How to call your leads

The best app to call a list of leads from a spreadsheet

Last updated September 11, 2026

You have a spreadsheet (a CSV of purchased leads, an exported list from your CRM, a Google Sheet a VA built) and a column of phone numbers, and you want the least painful way through the whole list without copy-pasting numbers into your phone for an hour. There are three real approaches, and only one of them calls the list for you.

If the list comes out of Apollo, the same import works on its CSV export, and it is often cheaper than Apollo's own add-on for power dialing; the plan-by-plan arithmetic is in the Apollo dialer, priced.

The three ways to call a list from a spreadsheet

Most "call from Google Sheets" guides show you how to make numbers clickable, which still leaves you calling one row at a time.

Why a power dialer beats click-to-call

On a cold list, most numbers don't answer. If you dial by hand, the hour goes on the dead time between calls: finding the next row, copying the number, waiting through rings, hanging up, logging the result. A power dialer removes all of it. The moment you log one call's outcome it places the next, and the outcome (no answer, voicemail, callback, not interested) is saved to the record. Reps typically get through 2–3× more numbers per hour than manual dialing. If you need to go even faster, a parallel dialer rings several numbers at once and connects you to the first human who picks up, which helps on very cold lists where answer rates are low.

For the difference between power, auto, and predictive dialing, see power vs auto vs predictive dialer.

What columns your spreadsheet needs

You don't need a perfect file. A phone number and a name is enough, and a clean import looks like this:

• Phone. The only required column. Store it as text so nothing gets truncated. E.164 (+14155551234) is ideal; (415) 555-1234 and 4155551234 import fine too. A number without a country code is read as a US or Canadian number, so numbers from anywhere else need the + and country code. To fix a column before import, paste it into the free phone number formatter, which returns E.164 with duplicates removed.
• Name. One column, so you can see who you are calling. If your sheet splits first and last names, join them with =A2&" "&B2 before you export.
• Company, email, job title, website, LinkedIn URL. Optional; each one imports onto the lead, so you have context on the call. A second number, such as a direct line or a mobile, can map to Personal Phone, and a third to Other Phone.
• Notes. Optional; the cell is saved as a note on the lead, so a “left voicemail in May” from the old sheet is on the screen when you call.
• Time zone or state. There is no field for it, but you can map the column to Tags, then filter to one time zone and call it inside legal calling hours.

How to call a spreadsheet of leads, step by step

1. Export to CSV. In Google Sheets: File → Download → Comma-separated values. In Excel: Save As → CSV. DialSheet imports .csv files, not .xlsx files or a Sheets link.
2. Create a free account and connect a phone number. DialSheet runs on your own Twilio account, so you keep your number and pay wholesale call rates. With no Twilio account, pick a DialSheet line instead ($49 a month with 25 hours of calling).
3. Import the file with Import CSV and check the column mapping. Headers such as Phone, Name and Company map themselves, and you can tag the whole import so the list is easy to pull up again. The free plan holds 500 leads, so a longer file needs Pro.
4. Scrub if needed. Remove Do-Not-Call numbers before you start (more below).
5. Press Power Dial. Filter to the import's tag, select all, and press Power Dial. DialSheet calls the first lead, and one click on the outcome (no answer, voicemail, interested, callback tomorrow) logs it and dials the next.
6. Work the outcomes. Callbacks, notes, and call history are saved per lead, so tomorrow's follow-ups are already organized. To get results back into a spreadsheet, open Calls, switch to All attempts and export the CSV; it lists each call's lead, phone number, disposition and note.

What it costs

Per-seat tools that call a list charge roughly $30 to $185 per user per month (Aircall, Kixie, Close and PhoneBurner), whether you make 10 calls or 1,000. The bring-your-own-carrier approach flips that: you pay your carrier (Twilio) only for the minutes you use, about $0.014 a minute for a US call plus $0.004 a minute for the browser leg, and about $1.15 a month per phone number. DialSheet's software is free for one person with a list of up to 500 leads and 500 calls a month, and at that cap one caller's whole bill is about $7 a month of Twilio usage. A longer list or a second caller moves you to Pro at $29 a month for the first seat and $29 for each teammate, with Twilio still billed to you at cost. Without a Twilio account, a DialSheet line is $49 a month with a local number, 25 hours of calling and Pro included (US and Canada only). See the full breakdown in how much it costs to cold call with Twilio, or compare plans on our pricing page.

Before you call the list: a compliance note

Owning a spreadsheet of numbers doesn't mean every number is safe to call. For U.S. consumer telemarketing you generally must scrub against the National Do Not Call Registry, keep an internal opt-out list, and call only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the contact's local time. B2B calls are often exempt, but not always. TCPA statutory damages run $500–$1,500 per call. This isn't legal advice; read do you have to scrub the DNC list before cold calling and confirm the rules for your list before you dial.

Common questions