Who can use this feature?
Available on:
All Culture Amp subscriptions that include Engagement or Effectiveness (Attributed (Snapshot) surveys only)
Prerequisites & Important Considerations
The Participant Import option lets you easily add multiple participants to your survey at once through a bulk upload file. Please review the prerequisites and key considerations below before you start.
Survey Type Compatibility
Available for Attributed (Snapshot) surveys surveys only. If you don’t see it enabled, simply type “Ask a person” in a support conversation to speak with a specialist.
Add Employees as Users First
Bulk importing participants to your survey is a separate process from importing users to your account. Before you can bulk import participants to the survey, first add your employees as users at the account level. Then, you can separately add them to the survey.
Participant Imports Override Pre-Set Exclusion Dates
Uploading a participant file tells the system exactly who you want included in your survey. Because of this, an import will override any Exclusion Dates you set before the upload.
Even though the "excluded" label will still show next to a user's name, they will actually be selected (ticked) and will receive a survey invite by mistake.
To prevent this, please review the simple step-by-step workflows under the Managing Exclusions section.
Preparing Your File for Import
Before you begin the import process, you will need to prepare your file. The structure of your file will depend on the unique identifiers (e.g., email/employee id) you use for your employees.
Ensure your file is in CSV format and includes 2 columns "email" and "employee_id".
If all employees have an email address, populate the column in your file titled "email".
If all employees only have an employee id, populated the column titled "employee_id".
If employees have a mix of email addresses and employee ids, in your file have two columns: "email" and "employee_id". You only need to provide the relevant identifier for each participant.
Note: Your file should only include the “email” and “employee_id” columns or their uppercase variations: “Email” and “Employee_ID.” Please remove any other columns before importing.
File Examples
Email only
Email only
Employee ID only
Employee ID only
Mix of Email and Employee ID
Mix of Email and Employee ID
Mixed Example 1: Some participants have only an email, and others have only an employee id.
Mixed Example 2: Some participants have only an employee id, while others have both an employee id and an email.
Starting the Import Process
To start importing participants, go to the Participants page in your survey configuration. Click on Import participants to begin.
Choosing an Import Type:
Next you'll be prompted to select between two import options:
Add: Adds employees from your file to any existing participants.
Overwrite: Adds employees from your file, replacing any existing participants.
Note: The overwrite import type is disabled when the survey is live to prevent any accidental removals.
Once you’ve added your file, click validate.
Validating Your File
Before you import, we'll validate your file to check for any issues. If all columns and rows are good to go, you'll see a green confirmation message letting you know your file is valid. Then, you can proceed with the import.
If your file has any minor issues, like including employees who aren't added as Culture Amp users yet, we'll notify you with a yellow notification and provide a list of errors for download. You can choose to proceed with valid rows or fix the errors and restart the import process.
If your file has any critical issues, like incorrect headers, you'll see a red error message. In this case, you'll need to correct the problem and begin the import process again. Once you've fixed any errors, you can proceed with importing your file.
Note: The validation process may take some time (up to 15-20 minutes), especially for larger participant lists.
Importing Your File
Click Import, and the import wizard will close. You'll see a progress indicator on the Participants page.
While the import is running, the rest of the functionality on the Participants page will be disabled - this is to ensure we don’t run into any conflicts between the import and any manual participant selections that happen while the import is processing.
Once the import finishes, you'll see a green "Import Complete" message confirming that the employees from your file have been successfully added as participants.
Managing Exclusion Dates with Your Import
To make sure employees who should be excluded don't accidentally get invited after an import, please use one of these simple approaches:
Best Practice: Clean your file first. The safest method is to remove anyone from your CSV file who shouldn't be invited before you click upload.
Scenario A: Standard Workflow (You haven't set an Exclusion Date yet)
Upload your participant file first.
Once the import finishes, head over to your settings to configure and save your Exclusion Date.
Scenario B: Quick Fix Workflow (You already set an Exclusion Date BEFORE importing) If you already configured an Exclusion Date and then uploaded a file containing people who should be excluded, you just need to refresh the system's memory:
Let the participant file import finish completely.
Go back to your Exclusion Date settings.
Re-set and re-save the Exclusion Date. This simple save action forces the system to look at the list again and automatically uncheck anyone who needs to be excluded.
💬 Need help? Just reply with “Ask a Person” in a support conversation to speak directly with a Product Support Specialist.