Who This Is For / When to Use
Users importing contacts that have more than one phone number.
Teams migrating contact data from another CRM.
Accounts that need to update or merge additional phone numbers in bulk.
How to Import Contacts with Multiple Phone Numbers
Step 1: Open the Import Tool
Go to Contacts.
Click Import in the top-right corner.
Step 2: Select Objects to Import
Select Contacts.
Click Next.
Step 3: Upload Your CSV File
Upload a
.csvfile (maximum size: 50 MB).Click Next.
Step 4: Map Fields (Critical Step)
On the Map step, review each column from your CSV.
Locate the system field Additional Phones.
Map your CSV column that contains secondary phone numbers to Additional Phones.
Ensure multiple phone numbers in the CSV are:
In a single column
Separated by commas (,), slashes (/), or semicolons (;)
Example:
+15551234567, +15557654321, +15559876543
Confirm all required fields show a Mapped status.
Click Next.
Step 5: Verify and Start Import
Review import preferences:
Optional: Create a Smart List
Optional: Add contacts to a workflow
Optional: Apply tags
Confirm consent checkbox at the bottom.
Click Start Bulk Import.
Important Import Rules for Additional Phones
Contact uniqueness is checked against primary phone + additional phones.
Duplicate additional phone numbers are automatically excluded.
Invalid phone numbers are removed during import.
If the primary phone field is empty:
The first valid additional phone becomes the primary.
When updating existing contacts:
New phone numbers are merged with existing data.
Maximum of 10 additional phone numbers per contact.
If more than 10 are provided, only the first 10 are saved.
How to Export Contacts with Multiple Phone Numbers
Step 1: Start an Export
Navigate to Contacts.
Open Export (via Bulk Actions or Smart Lists).
Step 2: Include Phone Fields
If the Phone field is selected:
Additional Phones is automatically included.
Step 3: Review Exported CSV
The Additional Phones column contains all secondary numbers.
Numbers are separated by commas (,).
Example:
+15551234567,+15557654321,+15559876543
Common Issues and Fixes
Additional phones not imported
Ensure numbers are separated correctly.
Confirm the column is mapped to Additional Phones (not Phone).
Duplicate numbers missing
Duplicates are intentionally excluded to prevent conflicts.
Primary phone missing after import
If the primary phone column was empty, the first additional phone was promoted automatically.
FAQs
What is the Additional Phones field?
It stores secondary phone numbers for a contact, separate from the primary phone field.
How many phone numbers can a contact have?
Up to 10 additional phone numbers per contact.
What makes a phone number invalid?
Incorrect formatting, invalid country codes, or clearly fake numbers (for example, 12345).
Can I update existing contacts with new phone numbers?
Yes. Imports can merge new additional phone numbers with existing contact data.
Will Additional Phones always export?
Yes, when Phone is included in the export, Additional Phones is automatically included.