Import Templates

Import templates help you structure your data correctly before bringing it into Swivel. Using a template ensures your data is organized in the right format, making imports faster, more accurate, and easier to complete.

What Are Import Templates?

Import templates are pre-formatted spreadsheets that show you exactly how your data should be set up before importing into Swivel. Each column in the template represents a specific field in Swivel, such as name, email, or account number.

Using a template helps reduce errors and makes field mapping easier during the import process.

Tip

🔍 Tip: Using a Swivel-provided template to perform an import is not required, but it is strongly recommended.

Note

📌 Note: In addition to the default template headers, you can also add extra supported headers to import additional data fields. See Additional Optional Headers below for a full list.

Available Import Templates

Swivel provides templates for the following types of data:

Template	Purpose
Contacts / Client Accounts & Policies Template	Import basic contact details like names, emails, and phone numbers. Additionally, for users who want to import their clients’ accounts and policies (recommended), the template includes fields for capturing that data.
Event Attendance Template	Track event attendees.
Compensation Import	Add compensation data.

Where to Find & Download Templates in Swivel

Templates are located in different sections of Swivel, depending on what you are importing:

• Contacts / Client Accounts & Policies Template

  • Click Business Management in the left-hand navigation menu
  • Click the Import on Contact Import
  • Click Template to download the .csv file

• Event Attendance Template

  • Click Marketing in the left-hand navigation menu
  • Locate the event you want to import for
  • Click the event name to open the event record page
  • Go to the Registered section, click the three-dot action menu, and select Import
  • Click Template to download the .csv file

• Compensation Import Template

  • Click Business Management in the left-hand navigation menu
  • Select the Import on Compensation Import
  • Click download a template to download the .csv file

Note

📌 Note: Only users with the Owner user role can access the Compensation Import.

Template Headers

Each template comes with predefined column headers that align with fields in Swivel. Keep column headers unchanged so Swivel can automatically recognize the fields.

Tip

🔍 Tip: The first row of the template contains the correct column headers, and the second row includes example data (e.g., JJ Doe) to guide your import.

Contacts / Client Accounts & Policies Template Fields

Below is a list of fields used as column headers when completing Contacts / Client Accounts & Policies Imports.

Header	Required	Description
Full Name		Single-line free text (e.g., Jane Smith)
First Name	Yes	Single-line free text (e.g., Jane)
Middle Name		Single-line free text (e.g., Ann or A)
Last Name	Yes	Single-line free text (e.g., Smith)
Suffix		Valid options include Jr, Jr., Sr, Sr., I, II, III, IV
Gender		Valid options include Male or Female
Personal Note		Free text
Birthdate		Valid formats include MM/DD/YYYY or MM-DD-YYYY
SSN		Valid formats include XXX-XX-XXXX, XXXXXXXXX, or XXXX
Medicare #		Valid formats include XXXXXXXXXXX or XXXX-XXX-XXXX
County		Contact’s residence county
Contact Category		Valid options include pre-configured contact categories or single-line free text to create a new value
Contact Status		Valid options include pre-configured contact status or single-line free text to create a new value
Client Since		Valid formats include MM/DD/YYYY or MM-DD-YYYY
Assigned To		Also referred to as Servicing Agent; valid options must be the first and last name of an existing account user with Agent role permission (e.g., John Smith)
Marital Status		Valid options include Single, Married, Divorced, Separated, Domestic Partnership, or Widowed; if left blank, the default is Single
Primary Email Address		Single-line free text (e.g., johnsmith@email.com); limit of 1 email address per cell
Primary Phone Number		Valid formats include XXX-XXX-XXXX, (XXX) XXX-XXXX, or XXXXXXXXXX (e.g., 913-948-8700, (913) 948-8700, or 9139488700)
Primary Address Line1		Single-line free text (e.g., 10820 Shawnee Mission Pkwy)
Primary Address Line2		Single-line free text (e.g., Suite 301)
Primary Address City		Single-line free text (e.g., Shawnee)
Primary Address State		Valid formats include abbreviated or full state name (e.g., KS or Kansas)
Primary Address Zip Code		Valid formats include 5-digit or 9-digit zip codes (e.g., 66203 or 66203-3547)
Tags		Can correspond to currently configured tags as well as create brand new tags using the import; multiple tags must be separated by a comma (e.g., tag1, tag2)
Product Interests		Valid options are pre-configured Product Offering Types or single-line free text to create a new value
Additional Notes		Multi-line free text (any text included in this field is imported as one complete note)
Product Number		The policy or account number of the product. If left blank Swivel will auto-generate a unique product number.
Insured		The insured person(s) on the policy if different than the Product Owner
Institution	Yes, for product import	The institution that services the product (e.g., Allianz Life, North American Company, Charles Schwab)
Institution Type		The type of institution; default options include Insurance Carrier, Broker-Dealer, and Custodian. If left blank will default to “Unspecified”
Product	Yes, for product import	The name of the policy or account (e.g., Allianz 222, AARP Medicare Advantage, Simple IRA)
Product Type	Yes, for product import	The type of product or account (e.g., Fixed Index Annuity, Medicare Advantage, or Simple IRA
Product Line	Yes, for product import	The main line of business (e.g., Annuities, Life Insurance, or Assets Under Management)
Product Status	Yes, for product import	Status of product as of a specific date
Product Status Date		Valid formats include MM/DD/YYYY or MM-DD-YYYY
Product Opened On		Valid formats include MM/DD/YYYY or MM-DD-YYYY
Product Effective Date		Valid formats include MM/DD/YYYY or MM-DD-YYYY
Product Issued Date		Valid formats include MM/DD/YYYY or MM-DD-YYYY
Product Closed Date		Valid formats include MM/DD/YYYY or MM-DD-YYYY
Status Indicator		The core state of a given product status; available options are Pending, Open, Closed, Expired and Lost
Plan Type		The tax qualification status, ownership type, or type of account
Agent of Record	Yes, for product import	The writing agent for the policy or account
State of Business		Valid formats include abbreviated or full state name (e.g., KS or Kansas)
Product Source Key		The ID value from source system

Note

📌 Note: Many users already have their contacts in Swivel but need to add account or policy information. This can be done using the Contacts / Client Accounts & Policies Template. When importing data for contacts that already exist in Swivel, you’ll be prompted to either Create New Contact or Use Existing Contact. Products will not be imported until you tell Swivel how to handle each record. In most cases, you’ll select Use Existing Contact to ensure accounts or policies are added to the correct existing contact record.

Event Attendance Template Fields

Below is a list of fields used as column headers when completing Event Attendance Imports.

Header	Required	Description
Full Name		Single-line free text (e.g., Jane Smith)
First Name	Yes	Single-line free text (e.g., Jane)
Middle Name		Single-line free text (e.g., Ann or A)
Last Name	Yes	Single-line free text (e.g., Smith)
Suffix		Valid options include Jr, Jr., Sr, Sr., I, II, III, IV
Gender		Valid options include Male or Female
Personal Note		Free text
Birthdate		Valid formats include MM/DD/YYYY or MM-DD-YYYY
SSN		Valid formats include XXX-XX-XXXX, XXXXXXXXX, or XXXX
Medicare #		Valid formats include XXXXXXXXXXX or XXXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Category		Valid options include pre-configured contact categories or single-line free text to create a new value
Contact Status		Valid options include pre-configured contact status or single-line free text to create a new value
Marital Status		Valid options include Single, Married, Divorced, Separated, Domestic Partnership, or Widowed; if left blank, the default is Single
Primary Email		Single-line free text (e.g., johnsmith@email.com). Limit 1 email address per cell
Primary Phone Number		Valid formats include XXX-XXX-XXXX, (XXX) XXX-XXXX, or XXXXXXXXXX (e.g., 913-948-8700, (913) 948-8700, 9139488700)
Primary Address Line1		Single-line free text (e.g., 10820 Shawnee Mission Pkwy)
Primary Address Line2		Single-line free text (e.g., Suite 301)
Primary Address City		Single-line free text (e.g., Shawnee)
Primary Address State		Valid formats include abbreviated or full state name (e.g., KS or Kansas)
Primary Address Zip Code		Valid formats include 5-digit or 9-digit zip codes (e.g., 66203 or 66203-3547)
Tags		Can correspond to currently configured tags as well as created brand new tags using the import; multiple tags must be separated by a comma (e.g., tag1, tag2)
Confirmed		Valid options include True or False
Attendance Status		Valid options include: Pending, Attended, Canceled (not Cancelled), No Show, Rescheduled, Waitlisted; the import will fail if you attempt to import an attendance status not listed above
Additional Notes		Multi-line free text (any text included in this field is imported as one complete note)

Note

Contacts imported to an event will default as a “Registered” contact on the event list. If a user would like the contacts imported to an event to not default to this value, they can use the header “Registered” on their import file with a value of “False”.

Additional Contact Field Headers

In addition to the pre-populated columns included in Swivel’s import templates, there are additional headers you can manually add to your file to import more detailed data.

These headers are not included in the default templates but are fully supported during import when added exactly as written below.

Tip

🔍 Tip: Header names must match exactly for Swivel to recognize and map the data correctly.

Header	Description
Deceased	Valid options include True or False
Death Date	Valid format is MM/DD/YYYY
Lead Source	Valid options are pre-configured existing Lead Source (e.g., Referral) or single-line free text to create a new value
Office	Valid options are pre-configured existing Offices or single-line free text to create a new value
Zone	Valid option are pre-configured marketing Zones or single-line free text to create a new value
Household Key	Single-line free text code used to create spousal association and memberships via contact import; each contact to be associated should have the same code value
Job Title	Single-line free text
Nickname	Single-line free text

Additional Email Fields

Header	Description
Email Name	Single-line free text (e.g., Home, Work, Personal, Other)
Email Address	Single-line free text (e.g., johnsmith@email.com)

Additional Phone Fields

Header	Description
Phone Name	Single-line free text (e.g., Home, Work, Mobile)
Phone Number	Valid formats include XXX-XXX-XXXX, (XXX) XXX-XXXX, or XXXXXXXXXX (e.g., 913-948-8700, (913) 948-8700, or 9139488700)

Additional Address Fields

Header	Description
Address Name	Single-line free text (e.g., Home, Work, Vacation, Other)
Address Line1	Single-line free text (e.g., 10820 Shawnee Mission Pkwy)
Address Line2	Single-line free text (e.g., Suite 301)
Address City	Single-line free text (e.g., Shawnee)
Address State	Valid formats include abbreviated or full state name (e.g., KS or Kansas)
Address Zip Code	Valid formats include 5-digit or 9-digit zip codes (e.g., 66203 or 66203-3547)

Additional Assignment Fields

Header	Description
Assigned To	Also referred to as Servicing Agent; must match the First and Last Name of an existing user with Agent role permissions (e.g., John Smith)

Additional Visibility Fields

Header	Description
User Visibility	Comma-separated full names of active users who should have visibility to this contact (e.g. Jane Doe, Bob Wilson)
Group Visibility	Comma-separated full names of groups who should have visibility to this contact (e.g. Sales Team, VIP Clients)

Note

Note: These fields can be added as new columns in your import file alongside the standard template headers

• Header names must be spelled exactly as listed above or mapped to the correct field in the mapping screen
• You can include as many of these fields as needed
• If a header is included but left blank, no data will be imported for that field

Importing Company Contact Types

By utilizing the Full Name column header, users can import Company Contact Types with the desired Company name in this field.

Ensure Company is selected as the Contact Type in the Default Options of the import modal when completing the Importing Your File(s) instructions.

Note

📌 Note: We recommend importing Company Contact Types in a separate file from Individual Contact Types to ensure all data is imported correctly.

Tip

🔍 Tip: Company Contact Type imports can also include any of the Additional Optional Headers listed above, such as Assigned To, Lead Source, or Office, if you want to capture extra information for each company.

How to Use an Import Template

1. Download the appropriate template
2. Add your data to the rows under each column
3. Keep the column headers unchanged so Swivel can recognize the fields
4. Save your file as a CSV
5. Upload the file during the import process

How Templates Help with Field Mapping

Each column in a template is already aligned with a field in Swivel. This means:

• Field mapping is faster and often automatic
• There’s less risk of mapping data incorrectly
• Your import is more likely to succeed on the first try

Note

📌 Note: If you choose not to use a template, you will need to map fields manually during import.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Changing or renaming column headers
• Using invalid formats for field contents
• Leaving required fields blank

Tip

🔍 Tip: Most import issues can be traced back to formatting or column mismatches.

Summary

1. Templates help structure your data correctly before importing
2. They make field mapping easier and reduce errors
3. Following the template format ensures a smoother, more successful import
4. Keep headers intact and follow formatting guidelines to avoid issues
5. Use the duplicate handling workflow when adding accounts or policies to existing contacts

Importing Custom Fields

Swivel supports importing custom fields during the guided import process. Custom fields can be configured across a wide range of record types in Swivel. To see what fields exist or to add new ones before importing, go to Settings > Custom Fields and select the appropriate category from the left navigation (for example, Contact Fields for contact imports, or Product Fields for product-level data).

How Custom Fields work during import

Your CSV column headers do not need to match your Swivel field labels exactly. You can name the columns anything you like. After uploading your file, you will land on the Import Mapping screen, where you match each column from your file to a Swivel Field using the dropdown on the left. Standard fields like First Name, Last Name, Primary Email Address, and Primary Phone Number will auto-map. For contact custom field columns, select “Contact Custom Fields” from the Swivel Field dropdown to map that column to your existing custom fields or create new.

Custom field values are stored exactly as entered

Swivel does not validate values against the field’s type or dropdown options on import. A dropdown field will accept any text. A misspelled value like “Hgih” instead of “High” will import with no warning. Date and number fields are not validated or formatted on import. Pre-clean your data before importing to avoid silent dirty data.

Other custom field behaviors :

Blank cells are skipped — no empty value is written, and existing values are not overwritten

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User Visibility & Group Visibility

The User Visibility and Group Visibility optional headers let you control which users or groups can see a contact after import.

How names are matched:

• Names are matched against the user’s display name or group name - not email
• Matching is case-insensitive and ignores extra spaces
• Only active users are eligible — a disabled user will not match even if the name is spelled correctly
• Multiple names per cell are supported, comma-separated (e.g. Jane Smith, John Doe)

Caution

⚠️ IMPORTANT : A name mismatch rejects the entire row

Unlike most import errors, an unmatched visibility name does not silently skip — it causes the entire contact row to fail. The row will be flagged for review with a message like :

User Visibility: No active user found matching ‘Jane Smithh’

A single typo in visibility column will block that contact from importing entirely.

Things to keep in mind:

• If two users share the same display name, both will receive visibility — this is a potential over-sharing risk
• If two groups share the same name, the result is non-deterministic — Swivel recommends keeping group names unique

Tip

🔍 Tip : Double-check spelling and confirm the user is active before running your import.