When you are logged into TAO, click on Relationships in the left navigation. On the small menu you will see Import. Click that.
The next page is the Import screen.
Download the Import Template to copy and paste all the contacts you'd like to Import. Imports must be in this format.
The TAO Import Template spreadsheet is designed for you to save time when adding contacts in bulk and allows you to Tag them appropriately.
When you open the spreadsheet, much will look familiar to you.
NOTE: The spreadsheet is a .xlsx format. It must stay in this format and you get to save it as an .xlsx file when uploading. If you don’t have Excel, you can use Google Spreadsheets and export the file as Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) or use Numbers and Export to Excel (.xlsx)
Here are all the columns in the spreadsheet which are all the Contact Details you can import. The ones that are bolded we’ll go more in depth on below.
- First Name - required field
- Last Name - required field
- *Tag (3 columns)
- Business Email
- Personal Email
- Work Phone
- Mobile Phone
- Home Phone
- Company
- Address
- Address 2
- City
- State
- Zip
- *Country
- *Contact Meeting Date
- *Contact Meeting Location
- *Birthday
- Website
- Notes
As you know, tags are the foundational component of The Actor’s Office. Tags allow you to search, group and filter your contacts... faster. All your Contacts get to be tagged appropriately before adding them to an Automated Relationship System. For more info go to: What are tags and how do I use them?
In the spreadsheet, we’ve included all the pre-loaded Tags in The Actor’s Office System. Just click the arrow dropdown in the Tag column and select your Tag for that Contact.
If you’d like to use the same Tag for a bunch of your contacts, add the Tag to one Contact and then you can copy it and paste it faster rather than selecting the same tag for each Contact individually.
NOTE: If there isn’t a tag that matches one of your contacts, for example, maybe one of your Contacts is a Production Accountant. Once your Contact is in the system, you’ll be able to create a Custom Tag that says Production Accountant. So leave the Tag column blank for any Contact where you’ll need to create a Custom Tag.
*Country:
This is self-explanatory, but I wanted to point out that when you select a Country for your Contact, their address as well as state/region will be formatted to that Country. If no country is added, the default country is the United States.
There is a pull-down list of ALL countries in the spreadsheet.
When you are importing, choose either option if it’s applicable to your Contact. Then they will automatically be added to an Automated Relationship System. For more info go to: What are Automated Relationship Systems?
*Contact Meeting Date & Contact Meeting Location:
It’s always important to remember when you meet someone and where you met them. Great info for you to reference down the line and great info for your team to know when pitching you. Simply fill in the date and location. If you don’t have this information leave it blank.
*Birthday:
If you have a birthday for your Contact, you get to add it here. Since we don‘t know the year on most birthdays in the industry, the birthday date field functions a bit differently. You’ll still simply enter the day, month and year if you have it. If you don’t have the birthday year, just put the current year we are in. Once imported, the system will default to the NEXT year their birthday will be.
For example, if you import a contact with a birthday that is 1/15. You would write 1/15/21 since at the writing of this we are in 2021. Once you import, the system will change that date to 1/15/22 since that is when their next birthday will be.
Copying and Pasting your Data
Wherever your Contacts are currently, export them out of that system. If you can do an .xls or .xlsx file then great, if not a .csv will suffice.Open up the TAO Import Template. Now both files will be open on your computer.
For efficiency, copy and paste one column at a time into the TAO Import Template. For example, highlight and copy the First Name column in your exports list. Then paste it into the TAO Import Template. Make sure to keep the header of each column in tact, i.e. don’t change it! Then continue doing the same for Last Name, Email, Phone etc.
Once all your data is in the TAO Import Template, and you’ve selected which Tags and Systems to put your Contacts in, make sure to save the spreadsheet in .xlsx format.
If you don’t have Microsoft Excel, you can use Google Spreadsheets or Numbers
Google Spreadsheet:
Upload the TAO Import Template to Google and Open as Google Spreadsheet. Copy and paste your data, and fill in all the info you desire. Then under File, click Download and then Microsoft Excel (.xlsx).
Upload that file to TAO.
Numbers:
Upload the TAO Import Template to Numbers. Copy and paste your data, and fill in all the info you desire. Then under File, click Export To then click Excel.
A pop up screen will appear. Click Advanced Options to make sure the format is in .xlsx.
Click Next and then Export your file. Upload that file to TAO.