Yes
Email	Primary email address	One of
Phone	Primary phone number	One of

Every row needs a first name, a last name, and at least one contact method (email or phone). Rows missing these fields will be skipped during import.

Optional columns

Column	Description
Company	Company or business name
Address Line 1	Street address
Address Line 2	Suite, unit, or apartment
City	City name
State	Two-letter state abbreviation
ZIP	Five-digit or ZIP+4 postal code
Notes	Internal notes visible to your team
Tags	Comma-separated tags

Formatting tips

Phone numbers -- use digits only or a standard format like (555) 123-4567. The importer strips non-numeric characters automatically.
State -- use the two-letter abbreviation (CA, TX, NY).
Email -- must be a valid email format. Rows with malformed emails will be flagged during review.
Encoding -- save the file as UTF-8 to preserve special characters in names and addresses.
Headers -- the first row of your CSV must contain column names. The importer uses these to display mapping options.

Tip: Download the sample CSV template from the import screen to see the exact column format JobsiteOn expects.

Step 2: Upload your file

Go to /contacts and click the Import button in the top-right area next to New Contact.
Click Choose File or drag your CSV file into the upload zone.
The importer reads the first few rows and displays a preview table.

If the file cannot be parsed, you will see an error message describing the issue (wrong file type, no headers detected, or encoding problems). Fix the file and re-upload.

Step 3: Map columns

After upload, the importer shows a mapping screen with two columns:

Your CSV Column -- the header names from your file.
JobsiteOn Field -- a dropdown of available contact fields.

The importer auto-maps columns when the header names match standard field names. Review each mapping and adjust any that were not matched automatically.

Mapping rules

Every required JobsiteOn field (First Name, Last Name, and at least one of Email or Phone) must have a mapped CSV column.
You can leave optional fields unmapped. Those columns will be ignored.
If your CSV has columns that do not correspond to any JobsiteOn field, leave them set to Skip.

Click Continue when all mappings look correct.

Step 4: Review and confirm

The review screen shows:

Total rows -- how many data rows were found in the file.
Ready to import -- rows that passed validation.
Skipped -- rows missing required fields, with a reason for each skip.
Potential duplicates -- rows that match an existing contact by email or phone number.

Handling skipped rows

Expand the Skipped section to see which rows failed and why. Common reasons:

Missing first or last name.
No email and no phone number.
Malformed email address.

You can fix these in your CSV and re-upload, or proceed without them.

Handling duplicates

When the importer detects a row that matches an existing contact:

Skip -- do not import the row. The existing record stays unchanged.
Update -- overwrite the existing record's fields with values from the CSV row. Empty CSV cells will not erase existing data.
Create anyway -- import the row as a new record regardless of the match. Use this only if you are certain the match is a false positive.

Choose a default duplicate strategy at the top of the review screen, or set it per row.

Click Start Import to begin.

Step 5: Monitor import progress

A progress bar shows how many rows have been processed. Depending on file size, the import may take a few seconds to a few minutes.

Do not close the browser tab while the import is running.
You can continue using other parts of JobsiteOn in a separate tab.

When the import finishes, a summary screen shows:

Imported -- count of new records created.
Updated -- count of existing records updated.
Skipped -- count of rows not imported.
Errors -- count of rows that failed due to server-side validation.

Downloading the results report

Click Download Report to save a CSV that includes every row from your original file plus a Status column indicating whether it was imported, updated, skipped, or errored. Use this report to track what was processed and what needs manual attention.

Step 6: Verify imported contacts

Go to /contacts and sort by Created (newest first).
Spot-check several imported records to confirm names, emails, phones, and addresses look correct.
Open a few contact detail pages and verify that notes and tags were applied as expected.

If something looks wrong, you can edit individual contacts from their detail page. For bulk corrections, fix the issues in your CSV and re-run the import using the Update duplicate strategy.

Best practices

Clean your data first. Removing duplicates, fixing typos, and standardizing phone formats before upload saves time on the review screen.
Start with a small test. Import 10-20 rows first to confirm your mappings are correct, then import the full file.
Use the template. The downloadable template ensures your headers match exactly, which means automatic column mapping with no manual work.
Keep your original file. Always retain an unmodified copy of the source spreadsheet for reference.

Troubleshooting

The importer says my file has no headers

Make sure the very first row of your CSV contains column names, not data. If you exported from Excel, check that you did not accidentally include a title or blank row above the headers.

Phone numbers are showing up incorrectly

If your spreadsheet application reformats phone numbers as scientific notation (e.g., 5.55E+09), format the phone column as Text in your spreadsheet before exporting to CSV.

The import seems stuck at a certain percentage

Large files (over 5,000 rows) take longer to validate and insert. Wait at least five minutes before assuming the import is stuck. If it still has not moved, refresh the page and check /contacts to see if records were partially imported.

I accidentally imported duplicates

Go to the contacts list and sort by Created (newest first). Identify the duplicates and archive or delete the extra records. To prevent this in future imports, always review the Potential duplicates section on the review screen.

Some rows were skipped but I do not understand why

Download the results report. The Status column includes a reason code for each skipped row. Common codes:

MISSING_NAME -- first or last name is blank.
MISSING_CONTACT_METHOD -- no email and no phone.
INVALID_EMAIL -- email format is not valid.

FAQ

Can I import contacts from Google Contacts or Outlook?

Not directly. Export your contacts from Google or Outlook as a CSV file first, then follow this guide to import that file into JobsiteOn.

Is there a row limit for imports?

The importer handles files up to 10,000 rows per upload. If you have more than 10,000 contacts, split them into multiple files and run separate imports.

Will the import overwrite my existing contacts?

Only if you choose the Update duplicate strategy. The default behavior is Skip, which leaves existing records untouched.

Can I undo an import?

There is no single-click undo. If you need to remove imported records, use the results report to identify them and archive or delete them individually.

Does the import create properties automatically?

No. Address fields on a contact record are billing addresses, not property records. To create properties, use the properties import or create them manually at /properties/new.

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