Introduction
Contact-level exclusions let you prevent specific people (or entire email domains) from being targeted by campaigns, exports, enrichments or automated workflows. Use contact exclusions for do-not-contact requests, internal or test accounts, competitors, partners, churned customers, or any case where outreach must be blocked. This guide gives a clear, step-by-step procedure for adding, editing, and removing contact exclusions, explains duplicate handling and bulk operations, and offers best practices and troubleshooting guidance.
Preconditions & permissions
Access required: You must have access to Settings → Configurations → Exclusion List. If you cannot see this menu, request the appropriate role from your admin.
User accounts: The Exclusion List operates on emails (or email domains) — ensure you use canonical email formats.
Backup before bulk changes: For large operations, export the current exclusion list to preserve an audit snapshot for rollback.
Where to find it
Open the application and go to Settings.
Choose Configurations.
Select Exclusion List.
Click the Contacts tab to manage contact-level exclusions.
You will see the current excluded contacts table: columns usually include First Name, Last Name, Email ID,and Type of Exclusion. Each row offers Edit and Delete actions and a checkbox for multi-select.
Detailed step‑by‑step workflow
Each step below explains why you do it and what to expect.
Step 1: Log in to your Sprouts account
The user enters their credentials and logs into the platform. After a successful authentication, the user is directed to the main dashboard.
From this point onward, the user has access to all modules and navigation items that are enabled for their role.
Action | Description |
Log in | Use your Sprouts account credentials. |
Step 2: Navigate to the Exclusion List (Contacts)
open Settings.
Go to Configurations.
Click Exclusion List.
Select the Contacts tab (the page shows the current list of excluded emails and contacts name).
What you will see: a table of excluded entries (emails and contacts name exclusion type). Each row has action controls such as Edit and Delete, and checkboxes for multi-select.
Step 3: Adding Contacts to Exclusion manually
On the top-right corner of the Contact Exclusion screen, click Add to Exclusion.
A form will open with the following fields:
First Name – Enter the first name of the contact.
Last Name – Enter the last name of the contact.
Email ID – Provide the email ID of the contact (mandatory field, unique identifier).
Type of Exclusion – Select the exclusion type from dropdown options (e.g., Active Customer, Churned Customer, Competitors, Partners, etc.).
Update – Modify the existing record with the new details provided.
Skip – Retain the existing record without making changes.
After filling in the details, click Save.
A success toast message will appear: “Contact added to exclusion successfully.”
The new contact will now appear in the Exclusion Contact List.
Step 4: Bulk Import via CSV
To save time, you can bulk upload accounts/contacts into the exclusion list.
Steps:
In the Exclusion List (Contact Level), click on Import Bulk (located to the left of the Add to Exclusion button).
A pop-up appears with options:
Download Sample CSV File – Review the sample format for guidance.
Upload Your CSV File – Select your file with the exclusion data.
Once uploaded, click Proceed.
Field Mapping & Settings
After proceeding, a Mapping Screen appears where you align your CSV fields with Sprouts fields.
Field Mapping Table:
Mapped Status | CSV Fields | Sprouts Fields | Sample Data |
✓ | First Name | First Name | <insert first name here> |
✓ | Last Name | Last Name | <insert last name here> |
✓ | <insert email here> | ||
✓ | Exclusion-Type | Exclusion Type | <insert exclusion type here> |
Settings Options:
How you’d want to import data: Choose the import behavior.
If an email already exists in the exclusion list: Select whether to overwrite, skip, or update.
If exclusion type is missing or incorrect (not matching Sprouts types): Assign a default exclusion type to maintain consistency.
Final Import
After reviewing field mappings and settings, click Import Contacts.
The system validates and imports the data.
You will receive a confirmation that the accounts/contacts have been successfully added to the exclusion list.
Step 5: Editing an Excluded Contact
In the Exclusion Contact List, locate the contact you want to modify.
Click the Edit button (pencil icon) against each contact.
You will be able to update:
First Name
Last Name
Type of Exclusion
(Note: Email ID cannot be changed, as it is the unique identifier.)
Click Save to apply changes.
A success toast message will confirm the update.
Step 6: Deleting Excluded Contacts
Delete a single contact exclusion
In the Contacts exclusion table, click Delete on the target row.
Confirm the deletion in the modal that appears (this prevents accidental removals).
After confirmation, the row is removed and a success toast confirms the action.
Bulk delete contact exclusions
Goal: Remove many excluded contacts in one operation.
In the Contacts table, select multiple rows using the left-hand checkboxes. Use Select all if you intend to delete all visible rows (that selects only the current page ).
Click the Delete selected bulk action (or equivalent).
The system prompts for confirmation. Because this is destructive for the exclusion list, confirm carefully. Optionally export the selected rows before finalizing.
Confirm deletion. The system processes the bulk delete and shows a toast with the number of records removed.
Spot-check the table to ensure the expected rows are gone.
Why: Bulk deletion is efficient for cleanup, but always take a backup and confirm selection scope to avoid accidental mass removals.
Contact Exclusion from TAL
Purpose
Quickly exclude one or more contacts right from the Contacts list in TAL—no need to navigate to Settings first.
Prerequisites
Only contacts with an email are eligible for exclusion.
You must have permission to manage the exclusion list.
Step-by-Step
Open Contacts
Go to TAL → Contacts (list view).
Select Contacts
Check the boxes for the contacts you want to exclude.
Make sure each selected contact has an Email value.
Open More Actions
In the top header toolbar, click the ⋯ (More) button.
Choose Exclusion
Click Add to Exclusion.
Review Confirmation Modal
Modal title: “Add X contacts to Exclusion?”
(X = number of contacts selected)Body text:
“You’re about to move X contact(s) to your exclusion list. They’ll be skipped in all future sends and sequences.”
Choose Exclusion Type
From the Exclusion Type dropdown, pick one option (applies to all selected contacts in this action), e.g.:
Partner
Churned Customer
Active Customer
(add any other configured types available in Sprouts)
If a type is required, the Confirm button stays disabled until you select one.
Confirm
Click Confirm.
Success Feedback
A toast message appears, e.g.:
“Contact(s) excluded successfully. They’ll be skipped in all future sends & sequences.”The selected contacts are now in Settings → Configurations → Exclusion List → Contact Level.
Notes & Behavior
Bulk action: The chosen Exclusion Type is applied to all selected contacts in this run. If you need different types per subset, repeat the steps for each subset.
Email requirement: If a selected contact lacks an email, they won’t be processed in this action.
Where to verify/remove later:
Settings → Configurations → Exclusion List → Contact Level (you can view or remove contacts from exclusion here).
Troubleshooting & FAQ
Q — I added a contact but the contact still receives campaign emails.
A — Confirm the campaign or export honors the Exclusion List.; check campaign configuration and integration logic with your admin.
Q — The dialog showed a duplicate: Update or Skip — which should I choose?
A — Choose Update when you need to refresh the exclusion reason or correct name data. Choose Skip to leave the existing record intact.
Q — Can I exclude an entire email domain?
A — Many tenants support domain-level exclusions (e.g., @example.com). If supported, enter the domain format in the Email ID field or use the domain field if present. Confirm behavior with your admin.Kritika SharmaPlease tell me the answer.
Q — How many rows can I add in one operation?
A — The Add dialog typically supports multiple rows in one operation; there is a set batch limit of 10.
Quick reference checklist
Add contacts to exclusion
Settings → Configurations → Exclusion List → Contacts.
Click Add to exclusion.
Fill First Name, Last Name, Email ID, Type of Exclusion for each row.
Resolve duplicates (Update / Skip) if prompted.
Click Save → confirm toast → verify table.
Edit a contact exclusion
Locate row → Edit → update fields → Save → verify.
Delete single / bulk
Select row(s) → Delete or Delete selected → confirm modal → verify.