How to Create and Upload a Personal Contact Group in BulkSMSOnline

A personal contact group in BulkSMSOnline helps you create and manage your own SMS contact list inside your account. Instead of typing recipient numbers one by one every time you send a campaign, you can create a saved group, add contacts manually, or import a prepared contact list.

This feature is useful for businesses, organizations, schools, clinics, marketing teams, and service providers that regularly send SMS messages to customers, staff, students, patients, subscribers, members, or leads.

What Is a Personal Contact Group?

A personal contact group is a saved phone book inside your BulkSMSOnline dashboard. You can use it to organize recipients into separate groups and use those groups later when sending SMS campaigns.

You can create contact groups for different purposes, such as:

  • Customer SMS campaigns
  • Marketing promotions
  • Appointment reminders
  • Payment reminders
  • Delivery notifications
  • Staff announcements
  • Student or member updates
  • Country-specific SMS campaigns

Why Use Contact Groups?

Contact groups help you save time, reduce mistakes, and manage your SMS audience more efficiently. Once your group is created, you can reuse it for future campaigns without entering the same numbers again.

Using contact groups can help you:

  • Organize recipients by campaign, country, customer type, or service.
  • Send SMS to the same audience faster.
  • Reduce typing and formatting errors.
  • Import prepared contact lists into your account.
  • Manage your phone book from one dashboard.
  • Improve SMS campaign targeting and reporting.

How to Create a Personal Contact Group

To create a personal contact group in your BulkSMSOnline dashboard, follow these steps:

  1. Click on the Favorites tab and click on Group & Personal Contacts.
  2. On the new page, click on Add Group.

  3. Write your group name in the Add Group section, then click the Save button.

  4. Click on the group name to add contacts.

  5. Click on the Add Contact button or Import Contacts.

How to Add Contacts Manually

If you click the Add Contact button, choose the group name, type the mobile number and contact name, then click Save to update your contacts list.

Important: Only numbers are accepted in the phone number field. Do not use spaces, symbols, brackets, dashes, plus signs, or other special characters.

Example of correct and incorrect number formats:

  • Correct: 12025550101
  • Incorrect: +120 25 55 0101
  • Incorrect: 025550101
  • Incorrect: (120) 25550101

How to Import Contacts

If you click Import Contacts, click on Choose File to upload your contact list. Before uploading, make sure every mobile number starts with the correct country code and does not include special characters.

For example, if you are uploading Malaysian numbers, the number should start with the country code 60, followed by the mobile number.

Repeat the Process to Create Your Phone Book

Repeat the same process to create more contact groups and build your phone book inside BulkSMSOnline. You can create separate groups for different campaigns, customers, countries, departments, or notification types.

For example, you may create groups such as:

  • Malaysia Customers
  • VIP Clients
  • June Promotion Leads
  • Clinic Appointment Reminders
  • Staff Alerts
  • Event Attendees
  • International Customers

Correct Phone Number Format

Correct phone number formatting is very important when sending SMS. If the number is missing the country code or contains unsupported characters, the message may fail or may not be processed correctly.

Use the full international number format without special characters.

Example:

  • Correct: 12025550101
  • Incorrect: 025550101
  • Incorrect: +120 255 501 01
  • Incorrect: 120-255-501-01

Always include the country code before the mobile number, especially when sending international SMS campaigns.

Best Practices Before Uploading Contacts

Before importing your contact list, review your file carefully. A clean contact list can help reduce failed messages and improve SMS campaign performance.

  • Remove duplicate phone numbers.
  • Use full international number format with country code.
  • Remove spaces, dashes, brackets, plus signs, and special characters.
  • Check that each number belongs to the correct country.
  • Remove inactive or invalid numbers where possible.
  • Use clear contact names for easier management.
  • Create separate groups for different campaigns or audiences.
  • Make sure recipients have agreed to receive SMS from your business where required.

Using Contact Groups for SMS Campaigns

After creating and uploading your contact group, you can use it when sending SMS campaigns from your BulkSMSOnline dashboard. This helps you send messages faster and target the right audience.

Contact groups are useful for:

  • Marketing SMS campaigns
  • OTP and verification alerts
  • Customer updates
  • Appointment reminders
  • Payment notifications
  • Delivery updates
  • Event reminders
  • Internal staff messages

To learn more about sending SMS campaigns, visit the Send Bulk SMS Online page.

Using Contact Groups With the Web SMS Platform

The BulkSMSOnline web SMS platform allows users to manage contacts, prepare messages, send campaigns, use templates, and track delivery reports from a browser. Contact groups make this process easier because your audience is already saved and organized.

You can learn more here: Web SMS Platform.

Using Contact Groups for International SMS

If you send SMS to multiple countries, it is recommended to create separate contact groups for each destination country. This makes it easier to check pricing, select the correct route, and monitor delivery performance.

You can review supported destinations here: Bulk SMS Countries.

Check SMS Pricing Before Sending

Before sending a campaign to your uploaded contact group, check your account balance and review the latest SMS pricing. SMS cost may vary depending on country, route type, message length, and destination network.

You can view the pricing page here: Bulk SMS Pricing.

Contact List Privacy and Data Ownership

Your contact list is important business data. Upload only contact lists that you are allowed to use, and make sure your SMS campaigns follow applicable rules, consent requirements, and platform policies.

You can review BulkSMSOnline rules here: Terms and Conditions.

Troubleshooting Contact Upload Issues

If your contacts are not uploading correctly, check the following:

  • Make sure the file format is supported.
  • Check that all phone numbers start with the correct country code.
  • Remove special characters from phone numbers.
  • Remove spaces, dashes, brackets, and plus signs if they are not supported.
  • Check that your file does not contain empty rows.
  • Remove duplicate numbers.
  • Try uploading a smaller file first to test the format.
  • Contact support if the file still does not upload.

Need Help Uploading Contacts?

If you need help creating a group, adding contacts, importing a contact list, checking number format, or preparing your SMS phone book, visit the BulkSMSOnline Help Center.

For account-specific support, contact the BulkSMSOnline team through the official contact page:

Contact BulkSMSOnline Support

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I create a personal contact group in BulkSMSOnline?

Log in to your account, click Favorites, open Group & Personal Contacts, click Add Group, enter your group name, and click Save.

How do I add contacts manually?

Open your contact group, click Add Contact, choose the group name, enter the phone number and contact name, then click Save.

Can I import contacts instead of adding them one by one?

Yes. Click Import Contacts, choose your prepared contact list file, and upload it to the selected group.

What phone number format should I use?

Use the full international number format with country code. Do not include spaces, dashes, brackets, plus signs, or special characters if your upload format does not support them.

Why did my contact upload fail?

Your upload may fail if the file format is unsupported, numbers contain special characters, country codes are missing, or the file contains invalid rows. Clean the file and try again.

Can I create multiple contact groups?

Yes. You can repeat the process to create multiple groups for different campaigns, countries, customer types, or departments.

Should I separate contacts by country?

Yes. This is recommended for international SMS because it helps you check pricing, select routes, and monitor delivery performance more easily.

Where can I get help with contact uploads?

You can visit the Help Center or contact support through the Contact Us page.