Importing Your Data

Moving from another CRM or need to import contacts into your WordPress-powered SkunkCRM? This guide covers the available import methods and best practices.

Import Methods

SkunkCRM provides several ways to get your data into the system:

1. CSV File Import (Recommended)

CSV import interface with field mapping

Navigate to SkunkCRM > Tools > Import to access the CSV import wizard:

1. Prepare your CSV file with the following recommended columns:

   • Name (required)
   • Email
   • Phone
   • Company
   • Status (lead, warm-lead, cold-lead, prospect, customer)
   • Notes

2. Upload and map fields:

   • The system auto-detects common field names
   • Manually map columns to SkunkCRM fields
   • Preview the first 5 rows to verify mapping

3. Import validation:

   • Duplicate email detection and handling
   • Data format validation
   • Error reporting and correction suggestions

2. WordPress User Import

Import existing WordPress users as CRM contacts

Convert your existing WordPress users to CRM contacts:

• Navigate to: SkunkCRM > Tools > Import Users
• Options:
  • Include all users or filter by role
  • Set default contact status
  • Map user meta fields to contact fields
  • Preserve user relationships

3. REST API Import

For developers or bulk imports from other systems:

functions.phpphp
Copy
1// Example API call to create contacts
2$contacts = [
3    [
4        'name' => 'John Smith',
5        'email' => 'john@example.com',
6        'company' => 'Acme Corp',
7        'status' => 'prospect'
8    ],
9    // More contacts...
10];
11
12foreach ($contacts as $contact) {
13    wp_remote_post('your-site.com/wp-json/skunkcrm/v1/contacts', [
14        'body' => json_encode($contact),
15        'headers' => [
16            'Content-Type' => 'application/json',
17            'Authorization' => 'Basic ' . base64_encode($username . ':' . $app_password)
18        ]
19    ]);
20}

4. WordPress Contact Form Integration

Automatic lead capture from WordPress contact forms

Automatically capture leads from popular WordPress form plugins:

• Contact Form 7
• Gravity Forms
• WPForms
• Ninja Forms

Configure in SkunkCRM > Settings > Forms Integration.

Supported Data Sources

Common CRM Exports

Field Mapping Guide

Intelligent field mapping with suggestions

Common field mappings:

Data Validation & Quality

Automatic Validation

SkunkCRM performs several validation checks during import:

Import validation and error handling

• Email format validation - Ensures valid email syntax
• Duplicate detection - Identifies potential duplicates by email
• Required field validation - Ensures minimum data requirements
• Data sanitization - Cleans and formats imported data

Handling Duplicates

When duplicates are detected:

1. Skip duplicates - Keep existing, ignore new
2. Update existing - Merge new data with existing contact
3. Create anyway - Allow duplicate contacts
4. Review manually - Flag for manual review

Import Limitations

System Limits

• Maximum file size: 10MB per CSV file
• Maximum records: 5,000 contacts per import batch
• Supported formats: CSV, JSON (via API)
• Character encoding: UTF-8 recommended

WordPress Considerations

• Memory limits: Large imports may require increased PHP memory
• Execution time: Batch processing for large datasets
• User permissions: Requires 'manage_options' capability
• Database limits: Respects hosting database quotas

Advanced Import Features

Bulk Assignment

Assign imported contacts to team members

During import, you can:

• Assign to team members - Bulk assign contacts to users
• Set default status - Apply status to all imported contacts
• Add bulk tags - Tag entire import batch
• Set lead source - Track import origin

Custom Field Mapping

For advanced users, create custom field mappings:

functions.phpphp
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1// Add custom field mapping
2add_filter('skunkcrm_import_field_mapping', function($mappings) {
3    $mappings['custom_field'] = 'lead_score';
4    $mappings['industry'] = 'company_industry';
5    return $mappings;
6});

Post-Import Workflow

1. Data Review

After import completion:

Import summary and results overview

• Review import summary
• Check for any validation warnings
• Verify contact assignments
• Confirm tag applications

2. Contact Organization

Organize your newly imported contacts:

• Create segments for different contact groups
• Set up automation rules for follow-up workflows
• Configure lead scoring based on import data
• Review and update statuses as needed

3. Team Assignment

If using team features:

Assign contacts to team members

• Assign contacts to appropriate team members
• Set up permission-based access
• Configure notification preferences
• Create team-specific workflows

Troubleshooting Imports

Common Issues

Import fails with memory error:

Fatal error: Allowed memory size exhausted

• Increase PHP memory limit in wp-config.php: ini_set('memory_limit', '512M');
• Process smaller batches of contacts
• Contact hosting provider for memory limit increase

Database connection timeouts:

• Process imports during low-traffic periods
• Use smaller batch sizes
• Check with hosting provider about database limits

Character encoding issues:

• Ensure CSV files are saved with UTF-8 encoding
• Avoid special characters in field names
• Check for hidden characters in data

Debug Mode

Enable debug mode for detailed import logging:

functions.phpphp
Copy
1// Add to wp-config.php
2define('SKUNKCRM_DEBUG', true);

Check logs at SkunkCRM > Diagnostics > Error Logs.

Best Practices

Before Importing

1. Clean your data - Remove duplicates and invalid entries
2. Standardize formats - Consistent phone numbers, addresses
3. Backup existing data - Export current contacts before import
4. Test with sample - Import 10-20 records first

During Import

1. Monitor progress - Watch for validation warnings
2. Review mappings - Verify field assignments are correct
3. Check duplicates - Review duplicate handling choices
4. Validate results - Spot-check imported contact data

After Import

1. Clean up - Remove test contacts if any
2. Set up automations - Configure welcome sequences
3. Train team - Brief team members on new contacts
4. Monitor performance - Track system performance with larger dataset

Next Steps

Once your data is imported:

• Set up contact management workflows
• Configure automation rules
• Integrate with email marketing
• Set up team permissions and assignments

Need help with a specific import scenario? Check our troubleshooting guide or contact support.