Emergency contact imports add or update contact details for participants using an Excel spreadsheet. Include emergency contact columns in a participant import, or use a focused spreadsheet to update contacts for existing participants.
Download the import template
Use the Excel template to organize participant identifiers and emergency contact details before importing: Emergency-Contacts-Import.xlsx
How it works
Emergency contacts use the regular participant import. There is no separate emergency-contact upload screen. Use one row per participant, with a numbered group of columns for each contact.
Prepare an .xlsx file no larger than 5 MB. Keep the import data on the first worksheet.
Enter the participant’s
nameandemail. For existing participants, retain their current name and email. Do not put the emergency contact’s email in the participant’semailcolumn.Enter each emergency contact’s details using the columns below. A contact name is required whenever other contact details are entered.
Open Participants and select Import. Your account may use a different participant label.
Upload the file and select Validate Import. Review the preview carefully. For existing participants, confirm that the records are recognized as existing rather than new.
Turn on Update Existing Records when updating existing participants. Leave Send App Invite off unless you intend to send invitations, if that option is displayed.
Select Import Participants. After processing finishes, review any errors and check the imported contact details.
During onboarding: Complete the spreadsheet and return it securely to your Equip onboarding contact for review instead of uploading it yourself.
Emergency contact columns
Use these exact headers for the first contact:
emergency_contact_1_name— Contact’s name. Required for a populated contact group.emergency_contact_1_relationship— Relationship to the participant.emergency_contact_1_mobile_phone— Mobile phone number.emergency_contact_1_office_phone— Office phone number.emergency_contact_1_email— Contact’s email address.emergency_contact_1_primary— EnterTRUEorFALSEas text.
For a second contact, repeat all six headers with emergency_contact_2_. Continue with emergency_contact_3_ and higher numbers as needed. Keep all contact groups for one participant on the same row. Completely blank contact groups are ignored.
Benefits
Add participant and emergency contact details together during onboarding.
Update contact details for multiple participants in one file.
Include multiple contacts, relationships, phone numbers, and primary-contact settings.
Options and matching
Existing participants are matched by email first, then case ID. A name alone does not identify an existing participant, and
unique_idis not used to match an existing participant for this import. If an identifier does not match, the import may create a new participant.Within a participant’s contacts, Equip matches a contact by email first, then exact contact name. A match updates that contact; otherwise a new contact is created. Changing both the name and email may create an additional contact.
If the primary value is blank, contact 1 defaults to primary and later contacts default to not primary. Marking one contact primary does not automatically unmark other contacts. Set the values explicitly and review the result.
Best practices
Include every contact detail you want to keep. When updating a matched contact, blank or omitted relationship, phone, or email fields clear the saved values. This is not a partial-field update.
Retain the participant’s current name and email. This is a participant import, not a contacts-only operation; participant name and account time zone may also be updated.
Keep phone numbers and identifiers formatted as text so leading zeros and plus signs are preserved.
Review the completion result, not just the initial preview. Contact errors can be found during processing, after participant details have already been updated.
Use an approved secure process to share completed files containing personal information.
FAQs
Can I import contacts without adding new participants?
Yes. Use existing participant names and emails, enable Update Existing Records, and confirm the preview recognizes existing records. The same participant import is used.
Does leaving a contact out delete it?
No. Contacts not included in the file are not deleted. However, blank fields within a contact you do update can clear that contact’s saved details.
Is a contact’s email address required?
No. A populated contact group requires a name. Email, relationship, and phone fields are optional for a new contact. Include their current values when updating a contact if you want to keep them.
Can I upload the Emergency Contacts Report directly?
No. The report lists one contact per row and uses different column headings. Prepare an import file with the exact headers above and one row per participant.
Why did a contact fail after validation?
Some contact checks occur during processing rather than the initial preview. Review the completion errors, correct the file, and check whether participant details were already updated before retrying.