Import Leads from a CSV File into LeadCentre
LeadCentre imports leads from a CSV file in the online portal. Upload the file, check which column goes to which LeadCentre field, with Smart Match suggesting each one, and every row becomes a lead you can call, follow up and move through your pipeline. It's how you bring across an old enquiry spreadsheet, a lead download from an ad platform or a list from another system.
Built In: Built into LeadCentre, with no other tool needed.
- Move an old enquiry spreadsheet or another tool's leads into one Leads list without retyping a row.
- Smart Match reads your column headings and suggests the LeadCentre field for each one.
- Imported leads get the same contact buttons, statuses, follow-ups and won values as new ones.
What this does
A CSV file is a plain spreadsheet that almost any tool can save or download, from Excel, Google Sheets and Numbers to booking systems, form plugins and ad platforms. LeadCentre reads the first row as column headings and each row after it as one lead.
You choose where each column goes, from the same LeadCentre fields every connection uses, including any custom fields on your account. A column you don't need can be set to Do not use.
Good reasons to import
- You've kept enquiries in a spreadsheet and want them somewhere with reminders.
- Leads came in before you connected a source, such as an older download from Meta or Google Ads.
- You're changing tools and your previous system can save its leads as a CSV.
- A supplier sends you a batch of leads as a file.
What happens when you import a CSV file?
Step 1
You upload the file
In the portal, choose your CSV file. LeadCentre reads the column headings from the first row.
Step 2
Smart Match suggests the fields
Each column gets a suggested LeadCentre field. Change any you disagree with, or set it to Do not use.
Step 3
The rows become leads
Each row with a name, phone number or email becomes a lead in your Leads list, with the details you matched.
Step 4
You work them like any other lead
Open a lead to call, text, WhatsApp or email, set its status and add follow-ups.
Step 5
Your figures include them
Match an enquiry date column to Date received, and each lead counts on the day it first came in.
What you can do with imported leads
On every plan:
- Contact buttons. Open any imported lead in the app or portal and tap Call, Text, WhatsApp or Email. Text, WhatsApp and Email open your own templates with their name and the job filled in.
- Statuses. Move each lead through New, Contacted, Quoted, Booked, Won and Lost, and record what a Won job was worth.
- Follow-ups. Add a date, time and note, and get a reminder on your phone when each one is due.
- Organising. Assign leads to team members and sort them into folders.
- Custom fields. Keep extra columns, such as a job reference or notes from your old system.
What an import sends:
An import is quiet. The people in your file aren't emailed or texted, because Instant Replies and the Respond add-on's automatic texts are for new enquiries as they arrive, and your team isn't sent a push for each row. You decide who to contact, and when, using the buttons on each lead.
With the Respond add-on:
- Text an imported lead from your dedicated UK business number and keep the conversation in the Messages tab.
- Automatic SMS replies, Lead Rescue follow-ups and AI conversations work on the new enquiries that arrive after your import.
How to import a CSV file
You need a LeadCentre login with the Admin role and your leads saved as a CSV file, with headings in the first row.
- Excel: use Save As and choose a CSV format. Excel saves only the sheet you have open, so save each sheet as its own file if your leads are spread across several.
- Google Sheets: use File > Download and choose the CSV option.
- Another system: look for its export or download option, and pick CSV.
- 1
Prepare the file
Put one lead on each row and a heading on each column, such as Name, Phone, Email, Postcode and Job. Delete blank rows and any totals at the bottom. Write dates as year-month-day, such as 2026-11-04, which can't be read the wrong way round.
- 2
Keep an ID and add a source
If your file has an ID or reference column, keep it: matched to Unique ID, it stops the same row coming in twice. Add a Lead source column filled in with something like Old spreadsheet, so these leads are easy to tell apart later.
- 3
Upload a test file
Save a copy with five rows. In the portal at dashboard.leadcentre.com, go to Settings > Connections, find CSV imports and upload the copy.
- 4
Match the columns
Smart Match suggests a LeadCentre field for each column. Check each one, change any that are wrong and set the rest to Do not use. For a column with no standard field, type a name to create a custom field.
- 5
Check the test leads
Open the five leads in your Leads list and compare them with the file: names, phone numbers with their leading zero, dates and custom fields. Fix the file if anything is off.
- 6
Import the full file
Upload the full file and match the columns the same way. With Unique ID matched, the five test rows aren't added again. When it finishes, you see how many rows became leads and which were skipped.
Which columns can you import?
Any column can go to a standard LeadCentre field, a custom field or Do not use. Smart Match recognises common headings like the ones below, and you can match anything else by hand.
Each row needs at least a name, a phone number or an email to become a lead.
| Field sent | Usually matched to |
|---|---|
| Name, Full name, Customer | Full name |
| First name, Surname | First name, Last name |
| Phone, Mobile, Landline | Phone (mobile or landline), Mobile, Landline |
| Company | Company |
| House number, Street, Town, County, Postcode | House number, Street, Town / city, County / State / Region, Postcode |
| Job, Service, Enquiry type | Enquiry type |
| Notes, Message, Details | Enquiry / Message |
| Quote value, Estimate | Estimated value |
| Date, Enquiry date | Date received |
| Source | Lead source |
| ID, Reference | Unique ID (stops duplicates) |
| Anything else you want to keep, such as an old status | A custom field |
Managing leads beyond a spreadsheet
A spreadsheet holds a list well. What it can't do is tell anyone a new enquiry has arrived, remind you to ring someone back on Thursday or add up the work you won. Once your leads are imported, each part of the sheet has a working home:
- The status column becomes six statuses, from New to Won or Lost, the same in the app and the portal.
- The "call back" note becomes a follow-up with a date, a time and a reminder on the phone of the person it's assigned to.
- The phone number becomes a Call button, and a Text or WhatsApp button with your message already written.
- The value column becomes the won value on each lead, added up on Home with your win rate.
- Updating the sheet stops being a job, because new enquiries reach LeadCentre through your connections.
If new enquiries still land in a Google Sheet, the Google Sheets connection sends each new row as a lead, so you only import the old rows once. For a step-by-step routine to run once the leads are in, see how to build a simple lead management process.
For agencies managing client enquiries
Import into each client's own account, so the leads stay with that client and its data stays separate. Open the client with Manage, then go to Settings > Connections and upload the file there.
Before loading a new client's history, add the custom fields their columns need. A snapshot carries setup such as custom fields to a new client, with no leads, so each client's import is its own.
The client's own people then see the imported leads in their app and portal, within their role: a User sees leads assigned to them plus unassigned ones. No push goes out for each row, so a big import won't flood their phones. Cross-client reporting counts the imported leads by their date received, client by client. Agency Admins can import for any client, and Agency Users for the clients assigned to them. More on agency accounts.
Pricing and requirements
What you need for this connection. Prices for each plan and the Respond add-on are on the pricing page.
- LeadCentre plan
Any plan. CSV imports are included on Business, Agency Starter and Agency Scale.
- A CSV file
Saved from Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers or another system, with column headings in the first row.
- Admin role
An Admin on the account, or agency staff for a client account, runs the import.
- Respond add-on
Optional. Lets you text imported leads from a dedicated UK business number and keep the replies in Messages. See Respond.
- Messaging usage
An import sends no messages, so it uses no allowance. Texts you send with Respond count towards its monthly allowances. If one runs out, the account is told and can buy credits for extra usage.
Common problems
Phone numbers lost their leading zero
Excel treats them as numbers, so 07700 900123 becomes 7700900123. Formatting the column as Text only helps for numbers typed afterwards, as Microsoft explains. Put the zeros back in the file, or download the file again from the original system and check it in Google Sheets, then import it.
Some rows were skipped
A row needs a name, phone number or email in a matched column. Check those rows have one, and that the column holding it isn't set to Do not use. Then import just the skipped rows.
Dates are in the wrong month
A date such as 04/11/2026 can be read as 4 November or 11 April. Change the date column to year-month-day, such as 2026-11-04, before you import. Your five-row test shows this before the full file goes in.
The same leads appear twice
Without a Unique ID, every import adds its rows as new leads. Match an ID or reference column to Unique ID next time, and rows already imported with that ID aren't added again. Archive the extra copies.
A column has nowhere to go
Type a name while matching to create a custom field for it, or ask an Admin to add one first. Custom fields hold free text, so they suit references, notes and old statuses.
The upload is refused
Check the file is a CSV and not an Excel workbook (.xlsx). Open it in Excel or Google Sheets, save or download it as CSV, and upload that.
Questions about this connection
Will importing contact the people in my file?
No. Instant Replies and Respond's automatic texts go to new enquiries as they arrive, so an import emails and texts nobody. You choose who to get in touch with, using the buttons on each lead.
Can I import leads I downloaded from Facebook or Google Ads?
Yes. Download them as a CSV file, upload it and match the columns. For new leads from then on, connect Meta Lead Ads or Google Ads lead forms, so they arrive by themselves.
My leads are in an Excel workbook. What do I do?
Save each sheet as a CSV file with Save As in Excel, then upload it. Excel saves only the sheet you have open, so repeat for each sheet that holds leads.
Do imported leads count in my figures?
Yes. Figures count leads by date received, so match your file's enquiry date to Date received and each lead counts on the day it first came in. Without a date, they count on the day you import them.
What happens to the columns I don't match?
Set to Do not use, they're left out. Anything you want to keep that has no standard field can go into a custom field.
Related features and guides
Connect your lead sources
Set up your LeadCentre account and connect this source, and your next enquiry can arrive on your phone.