Import contacts

Bring an audience you already have into Athean so you can research the people, organize follow-up, and prepare outreach. For an event spreadsheet or another contact file, start with a CSV. For a Sales Navigator people search or saved lead list, import its URL or use the browser extension.

ZoomInfo is one of several enrichment vendors you can bring to Athean. It is optional. Your available sources depend on your organization's connections and provider access. To connect the vendors your team uses, chat with us.

Use a contact list to collect an audience such as event attendees before deciding on outreach. Your CSV needs a column containing the identifier you will use to match people: an email address, LinkedIn profile URL, or a supported CRM record ID.

1. Open Lists and open your destination contact list. To create one, select Create list, choose Contact list, give it a name, and select Create. Use View list in the confirmation to open it.
2. In the contact list, select Add to list. Choose Upload CSV and select Next.
3. At Select primary key, choose how to match contacts: Email, LinkedIn URL, or the CRM ID option available for your connection. Here, “primary key” means the identifier used to match each row. Select Next.
4. At Upload & map columns, upload the file and map its identifier column to the selected field. Map the other details you want to include. Names are optional; if you map a name, use Full name or both First name and Last name. Check any notice about the batch's row limit.
5. Review Post-upload actions when shown. Auto-enrich uses connected ZoomInfo data, and Auto-import to CRM requests import to your connected CRM. Select Next to start importing, then wait for the results.
6. At Confirm upload, review the Success and Error results. Select the successful contacts you want to add. With no selection, the final action uses all successful contacts, so check its count.
7. Select Add N contacts to list, then open the list and check its members and their contact details.

Email and LinkedIn URL imports can create contacts that do not already exist in Athean. Importing happens before the final list confirmation; that last action adds the resulting contacts to the list. Review CRM results separately when you enable auto-import.

If you cannot continue, check that the identifier column is mapped and any name fields meet the rule above. For failed rows, read the error and correct the affected records before importing them again. Duplicate rows and a batch limit can make the result count smaller than the file's row count.

The same CSV option is available when you use Add contacts on a sequence. In that flow, the final action adds contacts to the template or operator. Follow Check the contacts before starting to review enrollment and approval behavior.

1. Connect your LinkedIn account in Settings → Integrations. Use an account that can access the Sales Navigator search or lead list.
2. Open your people search or saved lead list in Sales Navigator and copy its URL.
3. Open LinkedIn imports and choose Import from Sales Navigator URL.
4. Paste the URL into LinkedIn search URL. Choose an Import max of 50, 200, 500, or 1,000. This is a limit on the import, not a guarantee of that many usable contacts.
5. Review the matching, enrichment, and CRM settings described below, then select Start import.

Athean processes the import in the background. Return to LinkedIn imports to check progress; reloading the page does not start a new job. Wait for the current URL import to finish before starting another.

The URL flow accepts Sales Navigator people searches and lead lists. For an individual profile, use the Athean browser extension.

The current import dialog offers Use ZoomInfo for matching and enrichment. If your organization has connected ZoomInfo, this can improve account and contact matching and add available email and phone details. This setting specifically controls ZoomInfo; other providers depend on your organization's setup.

Review the setting before each import because Athean remembers your preferences. Enrichment can match or create Athean contacts while the initial import is running, so some rows may already appear under Imported when you open the batch.

Enrichment does not guarantee an email address, a phone number, or a match for every person. Where available, use Enrich or Retry enrichment on eligible imported contacts to request another check. Confirm the person's identity and available details before outreach.

1. In LinkedIn imports, open the batch with Review or View results.
2. Use Select account to resolve rows that need an account match. Check the person's company and choose the correct account.
3. Review Ready to import. Import an individual contact, select the rows you want and choose Import contacts, or use the button showing the number of ready contacts to import them together.
4. Check Imported for the contacts now linked to Athean. Rows already matched to existing contacts are reused rather than created again by this action.

An account match is required before a new contact can be created. Resolve the remaining matches instead of assuming every captured profile was imported successfully.

Once the contacts are in Athean, add them to a list or review their details before assigning a sequence.

For a Salesforce-connected workspace, the Sales Navigator import dialog includes Automatically import contacts to Salesforce. Review this preference before importing your reviewed contacts.

Start import does not immediately send the Sales Navigator batch to Salesforce. The Salesforce option applies when you explicitly create contacts from reviewed rows. When enabled, ZoomInfo enrichment is attempted before that CRM import so available added details can be included.

Imported means the contact is in Athean. It does not confirm that enrichment succeeded or that the contact reached your CRM. Contacts already matched or created during the initial import are reused. Importing the remaining ready rows does not send contacts already marked Imported to Salesforce.

Check the contact's CRM record after import. If an Athean contact is not yet linked to Salesforce, follow Export an imported contact to Salesforce. If your team uses HubSpot or another CRM, ask us about your configured Sales Navigator workflow; the automatic option described here is specifically for Salesforce.

For ongoing record updates, activity mappings, failed attempts, and retries, see CRM sync and troubleshooting.

Use this when a contact is already in Athean and still needs a Salesforce record, including contacts marked Imported during a Sales Navigator import. Your organization needs a Salesforce connection.

1. Open the contact and check their name, company, and available details.
2. Find the Salesforce icon in the contact details. If its label is Export to Salesforce, select it. If it says View in Salesforce, the contact is already linked; open that record to review it.
3. Review the named contact in the Export to Salesforce confirmation, then select Export.
4. Wait for the result. After Contact exported to Salesforce appears, reopen or refresh the contact details and use View in Salesforce to check the linked record.

If the export fails, read the displayed message and correct the issue before retrying. If the outcome is uncertain, check the contact's current CRM link first. If the Salesforce action is unavailable or the problem persists, contact support with the contact and the displayed message.

You can also start from the Athean Chrome extension. Sign in to Athean and connect LinkedIn before using it.

1. Open a Sales Navigator people search or lead list and use the Athean extension to capture the profiles.
2. Select the contacts you want, then choose Export All. Selected rows take precedence; with no selection, the action exports the rows currently captured by the extension.
3. Choose Finish Export in Athean to review the batch, confirm account matches, and finish importing.

On an individual LinkedIn or Sales Navigator profile, use Import to Athean, then Finish Import in Athean. Exporting from the extension is a capture step; review the resulting contacts and CRM settings in Athean.