Cognism
Close Contacts5 fieldsHow to import Cognism data into Close
Cognism exports prospect lists as CSV files from Prospector. This template maps the export to Close's contact fields: it combines First Name and Last Name into Close's single name field, and maps email, job title, and company. Cognism ships four phone columns; this template fills one Phone field, so Mobile, Direct, Office, and HQ are combined and the first available number wins, with Mobile, including Cognism's Diamond-verified mobiles, taking priority. Close has the leanest default contact schema of any CRM Operelio supports, and Close stores addresses and firmographics on the Lead, its company-level record, so those columns are listed in the Columns we don't use section.
Field-by-field mapping
This is the complete column mapping from Cognism to Close. The left column is the header in your CSV export. The right column is the Close field it should map to.
| Cognism column | Close field | |
|---|---|---|
| First Name + Last Name | Name*name Close uses a single name field on the contact record, so the template combines the two columns with a space between them. TransformFirst Name and Last Name combined with a space | |
| Email*email TransformLowercased and trimmed | ||
| Mobile → Direct → Office → HQ | Phonephone This template fills one Phone field. It takes the first available number: Mobile first, including Cognism's Diamond-verified mobiles, then Direct, then Office, then HQ. Whichever is present wins; the rest are skipped. TransformStandardized to international format (+1, +44, etc.) | |
| Job Title | Titletitle | |
| Company Name | Companycompany |
Required by Close.
Columns we don't use
Your Cognism export includes 54 columns this template doesn't map. Each one below explains why, plus the workaround if you want the data in Close.
- Mobile, Direct, Office, HQ (extra numbers)
Close contacts can hold multiple phone numbers, but this template fills a single Phone field with the first available number. The numbers not chosen aren't lost from your source file, they just don't land on the contact.
If you need it. Add the extra numbers to the Close contact after import, or use Close's API for bulk multi-phone imports.
- Seniority
Close contacts have no native seniority field. The data is real and useful, Close just has no standard place for it.
If you need it. Add a custom contact field on the Close contact for Seniority, then map it by hand.
- Department
Close contacts have no native department field.
If you need it. Add a custom contact field on the Close contact for Department, then map it by hand.
- Technologies
Close contacts have no native field for a company's tech stack. Close stores firmographics on the Lead, not the contact.
If you need it. Add a custom Lead field, or enrich the matched Close Lead after import.
- Industries
Close contacts have no native Industry field. Close stores firmographics on the Lead in its data model, not the contact.
If you need it. Enrich the matched Close Lead after import, or add a custom Lead field for industry.
- Email Quality
Close contacts have no native field for an email confidence flag. The Verified Email or Likely Email signal is useful for filtering, Close just has no standard place for it.
If you need it. Add a custom contact field on the Close contact if you want to filter on email quality.
- Education
Close contacts have no native education field.
If you need it. Add a custom contact field on the Close contact if you want it.
- List Name
Close contacts have no native field for the source list a row came from.
If you need it. Add a custom contact field if you want to record which Cognism list a contact came from.
- Diamond Record
Close contacts have no native field for Cognism's Diamond-verified flag.
If you need it. Add a custom contact field if you want to keep the flag.
- Profile ID
Close contacts have no native field for an external ID. Close matches contacts on email.
If you need it. Add a custom contact field if you want Cognism's ID for re-import matching.
- sId
Cognism's internal composite ID has no downstream use in a CRM.
If you need it. None needed. This column is safe to ignore.
- Company Alias
Close contacts have no native field for an alternate company trading name. It belongs on the Lead anyway, and is often the same as Company Name.
If you need it. Add a custom Lead field if you want it.
- Lead Source
Every Cognism row carries the literal value 'Cognism'. Close stores lead source on the Lead, not the contact.
If you need it. Set the lead source on the matched Close Lead after import, or use a custom Lead field.
- Personal Linkedin URL
Close contacts have no native LinkedIn field.
If you need it. Add a custom URL field on the Close contact called LinkedIn, then map this column to it by hand.
- Country, City, State (person location)
Close contacts have no native address fields. Addresses live on the Lead, Close's company-equivalent record, not the contact.
If you need it. Update the matched Close Lead with the address after import, or add custom address fields on the Close contact.
- Website, Headcount, Financials, Company Type, Company Description, Company Founded Year, Company Linkedin URL
These are company-level data points. Close stores firmographics on the Lead in its data model, not the contact.
If you need it. Enrich the matched Close Lead after import using Cognism's company data, or add custom Lead fields.
- Company Address Line, Company City, Company Post Code/ZIP, Company County/State, Company Country
The company registered office address belongs on the Close Lead, not the contact.
If you need it. Land the company address on the matched Close Lead after import.
- Company HQ Address Line, Company HQ City, Company HQ Post Code/ZIP, Company HQ County/State, Company HQ Country
The company HQ address also belongs on the Close Lead, not the contact.
If you need it. Land the HQ address on the Close Lead in a separate pass if you need it.
- SIC, ISIC, NAICS
Close contacts have no native fields for industry classification codes. They are company-level data.
If you need it. Add custom Lead fields, or store the codes on the matched Close Lead.
- Hiring Title, URL, Location, and Date columns (1 through 5)
Close contacts have no native fields for hiring-signal data. These columns capture roles the contact's company is hiring for, a real buying signal, but Close has no standard place for them.
If you need it. Add custom Lead fields if you track hiring activity as a buying signal.
- Job Change - Previous Company, Previous Title, New Company, New Title, Date
Close contacts have no native fields for job-change data. A recent job change is a useful champion signal, Close just has no standard place for it.
If you need it. Add custom contact fields if you track job changes.
- Location Move - From Country, From State, To Country, To State, Date
Close contacts have no native fields for location-move data. The signal is useful for territory planning, Close just has no standard place for it.
If you need it. Add custom contact fields if you use them for territory planning.
Formatting and cleanup
Cognism exports rarely match the format Close expects. Fix these before you import.
- 1.Combines First Name and Last Name into Close's single name field
- 2.Lowercases and trims email addresses
- 3.Standardizes phone numbers to international format (+1, +44, etc.)
- 4.Fills the single Phone field with the first available number, checking Mobile, then Direct, then Office, then HQ
- 5.Title-cases name fields, including Cognism's ALL-CAPS job titles
Or skip the manual work
Operelio runs this cleanup and mapping for you. Upload your Cognism export and download a clean, import-ready file for Close.
Cognism to Close FAQ
How do I export from Cognism?
In Cognism Prospector, build your search, save the contacts to a list, then click Download CSV from the list view. Upload that CSV to Operelio.
Why do you combine First Name and Last Name?
Close uses a single name field on the contact record, not separate first and last name fields. The template combines the two Cognism columns with a space so the contact records look right in Close.
How does the template handle Cognism's four phone columns?
Cognism ships Mobile, Direct, Office, and HQ. This template fills one Phone field, so it takes the first available number, checking Mobile first, then Direct, then Office, then HQ. Cognism's Diamond-verified mobiles come through in the Mobile column, so they win when present. The numbers not chosen aren't lost from your source file, they just don't land on the contact; Close supports multiple phones per contact via its API if you want them all.
Why are so many Cognism columns not mapped?
Close uses a lean contact schema: name, email, phone, title, company. Address, industry, and the company firmographics live on the Lead record in Close's data model, not the contact. The Columns we don't use section above explains the workaround for each Cognism column.
Where do I import the CSV into Close?
In Close, go to Leads, click the + button at the top, then choose Import, or use Close's CSV import flow under Settings, then Import Leads. Close's import wizard handles the Lead-to-Contact link based on the Company column.
Will this create duplicate contacts?
Close groups contacts under their Lead (company) record. If a Lead with the same Company Name already exists, the new contacts are added to it. Close doesn't auto-dedupe contacts by email by default, so spot-check or use Close's bulk-merge tools if you re-import the same prospects.
Which address does the template use?
Close contacts have address fields for City, State, and Country, and this template fills them from Cognism's person-level columns. Those describe where the contact actually is. Cognism also ships two company-level addresses (the registered office and the HQ); both are listed in the Columns we don't use section because they belong on the Close account, not the contact.
