How to import contacts via a CSV file in WAX?

Overview

You can import contacts from a .csv file directly into WAX. During import, you create an audience list (with a name and, if needed, tags) into which your imported contacts are grouped. Once their opt-in status has been updated via a silent tagging campaign (see below), you can target them in a campaign, for example for a welcome message on WhatsApp, RCS, or SMS.

Before you start

Get familiar with the concepts of audience list and segment in WAX: it's in an audience list that your imported contacts will be grouped, before being used to target a campaign.
Your file must be in .csv format.

How to import your contact file

1. Prepare your file

Create your file following the template below:

phone_number	first_name	email
33XXXXXXXXX	Oumayma	oumayma@getwax.io
33XXXXXXXXX	Enora	enora@getwax.io

Note:

Rename the phone number column to phone_number, and place it in column A.
Rename the first name column to first_name.
For any additional custom variable (Custom Field in WAX), use underscores instead of spaces and avoid capital letters, e.g. date_naissance rather than Date Naissance.

2. Download the file in CSV format

Once your list is ready, export it as .csv from your spreadsheet tool.

3. Import the file into WAX

Go to Audience > List and Segment in WAX.
Click Create > List from CSV.
Upload your .csv file.
Create your audience list: give it a name.
Important: choose this name carefully, as it will then be used as the opt-in source for your contacts.
Choose the value separator used in your file (comma, semicolon, etc.), or leave the Autodetect option selected: WAX will then automatically detect the correct separator.
Match each column of your CSV to a WAX attribute: for recognized columns, WAX automatically suggests the matching attribute (Auto badge); for others, choose an existing attribute from the list, or create a new one by typing its name.

The import shows status 🟣 In Progress while processing. In the Import History, you'll find each import's status (Completed or Failure), along with processing details: total rows, rows processed, contacts created, updated, and duplicates detected.

Click View in the Errors column to see the details of any errors encountered. If the import shows Failure, check that your column format exactly matches the guidelines above. If you need help, contact us via the chat at the bottom right of your screen.

Once the import is complete, your list appears directly in Audience > Lists.

Launching a silent tagging (opt-in) campaign

Your newly imported contacts have an unknown opt-in status (attribute whatsapp_opt_in_status for WhatsApp, sms_optin_status for RCS and SMS) if they've never been identified as opted-in in WAX before. Before you can target them in a regular campaign, update this status by launching a silent campaign: a campaign that contains no message, only an Opt-In block that tags your contacts as opted-in on the chosen channel. This send is not billed.

1. Build the campaign flow

Create a new campaign, then in the flow editor, add an Opt-In block connected directly to the Start node.
Configure the block: Opt-in contact on, then choose the relevant channel (WhatsApp or RCS/SMS) — this updates the contact's whatsapp_opt_in_status or sms_optin_status attribute, respectively.
If you need to opt in your contacts on several channels, add a separate Opt-In block for each (for example a WhatsApp block and an RCS/SMS block, both connected to the Start node).

2. Define the campaign audience

At the Audience step, in Select your audience, select the list you just created via the import.

3. Review and schedule the send

At the Review & Schedule step, check the number of contacts already available in the selected audience. Only send your campaign once the import is fully complete (100% of imported contacts), to make sure no contact is missing from the send.
Choose Send Now or Schedule for later, then click Submit campaign.

Expected result

Once the import is complete and the silent tagging campaign has been sent, you'll find all your contacts in Contacts. You can filter them by opt-in status, and by opening a contact's record, you'll see their WhatsApp Opt-in Status (or SMS Opt-in Status for RCS/SMS), the date of the last update, and the source of that update (the name of your tagging campaign, or the person behind a manual update).

Why is my import being rejected?

A CSV import can fail at three different points:

At upload, the file is rejected immediately if: it's not in .csv format, two columns have the same name, no column is mapped to the phone number, or a column referenced in the mapping is missing from the file.
During processing, the entire import fails if: the file is empty, corrupted, or in an unrecognized text encoding, the separator (comma, semicolon, tab) is inconsistent or not detected, or the import stays stuck "in progress" for more than an hour (the system then automatically marks it as failed).

If the problem persists, contact us via the chat at the bottom right.