Importing and Exporting Contacts

You can bring existing contacts into Frontdesk via CSV upload, and download your CRM data as a CSV file.

Importing contacts

Starting an import

  1. Open CRM (Customers) from your dashboard.
  2. Click the Import button in the actions bar.
  3. Choose your import type:
    • Standard CSV -- use the Frontdesk CSV format with number, name, email, and your custom field internal keys as column headers
    • HubSpot Export -- upload a HubSpot CSV export directly; Frontdesk will automatically detect columns, create any missing custom fields, and map your data

Standard CSV format

Your CSV file must include a number column containing phone numbers. The name and email columns are optional but recommended.

To include custom field data, use the field's internal key as the column header. You can find internal keys on the Fields & Schema tab in your CRM.

Requirements:

  • The number column is required
  • Phone numbers should include the country code (for example, +1 for US numbers). Numbers without a country code default to US format.
  • Custom field columns must match the internal key exactly

To download a sample CSV with the correct format and your custom field headers, click Download Sample CSV in the import dialog.

Standard CSV import steps

  1. Select Standard CSV on the import type screen.
  2. Drag and drop your CSV file into the upload area, or click to browse.
  3. Frontdesk validates your file and shows which fields were detected:
    • Standard fields detected -- phone number, name, email
    • Valid custom fields detected -- custom fields that match your CRM schema
    • Unrecognized fields -- columns that do not match any field (these will be skipped)
  4. Review the validation results and click Start Import.
  5. Your contacts are processed in the background. A notification confirms when the import has started.

HubSpot import steps

  1. Select HubSpot Export on the import type screen.
  2. Drag and drop your HubSpot CSV file into the upload area.
  3. Frontdesk automatically detects all columns, creates missing custom fields, maps your data, and combines first and last name fields.
  4. The import starts automatically and processes in the background.

Exporting contacts

Downloading CRM records

  1. Click the Export button in the actions bar.
  2. In the Download Latest CRM Records dialog, choose:
    • Columns -- check or uncheck the fields you want to include in the download
    • Number of records -- select how many records to export (for example, 100)
  3. Click Confirm to start the download.

The export includes both standard fields (phone number, name, email, created date) and any custom fields you select. The file is delivered as a CSV that you can open in any spreadsheet application.

What's next