Updating Contacts in Message Without Customer_ID

Updating Contacts in Message Without Customer_ID

Overview

When you import contacts into Message without a customer_id, updating their contact information can be challenging. Message requires either the customer_id or the signalvine_id to update existing contact records efficiently.

This guide outlines how to update contact data by using Excel XLOOKUP.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure you have the following:

1. New Contact Data File with customer_id: This file should include:
   • Customer_id and any updated data
   • Phone numbers of contacts
2. Message Contact Export with missing customer_id: An export of current contact data from Message, containing:
   • Phone numbers
   • signalvine_id
   • All other contact data stored in Message

Export your contact data file.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Prepare Phone Numbers

To accurately match phone numbers, ensure they are in a consistent format. Follow these steps:

• Remove special characters (such as parentheses, dashes, and spaces) from phone numbers in the customer file. i.e. 2675551234
• The exported contact data from Message will include the country code (1) for U.S. numbers. To remove it, use the following Excel formula:

=REPLACE(A2,1,1,"")

• Apply this formula to all relevant cells, replacing A2 with the appropriate cell reference.
• Drag the formula down the column to apply it to all rows efficiently and save time.
• Copy and Paste as Values into a third column to remove the formula and retain only the cleaned phone numbers.
  Right click > Paste Special > Values

2. Match Phone Numbers Using XLOOKUP

Now that the phone numbers are formatted correctly, use XLOOKUP to match records between the files, Drag the formula down the column to apply it to all rows efficiently and save time.

1. Lookup Value: The phone number in the customer file

2. Lookup Array: The column of phone numbers from the Message contact export.

3. Return Array: The signalvine_id column from the Message contact export.

3. Update the File

• After retrieving the signalvine_id, update the file accordingly.

• Reimport your file into Message.

Summary

By following these steps, you can update contact records in Message when a customer_id is missing. Using XLOOKUP ensures accurate matching, reducing errors and improving data integrity.