How do I format and upload a CSV file of contacts for WhatsApp messaging?

To successfully upload a customer database for WhatsApp messaging, your CSV file must be formatted correctly. The most important part is the format of the phone numbers.

CSV File Requirements

• The first row of your file must contain column headers (e.g., Phone Number, User ID, Name).
• Each subsequent row should represent a single contact.
• Values must be separated by commas.
• The file must be saved in UTF-8 encoding.
• The maximum file size is 100 MB.

Contact Formatting

For the system to recognize and use phone numbers for WhatsApp, they must be in a specific format:

1. Phone Number Column: The phone numbers must start with the prefix whatsapp:+ followed by the full international number (country code + phone number). For example: whatsapp:+15551234567.
2. User ID Column: You must include a column with a unique identifier for each user, such as their email address or an internal user ID.

You can name your columns as you see fit (e.g., Mobile instead of Phone Number), as you will map them to the correct system fields during the import process.

Example CSV Structure:

Phone Number,User ID,Name,Location
whatsapp:+15551234567,john.doe@email.com,John Doe,New York
whatsapp:+442071234567,jane.smith@email.com,Jane Smith,London

Upload and Mapping Process

1. Navigate to the contact import section. This can typically be found under Campaigns > WhatsApp messages > Upload contacts or Audience > Import CSV > Import WhatsApp contacts.
2. Select and upload your prepared CSV file.
3. You will be prompted to map your columns. Match the column from your CSV containing the formatted phone numbers to the WhatsApp contact field and your unique identifier column to the User ID field.
4. You can also map other columns (like Location or Language) to create tags for user segmentation.
5. Click Start Import to begin the process.

After the import is complete, your contacts will be available as a new segment in your audience lists, ready to be used in your WhatsApp campaigns.