Importing contacts into an event with a profile to enable sending an sms with information.

There will be occasions where you want to Import a spreadsheet with specific information that changes each month, for instance you need to send an SMS to people who partake in an incentive program, to let them know the amount of money they have earned that month. To do that you will need to follow a two step process.

• Step1: Import the contacts onto the CRM. Some may already be there - but some may not. If the data on your spreadsheet is likely to be more up to date than the data on your CRM - then you would need to overwrite the existing contacts. For a step by step on importing - click here. You will probably have a column headed with the information that you want to send out - ie the amount the contact has earned. This information will not be imported on the contact import - unless you have a column on your contact page with the same name as the column heading. Keep this spreadsheet as you will need it for the linking import as well, where the amount column will come into use.
• Step 2: Create a profile (if you have specific fields like Amounts etc - you need to use a profile to capture the info to be able to send out the information.) Click on the Profiles link at the top left of your screen - and create a new profile. Name it according to your event - and decide how many fields you want. For example if you need to send out an sms with an amount - use one value field. So change the value field dropdown to 1 - then click on Save. Then go to Labels - where the fields will be - and you need to rename them. For instance Value label 1 will become Amount, and you leave the actual field blank, because you will be adding the information from the spreadsheet at a later stage. Once you have set a Profile up it can be used as many times as needed, by adding it to the different events.
• Step 3: Create an event (click on the date on the mini calendar, then the time - choose New Event - name it and then click on the blue change link next to the profile box - pick the correct profile for the send) also remember to add yourself to the event (blue link - top right of screen - Add me).
• Step 4: Once you have done that and saved the event will list - and you will see that your name appears on the bottom half of the screen. At the top right of this delegate list there is a link that says Import delegates. Click on that - an import screen will show - and now if you import the spreadsheet you used for Step 1 again, and the amount field will be picked up and put into the correct field on the profile when you save the imported contacts.
• Step 5: To send the sms go to the top of your screen - where the event name is, and click on the sms icon by the event name. You will then be taken to the sms screen. To pull the data in the amount column into your sms - use the correct tag. All the tags that can be used will be found at the bottom of the screen if you scroll down (ie amount would be #amount#). Once you are happy with your sms - click on Preview and check that the hashes around your tags have changed to square brackets ([]). If they have not the tags are incorrect and you need to go and check them. (Click on Back to compose at the top of your screen). If the square brackets are there and you are happy with your sms - click on send.

It is very important to remember that the second import (Step 4) is a linking import - if the contacts are not on the database yet - the import into the event will not be successful. Also please remember to first send a test to yourself (so before step 4 send yourself a test to check the profile etc - go to step 5) once you have done that you can go back to step 4 and import the rest of the contacts and their information.