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How do I import/export contacts?
How do I import/export contacts?

How to import contacts into the system or group and how to export

Rachel OBrien avatar
Written by Rachel OBrien
Updated this week

How to Import Contacts

It has never been easier to import your contacts!

To get started, sign in to the website version of Text In Church.

Then click on the People icon, and select the Import People option in the orange Add New button:

Then you'll just want to:

  1. Click on the "Choose File" button.

  2. Select the Group you want these contacts to go in, or make no Group selection to have these contacts imported into the People section.

  3. Turn on the toggle saying you have permission to contact these people.

  4. Click “Process File”

  5. Match up your column headers with our fields in Text In Church.
    Note: You can only use a field once

  6. Click “Upload File”

    Then you'll see this screen where you can match the column headers with the appropriate fields in Text In Church, including Custom Fields!

The custom field must first exist within the settings of your account before you can map data to it through .CSV Import.
You can learn more about Custom fields here!

Your contacts will begin to upload to your account!

If there are any errors with any contacts, the confirmation page will tell you what line of the CSV file has an error.

One thing to note… Text In Church doesn’t allow duplicates, so any contacts who already exist will be updated to match what's listed in your .CSV instead of creating a new contact in the account.

If you selected this spreadsheet to be added to a Group, it will find the Person Record that matches the email/mobile number in the .CSV and add them to the Group too.

Contacts Opted-Out When Importing:

If you accidentally miss checking the permissions toggle when importing your CSV file, this will cause the contacts created/updated by that .CSV to be opted out of communication in your account.

If this happened to you, no worries! Our team is here to help!

To correct this, please follow these steps:

  1. Email the Support Team: Contact us at support@textinchurch.com with the subject line "Assistance with Re-Opting In Contacts."

  2. Attach the CSV File: Include the .CSV file you initially used for the import. We'll need that file to opt your contacts back in, so be sure to send it our way too!

  3. Provide Account Details: Make sure to email us using the email you use to sign in to your Text In Church account or share that email address in the message to us.

How to Export Contacts

There are a few ways that you can export your records from the Text In Church website:

Option 1: Export All People

  1. Click Tools

  2. Select Export Data

  3. Make no selection from the drop-down menu for "Select Group to Export" to export all contacts.

  4. Select Content to Export

    • Choose Basic Fields to have their first and last name, address, and any Text In Church Groups they are in, included in your .CSV file.

    • Choose Select Fields to customize which People record fields to include on the export

  5. Click the blue “Export” button

Your contacts will export into a .CSV file that will be emailed to the address on file for your User.

You'll receive an in-app notification when the export is ready and has been sent. The .CSV file can also be accessed in the Exports folder of the File Storage tab

Option 2: Export Select People Records

  1. Open the People section of your account on the Text In Church website

  2. Click the check box by the name of the desired records

  3. Click "Action"

  4. Select "Export"

Your selected contacts will then download into a .CSV file that can be uploaded to another database, opened as a spreadsheet, or printed and saved for your records.

Option 3. Export Specific Groups of People Records

  1. Click Tools

  2. Select Export Data

  3. Click the dropdown menu and select the Group or Groups that you would like to include

  4. Select Content to Export

    • Choose Basic Fields to have their first and last name, address, and any Text In Church Groups they are in, included in your .CSV file

    • Choose Select Fields to customize which People record fields to include on the export

  5. Click the blue “Export” button

Your contacts will then download into a .CSV file that will be emailed to the address on file for your User!

You'll receive an in-app notification when the export is ready and has been sent. The .CSV file can also be accessed in the Exports folder of the File Storage tab.

Have any questions or need any help? Send us an email at support@textinchurch.com, we're here for you!

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