zip codes

[Raihan8]

Many companies load Excel spreadsheets full of contact information into their CRM systems. And usually, that works. But there's one thing Excel has trouble with: zip codes that start with zero.

"According to the 2016 census, approximately 27,000,000 people live in zip codes with leading zeros, which is 8% of the U.S. population," explains Thomas Bonneau of gb|sterling. And since Excel has trouble with zip codes that start with zero, that's a problem.

“If you have a bad data file, it could be missing nearly 10% of your nationwide records.”

Even if you have this problem under control, it can come back, says Bonneau:

“If you have a data file in Excel with the zip codes and the column, and the column is formatted correctly (special zip code format or text), everything looks fine—even if there is a zip code with a leading zero (e.g. 02739). But if you then save it as a CSV file to import into your CRM and then reopen it to edit it, the leading zero is lost. This is because the CSV format ignores any previous Excel formatting that gave it that zero.”

But how can you fix this problem?

Fix the Excel file before uploading it to your CRM:

Select the column with the zip codes, then select Format > Cells.

Stay on the Numbers tab and select the Special Format category.

Select Zip Code and then OK.

The entire row will now have the missing zeros from the zip codes added.

Make any other changes you need and save the file again as a CSV.

DO NOT reopen the file in Excel or import it directly into the CRM. When thailand code phone number you preview the data file in your CRM import tool, you should see the leading zeros preserved."

Stephanie Baiocchi of IMPACT has also encountered this problem. But she found an even simpler solution: "I just used Insycle. Before, I had to create a list in HubSpot and go through it manually."

She also noticed another improvement. "We can now send direct mail (even if it's just customer gifts) without having to check every address or handle a ton of returns.