Contacts are the folks that you're contacting via Impactive - i.e. the people being texted, being called, etc. Our powerful contact management tools let you filter and segment contact lists to hyper-segment your outreach.
Different than some other tools in the space, Impactive stores contacts and their associated data (in tags and custom fields) and allows you to re-arrange them on lists, use filters to create segmented lists, etc. In this way, Impactive functions like a "lite CRM" - we can't fully replace a proper CRM, but many of the most important contact functions to manipulate lists for segmented texting/calling actions can be handled right within Impactive, with no import/export required.
The first step is to import contacts; contacts are imported in specific lists (but remember that lists can then be re-arranged and re-segmented after initial import).
Importing Contact Lists
There are two ways to import contact list into Impactive: either via CSV or TXT file upload, or via import from an integration like NGP VAN/EveryAction or ActBlue.
How to Import Contact Lists via CSV/TXT
Head to Contacts > Lists in the admin dashboard
Click + Import List
Enter a name for the list
Upload a CSV or TXT file, by drag-and-drop or by browsing for the file
Indicate whether this contact list should be opted-in for Broadcast Texting or not. This is important - contacts uploaded without this box checked will not be able to receive broadcast blasts.
Click Start Import
You'll be returned to Contacts > Lists, where you'll see your new list marked as Processing. It will soon move to Ready; as soon as it is marked Ready, it can be used as the contact list for an action.
(Even if you click into the Ready list and don't see any contacts yet, it's still Ready to be used in an action. Fully loading the contacts to display in the list takes a bit longer than the initial import that makes contacts ready to be used in an action.)
Note that large lists (250k+) may take a while to move to Ready, depending on traffic across Impactive. For large-scale list import, we recommend waiting until off-peak hours (10 pm - 11 am ET). Reach out to [email protected] anytime for assistance with large list upload.
Important Notes for Importing via CSV/TXT
Three columns - 'first_name', 'last_name', and 'phone' - are REQUIRED for CSV/TXT import, and must be given in exactly that format. Importing a CSV/TXT file without these required column headers will not work.
Additionally, if you want your data to sync back to NGP VAN, you must also provide a 'van_id' column in the CSV/TXT file. If you want your data to sync back to PDI, you must provide a 'pdi_id' column.
If you are integrating to a national or multi-state VAN instance, make sure to include the 'state_abbrev' column in the CSV/TXT file with state abbreviation as the values (ex: 'va' or 'VA' for Virginia).
Assigning contacts to particular users, for Peer-to-Peer Texting or Assigned List Canvassing? Include a column called 'assigned_user_email' with the user's email address for their Impactive account as the values.
Looking to upload additional information, like geography, date of birth, etc? Check out our supplemental guide to contact attributes here.
How to Import Contact Lists from VAN/EveryAction or Other Integrations
Importing contact lists via integration is only possible if your campaign has already activated an integration with that service(s). Check here for setup instructions for NGP VAN and ActBlue.
Head to Contacts > Lists in the admin dashboard
Click + Import List
Enter a name for the list
Click Import via Integration
Select NGP VAN (which includes EveryAction) or ActBlue from the drop-down menu.
Fill in the relevant fields:
For NGP VAN/EveryAction:
Select the appropriate API Key for the VAN/EveryAction instance you're pulling from.
Under Database Mode, select the relevant type.
Under VAN Export Types, select SmsSync. This is important - SmsSync is the export type that will properly import phone numbers.
Under VAN Folders, select the folder that contains your list in VAN/EveryAction.
Under VAN List to Sync, choose the proper list.
For ActBlue:
Select the appropriate API Key for the ActBlue instance you're pulling from.
Select either Paid Contributions or Managed Form Contributions.
Select contribution dates to filter the donation timeframe to be imported.
Click Start Import
You'll be returned to Contacts > Lists, where you'll see your new list marked as Processing. It will soon move to Ready; as soon as it is marked Ready, it can be used as the contact list for an action.
(Even if you click into the Ready list and don't see any contacts yet, it's still Ready to be used in an action. Fully loading the contacts to display in the list takes a bit longer than the initial import that makes contacts ready to be used in an action.)
Note that large lists (250k+) may take a while to move to Ready, depending on traffic across Impactive. For large-scale list import, we recommend waiting until off-peak hours (10 pm - 11 am ET). Reach out to [email protected] anytime for assistance with large list upload.
Important Notes for Importing via NGP VAN/EveryAction
When there are multiple phone numbers listed in VAN/EveryAction for one contact, Impactive will only import the default or "preferred" number.
Lists from VAN/EveryAction are imported once in their static state. To keep the list updated with any changes from VAN/EveryAction, visit Data > Integrations, scroll down to Sync Instructions, and locate the list in question. (This sync instruction was created automatically when the list was imported under Contacts > Lists.) Click the button at the right-hand side of that row and click Re-Sync; this will re-sync the contacts on that list with the latest data from VAN/EveryAction.
Now that your contacts have been imported to Impactive, you're ready to use them for Peer-to-Peer Texting, Phone Banking, or Canvassing actions!