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Imports, exports, and fields · 8 min read

CSV headers, groups, and custom-field formats

Name identity, group, and custom-field columns and format each supported value type.

Updated August 18, 2026

Identity, email, and group columns

  • Name or Full Name contains the person's name.
  • Any header containing Email is treated as an email column. Use Primary Email to choose the primary address explicitly.
  • Any header containing Group is treated as a membership column. Multiple group columns may be numbered, and one cell may separate groups with semicolons or pipes.
  • Use a full group address or Team / Group when two teams have groups with the same name.
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Crisp TellTell People Imports Examples tab showing supported CSV header patterns and value formats.

Use the Examples reference while naming columns so TellTell can recognize identity, email, group, and field values.

  1. 1Examples tab
  2. 2Supported field and data type
  3. 3Recognized header format
  4. 4Example value

Custom-field headers and values

Name a field column Custom field: Field name. The field name must match an active account field.

  • Integer: a whole number. Boolean: true or false. Date: YYYY-MM-DD or a year when the field accepts year precision.
  • Single select: one current option label. Multi-select and Tags: a JSON array such as "[""Coach"",""Team admin""]".
  • Relationship: a JSON array of related people's normalized primary email addresses.
  • Phone: use international E.164 form when possible. Messaging handle: enter the handle as text.
  • Postal address: use a full freeform address or a supported JSON object. Freeform addresses may be flagged for nonblocking review.
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Crisp TellTell People Imports Custom fields tab showing CSV formats for dates, booleans, selects, relationships, phone numbers, and postal addresses.

Custom-field columns use the field's current name and a type-specific value format.

  1. 1Custom fields tab
  2. 2Custom-field header format
  3. 3Scalar and select values
  4. 4Relationship, phone, and address values

Quote structured values correctly

JSON arrays and objects contain commas and quotation marks, so the CSV cell itself must be quoted and each interior quote doubled. A spreadsheet's CSV export normally does this for you.

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