With ActiveCampaign, you can automate contact imports with Active Intelligence. Upload your contact file and Active Intelligence will analyze it, suggest lists, recommend tags, map columns to contact fields in your account, and suggest new fields if we recognize a match doesn’t exist. You review and confirm everything before the import begins.
This article shows you how to import contacts using Active Intelligence and provides example prompts to get started.
Take note
- Only Admins users and users with import permissions can import contacts with Active Intelligence
- Supported contact import file types include CSV, XLS, and XLSX
- Each contact in the file must have a unique email address or phone number. Contacts without one of these identifiers are skipped during import
- Create a Brand Kit (recommended). A Brand Kit helps Active Intelligence align recommendations with your business context
- Large files may take longer to process. Processing time depends on the number of contacts and columns in your file
How it works
When you upload a file, Active Intelligence scans it and uses the column headers, field values, and file name to generate recommendations before any contacts are imported.
List suggestions
Active Intelligence recommends lists for the contacts to be subscribed to based on existing lists in your account and suggesting the creation of new lists. You can review and modify all suggestions before importing.
Tag suggestions
Active Intelligence recommends tags to apply to all contacts during the import, including existing tags and new tags. Tags are applied globally to all contacts upon import. Just like with list suggestions, you can review and modify all tags before importing.
Field matching
Active Intelligence automatically matches column names in your file to existing fields in your account. If we identify a field that does not yet exist in ActiveCampaign, we will suggest a new field to map to. We may also suggest skipping certain fields. You can review and modify all field matches, new field suggestions, and skipped fields before importing.
Import contacts with Active Intelligence
Step 1: Upload your CSV or Excel file
- Click Contacts on the left navigation bar.
- Click the “Import” button, then select “Import a CSV or Excel file.”
- A modal pop up will appear. Click the “Select a file” button to add your import file. Or drag and drop the file into add your import file.
- If you prefer to upload your file manually, click the “Import manually instead” option. Learn more about importing contacts manually from a CSV file
- Click the “Prepare import” button.
- A loading screen will appear while Active Intelligence processes your file and prepares its recommendations.
Alternatively, you can open Active Intelligence, submit a prompt stating that you want to import contacts, then drag and drop the file into your conversation. To do so, you can either:
- Click the ActiveCampaign icon to go to your account’s homepage
- Click the sparkle icon to open the Active Intelligence sidebar
After analysis is complete, Active Intelligence will guide you through a step-by-step flow to review recommendations for lists, tags, and fields.
Step 2: Review list recommendations
Lists manage consent and subscriptions across your communication channels. You can assign contacts to lists that reflect the communication types they’ve subscribed to.
Active Intelligence matches your import file to existing lists and recommends new ones when needed. These are displayed on the Lists page of the import process. New lists you approve are added to your account as soon as the import begins.
From this page, review all list suggestions. Suggestions are enabled by default. To turn off a recommendation, click the toggle “Off.” To add a new list, click “+Add List.” When finished, click “Next” to review tag suggestions.
Step 3: Review tag recommendations
Tags are a fast and flexible way to label contacts based on behavior, status, or group. You can also use them to segment contacts, trigger automations, and personalize communications.
Active Intelligence matches your import file to existing tags in your account and recommends new ones. They are displayed on the Tags page of the import process. Tags enabled during this step are applied to all contacts during import.
From this page, review all tag suggestions. Suggestions are enabled by default. To turn off a recommendation, click the toggle “Off.” To add a new tag, click “+Add Tag.” When finished, click “Next” to review field suggestions.
Step 4: Review field recommendations
Fields store key details about each contact, such as name, contact information, and custom data points. Fields can also be used to segment contacts, trigger automations, and personalize communications.
Active Intelligence matches your import file to existing fields and recommends new fields to add and skip during import. They are displayed on the Fields page of the import process. Fields enabled during this step are matched during the import.
From this page:
- Review all field suggestions - Note that you can use the dropdown option located above the displayed fields to view fields by all, matched, skipped statuses
- New and matched field suggestions are enabled by default. To turn off a recommendation, click the toggle “Off.” Fields set to “Off” receive the “Skipped” status and show “Not importing” under the “ActiveCampaign contact field” column
- Change field matching. To edit field matching, click the the pencil icon next to the ActiveCampaign field match you want to modify, then select a new field
- Update field type match. You can update the field type to match to. For example, you can change a checkbox field to a text field. This option is available for suggested new fields only
- Add a new field. You can create a new field to match to if you’re not satisfied with a suggestion. To do so, click the toggle “Off” for the field, then re-enable it. A “Create or select existing field” dropdown will appear. Click this dropdown and enter the new field name into the search field, then click “Create”
- When finished, click “Next” to go to the Review page
Step 5: Review import summary and details
The Review page provides a snapshot of all lists, tags, and fields included in the import. To edit any of these options, click the “Edit” button. Doing so takes you back to the appropriate import step where you can make your changes.
Click “Advanced Settings” to show additional import options:
- The first three options listed here are set to “Off” by default. Click a toggle to enable the option:
- Update existing contacts - Matching contacts are updated with information from your file
- Trigger automations - Contacts will immediately enter any active automation(s) they qualify for
- Trigger webhooks - Send webhook notifications for your imported contacts
-
Select an option for the “How should contacts be imported?” section:
- Subscribe as active contacts. Contacts receive an “Active” status and can receive marketing communications from you
- Add contacts to lists, but do not subscribe them to communications. This means that imported contacts are given an “Unsubscribed” status for select lists. Unsubscribed contacts do not receive marketing communications unless they opt back in
- Add to Exclusion List. This option adds contacts in your file to your account’s exclusion list. This also means contacts will be blocked from receiving marketing communications from you
-
Select an option for the “What if a contact’s field value doesn’t match your options?” section:
- Create a new option - this creates a new field value that will be stored in your account
- Skip it - this leaves the field value blank
- Format phone numbers automatically. This option is set to “Off” by default. When enabled, it will convert phone numbers in your file to the E.164 format. This format is required for reliable SMS delivery. Click the toggle to turn this option “On”
Step 6: Start the import
Click the “Start my import” button and Active Intelligence will execute the import. You can view import status on the Settings > Import/Export Status page in your account.
Prompt examples
Below are example prompts you can use with Active Intelligence to import or migrate contacts to your ActiveCampaign account:
General imports:
- "I need to bring in my existing contacts"
- “I need to import a contact list”
- “Help me import my contacts"
Platform migrations:
- "Help me import my contacts from Mailchimp"
- "I need to migrate my contact database to ActiveCampaign"
- "Help me move all my contacts from HubSpot"