Importing / Exporting

If you are currently using a different CRM you should be able to export your existing contacts from there (some systems require an admin to do this) and then import them into Karma.

You can find the Import Contacts button at the lower right of within the main Contacts page.

You’ll have several options when importing your contacts.

If you encounter any issues while importing your CSV file into KarmaCRM, we first recommend that you open the file in one of these programs to see how the data appears there. This is an example of a CSV file opened in Microsoft Office.

CSV files can be opened in a text editor or a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Office.

This spreadsheet features some nicely filled out columns. (Please note that the columns you see may not match this screenshot. KarmaCRM allows you to match your CSV to the right columns so there's no need to worry about the order in which they appear.)

If your data looks good, you can hop back over to KarmaCRM and select the first import option "CSV Import."

Click the "Choose File" button and browse to the location of where you saved your CSV.

This will bring you back to the main import screen. Now you can click Upload to have the file placed into Karma.

Verifying Your Import

Once the data has been uploaded you will need to match each column of the CSV with the columns in your Karma account. This is easier than it sounds. You’ll see a preview of your CSV and some red drop down menus.

Often the first row of your CSV contains column headers such as "first name," "last name," etc. You can check the "Ignore First Row" box so that karma doesn't create a record of that row.

You’ll want to fill in a field for every column that you are using. If you come across one that you are not using you can select the "Ignore This Field" option found in the drop down menu.

As you start to match the drop downs with the CSV column they will turn green signifying they have been matched. See how easy we’ve made it?

Once you have matched the imported columns to the existing options in the drop down menu, click the Import button located in the bottom right of the screen.

Don’t worry if some columns don't exist in the standard fields provided in the drop down. Karma allows you to create custom fields during the import process.

Completing the Import

If your CSV has less than 100 records the import will be performed immediately. More than 100 files will require the import to be performed behind the scenes. Either way, you can sit back and relax and Karma notify you via e-mail when the import has finished.

You also have the option to import your contact data from Freshbooks, which is, in our humble opinion, an awesome web-based invoicing software package.

Keep in mind that in order to import from Freshbooks you’ll need to know your account URL and the API key. This will require that you have administrative access to the account.

Important: You must use the original account URL that you chose when you signed up for Freshbooks. It should look something like this:

https://account.freshbooks.com

To find the API key needed from Freshbooks to import your information, Visit Finding your API key for Freshbooks.

Here’s how your fields should look before you hit the import button at the bottom. Additionally, Karma provides you the option of saving the account URL and API key for future use, which could save you the hassle of having to repeat the above steps each time you import data from Freshbooks.

We’ve also made it possible to import all of your contacts, companies, notes and tasks from Highrise. First, ensure that your Highrise account is setup to export your data. This is explained next.

Setting Up Highrise for Export

As with Freshbooks, in order to import from Highrise you’ll need to know your account URL and the API key. This will require that you have administrative access to the account.

Login to your Highrise account and click the Settings link in the top right. Make sure that the SSL 128-bit encryption is enabled.

Next you will need to get your API key from Highrise. In the top right of your Highrise account, click the "My info" link. While viewing your info click the "API token" tab furthest to the right.

Once you have this information, hop back over to your Karma account, and fill out the account and API key fields.

Important: You must use the original account URL that you chose when you signed up for Highrise. It will look like this:

https://account.highrisehq.com

Here’s how your fields should look before you hit the import button at the bottom. Additionally, Karma provides you the option of saving the account URL and API key for future use, which could save you the hassle of having to repeat the above steps each time you import data from Highrise.

In order to get your contacts from Outlook to KarmaCRM you'll need to first export them to a CSV file. We’ll walk you through the steps of creating this file, but if you already have it you can jump to the Import from CSV section to get your exported outlook contacts into your Karma account.

To start your export go to File >> Import / Export Wizard

Select "Export to a file" and click the "Next" button.

Select "Comma Separated Values (Windows)" and click the "Next" button.

Select the Contacts folder and click Next.

Choose where you want to save this file and clik the "Next" button.

Click the "Finish" button and your CSV export is complete

Now that you have a properly formatted CSV, you can follow the steps listed in our Importing from CSV section to upload your Outlook contacts CSV and match the columns according to your preferences.

Just like putting you contacts into Karma’s system via importing, you can also get data out should the need arise. You contact information is important stuff. Here’s how you can export it.

In your main contacts window, accessible via the Contacts tab, you can find the “Export” button on the lower right.

Currently you are able to export your information as a CSV file. Click on the blue link to start the process.

You will then be returned to the main Contacts screen where a message confirming the export will appear at the top of the page. The export process will be performed in the background, which means users can navigate away from this page without effecting the export.

Once it is completed you will receive an e-mail. Be sure to check the spam folder in your e-mail account, as automated messages like this one sometimes get caught in e-mail filters.

Following the link in the e-mail will direct you to download the file. Save the file to your computer, keeping in mind it’s probably a good idea to rename the file as the name of the downloaded file is a randomly generated one that may be hard to find later. Now, take a look at the data in the CSV file.

As previously mentioned, CSV stands for "comma separated values" because it divides up the information using commas. When opened in a basic text editor the data appears with commas between each term. This can seem a little ugly so we recommend opening the information with a spreadsheet program like in the screenshot above.

The file will be set up just as it appears in the KarmaCRM with your information categorized as they are in the system (without headings). You’ll notice a lot of blank fields here—these are data sets that are not being used right now, but are included in anticipation of deals moving into further stages.