Everything in Autorespond starts with your contacts. In this step you move your existing list across, so you can start emailing right away. Starting without a list? Then skip this step and go to your first sign-up form.
Contacts, lists and tags in Autorespond are based on FluentCRM, included in your package. Read the FluentCRM documentation
1. Export from your previous system #
- Export as CSV or Excel. Include at least the email address, first name and last name.
- Also include your tags or groups, custom fields (company or date of birth, for example) and the subscription status.
- Export unsubscribed contacts separately. You import them as unsubscribed, so you never email them by mistake.
2. Import into Autorespond #
Go to CRM & Emails → Contacts and click Import. Choose your file, match each column to the right field and choose the list or tags the contacts should go into.
- Lists are for what someone signed up for (for example “Newsletter”).
- Tags are for characteristics and behaviour (for example “customer”, “interested-in-training”).
- Status: set people who gave permission to “Subscribed”. Anyone who unsubscribed, you import as “Unsubscribed”.
- Have fields Autorespond does not know yet? Create them first as a custom contact field.
3. Check #
Open a few contacts and check that name, list, tags and status are right. If something is wrong, you can run the same import again; existing contacts are updated, not created twice.
Done when #
- Your contacts are in Autorespond, in the right lists and with the right tags.
- Unsubscribed contacts have the status “Unsubscribed”.
- A spot check of five contacts is correct.
