Import contacts and automatically create companies

The Business Name automation creates or updates a company record from each contact's Business Name field whenever contacts are created or updated, then associates the contact with that company. Enable the automation once in Settings > Objects > Companies, and the rest happens through a normal contact import: prepare a CSV with a column named exactly Business Name, run the import, verify the results, and add any remaining company data afterward. This automation runs through the contact import, not a standalone company import — to import company records directly, use the Companies import wizard in Bulk import companies from a CSV.

Enable the Business Name automation

Turn the automation on before importing contacts. The setting must be enabled per sub-account, and you must save the changes for it to take effect.

Go to Settings and select Objects.
Open the standard Companies object.
Locate the automation for creating and associating companies from contact business names.
Select its checkbox.
Save the changes.

Prepare the contacts CSV

The CSV must include a column named exactly Business Name; other field-name variations will not trigger the automation.

The Business Name value defines the company name that is created and associated with each contact.
Include any other contact fields you need — no company-specific fields are required in this CSV.

Run the contact import

Import the file as contacts. Selecting Contacts rather than Companies is required for this automation to process the Business Name field.

Go to Contacts and select Import.
Select Contacts as the import object.
Upload the CSV by selecting it or dragging and dropping it into the upload area.
Choose Create and update contacts.
Map the CSV's Business Name column to the Business Name field on the Contact object. Incorrect mapping can prevent the automation from working.
Review and complete the import.

For the full contact import flow, including the sample file, see Import contacts.

What happens during the import

As each contact is imported, the system reads its Business Name value, creates or updates the matching company record, and associates the contact with that company.

The automation decides whether to create or update a company from the Business Name value.
It works whenever contacts are created or updated, including during bulk contact imports.
Existing contacts that already contain a Business Name value can be processed retroactively after the setting is enabled.
It reduces the need to manually create company records or link contacts.

Verify the results

Check both sides of the association to confirm the automation worked.

On a contact record — open the contact and review the Companies section under Associations. The linked company appears there, and a company marked as the primary company indicates successful creation and association. See Understanding the Contact Record for how the Associations panel fits into the record.
On company records — open the Companies tab and review the records created or updated by the contact import. Company names from the CSV appear there.

Add more company data afterward

After the automation creates the companies, enrich the company records with an export, edit, and reimport cycle.

Export the companies to a CSV (see Export companies (CSV download)).
Add the remaining values, including custom field values.
Import the updated company data back into the Companies table (see Bulk import companies from a CSV).

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