How Do I Import Customers From a CSV File?

To import customers from a CSV file into SoTrustworthy, navigate to the Customers section in your dashboard and click Import CSV. Upload your file, match your spreadsheet columns to SoTrustworthy fields, review the preview, and click Start Import. SoTrustworthy will clean the phone numbers, remove duplicates, and queue your review requests automatically based on your daily sending limits.

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Why Use a CSV File for Review Requests?

If you are just starting your 14-day trial or running SoTrustworthy without a direct CRM integration, uploading a CSV (Comma-Separated Values) spreadsheet is the fastest way to invite recent past customers to leave a Google review.

Instead of typing customer phone numbers one by one, a CSV upload lets you upload tens, hundreds, or thousands of contacts at once. SoTrustworthy's SMS-first workflow then takes over, sending localized, personalized text messages to your customers at the best possible time.

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Step 1: Prepare Your CSV File

Before uploading, make sure your spreadsheet is formatted correctly. Most software—including Excel, Google Sheets, QuickBooks, and older field-service tools—can export customer lists directly into a .csv format.

Required Fields

Your CSV file must contain at least two pieces of information for every contact:

1. First Name: Personalizes the SMS review request (e.g., "Hi John, thanks for choosing...").
2. Phone Number: The mobile number where the review request will be sent via SMS.

Recommended Optional Fields

• Last Name: Helps you differentiate customers with the same first name.
• Email Address: Used as a backup delivery channel if configured in your campaign settings.
• Service Date: Allows you to schedule review requests relative to when the job was completed.
• Tags or Job Type: Helps you organize contacts (e.g., Plumbing, HVAC-Repair, Roof-Inspection).

Formatting Phone Numbers Correctly

SoTrustworthy automatically cleans up common phone formatting mistakes during the upload, but providing clean data speeds up processing.

• Best format (E.164): +15551234567
• Standard US formats (Accepted): (555) 123-4567, 555-123-4567, or 5551234567

Note: Landline numbers will fail delivery during transmission. SoTrustworthy automatically flags and skips invalid mobile numbers so you do not waste credits.

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Step 2: Upload Your File to SoTrustworthy

Once your spreadsheet is saved as a .csv file, follow these steps to upload it to your dashboard:

1. Log into your SoTrustworthy account.
2. Click Customers in the main left-hand navigation menu.
3. Click the Import button in the top right corner and select CSV File.
4. Drag and drop your .csv file into the upload box, or click Browse Files to select it from your computer.

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Step 3: Map Your Columns

Once the file is uploaded, SoTrustworthy will display a column-mapping screen. This screen matches the headers in your spreadsheet to the correct fields in SoTrustworthy.

1. Match Fields: Look at the dropdown menus next to each column header from your file. Match First Name to First Name, Phone to Phone Number, and so on.
2. Ignore Unneeded Columns: If your CSV contains extra columns you do not need (such as billing addresses or home square footage), leave those fields set to Do Not Import.
3. Assign Tags (Optional): You can apply a tag to the entire upload batch (e.g., Past-Customers-2023). Tags allow you to filter contacts and track campaign performance later.

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Step 4: Confirm Consent and TCPA Compliance

Before your import completes, you must check a mandatory compliance box confirming that you have permission to text the contacts in your file.

Text messaging for business operations is regulated by federal law under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. To review official regulatory guidelines, see the FCC TCPA guidelines.

To maintain legal compliance:

• You must only import customers who have done business with you or explicitly provided their contact information.
• Do not import purchased, rented, or scraped lead lists.
• SoTrustworthy automatically appends opt-out language (e.g., "Reply STOP to unsubscribe") to outgoing messages and manages opt-outs instantly.

After checking the compliance box, click Complete Import.

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How SoTrustworthy Handles Your CSV Data

Once you click import, SoTrustworthy processes your customer list using three key features designed to protect your sender reputation and maximize your review generation:

1. Automatic Duplicate Suppression

If a customer phone number already exists in your account, SoTrustworthy will update their record rather than creating a duplicate entry. If a review request was sent to that phone number within the last 30 days, the platform will skip them automatically to prevent spamming your clients.

2. Smart Request Throttling

Sending hundreds of review requests at the exact same second can trigger mobile carrier spam filters under A2P 10DLC guidelines. It can also cause a surge of Google reviews arriving at once, which can trigger Google's spam algorithms.

To prevent this, SoTrustworthy uses Request Throttling:

• Incoming CSV imports are placed into a daily delivery queue.
• Messages are dripped out automatically during normal business hours (typically 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM in your local time zone).
• Daily delivery limits depend on your active subscription plan:
  • Starter Plan: Up to 20 request sequences queued per day.
  • Growth Plan: Up to 50 request sequences queued per day.
  • Pro Plan: Up to 150 request sequences queued per day.

3. Strict Compliance with Google Policies

SoTrustworthy sends direct, un-gated review links to every customer. We do not gate reviews or filter unhappy customers away from public review sites, keeping your business fully compliant with Google review policies.

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Troubleshooting CSV Upload Issues

If your file fails to upload or returns an error screen, check the following common issues:

Issue	Cause	Fix
"Invalid File Type"	File was saved as .xlsx or .xls (standard Excel workbook).	Open your file in Excel or Google Sheets, go to File > Save As / Download, and select CSV (.csv).
"Missing Mandatory Columns"	The system could not auto-detect the First Name or Phone Number columns.	Manually select the correct columns on the Field Mapping screen using the dropdown menus.
"No Mobile Numbers Found"	Phone numbers contain extra spaces, text characters, or missing country codes.	Ensure numbers are formatted with standard digits (e.g., 555-123-4567 or +15551234567).
"Skipped Rows"	Contacts were skipped during processing.	Download the post-import summary report to view skipped contacts. Contacts are usually skipped because they are duplicates or previously opted out.

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Skip the Manual Uploads: Connect Your CRM

While CSV imports are ideal for batch uploads, manual data entry takes time. If you use field management software, you can automate this process completely so that review requests trigger automatically as soon as a job is closed.

SoTrustworthy offers native integrations for popular home-service software:

• Jobber: Automatically imports contacts and triggers review requests when an invoice or job is marked complete.
• HubSpot: Sends requests based on deal stage updates or pipeline workflows.

To set up an integration, go to Settings > Integrations in your dashboard.

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Next Steps & Related Articles

• Setting Up Automated SMS Campaigns: Learn how to customize the wording and timing of your automated review requests.
• Understanding A2P 10DLC Registration: See how carrier regulations affect your business text messaging and how SoTrustworthy gets your business verified.
• Connecting Jobber or HubSpot: Step-by-step instructions for automating review collection directly from your CRM.