# Contacts and CSV Lists

Import contact lists, keep them reusable, and apply global suppression rules that prevent accidental outreach. Read the Contacts guide in Hello Alex documentation.

Canonical HTML: https://docs.helloalex.ai/article/contacts-and-lists

Path: [Documentation](/) / [Contacts](/contacts)

## Overview

Contacts is where outbound quality starts, because the platform can only send the right message when the right records are available and compliant. When you upload CSV files, organize saved lists, and maintain the Do Not Call registry (a global suppression list that blocks outreach), Hello Alex can safely reuse that audience across calls, SMS, and campaigns without rework.

## How it works

- Contacts centralizes audience data first, so every sending tool reads from the same source and you avoid conflicting spreadsheets. Once records are imported, those lists can be reused for Batch Call, Batch SMS, and campaigns without rebuilding audiences each time.
- Suppression is applied at the platform level, which means a number marked do_not_call is blocked before outbound delivery starts. Because compliance checks happen before launch, risky sends are prevented instead of cleaned up afterward.

## Important fields

- **phone_number column:** Required for batch imports; use E.164 or include country code.
- **Do Not Call registry:** Numbers here are skipped on outbound voice and SMS.

## Tips

- Good to know: deduplicating numbers before large uploads improves reporting accuracy and prevents paying for repeated outreach to the same person.
- Good to know: removing a number from Do Not Call immediately restores eligibility across voice and SMS, so treat registry edits as global changes.

## CSV Lists

CSV Lists exists to keep audiences reusable, so teams can launch quickly without re-importing files for every campaign wave.

Open a saved list and verify row quality before attaching it to a launch.

- Saved lists are shown as reusable audience assets, which creates a stable handoff between data prep and outbound execution. Because the list object persists, you can apply the same audience to multiple launches and compare outcomes over time.
- **Saved Lists:** Reusable audiences for launches.
- Good to know: naming lists with campaign and date context makes historical filtering much easier when reporting results later.

## Upload Contacts

Upload Contacts is where raw CSV data becomes launch-ready audience records, which is why column mapping and validation happen before saving.

Import a small test CSV first, then scale up once mappings and row counts look correct.

- When you upload a file, the importer validates key fields such as phone numbers and flags mapping problems early. That early validation reduces failed sends later, because malformed rows can be corrected before they enter reusable lists.
- **phone:** Primary key for outbound voice and SMS.
- **do_not_call column:** Set yes/true to add numbers to the registry.
- Good to know: including compliance fields like do_not_call during import is safer than adding them manually after a list is already in use.

## List Detail

List Detail helps you confirm audience quality before outreach, so review and filtering happen prior to launch decisions.

Filter for outliers and correct invalid rows before selecting this list in Batch Call or Batch SMS.

- Each saved list opens into a searchable table, which lets you inspect records and catch formatting or segmentation issues before they affect delivery. Because this check happens pre-launch, downstream call and SMS performance is more predictable.
- **phone:** Primary key for outbound voice and SMS.
- Good to know: keeping numbers in E.164 format (international format with country code) reduces routing ambiguity across carriers.

## Do Not Call

The Do Not Call registry is a list of phone numbers that should never be contacted. Any number you add here is automatically suppressed across all outbound voice and SMS, so compliance is enforced before delivery starts.

Review recent additions and confirm only intentionally blocked numbers remain in the registry.

- Suppression checks run at send time, so registry entries are applied globally no matter which list, pathway, or workflow initiated the outreach. This shared enforcement prevents accidental contact of blocked numbers and reduces compliance risk.
- **phone:** Suppressed destination number.
- Good to know: removing a number from this registry clears suppression for all lists immediately, so changes should follow your organization's approval process.

## Next step

Open Contacts, upload a pilot CSV, and confirm suppression behavior before using the list in any batch workflow.

## Related documentation

- [More Contacts guides](/contacts)