Jump to topics: 

Import contact page

What is PII?

Data types and .csv file format

Viewing your contacts

Reuploading contacts and updates

Automatic Contact Syncing

Analyze Demographic Data in Results 

Uploading a list of contacts to your ThoughtExchange customer account allows you to easily send invitations or set up code access for any engagements you create in that room. 

To upload contacts to ThoughtExchange:

1. Click the avatar icon in the top right-hand corner of the page.
2. Go to Admin Settings
3. Click on the “Contacts” tab
4. Click on the “CSV Import” button (or "Reupload CSV", if one has previously been uploaded) to access the import contacts page.

Note: you can download a sample template to get a better understanding of the file formatting requirements.

Import contact page

1. File upload: upload a CSV file of your contacts. You can click on “Choose file” or drag your file to the file upload area. 
   
   Once you’ve successfully uploaded the file a ‘success’ message will appear, click on “Data mapping” to move on to the next step.
2. Data mapping: the data mapping step will allow you to select your CSV column data and map it to required and custom ThoughtExchange fields. 
   
   First name, Last name, and either Email or an Access code are required. An engagement access code can be based on a student or employee ID number or any other unique numerical identifier; during 'data mapping' you must match the appropriate column (in the example below it is 'Employee ID') to the Label in ThoughtExchange called 'Access code'. Additionally, one custom field must be added to allow for filtering capabilities within ThoughtExchange. Map the ‘source’ columns (most left) to the ThoughtExchange fields (middle); note: you have the option to customize the labels to your liking in ThoughtExchange.
   
   If the first row of your CSV file doesn’t contain headers (e.g. Department) you can disable the ‘First row contains labels’ option.
   
   Data type: we will make our best assumptions to map the correct ‘Data type’ (furthest right) to the source data (e.g. Date = Date). Please ensure that the correct data type matches your source data.
   
    
3. Import: once you’re happy with the mapping you’ve set up, click “Import” which will bring you to the final step to complete the import process.

When uploading contact data, do not upload sensitive or Personally Identifiable information (PII)*, other than first name, last name, email, or access code**. Contacts can be seen and used by engagement leaders; including sensitive data can create privacy and reporting issues, so always stick to these guidelines.

*What is PII? 

PII stands for Personally Identifiable Information. It refers to any data that can be used to identify a specific person. 

Information You Can Safely Upload:

• First Name**
• Last Name**
• Email**
• Access Code**
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Grade Level
• School Name
• Enrollment in English as a Second Language (ESL) Program
• Team Name / Department Name
• Region (e.g., Americas, EMEA)

Typical Examples of Sensitive/ Personally Identifiable Information to Never Upload:

• Phone Number
• Address (Street, City, State, Zip, Postal Code)
• Date of Birth (DOB)
• ID Numbers (e.g., employee, student)
• Child’s Name (for parent data)

Less Typical examples of Sensitive/ Personally Identifiable Information to Never Upload:

• Social Security Number (SSN)
• Passport Number
• Social Media Handles
• Driver’s License Number
• Credit Card Information
• Bank Account Information
• Health or Medical Information
• GPS Coordinates

**While these data are typically considered Personally Identifiable Information (PII), it is necessary to link a contact's demographic information to an individual. ThoughtExchange ensures that these data are handled securely and are not included in survey results or presented in a way that could compromise the integrity of the survey data.

Data types and .csv file format

Each contact needs to be on its own row in the spreadsheet. If you don’t have data for a particular contact, leave the cell blank. 

 

Note: ‘Date’ and ‘Number’ type fields cannot be blank.

Accepted data types:

• Date: YYYY-MM-DD format (ISO 8601 syntax)
  • E.g. 2021-09-08
• Number: ‘integer’ and ‘float’
  • E.g.  -707, 0, 707 & 707.07, 0.7, 707.00
• String: text values
  • E.g. Marketing, Product, Research & Development, Sales

If you're using a Mac, try saving your file as MS-DOS Comma Separated (.csv). Go to File > Save As > Format.

Viewing your contacts

You can view a simple list of your contacts by clicking the “View list” button on the main Contacts page.

If you need to make adjustments to the contacts you have imported, upload a new CSV file (click on Reupload CSV) with your desired adjustments. You can also make changes to individual contacts in the contact list itself by scrolling to the right, clicking the menu icon that appears as three dots and selecting Edit.

Reuploading contacts and updates

If you’re wanting to make updates to the contacts in ThoughtExchange, export a new CSV file with ALL your updated contacts and re-upload using the same process as above. When you navigate back to the “Integrations > Contacts upload” card you’ll notice a “Reupload” contacts button.

Important: when you reupload a new list, if there are contacts in the new list that no longer exist from your previous upload, we will remove them from ThoughtExchange. This is why it’s important that you upload ALL your contacts again, not just the new rows.

Automatic Contact Syncing

ThoughtExchange now supports automatic contact syncing!

All you have to do is flip the switch to ON and link your HR system to the ThoughtExchange S3 folder using the information provided. Once you've set up the connection, click "Sync CSV" and map the data as normal. The list will sync daily at 9AM UTC.

Analyze Demographic Data in Results 

With the new Analyze Imported Demographic Data in Results feature, you can analyze, filter, share, and compare engagement results using the demographic data of participants imported from your Contact Upload. This allows you to reduce the number of questions in your survey while still gathering valuable demographic insights.

Step-by-Step Guide to Use This Feature:

1. Ensure Contacts are uploaded in the "Contacts" tab found in Admin Settings: 

   
   This feature requires the Contact Upload capability, which is part of the Engagement360 package. 

2. Run the engagement with Participant Invitations
a. When creating or editing an engagement, navigate to the Participants step.
b. Ensure the Participant Invitations toggle is set to ON.
c. For demographic data to appear in Results, you must launch your engagement using  Unique Links or Code Access
 

3. Turn on Analyze demographic data in results

This option is 'OFF' by default. Turn this 'ON' to process and view participants' demographic data in Results.

Note: A warning will appear reminding you not to upload sensitive information, such as PII (except for first name, last name, email, or access code)

Analyze Demographic Data in Results

Demographic data is displayed in various formats :- 

• Bar charts on the survey analysis page

• Filters across all Results pages

• Comparison options, such as comparing theme ratings, satisfaction scores, and demographic group sizes

  

  
  Note: Only non-sensitive data (excluding first name, last name, email, or access code) is processed as survey data.

When comparing imported demographic data, a maximum of 50 columns or rows can be displayed. If you exceed this limit, you'll be prompted to reduce the selection.

Filter by contact data 

When unique links are used, any demographic data from the contact upload can be used as a filter in the Survey analysis and Advisor and Article pages of the Results Dashboard. This allows leaders to utilize information they already have about their participants without requiring each individual to answer questions about themselves that they have already answered in the past.

To maintain the integrity of your engagement filters, we make sure the list of invitees associated with each engagement is saved. This helps preserve your imported demographic filters over time, even if your contacts list is updated and overwritten, locking in your preferences so you always get the insights you need.