Update contact info in bulk via import

TaxDome’s import tool isn’t only useful when you’re migrating your CRM data for the first time. It can also update CRM data in bulk for the contacts you already have in the system. Here, we explain the main use cases.

Before you start

When using our import tool to update existing contacts, there is an important difference compared to how import works for accounts.

• With accounts, importing a record that already exists updates it in place—no duplicates are created
• With contacts, importing always creates a new entry, even if a matching contact already exists. This means you’ll end up with duplicate contacts that need to be merged after the import for the new data to be applied to the original records.

Prepare your CSV file

For the merge to work correctly, the imported contacts must match your existing ones exactly. To ensure this, prepare your CSV as follows:

1. First, export all your contacts. Go to Clients > Contacts from the sidebar menu, then click Export contacts. You will receive an email with the download link.

   

2. Open the exported CSV file and do not modify any existing values. Keep the columns that identify your contacts (First Name, Last Name, and Email if present), then delete all other columns.

   

3. Now add the columns for the data you want to add. Refer to the examples below for instructions on adding custom fields and tags .

Bulk import custom fields for contacts

If you want to add additional CRM data to your existing contacts, make sure you have a spreadsheet with exported contacts that contains only the identifying columns. Then do the following:

1. Add columns for each custom field you want to add, fill in the data, and save the file.

   

2. Upload the spreadsheet to TaxDome by clicking the Import button on the Clients > Contacts page.

   

3. At the Map account name step, leave the CSV column used for account name field empty.

   

4. At the Map contacts step, in the Action column, select Sync field for each custom field column. To map to an existing field, select it from the TaxDome dropdown.

   To create a new custom field, select New field from the dropdown, enter a Field name (for example, Date of Birth or Best Time to Call), select the field type, and click Save.

   

5. Select Ignore for any columns you do not want to import. Click Continue.

6. Click Start Import on the last step. New contacts will be created with the custom field data.

7. Once the import is complete, go to Clients > Contacts, click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, and select Merge duplicates. TaxDome will merge the newly imported contacts into the existing ones, applying the new custom field values. Read more about the merge process in the Merge duplicate contacts article.

   

Note

Contacts are flagged as duplicates only when all filled-in fields match exactly. Make sure not to change the values in the identifying columns (First Name, Last Name, Email) in your spreadsheet before importing—otherwise the contacts won’t be recognized as duplicates and will not merge.

Once the merge is complete, the new custom field values will appear in your existing contact records. You can check the updated contacts from the contact’s profile page.

Bulk apply tags to contacts via import

If you want to apply tags to your existing contacts in bulk, make sure you have a spreadsheet with exported contacts that contains only the identifying columns. Then do the following:

1. Add a Tags column to your spreadsheet, fill in the tags for each contact, and save the file. Note the following:

   • If you want to apply multiple tags to one contact, separate the tag names with commas.
   • If a tag doesn’t exist in the system yet, it will be created automatically.

   

2. Upload the spreadsheet to TaxDome by clicking the Import button on the Clients > Contacts page.

   

3. At the Map account name step, leave the CSV column used for account name field empty.

   

4. At the Map contacts step, in the Action column, select Sync field for the Tags row, then select Tags from the TaxDome dropdown.

   If the column header in your spreadsheet is named Tags, it will be mapped automatically. If not, check the column name in your spreadsheet and start the import again.

   

5. Click Continue, then click Start Import on the last step. New contacts will be created with the tag data.

6. Once the import is complete, go to Clients > Contacts, click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, and select Merge duplicates. TaxDome will merge the newly imported contacts into the existing ones, applying the new tags.

Once the merge is complete, you can check the applied tags from the contact’s profile page.

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