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Import Contacts from Google Sheets

Manager+ Only

This feature is available to Department Managers and Administrators only.

Overview​

Import contact lists directly from Google Sheets into DutyCall for use in campaigns and call management. The import process is simple, read-only, and requires no Google authentication.

How It Works​

DutyCall connects to your publicly shared Google Sheet, fetches the data in CSV format, and allows you to map columns to contact fields before importing.

Key Features​

  • ✅ Read-only: DutyCall never modifies your Google Sheet
  • ✅ No authentication: Works with public share links (no Google login required)
  • ✅ Preview before import: See and verify data before committing
  • ✅ Column mapping: Match your sheet columns to DutyCall contact fields
  • ✅ Validation: System checks data format and required fields

Step-by-Step Import Process​

1. Prepare Your Google Sheet​

Required setup:

  1. Open your Google Sheet with contact data
  2. Make sure your data has column headers in the first row
  3. Click Share button (top right)
  4. Choose "Anyone with the link" can view
  5. Copy the share URL

Example sheet structure:

NamePhoneEmailNotes
John Doe+15551234567john@example.comVIP customer
Jane Smith+15559876543jane@example.comFollow up needed
Best Practices
  • Use E.164 format for phone numbers (+1XXXXXXXXXX)
  • Include column headers in row 1
  • Remove any blank rows at the top
  • Keep data clean (no merged cells, formulas in data rows)

2. Share Your Sheet Publicly​

Security note: Only share sheets with non-sensitive data. Anyone with the link can view the sheet.

Steps:

  1. Click Share button
  2. Under "General access", select "Anyone with the link"
  3. Set permission to "Viewer" (not Editor)
  4. Click "Copy link"
  5. Click "Done"

Your link will look like:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ABC123.../edit?usp=sharing

3. Import in DutyCall​

  1. Navigate to Campaigns or Contacts section
  2. Click "Import from Google Sheets" button
  3. Paste your public share URL
  4. Click "Fetch Data"

DutyCall will retrieve and parse your sheet data.

4. Preview Data​

After fetching, you'll see a preview of your sheet data:

  • First 10-20 rows displayed
  • Column headers shown
  • Total row count indicated

Review for:

  • ✅ Correct data loaded
  • ✅ Proper column headers
  • ✅ No formatting issues
  • ✅ Expected number of contacts

5. Map Columns to Fields​

Map your Google Sheet columns to DutyCall contact fields:

Your ColumnMaps ToRequired?
NameContact NameOptional
PhonePhone NumberRequired
EmailEmail AddressOptional
NotesNotes/DescriptionOptional
Custom Field 1Custom FieldOptional

Required fields:

  • Phone Number must be provided for all contacts
  • Use E.164 format (+1XXXXXXXXXX) for best results
Phone Number Format

Phone numbers must include country code. Examples:

  • ✅ +15551234567 (correct)
  • ❌ (555) 123-4567 (missing country code)
  • ❌ 5551234567 (missing + and country code)

6. Validate & Import​

  1. Click "Validate Data" to check for errors
  2. System will report:
    • Valid contacts ready to import
    • Invalid/skipped rows (with reasons)
    • Duplicate phone numbers (if any)
  3. Review validation results
  4. Click "Import Contacts" to complete

7. Confirmation​

After import completes:

  • ✅ Success message with count of imported contacts
  • ⚠️ Warning if any rows were skipped (with details)
  • 📊 Option to view imported contacts

Technical Details​

How DutyCall Accesses Your Sheet​

Read-only CSV export:

  1. DutyCall takes your public share URL
  2. Converts it to a CSV export URL (Google Sheets API endpoint)
  3. Fetches sheet data as CSV text
  4. Parses CSV into structured data
  5. Displays preview and mapping interface

No authentication flow:

  • No OAuth tokens stored
  • No access to your Google account
  • Works entirely via public share URLs
  • Zero write permissions to your sheets

Supported Data Types​

Column TypeSupportedNotes
Text✅Names, notes, descriptions
Phone numbers✅Must include country code
Email addresses✅Validated for format
Numbers✅Contact IDs, custom numeric fields
Dates⚠️Parsed as text (format may vary)
Formulas❌Only cell values imported (not formulas)
Links⚠️Imported as plain text

Current Limitations​

  • Public sheets only: Cannot access private/restricted Google Sheets
  • CSV parsing: Data is parsed as CSV (some complex formatting may be lost)
  • No real-time sync: Import is a one-time operation (not continuous sync)
  • Row limit: Performance may degrade with sheets >10,000 rows
  • No authentication: Cannot access sheets requiring Google login

Troubleshooting​

"Failed to fetch sheet data"​

Possible causes:

  1. Sheet is not publicly shared
  2. Invalid share URL
  3. Sheet was deleted or permissions changed

Solutions:

  • Re-check share settings ("Anyone with the link" → Viewer)
  • Copy the share URL again
  • Test the URL in an incognito browser window

"Phone number format invalid"​

Problem: Phone numbers don't include country code or proper format.

Solutions:

  • Add country code column in your sheet (e.g., "+1" for US)
  • Use formula in Google Sheets: =CONCATENATE("+1", A2) to prepend +1
  • Format as text (not number) to preserve leading "+"

"No data found in sheet"​

Possible causes:

  1. Sheet is empty
  2. No column headers in row 1
  3. All rows are blank

Solutions:

  • Ensure row 1 has column headers
  • Check that data starts in row 2
  • Remove any blank rows at the top of the sheet

"Import succeeded but some rows skipped"​

Common reasons for skipped rows:

  • Missing required phone number
  • Invalid phone number format
  • Duplicate phone number already in database
  • Empty rows in the sheet

Review the import summary to see which rows were skipped and why.

Best Practices​

Data Preparation​

  1. Clean your data before import (remove duplicates, fix formatting)
  2. Use consistent phone format (all E.164 with country code)
  3. Test with a small sample (10-20 rows) before importing thousands
  4. Keep a backup of your Google Sheet before large imports

Security​

  1. Only share non-sensitive data publicly
  2. Revoke public access after import completes (optional)
  3. Don't include passwords, SSNs, or highly sensitive info in public sheets
  4. Monitor who has access to your shared sheet links

Performance​

  1. Split large imports (>5,000 rows) into multiple sheets if needed
  2. Remove unnecessary columns before importing (faster processing)
  3. Import during off-peak hours for large datasets

Need help with imports? Contact support or check the troubleshooting section above.