Import Contacts
How do I import a CSV file with contact details into ticketmatic?
If you already have a list of contacts in another system, the easiest way to add them to ticketmatic is by importing them via a CSV file. You can do this via Contacts - Actions - Import CSV.
When importing contacts, ticketmatic checks if a contact with the same email address already exists. During the import process, you can specify which action the system should take if an existing contact is detected:
- Skip import
- The existing contact remains exactly as it is..
- Add only missing data
- If a field is empty for the existing contact, new data for that field will be added, but no data will be overwritten.
- Overwrite existing data
- The entire contact will be overwritten with the new data
For certain data such as postal address data and opt-ins, the last two options behave slightly differently, as explained below.
The maximum file size is 15 MB, allowing you to import several thousand contacts at once.
Prepare your CSV file
If you have exported contact information from another system, this is the time to clean up the data before importing it into ticketmatic. Use a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets to correct errors, remove duplicates, and organize the various fields. Then save the file in CSV format to prepare it for import into ticketmatic.
Your spreadsheet must contain a header row with the relevant field names for the contact data you have. Field names must be unique and may only contain letters, numbers, or underscores.
ticketmatic supports all major contact fields you may need, including email address, first name, last name, birthdate, phone number, postal address, and more, as well as information about opt-ins such as newsletter opt-in or opt-in to share personal data.
Later in the import process, you will map your own field names to the ticketmatic contact fields, so at this stage you can use the column names you prefer.
We support both ; and , as delimiters, so regardless of which standard your spreadsheet program uses, you should be able to upload the file without problems.
Address fields
Entering a postal address is not mandatory. However, if you enter address fields, the country field must be filled in.
For the country field, you can fully write out the country name or use one of the official two-letter country codes.
When and how are address data added?
If you add a new contact, the address is added.
For an existing contact:
- If you have chosen Add only missing data, new address data is added only if no address exists at all for that contact.
- If you have chosen Overwrite existing data, the original address is overwritten with the new data.
If the address in the CSV file is empty, and you choose to overwrite existing data, the first address will effectively be deleted.
Phone fields
If you add a new contact, the phone number is added.
For an existing contact:
- If you have chosen Add only missing data, a new phone number is added only if no phone number exists at all for that contact.
- If you have chosen Overwrite existing data, the first phone number is overwritten with the new data.
If the phone number in the CSV file is empty, and you choose overwrite existing data, the first phone number will effectively be deleted.
Customer title
If you want to import customer titles, you must use the ticketmatic IDs for the customer titles in the import file. Contact support if it is unclear how to obtain these IDs.
Use the following statement in Settings - Console to get a list of customer titles with corresponding IDs:
Custom fields
You can import custom fields of any type.
When importing custom fields of type Single selection, you must specify the internal ticketmatic ID of the custom field value. Contact us if it is unclear how to obtain these IDs.
When importing custom fields of type Multiple selection, you must specify the internal ticketmatic IDs in the following format: [id1,id2,...]
When importing custom fields of type Boolean (checkbox), you can specify the following values:
- Value true or 1: True
- Value false or 0: False
- Any other value: false
When importing custom fields of type Date, make sure you use the correct date format (use the same format as for the birthdate field, see below).
Opt-ins
If you want to import opt-in information, it must be entered in a specific way in your CSV file:
- To record that a customer has opted in, the value must be true or 1
- To record that a customer has opted out, the value must be false or 0 .
- If you do not have this information for a specific customer, leave the field empty, and it will be recorded in ticketmatic as 'unknown'.
When and how are opt-ins added?
If you add a new contact, all opt-in data is added.
For an existing contact:
- If you have chosen Add only missing data, opt-in data is added if the current opt-in status is 'unknown'.
- If you have chosen Overwrite existing data, all existing opt-in data is overwritten.
Example data In the example below, John Doe will be subscribed to the newsletter and Jane Doe will be unsubscribed. If the field is empty, the status will be ‘unknown’. By adding an extra column, you can import an additional opt-in in a single file.
First name | Name | Email address | Opt-in newsletter |
|---|---|---|---|
John | Doe | 1 | |
Jane | Doe | 0 |
Birthdate
ticketmatic supports various date formats, but it is important that all dates in your file are formatted consistently. You configure the date format in the second step of the import wizard.
Upload your CSV file
Now that you have prepared your CSV file, it is time to upload it to ticketmatic.
Go to Contacts --> Actions and click Import CSV.
Contacts in your list are identified based on email address. These email addresses must not occur more than once in your contacts list. Always check for duplicate contacts before you start importing.