Use this workflow to validate and import customer contact records from a CSV file.
When to use this workflow
Use Bulk Upload Contacts when many customer contacts need to be added at once.
Do not use this workflow to update existing contacts. It inserts new contact records for existing customers. To edit one contact, open Customer Detail.
Before you start
Confirm:
- You have admin or executive access to the Sales Customers screen.
- Each
customer_codealready exists in PAX. - Contact names, titles, email addresses, phone numbers, and primary flags have been reviewed.
- You have tested the file with a small batch first.
- You understand there is no bulk delete available from this workflow.
Screen path
Dashboard > Sales > Customers > Bulk Upload Contacts
CSV columns
Required column:
| Column | Requirement |
|---|---|
customer_code |
Required. Must match an existing customer. |
Optional columns:
| Column | Notes |
|---|---|
contact_type |
Doctor, Buyer, Executive, Manager, Assistant, Billing, or Shipping. Blank is allowed. |
first_name |
Contact first name, 50 characters or less. |
last_name |
Contact last name, 50 characters or less. |
title |
Job title, 100 characters or less. |
email |
Valid email address. |
phone |
Phone number. |
mobile |
Mobile number. |
is_primary |
true/false, 1/0, yes/no, or y/n. Defaults to false. |
notes |
Contact notes. |
Steps
-
Open
Dashboard > Sales > Customers. -
Select
Bulk Upload Contacts. -
Select
Download CSV Template. -
Fill the CSV template with customer contact records.
-
Confirm each
customer_codealready exists in PAX. -
Test with a small batch of 5 to 10 records.
-
Select the CSV file.
-
Select
Validate File. -
Review
Step 2: Validation Results. -
Review rows listed under
Rows to be Skipped. -
Review
Data Cleaning Warnings. -
Review the preview of the first 5 valid rows.
-
If the validation results are acceptable, select
Confirm Import. -
Review
Import Complete!. -
Select
Close. -
Open a customer in Customer Detail and confirm the imported contacts appear under
Additional Contacts.
What happens behind the scenes
The first upload step is a dry run. PAX parses the CSV, validates rows, cleans eligible fields, and returns a preview. No contact records are inserted during validation.
When Confirm Import is selected, PAX inserts valid rows into customer contacts. It does not update or deduplicate existing contacts.
Rows are skipped when:
| Skip reason | Result |
|---|---|
Missing customer_code |
Row is skipped. |
| Customer code does not exist | Row is skipped. |
Some fields are cleaned automatically and the row can still import:
| Field issue | PAX action |
|---|---|
Invalid contact_type |
Clears the field. |
first_name longer than 50 characters |
Truncates to 50 characters. |
last_name longer than 50 characters |
Truncates to 50 characters. |
title longer than 100 characters |
Truncates to 100 characters. |
| Invalid email | Clears the field. |
| Email longer than 255 characters | Truncates to 255 characters. |
phone or mobile longer than 20 characters |
Truncates to 20 characters before phone normalization. |
Invalid is_primary value |
Sets the flag to false. |
Bulk uploading contacts does not create customers, addresses, orders, invoices, payments, shipments, opportunities, or accounting entries.
Troubleshooting
Rows are skipped because the customer does not exist
Likely cause: The contact file references a customer code that is not in PAX.
Safe fix: Create or import the customer first, then revalidate the contact file.
Contact support if: The customer exists but the upload still reports it as missing.
Contact type is cleared
Likely cause: The contact type is not one of the allowed values.
Safe fix: Use Doctor, Buyer, Executive, Manager, Assistant, Billing, or Shipping, or leave the field blank.
Contact support if: An allowed contact type is still cleared.
Contacts imported more than once
Likely cause: This workflow inserts contacts and does not deduplicate or update existing contacts.
Safe fix: Remove already-imported rows from the CSV before confirming import. Manually edit duplicate contacts in Customer Detail if needed.
Contact support if: Many duplicate contacts require cleanup.
Imported contacts do not appear on the customer
Likely cause: The import may have skipped the row, or Customer Detail needs to be refreshed.
Safe fix: Review the import complete results, then refresh or reopen Customer Detail.
Contact support if: The import says the row was inserted but the contact is missing.