CSV lead import: last month’s spreadsheet, worked like new enquiries
CSV lead import brings every row of a list in as a lead: expo visitor lists, a download from a listing portal, the export from your old CRM, once the file is saved as CSV. Columns are matched for you, existing leads are skipped, and each new lead is scored, checked for duplicates and, if you choose, routed by your rules like any other enquiry.
- Lead lists from any source, saved as CSV
- Rows that already exist as leads are skipped
- New leads scored and checked for duplicates
- steps from file to leads: upload, map, review
- 3
- consent channels a file can carry: email, SMS and WhatsApp
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- opt-ins taken from files, until your workspace allows it
- Off
Lists worth bringing in
- Event and expo listsVisitor sheets from stalls, seminars and walk-ins
- Your old CRMOpen leads exported before you switched
- Portal downloadsEnquiry lists a listing site lets you download
- Reps’ own sheetsThe lists each salesperson kept on the side
- Agency listsFiles a marketing partner sends after a campaign
- Consent columnsOpt-ins and opt-outs, with their source and date
An expo list that nobody types in
Three days at a trade fair produce 1,200 visitor rows in a spreadsheet. Everyone agrees they should be called, nobody has the afternoon to copy them into the CRM, and by the time someone does, the buyers have already signed with the stall next door.
Pasting rows in by hand creates a second Priya Sharma
Half the people on the list already enquired through your website or IndiaMART. Copy them in by hand and each one now has two records, two owners and two follow-ups, and the buyer gets the same call twice in one week.
A “Yes” column treated as permission
The old file has a column called Marketing opt-in, filled with Yes. Nobody knows who wrote it or when. Treat it as consent and your first WhatsApp campaign goes to people who never agreed to hear from you.
Bulk lead upload from any list, once it’s a CSV
Save the spreadsheet as CSV, choose Leads and drop the file in. DigiPix Flow reads it in your browser first and tells you how many rows and columns it found, before a single lead is saved. The rows then import as a job in the background, so a thousand-row expo list doesn’t keep you waiting on the page, and you are notified when it has finished.
- CSV files, one header row and one lead per row
- Rows and columns counted before anything is saved
- Runs as a background job with a notification at the end
- Importing needs its own permission in your roles
Your headers, matched to the lead fields that matter
A lead import fills first name, last name, email, phone, company and lead source. Headers are matched with spaces and punctuation ignored, so Mobile No and Contact Number both become Phone, Organisation becomes Company and Channel becomes Lead source. When a column isn’t recognised, like WhatsApp No, pick the field yourself. The import won’t start until a name, email or phone is mapped.
- First name, last name, email, phone, company and source
- Common header names matched without you touching them
- Fix any match by hand, or leave a column out
- A name, email or phone column required to continue
Bad rows reported, good rows still imported
The review step counts the rows ready to import, the rows that need attention because they carry no name, email or phone, and email addresses repeated inside the file. By default the job carries on past a bad row, so one blank line never costs you the other 1,200. It finishes as completed, partial or failed, and every row that didn’t make it is listed with its number and the reason.
- Rows ready and rows needing attention, before you confirm
- Email addresses repeated inside the file pointed out
- Keep going past bad rows, or stop at the first one
- Every failed or skipped row listed with its reason
Leads you already have are skipped, not copied
With Dedupe on import switched on, as it is for every new workspace, a row whose email already belongs to a lead is skipped, whatever the capital letters. Then each lead that is created is compared on email and phone with leads from your forms, Meta, IndiaMART and the API, and likely matches go to the duplicates review for someone to decide. Nothing is ever combined for you.
- Rows matching an existing lead’s email skipped
- On for every workspace until an admin turns it off
- New leads compared on email and phone with every source
- Possible duplicates flagged for a person to review
Keep the list yourself, or let your rules share it out
By default every imported lead is owned by the person who ran the import, which suits a rep bringing in their own contacts. Tick Route imported leads through assignment rules and the leads arrive unowned, so your active rules hand them out as they would a new enquiry. If your workspace only assigns in working hours, they wait for the window, and any lead no rule matches waits in Unassigned.
- Owned by the importer, unless you choose otherwise
- One tick sends the batch through assignment rules
- Working hours respected when your workspace uses them
- Leads no rule matches wait in the Unassigned view
Treated like a fresh enquiry from the moment it lands
Each row becomes a real lead with its own lead number and your default status. Its source comes from the Lead source column, or reads Import when the file has none, so reports can tell an expo list from a website form. When you switch them on in lead settings, the company is filled in from the email domain and the lead is scored against your rules as it is created.
- A lead number and your default lead status
- Source from the file, or Import when it has none
- Company details filled in from the email domain, if enabled
- Scored on creation while automatic scoring is on
A spreadsheet can withdraw consent, but can’t invent it
Email, SMS and WhatsApp consent columns are read as Yes, No, Opt-in, Unsubscribed or STOP, and a blank cell counts as no answer at all. Opt-outs always apply, even on rows skipped as duplicates. Opt-ins are stored as unknown unless your workspace accepts consent from files and the row carries a source and a past date, read day first, so 03/11/2026 means 3 November.
- Opt-ins ignored unless your workspace allows them
- An opt-in needs a consent source and date
- Opt-outs applied even when the row is skipped
- Dates read day first, as Indian teams write them
From a CSV file to leads your team can work, in five steps
- STEP 01
Save the list as CSV
Export it from your old tool, or save the spreadsheet as CSV.
- STEP 02
Match the columns
Common headers are matched; pick the field for anything left over.
- STEP 03
Review the rows
See rows ready, rows needing attention and what consent the file holds.
- STEP 04
Choose who owns them
Keep the leads yourself or send them through assignment rules.
- STEP 05
Work the new leads
Duplicates skipped or flagged, failed rows listed, leads followed up.
CSV import vs copying rows in by hand
| What it covers | Copying rows in by hand |  DigiPix Flow |
|---|---|---|
| Getting 1,000 rows in | An afternoon of copy and paste | One CSV upload that runs as a job |
| Matching columns to fields | Whoever types decides, row by row | Headers matched for you, fixed in one place |
| People already in the CRM | A second record for each of them | Rows with an existing lead’s email skipped |
| Leads from other sources | Nobody notices the overlap | Email and phone matches flagged for review |
| Who follows up | Whoever did the typing | The importer, or your assignment rules |
| Opt-ins in the file | Taken at face value | Ignored unless proven with a source and date |
| Rows that go wrong | Skipped quietly and forgotten | Each one listed with its row number and reason |
Sources that don’t need a file
CSV import is for the leads that arrive as a file. For enquiries that keep coming, connect the source itself — website forms, Meta Lead Ads, IndiaMART or the lead API — and every lead goes through the same checks without an upload.
CSV lead import questions, answered
Which file types can I import leads from?
CSV only. If your list is in a spreadsheet app, use Save as or Download and choose CSV. Taking records back out is covered on the import and export page, which has more export formats.
Which lead fields can a file fill in?
First name, last name, email, phone, company and lead source, plus email, SMS and WhatsApp consent with a consent source, date, evidence reference and policy version. Other columns can be left out of the import.
What happens to people who are already leads?
While Dedupe on import is on, which it is by default, a row whose email address already belongs to a lead is skipped and listed in the error report. If that row carries an opt-out, the opt-out is still recorded against the existing lead.
Will imported leads be merged with duplicates from other sources?
No. After each lead is created it is compared on email and phone with the leads you already have from every source, and likely matches are flagged in the duplicates review. A person decides what to do with each one.
Who owns the leads I import?
You do, unless you tick Route imported leads through assignment rules on the review step. Then the leads arrive unowned and your active rules assign them. Leads that no rule matches stay unassigned until someone picks them up.
What source do imported leads show?
Whatever the Lead source column says for that row. When the file has no source column, or the cell is empty, the lead’s source is Import, so it can still be told apart from website, Meta and IndiaMART leads.
Can an import file give us permission to send marketing messages?
Only if your workspace has switched on Accept consent from import files, and only for rows that also carry a consent source and a consent date that isn’t in the future. Otherwise the opt-in is stored as unknown. Opt-outs in a file are always applied.
What if some rows in my file are broken?
Rows without a name, email or phone fail, and by default the job carries on and imports everything else, finishing as partial. Every failed or skipped row appears in the error report with its row number and reason, so you can fix those rows and import them again.
Can I import leads from my old CRM or a listing portal?
Yes, through a CSV file. There is no direct connector, so export the leads from the other tool as CSV and import them here. IndiaMART enquiries don’t need a file at all, because IndiaMART has its own connection.
Something we haven't covered? Talk to an expert
Keep exploring
Visit the blog- FEATURESImport and export recordsContacts, the job history, error reports and exports in several formats.Explore the feature
- FEATURESDuplicate lead reviewReview the records that match, and decide what happens to each.Explore the feature
- PRODUCTLead inbox for every sourceImported leads worked alongside forms, Meta, IndiaMART and the API.See how it works
- FEATURESConsent and opt-out recordsHow consent and do-not-contact work across every channel.Explore the feature
- INTEGRATIONSIndiaMART CRM integrationEnquiries collected as often as every five minutes, with no file to download.See the integration
ARTICLEYour Leads Aren’t Lost. They’re Just Scattered.Why buyer details end up in five places, and how to bring them together.Read the article
GUIDELead Source Tracking: How to Know Which Campaigns Bring Real CustomersA practical guide to lead source tracking: tag links with UTMs, keep Google and Meta click IDs, pass them through hidden form fields, record offline sources and report leads by source.Read the guide
Turn the lists in your downloads folder into leads
Talk to an expert — bring a lead list from an event or your old CRM and watch it matched, checked for duplicates and routed.
- A real person, not a bot
- Bring a real lead list
- See it imported before you decide