Before you start
Export the collection from Swops (Export contacts to a CSV file) and prepare the file as described in Prepare your Swops export for a CRM. Split Name: Freshsales keeps first and last names in separate fields. Accounts created before 26 September 2023 need a last name column mapped, and rows without one fail; newer accounts need an email, a mobile number or an external ID on each contact instead. Remove the apostrophe in front of international phone numbers. One more Freshsales-specific tidy-up in your spreadsheet: in the LinkedIn column, find linkedin.com/in/ and replace it with nothing, because Freshworks’ import guide asks for only the profile name (olivia-grant). Create custom fields before you start (for example a dropdown Priority with Hot, Warm, Cold and Unrated, and a text area for your notes), so they are there to map to.
Import the file
Open Contacts in the left navigation, click the import button and choose Import from CSV/XLSX.
Choose to import contacts along with accounts. Each Swops company becomes an account, and contacts are linked to an account that already has the same name.
Upload your CSV.
Review the mapping. Columns whose headers match a field are mapped for you. Change any that are wrong, untick Import for columns you want to skip, and map each field to one column only.
Pick the date format if you import a date column. Swops writes year, month, day.
Choose Create new records and update existing ones, and tick Skip duplicate Contacts with Email as the identifier, or the update option that suits you.
Assign a sales owner for contacts that have none in the file.
In the last step, add tags (for example the collection name, Automation Expo 2026) and a lifecycle stage. Set subscription statuses only for people who agreed to hear from you.
Click Import Now. Small files finish straight away; larger ones show progress, and the Import History page lists what was created, updated, skipped or failed.
Which column goes where
| Swops column | Freshsales field |
|---|---|
| First name, Last name | First name, Last name (last name required on older accounts) |
| Name (the original column) | Untick Import |
| Company | Account name |
| Role | Job title |
| Email (the primary email) | |
| Phone | Work |
| Mobile | Mobile |
| Website | The account’s Website |
| LinkedIn, with the profile name only | |
| Address | Address |
| Country | Country |
| Priority | Your custom Priority dropdown |
| Notes | Your custom text area |
| Business analysis, In more depth | Custom text areas, or skip them |
| Collection | Skip it and use a tag in step 8 |
| Captured, Research date | Skip them, or custom date fields |
Good to know
- Duplicates. Freshsales can recognise existing contacts by email, phone number, work number or record ID. Email uses the primary address only. Phone numbers must match exactly: +44 7700 900417 and 07700 900417 count as different.
- Dropdown values must match. A Priority value that is not one of the dropdown’s choices makes the row fail, so create all four choices or clear the Unrated cells.
- Owners. To give contacts different owners, add a column with each owner’s sign-in email address. Names do not work, and records assigned to a deactivated user fail.
- Errors. Download the error log from Import History. Common causes are an invalid email, an unmapped column, a value in the wrong field type and a dropdown value that does not exist.
- Daily limits. Your admin can cap how many records each role imports or updates per day, under Admin Settings > Teams & Territories > Roles.
- No undo. Freshsales’ guide does not describe undoing an import, so import two or three test rows first.
Checked against Freshworks’ help pages in October 2026: How to import Contacts from a CSV/XLSX file?, How to import records (contacts, accounts, deals) from a CSV/XLSX file? and How do I add multiple email addresses and phone numbers to a contact?. Menus change from time to time; if a step looks different, follow Freshworks’ own import guide.