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This guide walks you through how to upload your lead list from an Excel or CSV file to a campaign and start automated calls.

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Overview

The entire process consists of 3 steps:
1

Create a campaign (or use an existing one)

Create a campaign from the dashboard or use an existing one.
2

Upload your Excel/CSV file

Import your lead list into the campaign.
3

Start the campaign

Run the campaign — the system begins calling automatically.
If your campaign is already “in-progress”, newly uploaded leads are automatically queued for calling. You don’t need to restart the campaign.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure the following are ready:
  • Campaign — A campaign created from the dashboard. To find your Campaign ID, open your campaign and check the browser address bar. Example: app.whattalk.ai/campaigns/1050 → Your Campaign ID is 1050.
  • AI Assistant — An assistant assigned to the campaign, configured for outbound calls
  • Phone Number — A phone number assigned to the campaign
  • Excel or CSV file — A file containing your lead information

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Step 1: Prepare Your Excel/CSV File

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Required Columns

Your file must contain at least this column:
ColumnDescriptionExample
phone_numberPhone number (required)+905551234567

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Optional Columns

Add additional columns matching the variables defined in your assistant:
ColumnDescriptionExample
customer_nameCustomer nameAyse
companyCompany nameABC Tech
emailEmail addressayse@abc.com
Column names must match the variable names in your assistant’s Prompt & Tools settings. For example, if your assistant uses {customer_name}, the Excel column header must be customer_name.

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Example File

phone_number,customer_name,company
+905551234567,Ayse Yilmaz,ABC Tech
+905559876543,Mehmet Kaya,XYZ Ltd
+905553334455,Fatma Demir,123 Software
+905557778899,Ali Ozturk,Demo Inc
Phone number format: International format is recommended — must start with + and country code (e.g., +905551234567). If using national format (e.g., 05551234567), you must select the country code during upload, and all numbers must be from the same country.

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Secondary Contacts (Optional)

If a lead has multiple phone numbers, add additional columns: 
phone_number,customer_name,secondary_phone_1,secondary_phone_2
+905551234567,Ayse Yilmaz,+905551234568,+905551234569
The system calls the primary number first, then moves to secondary numbers if unreachable.

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Step 2: Upload the File from the Dashboard

1

Go to the Leads page

Navigate to the Leads section or your campaign’s leads tab.
2

Click the Import button

Click the “Import Leads” button.
3

Select a campaign

Choose the campaign to add the leads to from the dropdown.
4

Download the sample file (recommended)

Download the sample file to see the correct format. Make sure your file matches this format.
5

Upload your file

Select your CSV or Excel (.xlsx, .xls) file.
6

Map columns

The system will attempt to auto-detect your columns. Review and correct if needed:
  • Phone Number → phone_number column
  • Assistant variables → Map each to the relevant column (e.g., customer_name, company)
7

Select phone format

  • International Format: Select this if numbers start with +
  • National Format: Select this if there’s no country code, and specify the country
8

Start the import

Confirm the mappings and click “Import”.

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Processing Time

File SizeEstimated Time
< 100 rowsLess than 1 minute
100-1,000 rows2-5 minutes
1,000+ rows10-30 minutes
10,000+ rowsSeveral hours
Large files are processed in the background. You’ll receive an email notification when the import is complete.

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Step 3: Start the Campaign

After the leads are uploaded:
  1. Go to the Campaigns page
  2. Find your campaign
  3. If the campaign is in “Draft” status, click the “Start” button
  4. The campaign status changes to “In Progress” and calls begin
If your campaign is already “In Progress”, uploaded leads are automatically queued. No additional action is needed.

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Validation and Error Handling

The system automatically validates during upload:
  • Valid rows are added to the campaign
  • Invalid rows are skipped (bad phone number, missing required field, etc.)
  • Duplicate numbers are blocked
  • An error report is generated after processing — you can download it

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Common Errors

ErrorSolution
Invalid phone numberMust be in E.164 format: +905551234567
Duplicate numberThe same number already exists in the campaign
Missing required fieldPhone number column cannot be empty
File format errorUse .csv, .xlsx, or .xls format

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FAQ

CSV (.csv), Excel (.xlsx), and legacy Excel (.xls) formats are supported.
Yes. Leads uploaded while the campaign is “In Progress” are automatically queued for calling. You don’t need to restart the campaign.
No. The system maps by column names, not by order.
If using international format (starting with +), yes. If using national format, you need a separate file per country.
There’s no per-file limit, but large files (10,000+ rows) are processed in the background and may take several hours. We recommend testing with a small file (10-20 rows) first.
Excel/CSV: One-time bulk upload, no technical knowledge required. Done from the dashboard. API: Automated integration, continuous lead flow from your CRM or system. Requires technical knowledge. For details, see Import Leads via API and Start Auto-Calling.