When you import Leads or Accounts from a spreadsheet (CSV file), the CRM can now create any Referral Source, Referral Source Contact or Campaign Source your file mentions that does not exist yet, and link it to the imported record. It is the same option the Intake Opportunity import already had, and it is switched on by default. We also fixed a problem that made the import create the same Referral Source Contact more than once.
Contents
1. Before You Start
2. What Changed
3. Import With the Option On
4. Check the Result
5. Import With the Option Off
6. Good to Know
7. Frequently Asked Questions
1. Before You Start
You will need:
A CSV file with one row per Lead or Account and a header row.
Columns for the referral details you want to bring in: Referral Source, Referral Source Contact and Campaign Source (Accounts call the Referral Source column Account Name in some files; match it to Referral Source on the mapping step).
Access requirements: you need permission to import Leads or Accounts, and permission to create Referral Sources, Referral Contacts and Campaigns. Without the create permission, names that are not found are left empty, as if the option were off.
The option appears on three imports only: Leads, Accounts and Intake Opportunities. If you do not see it on one of these, contact Dazos support.
2. What Changed
Before | Now |
Only the Intake Opportunity import could create missing referral records. | The Leads and Accounts imports can too, with the same option, ticked by default. |
A referral partner missing from the CRM left the field empty on Leads and Accounts, unless you created it by hand first. | With the option ticked, the CRM creates it and links it. |
A Referral Source Contact created by the import got the whole name in both First Name and Last Name ("John Smith" and "John Smith"), so the next row or import naming "John Smith" created it again. | The name is split ("John" and "Smith"). The contact is created once and reused. This also applies to the Intake Opportunity import. |
3. Import With the Option On
1. Open Leads (or Accounts) and click Import.
2. Choose your CSV file and click Next.
3. On Duplicate Handling, choose what suits you and continue.
4. On Field Mapping, find Create missing Referrals Sources, Referral Source Contacts & Campaign Sources at the top right. It is already ticked.
5. Check that your Referral Source, Referral Source Contact and Campaign Source columns are matched to those fields. If a column says Select an Option, pick the field yourself.
6. Click Import.
Tip: If several rows name the same new referral partner, it is created once and every one of those rows is linked to it.
4. Check the Result
When the import finishes you see the usual summary of the Leads or Accounts that were imported.
Open one of the imported records, click Details, then the Marketing Information tab. The Referral Source, Campaign Source and Referral Source Contact are filled in and link to the records the import found or created.
What your file says | What the import does |
A name that already exists in the CRM | Links the record to it. Nothing new is created. |
A name that does not exist yet | Creates it and links the record to it. |
The same new name on several rows | Creates it once and links every row to it. |
5. Import With the Option Off
Untick the option on the Field Mapping step if you only want to link to referral records that already exist. The import then works exactly as it always did: a name that is not found is left empty on the imported record, and nothing new is created.
6. Good to Know
Spelling matters. The CRM looks for a record with exactly the name in your file. "Hope House", "Hope House" (two spaces) and "Hope House Inc." are different names, and a different name creates a new record.
One-word contact names. A Referral Source Contact needs a first and a last name. A single word (for example "Smith") is used for both, and the CRM may not recognise it on a later import, so it can be created again. Use full names where you can.
Other required fields. A new Referral Source created by the import may show ???? in other required fields, such as Type. Open it and fill those in.
Contact and Referral Source on the same row. A new Referral Source Contact is not linked automatically to the Referral Source on the same row. Link them on the contact if you need that.
The summary counts. The import summary counts the Leads or Accounts you imported. It does not list how many referral records were created; look in Referral Sources, Referral Contacts and Campaigns if you need that number.
7. Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does anything change if I untick the option? No. Unticked, the import behaves exactly as before.
Q: Will it create duplicates of referral partners that already exist? No. An existing record with the same name is linked, not copied. Keep names spelled the same way as in the CRM.
Q: I already have duplicated Referral Source Contacts from earlier imports. Are they fixed? No. Contacts created before this change stay as they are; merge or delete the extra copies. New imports will not add more for two-word names.
Q: Does it work for large imports that run in the background? Yes. Large files that the CRM imports in the background follow the choice you made on the Field Mapping step.
Q: Why is the option not on the Referral Sources import? Referral Sources are the records this option creates; it is offered on the imports that link to them: Leads, Accounts and Intake Opportunities.
Need Help?
If you run into issues:
1. Open a few imported records and check the Marketing Information tab.
2. Check that the names in your file match the existing records exactly.
3. Contact Dazos support with the import file (or a sample row) and reference CRM-3932.