Best practice: CSV (UTF-8) is the most reliable format and strongly recommended, even though Symbo supports other file types.
Start the import
Go to People → Import.
Upload your file.
Review validation results
Symbo will preview your data and show errors or warnings if something is wrong. These are some common type of error messages:
Invalid Phone Number
Invalid Email Address
Invalid Input
Type Mismatch
Duplicate Row Detected
Missing Required Fields
File Format Error
Import Limit Exceeded
Below are the most common errors, what they mean, and how to fix them.
What it means:
Symbo cannot understand the value in the Phone or Email field.
This usually happens when:
Multiple values exist in one cell
They are separated incorrectly
The format is not valid
Common examples that fail:
harry@companyname.com / joe@gmail.com
01582 731621 - 01582 898937
Why it happens:
Symbo expects valid phone numbers and emails. When multiple values are combined with slashes, spaces, or dashes, validation fails.
How to fix it:
Separate multiple values using a comma without spaces:
harry@companyname.com,joe@gmail.com
01582 731621,01582 898937
Remove:
Slashes /
“and”
Extra spaces
Save the file as CSV (UTF-8) and re-upload.
Best practice (strongly recommended):
Instead of putting multiple values in one column, use separate columns:
Phone Number
Work Number
Office Number
Personal Email
Work Email
01582 731696 | 01582 898916 | 01582 700000 |
This is cleaner, easier to validate, and better for CRM syncing.
What it means:
The data doesn’t match what Symbo expects for that field.
Examples:
Text in a number field
Currency symbols
Dates in the wrong format
Why it happens:
Excel auto-formats data, but Symbo strictly validates types.
How to fix it:
Open your file.
Find the column named in the error (e.g., Revenue, Score, Last Activity).
Fix values:
Dates → YYYY-MM-DD
1/1/2025 → 2025-01-01
Numbers → remove symbols and text
$50,000 → 50000
N/A → 0 or blank
Format the column:
Right-click → Format Cells → Number or Text
Save as CSV (UTF-8) and test upload.
Simple rule:
If it’s a number field, it must contain only numbers.
What it means:
Symbo found:
Duplicate contacts
Or missing key fields
Why it happens:
Symbo prevents duplicate people and requires identity fields.
How to fix it:
Sort by Email or Phone in Excel.
Remove duplicates:
Keep one row
Delete the rest
Ensure every row has:
Name
Email or Phone
Save as CSV (UTF-8) and re-upload.
What it means:
One or more required fields are empty.
Why it happens:
Symbo cannot create a prospect without required data.
How to fix it:
Check required fields:
Org Settings → Custom Fields
In your file:
Make sure those columns exist
Fill all blanks
Use bulk fill or formulas like:
=IF(A2="", "Unknown", A2)
Save as CSV (UTF-8) and re-upload.
What it means:
Symbo can’t read the file structure correctly.
Why it happens:
Wrong encoding
Merged cells
Incorrect delimiters
How to fix it:
Open in Excel or Google Sheets.
Save as CSV (UTF-8).
Unmerge cells:
Select all → Home → Merge & Center → Unmerge
If needed:
Open in Notepad++
Encoding → Convert to UTF-8
Re-upload.
What it means:
The file is too large.
Why it happens:
Files over ~10,000 rows overload the importer.
How to fix it:
Split into smaller files:
1–5000 rows
5001–10000 rows
Remove unnecessary columns.
Import one file at a time.
Sub-step: Upload cleaned file
Go back to People → Import.
Upload the corrected file.
Sub-step: Review mapping
Make sure each column matches the correct Symbo field.
Sub-step: Confirm success
Look for the “Import Completed” message.
Sub-step: Spot check
Open a few prospects:
Data is correct
Phones and emails work
Prepare the File:
CSV (UTF-8) preferred
XLS/XLSX/XLSB supported
<10,000 rows per file
Headers match Symbo fields
Emails & Phones:
One value per field
Multiple values → comma separated (no spaces)
Avoid /, -, and “and”
Prefer separate columns for each phone/email type
Data Types:
Dates → YYYY-MM-DD
Numbers → digits only
Required Fields:
No blank Name
At least one valid Email or Phone
Required custom fields filled
Formatting:
No merged cells
No blank rows
One row = one person
Test First:
Import 10 rows
Fix errors
Then import the full file