How to Export Contacts from Insightly

Managing your CRM data is crucial for any business. Whether you're backing up your hard-earned contacts, migrating to a new system, or running in-depth analysis, knowing how to export your data is a fundamental skill. At Add to CRM, we understand the importance of effective data management. This guide will walk you through the complete process of exporting contacts from Insightly. We'll also show you how to go beyond simple exports and build fresh, verified contact databases to fuel your growth.

Why Export Contacts from Insightly?

Exporting your contacts isn't just about creating a spreadsheet. It's a strategic task that serves several key business functions. Common reasons to export your Insightly contacts include:

• Data Backup: Regularly exporting your data creates a secure backup, protecting you from accidental deletion or data loss.
• CRM Migration: If you're switching to a new CRM, a clean export is the first and most critical step in the migration process.
• Data Analysis & Reporting: Exported data can be used in tools like Excel or Google Sheets to create custom reports, charts, and dashboards that go beyond Insightly's built-in capabilities.
• Targeted Marketing Campaigns: You can export specific segments of your contact list to use in external email marketing or advertising platforms.
• Team Handoffs: Easily provide a specific list of contacts to a new team member without granting them full CRM access.
• Compliance & Audits: Maintain historical records of your contact database for compliance and auditing purposes.

Before You Export: Important Considerations

Before you click the export button, it's important to understand a few key details to ensure the process goes smoothly.

Data Privacy and Compliance

Exporting customer data means you are responsible for its security. Be mindful of regulations like GDPR and CCPA. Ensure that you handle the exported file securely and that you have the right to use the data for your intended purpose. An export file on an unsecured laptop is a significant security risk.

What Data Gets Exported

Insightly allows you to export most of your key data, including standard and custom fields for objects like:

• Contacts
• Organizations
• Leads
• Opportunities
• Projects
• Tasks
• Notes

However, it's crucial to know what is not included in a standard export. Things like file attachments, comments, and emails saved to Insightly records will not be in your exported file.

Export Limitations

Keep these limitations in mind:

• Permissions: Your Insightly administrator may need to grant you permission to export records.
• File Delivery: Exports are not instantaneous. The system queues your request and sends you an email with a download link once it's ready.
• Link Expiration: The download link in the email will expire 30 days after the export is generated.

Step-by-Step Export Process

Exporting from Insightly is a straightforward process. Here’s how to do it.

Preparing for Export

For the most useful export, prepare your data first. We recommend cleaning up your records and using Insightly's powerful filtering tools. You can filter by any field, allowing you to create a highly specific list. For example, you could export only contacts with a specific tag or those located in a particular state.

Exporting Contacts from Insightly

Follow these steps to export a list of your contacts:

1. Log in to your Insightly account and navigate to the Contacts tab from the left-side panel.
2. To select which contacts to export, you can either manually check the boxes next to specific names or use filters to narrow down your list.
3. To export all contacts on the page, click the checkbox at the very top of the list. If your list spans multiple pages, a message will appear allowing you to "Select all..." records that match your filter.
4. Once your contacts are selected, a new menu appears at the top. Click the More button.
5. From the dropdown menu, select Export to CSV.
6. Insightly will confirm that your export has been queued. You will receive an email shortly with a link to download your file.

Export Format Options

Insightly primarily uses CSV (Comma-Separated Values) for bulk exports. This is a universal format that can be easily opened by spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or Apple Numbers. For exporting a single contact, you also have the option to export to a vCard (.vcf) file, which is useful for adding a contact to an address book.

Working with Exported Data

Once you have your file, the work isn't over. Proper handling is key to getting value from your data.

Understanding Your Export File

When you open the CSV, you'll see columns that correspond to the fields in Insightly (e.g., First Name, Last Name, Email, Organization, etc.). Each row represents a single contact record.

Data Cleaning and Validation

This is the perfect opportunity to clean your data. Use your spreadsheet software to find and merge duplicates, correct spelling errors, standardize formatting (like phone numbers), and fill in missing information where possible.

Common Issues and Solutions

Sometimes, special characters might not display correctly. If this happens, try opening the CSV file again and ensure you are using UTF-8 encoding, which is the standard for web data.

Alternative Export Methods

Besides the standard export feature, you can also extract data from Insightly by:

• Exporting from Reports: Build a custom report in Insightly and use the export option there to get a file with exactly the data you need.
• Using the API: For more technical users, the Insightly API allows for automated and highly customized data exports to integrate with other systems.

Building Fresh Contact Databases with LinkSight

Exporting your existing data is great for management and backup, but what about growth? Sales and marketing teams thrive on fresh, accurate data, not stale lists. This is where building a new database becomes more valuable. Instead of relying on potentially outdated information, you can source new, verified contacts directly from LinkedIn using our tool, LinkSight.

Why Fresh Data Beats Exported Data

Contact data decays quickly. People change jobs, companies, and email addresses. An exported list from six months ago could have a high bounce rate and be filled with outdated information. In contrast, fresh data sourced directly from a professional network like LinkedIn is far more likely to be current and accurate, leading to better engagement and higher conversion rates.

How LinkSight Complements Your Export Strategy

LinkSight is a Chrome extension that finds verified contact information from LinkedIn profiles and adds them directly to Insightly. You can use your exported data to identify target companies or industries. Then, use LinkSight to find the current decision-makers at those companies on LinkedIn and add their verified, up-to-date contact details to Insightly with a single click. It’s the perfect way to enrich and refresh your existing database.

Best Practices for Contact Data Management

Regular Export Schedules

We recommend performing a full export of your key data at least once a month for backup purposes. Store these backups securely.

Data Security and Storage

Always store exported files in a secure, password-protected, and access-controlled environment. Never leave sensitive customer data on an unencrypted or public device.

Keeping Data Current

Proactively maintain the health of your CRM data. Use a tool like LinkSight to continuously add fresh, verified contacts from LinkedIn, ensuring your database remains a valuable asset rather than a decaying list.

Common Export Use Cases

CRM Migration

Your CSV export is the foundation for moving your contacts, organizations, and opportunities into a new CRM system.

Data Analysis and Reporting

Use your exported data in a business intelligence (BI) tool or spreadsheet to analyze sales trends, identify your most valuable customer segments, and track team performance.

Team Distribution

Export a filtered list of leads for a specific sales territory and distribute it to the relevant team member for a targeted outreach campaign.

Compliance and Auditing

Use dated exports as a snapshot-in-time to fulfill requests from auditors or to demonstrate data management compliance.

Building Your Next Contact Database

While managing existing data is important, building your next high-quality contact list is what drives future revenue. LinkSight offers a modern, efficient way to do this. It provides fresh, verified data that is often far more valuable for active sales and marketing than an old, exported list.

Getting Started with LinkSight

It's as easy as this:

1. Install the LinkSight Chrome extension from the web store.
2. Navigate to any prospect's profile on LinkedIn.
3. Click the LinkSight button to find their verified email, phone number, and other details.
4. Click "Add to CRM" to instantly save the new, enriched contact directly into Insightly.

LinkSight vs Traditional Data Sources

Compared to a static exported list or an expensive purchased list, the data you get with LinkSight is superior. It's sourced in real-time from the world's largest professional network and verified for accuracy, eliminating the manual data entry and bounce-backs associated with traditional methods.

Conclusion

Exporting contacts from Insightly is a simple yet powerful feature for managing your data. By following the steps and best practices outlined above, you can ensure your data is safe, organized, and useful.

But for true growth, look beyond managing old data. The future of prospecting is about building fresh, accurate contact lists efficiently. Ready to stop wasting time on manual data entry and start connecting with verified leads?

Try LinkSight for free today and start building your next great contact database.