What is the best format to use when uploading contacts to BulkSMS?

Follow these easy steps.

In Excel, simply create the columns you need, in this order:

Column A	Column B	Column C	Column D
Cell Number	First Name	Surname	Other Info

Make sure that the mobile number is the first column and then add First Name and Surname.

This is how the phonebook group file should look:
27820000001 Smith John
27820000002 Smith X
27000000003 X X
447700000001 U K
447700000002 X Friend

If there is no information for either the First Name or the Surname field - please place a character in these fields - an x is recommended. You can use the same character in both as only the phone number needs to be unique.

The next step...

When all the information is on the spreadsheet save the file. You can choose to save as a Text Tab delimited file or csv. This is usually done by selecting Save As from the File menu, choose the relevant file type and then click the Save button.

In Excel, if saving as a text or csv file, the system may show this message: "The selected file type does not support workbooks that contain multiple sheets. To save only the active worksheet, click 'OK' to save your active worksheet. When you select ‘Close’ you may see this message: "Filename is not in Excel format. Do you want to save your changes?", click 'No' as you do not need to save your file again.

If you’d like to double-check that the file is in the correct format this can be done by opening the file in a text editor to check the format.

Then you’ll need to upload your contacts as explained here.

Do you want to upload and send hundreds, or thousands of messages at once? Or maybe you just want to send ad hoc messages to a changing list of numbers without having to upload the contacts to your BulkSMS Web App? Follow these easy steps here.