Contacts and lists

Every call, text, email and ringless voicemail in Drop Cowboy® goes to a contact, and campaigns go to lists of contacts. You can import contacts from a file, sort them with lists and tags, and pull their details into a message with merge fields.

Import contacts

1. Open Contacts in the left menu, then click the Lists tab.
2. Click Import Contacts. The Create List window opens.
3. Enter a List Name. Drop a CSV, TSV or TAB file under Add Contacts. One file can hold up to 1 million rows.
4. Under Describe Your Spreadsheet, tick "The first row of my data is a header row" if it has one. Then answer "Where are your phone numbers?".
5. Under Map your columns, pick the contact field for each column. Pick Skip this column for columns you don't need. To keep a column that has no field yet, pick Create a custom field..., name it, and click Create and map.
6. Under Options, choose what happens when a contact already exists. Pick "keep existing data - only fill in empty fields" or "overwrite existing fields with my file".
7. Optional: tick "Trigger automations for each imported contact" or "Trigger webhooks for each imported contact".
8. Click Create List. Large files can take up to 15 minutes.
9. When Import complete shows, check Skipped. If any rows were skipped, Why rows were skipped lists the reasons and how many rows each one hit. Click Done.

Existing contacts are matched by Record ID, then email, then phone number. Only import people who agreed to hear from you. See How consent works.

To add one person by hand, click Add on Contacts. Fill in Create Contact, at least a Main Number or email, and click Create.

If it doesn't work:

• "You must map a Phone Number or Email column." Map at least one column to a phone number or email field, then try again.
• Import failed. Check that the file is a CSV, TSV or TAB file and that its first row lines up with the data. Then import it again.
• Rows were skipped. Read the reasons under Why rows were skipped, fix those rows in your file, and import them into the same list.

Build a list

1. Open Contacts in the left menu, then click the Lists tab.
2. Click Import Contacts, enter a List Name, and click Create List. The file is optional, so you can start with an empty list.
3. Open the list. Under Manage, click Add Contact to add one person, or Bulk Add Existing to add people you already have.
4. In Bulk Add Existing, pick Individual Contacts or Entire List. For Entire List, choose Copy to keep the contacts in the other list too, or Move to take them out.

You can also add contacts from the Contacts tab. Tick the contacts, open Actions, and click Add/Remove from List.

To dial a list, open it, click the Settings tab, and turn on Callable. To export or delete a list, use Export List or Delete List under Manage.

If you don't see Import Contacts or Add, ask your account owner for access.

Tag contacts

Tags are labels such as "VIP" or "Spanish" that you can filter and segment on.

1. Open Contacts in the left menu and open a contact.
2. On the Overview tab, find the tags box and type a tag name. Pick it, or click Create new tag to make it.
3. To tag many contacts at once, tick them on Contacts, open Actions, and click Add Tag.

To rename, recolor or delete tags, click Manage tags, or open Settings in the left menu and click Tags. That screen has Add Tag and Delete Tag.

Add custom fields

Use custom fields for details that aren't in the standard contact, such as a policy number or a preferred store.

1. Open Settings in the left menu, then click Custom Fields.
2. Click Add Custom Field. Enter a Field Name.
3. Pick a Field Type: Single-line text, Multi-line text or List of values.
4. For List of values, click Add Item for each choice. Enter its Label and Mapped Value.
5. Click Save Changes.

Each field shows its merge field code, such as {{contact.custom.policy_number}}. You can have up to 128 custom fields. Fill them in on each contact, or map a column to them when you import contacts.

Use merge fields in a message

A merge field puts a contact's own details into a message, so "Hi {{contact.first_name}}" reads "Hi Maria" for Maria.

1. Open Campaigns in the left menu and start a text, email or broadcast campaign.
2. On the message step, put your cursor where the detail should go.
3. Click Personalization and pick a field, such as First Name, Company or City. Your custom fields are in the list too.
4. Finish and send the campaign as usual.

Pick fields from Personalization rather than typing them. The phone field's code differs between campaign types, and the menu always inserts the right one.

When a contact has no value for a field, that spot comes out blank. Add a fallback after a bar to fill the gap:

• {{contact.first_name|Friend}} reads "Friend" when there's no first name.
• {{contact.first_name|"there, friend"}} uses quotes for a fallback with spaces or punctuation.

Before a big send, try it on your own phone to check the result.

If it doesn't work:

• The message shows the code instead of a name. The braces or field name are mistyped. Delete it and insert the field again from Personalization.
• A name is blank or wrong. The contact's record has that value. Fix it on the contact, or add a fallback.

This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Regulations vary by jurisdiction and use case. Always consult with qualified legal counsel to ensure your specific practices comply with applicable federal and state laws.