Review the file before importing
Use the name, email, phone, notes and status columns. Each row needs an email or phone. A file can contain up to 500 rows and 1 MB; review the row count and first five contacts before importing.
Connections, with clear expectations
Bring your contacts and schedule into the working day.
Start with an existing contact list, understand the saved Google Calendar view, and see which connections are still planned. Know what each workflow can do before relying on it.
Starter includes records, CSV import, native appointments, jobs and Morning Brief. This guide explains the workspace workflows; it does not announce newly verified provider availability. Planned connections have no promised delivery date.
Current workspace
Start with the contacts you already have.
CSV contact import brings an existing list into lead records, with contact details, notes and a status to help you pick up the next conversation. It is a file import, not an ongoing sync with another system.
Keep existing records intact
A matching email or phone in the workspace is skipped. Matching ignores email case and phone punctuation, but keeps country-code digits. Imports do not merge or overwrite contacts.
Importing sends no messages. Imported contacts are excluded from automatic email follow-up; having a contact list does not establish permission to message it.
See the lead and CSV workflow →Setup-dependent read-sync
Read your saved schedule alongside workspace appointments.
Where Google Calendar setup has been verified, Backbone displays saved Google events beside appointments recorded in Backbone. Choose the Google account that holds your work schedule; it can differ from your Backbone login.
Google events stay read only
Edit Google events in Google. Recording or rescheduling a native Backbone appointment does not create or edit a Google event.
Check what the saved view covers
Look for the last successful sync, the saved Google date window and any sync warning. Events outside that window may be missing, and saved events may be out of date.
Google setup is not generally available without verification. A connected badge or an empty calendar date does not confirm availability.
Explore the Morning Brief and native calendar →Know when a connection needs attention.
- Check setup status. Pending setup is not a confirmed connection. If the status cannot be loaded, retry the check before changing the connection.
- Read the sync details. A saved calendar view is only as current as its last successful sync. Follow any reconnection or sync warning before relying on its events.
- Wait for a confirmed outcome. Disconnecting can require cleanup. If cleanup is still pending, the connection is retained for a retry; the request alone does not confirm disconnection.
Which tools are still planned?
These connections are development plans, not services you can turn on today. For now, add inquiries manually or import a CSV into Leads.
Planned
Thumbtack
Lead requests and their source context are on the roadmap. There is no direct Thumbtack connection in this release.
Planned
Housecall Pro and Jobber
Connections between leads, appointments and jobs are planned. Neither is an active integration; provider access and the workflow still need verification.
Planned
Facebook and Instagram
Messages, lead context and optional job-photo posts are planned. Nothing is posted from Backbone in this release. Any future posting workflow needs customer permission and business review.
Planned
Phone, SMS and voice assistants
Receptionist and messaging workflows need verified setup, consent controls and delivery testing. They are not active services in this release.
Check how your working day would fit.
Before joining, identify where inquiries arrive, which tool holds your appointments and what you need a connection to read or change. Share those needs so the current fit can be checked before customer use is enabled.
Discuss your existing tools →