How to Import Contacts and Launch Outbound Campaigns

How to Import Contacts and Launch Outbound Campaigns

Inbound calls are great, but what if you could have your AI agent reach out proactively? Dialora's outbound campaign feature lets you import a list of contacts and have your agent call them automatically. This is perfect for lead qualification, appointment reminders, or promotional outreach.

The key to success? Getting your CSV format exactly right. A single formatting mistake can cause your entire campaign to fail. This guide walks you through the correct process and shows you exactly how to format your data.

Understanding CSV Requirements

CSV (Comma-Separated Values) is a simple file format that looks like a spreadsheet. Dialora accepts CSV files, but the format must be precise. Small errors—extra spaces, wrong formatting, missing country codes—will cause your campaign to fail.

Here's what Dialora requires:

Phone numbers MUST have:

• The plus sign (+) prefix
• The country code (1 for US, 44 for UK, 34 for Spain, etc.)
• No spaces, hyphens, or parentheses
• Only digits after the country code

Example of CORRECT formatting:

+14155551234
+442071839750
+34914400001
+12125550987

Examples of WRONG formatting (these will fail):

415-555-1234          (has hyphens)
(415) 555-1234        (has parentheses and spaces)
4155551234            (missing country code and plus)
+1 415 555 1234       (has spaces)
+14155551234ext123    (has extension, which won't work)

This is the single most common cause of campaign failures. Get this right and you're 90% of the way there.

Preparing Your CSV File

Step 1: Create Your Contact List

Start with your contacts in any format—Excel, Google Sheets, database export, etc. You need at minimum a column with phone numbers.

Step 2: Export as CSV

If you're using Excel or Google Sheets:

• Open your file
• Go to File → Download As → CSV
• Save it with a descriptive name (e.g., "contacts_jan2026.csv")

Step 3: Clean Your Phone Numbers

This is critical. Open your CSV in a text editor (not Excel, to avoid formatting issues) and clean your phone numbers.

Remove:

• All hyphens and parentheses
• All spaces
• All extensions

Add:

• The plus sign at the beginning
• The correct country code

If you have a large list, consider using a spreadsheet formula to format them:

=CONCATENATE("+",1,SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",""),"-",""),")",""))

This formula takes a US number like "415-555-1234" and converts it to "+14155551234".

Step 4: Optional Additional Columns

You can include other information in your CSV:

• First name
• Last name
• Company name
• Custom variables for personalization

Example CSV structure:

phone,first_name,company
+14155551234,John,Acme Corp
+442071839750,Sarah,Tech Solutions
+34914400001,Miguel,Global Industries

These additional fields can be referenced in your agent's prompt for personalization. Example: "Hi {{first_name}}, calling from Acme Corp about..."

Step 5: Verify Your CSV

Before uploading, open your CSV in a text editor and scan it visually:

• Do all phone numbers start with a plus?
• Do they have the correct country code?
• Are there any spaces or strange characters?
• Are there any blank lines?

Remove any blank rows at the end of your file. They sometimes cause import errors.

Uploading Your CSV

Step 1: Upload Your CSV

1. Log in to your Dialora account
2. Navigate to Contacts → Create New Contacts
3. Click Upload CSV or drag and drop your file
4. Select your properly formatted CSV file
5. Click Open or Upload
6. Review the preview showing detected contacts
7. Verify the phone, name, and other columns are correctly identified

Step 2: Navigate to Campaigns

In your Dialora dashboard, click Campaigns → Outbound → Create Campaign.

Configuring Campaign Settings

After uploading, you'll configure how your campaign runs:

Campaign Name: Something descriptive like "Q1 Lead Qualification" or "January Appointment Reminders"

Agent: Select which of your agents will make the calls

Launching Your Campaign

Before hitting launch, do a final check:

1. Test your agent: Call it yourself to ensure the prompt works for outbound
2. Verify your CSV: Double-check formatting one more time

Confident everything is correct? Click Launch Campaign.

Dialora will begin making calls according to your schedule. You'll see real-time metrics in your dashboard:

• Calls completed
• Calls in progress
• Failed calls
• Voicemails left
• Average call duration

Troubleshooting Campaign Issues

Campaign stuck or not progressing?

The #1 reason: CSV formatting. Check your CSV file immediately.

• Are phone numbers correct and complete?
• Do they all have the plus sign?
• Are there spaces or hyphens?
• Confirm the exact format matches examples above

Even if your campaign appears to start, if phone numbers are malformed, calls will fail. Dialora can't call malformed numbers.

Calls completing but quality seems poor?

• Check internet connection quality at the destination
• Ensure your agent's prompt is clear (add pauses between sentences)
• Consider slowing down your call frequency (this can help with connection stability)

Very high failure rate?

Common causes:

• Wrong country code for some numbers (mixing US +1 with other countries)
• Disconnected or invalid phone numbers
• Numbers blocked by carrier spam filters
• Calling outside business hours without permission

Review failed call logs. Dialora shows why each call failed, which helps you identify patterns.

Can't upload CSV due to error message?

• Ensure file is truly CSV (not .xlsx or .xls)
• Check that there are no special characters or quotation marks in data
• Confirm file size is under the limit (usually 100MB+)
• Try re-saving your file as CSV from your spreadsheet application

Pro Tips for Campaign Success

• Start small: Launch with 100 contacts first. Monitor for issues before scaling to thousands. This catches formatting problems early.
• Monitor compliance: Different regions have different rules about unsolicited calling. In the US, TCPA rules are strict. In the EU, GDPR applies. Know your local regulations.
• Schedule during business hours: Calls at 2 AM won't be answered. Schedule campaigns during reasonable hours in the recipient's time zone.
• Include clear CTA: Your agent should tell the recipient why they're calling and what action you want. "I'm calling to confirm your appointment for Tuesday" is clearer than "I'm just checking in."

Advanced: Segmentation and A/B Testing

Once you're comfortable with basic campaigns, try these advanced tactics:

• Segmentation: Split your contact list into groups and run different campaigns with different prompts. This tests what messaging works best.
• A/B Testing: Create two versions of your prompt and run them on similar audience segments. Compare response rates.
• Progressive Dialing: Scale up call volume gradually. Start with 10 calls/hour, then 20, then 50 as you monitor system performance.

After Your Campaign

Once your campaign completes:

1. Review metrics: How many calls completed? What was the average duration?
2. Listen to recordings: Sample a few calls to assess quality
3. Analyze responses: If callers were asked to press a button or say yes/no, what percentage engaged?
4. Iterate: Update your prompt based on what you learned

Each campaign teaches you something. Use that data to improve the next one.

Compliance Checklist

Before launching any campaign, confirm:

• You have the right to call these numbers
• Your script complies with local regulations
• You're calling during appropriate hours
• You have an opt-out mechanism (tell callers how to remove themselves)
• You're not violating anti-spam laws (TCPA in US, GDPR in EU, etc.)

Conclusion

Outbound campaigns unlock a whole new use case for your AI agent. Instead of waiting for inbound calls, your agent proactively reaches out to hundreds of contacts, qualifying leads, confirming appointments, or delivering messages at scale.

The secret to success is CSV formatting. Get that right, and everything else falls into place. Get it wrong, and your campaign will fail silently.

Start with small test campaigns, monitor your metrics closely, and scale up as you gain confidence. Your AI agent can do the work of a team of phone representatives. That's the power of Dialora's outbound capabilities.

Ready to launch your first campaign? Prepare your CSV, double-check the formatting, and watch your agent make hundreds of calls automatically.