Customer lists (email) with CSV Reconcile
A CRM export and a mailing list are matched on the email column with case ignored and empty cells treated like N/A. One contact exists only in the CRM, one only in the mailing list, and two have a different plan or phone number.
- Export the contacts from each system as CSV with a header row.
- Put the system of record in the first box and the copy in the second.
- Keep email as the key. Ignore case is already on, so Ann@Example.com matches ann@example.com.
- Press Compare. Removed lists contacts missing from the second list, Added those that only the second list has.
- Download Changed and Added as CSV to fix the lists.
What to know
Email addresses are the usual key for contact lists, but the two systems rarely agree on how to write them. One lowercases, the other keeps whatever the person typed, and an export may add trailing spaces. Both rules are on in this sample: case is ignored and surrounding whitespace is trimmed, so ANN@example.com in the mailing list matches ann@example.com in the CRM and is counted as unchanged rather than as one removed and one added contact.
Empty values cause the other common false positive. One system exports a missing phone number as an empty cell, another as N/A or a dash. With the rule that treats empty, null, N/A and - as the same, Ed Hill is unchanged even though one file says N/A and the other is blank. A real difference still shows: Cy Fox has 555-0103 in the CRM and 555-0199 in the mailing list, and Bob Ray is on the Free plan in one and Pro in the other.
The result is a short work list. Di Moon is in the CRM only, so check whether she unsubscribed or was never synced. Flo Park is in the mailing list only, so find out where that sign-up came from. Only the email column is used to match; a person who changed address appears as one removed and one added contact, and no tool can tell that apart from two people. The sample data is invented.
Updated · Cosmovex
Questions
Does the comparison ignore upper and lower case in emails?
In this setup, yes, for the key and for the other columns. Without it, ANN@example.com and ann@example.com would be treated as different contacts. You can switch it off under Comparison rules.
How do I find contacts that are in one list but not the other?
Removed shows contacts only in the first file, Added contacts only in the second. Each tab can be downloaded as CSV.
What if a person appears twice in one list?
A repeated email is listed under Ambiguous and not compared, because the tool cannot tell which row is the right one. Remove the duplicate or add a second key column.
Is the customer data uploaded?
No. Both lists stay in your browser tab. The page only reports which buttons are used, never file contents or column names.
Can I compare on first name and last name instead?
You can select up to three columns as a combined key. Names make a weaker key than email because different people share them and spelling varies, so expect more ambiguous rows.
The free plan covers everything on this page. CSV Reconcile Pro ($29, paid once) is described on the CSV Reconcile page.
