When using HubSpot for customer relationship management (CRM), clean and accurate phone number data is essential. Whether you’re setting up automated SMS campaigns, enabling call logging, or syncing with third-party apps, your phone number fields must be properly formatted and stored. Importing incorrect or inconsistent data can result in failed messages, disconnected calls, and lost opportunities. Worse, messy data can disrupt your segmentation, reporting, and personalization efforts.
That’s why before importing phone number data into HubSpot, it’s crucial to ensure that it’s clean, consistent, and compliant with privacy laws. Preparing your phone number data beforehand not only prevents errors but also maximizes the performance of your CRM activities and automations.
Preparing Your Phone Number List
Format, Standardize, and Validate Before Import
Start by organizing your phone numbers in a CSV file, which special database is the standard format for importing into HubSpot. Ensure that each contact has a unique identifier—usually an email address—so HubSpot can match and update records accurately. Your phone number column should be clearly labeled (e.g., “Phone Number” or “Mobile Phone Number”).
To avoid formatting issues, standardize all numbers to the E.164 international format (e.g., +14155552671), which is preferred by HubSpot and most integrated tools. You can use spreadsheet formulas, scripts, or validation tools like Google’s libphonenumber or Twilio Lookup to format and verify the phone numbers before upload. Make sure to remove extra characters (like parentheses, using phone lists to boost event attendance dashes, or letters) and confirm that each number has the correct number of digits and country code.
Importing into HubSpot: Step-by-Step
Upload and Map Your Data Correctly
Once your data is clean and saved in CSV format, log into your HubSpot account and navigate to Contacts > Import. Choose “Start an import”, then select “File whatsapp filter from computer”, followed by “One file” and “Multiple objects” if your file includes other fields like email or name.
During the import process, HubSpot will prompt you to map each column to a HubSpot property. Be sure to map your phone number column to either the Phone Number or Mobile Phone Number field, depending on the intended use. You can also create custom properties if your use case is more specific (e.g., WhatsApp Number or Secondary Phone).
After uploading, HubSpot will validate the entries and notify you if any rows failed to import. Always double-check your sample and run a test import with a small batch before scaling up. Once complete, your phone number data will be fully integrated and ready for workflows, marketing campaigns, or sales calls.
