Inbox Export
You can export messages and Reviews from the Smart Inbox into a CSV file to provide data to stakeholders and other groups. The Smart Inbox CSV export can help you to provide insight into responses to your incoming messages, show how quickly teams completed reviews and gather all incoming comments in one place with detailed data.
This article contains the following sections:
Exporting your Smart Inbox
To export messages from your Smart Inbox:
- Configure the Smart Inbox to only show the messages you want to export using the Filter Menu.
- Click the calendar to choose a specific date range, or choose a preset date range.
- Click Export. A popup appears with information about what the file will contain based on the Filter Menu criteria and date range you picked.
Click Send, and then click Close. A toast notification appears in Sprout when the CSV download is ready. The toast notification won't disappear until you take action. However, if you miss this notification or close it in error, complete steps 1-3 again. - Click Download CSV on the toast notification.
Inbox Export Data
The following table provides details on the data included in the Smart Inbox Export.
The Column Name column provides the name of the column in the CSV export and the Description provides details about the values you can expect to see in each column. The Plan Level column specifies which Sprout plan the column is available with.
|
Column Name |
Description |
Plan Level |
|
Timestamp |
A timestamp of the message based on the user's local timezone in your default time format for your Sprout account. For example, 2020-05-05 14:21:09 |
All Plans |
|
Type |
The type of message. For example, Sent, Incoming or Outgoing. |
All Plans |
|
Network |
The network the message is associated with. For example, Facebook or Twitter. |
All Plans |
|
Message Type |
The name of the message type. For example, Post or Comment. |
All Plans |
|
Connected Profile |
The social profile for the brand the message is associated with. For example, Sprout Coffee Co. |
All Plans |
|
Brand Keyword |
The brand keyword associated with the message. If there is no Brand Keyword, this column is blank. For example, Sprout Coffee. |
All Plans |
|
Received From (Network Name) |
The network social profile the message was received from. This column applies to incoming messages only. For example, Instagram. |
All Plans |
|
Sent By (Sprout User) |
The Sprout username of the author of the message sent via Sprout. For example, Mandy P. |
All Plans |
|
Message |
The actual text of the message. |
All Plans |
|
Native Permalink |
The hyperlink to the message on the original network. For example, https://www.facebook.com/CafeSproutChicago/ |
All Plans |
|
Permalink |
The hyperlink to the message in the Sprout Smart Inbox. |
All Plans |
|
Tags |
The Sprout tags applied to the message. For example, pumpkinspice. |
Professional+ |
|
Tags Applied By |
The identifier of the entity that applied tags to the message. For example, Mandy P., Bot or rule. Note that if one of these entities applied multiple tags to a message, the entity name appears multiple times in the column. |
Professional+ |
|
First Tag Timestamp |
The date and time the first tag was applied to the message, if applicable. For example, 2020-05-05 14:21:09 |
Professional+ |
|
Reply Status |
A yes/no value indicating if a Sprout user responded to the message. Yes appears in this column if the message has a reply and No appears if the message doesn’t have a reply. |
All Plans |
|
Replied By |
The name of the Sprout user that responded to the message. For example, Mandy P. |
All Plans |
|
First Reply Timestamp |
The date and time the first reply was applied to the message, if applicable. For example, 2020-05-05 14:21:09 |
All Plans |
|
Completed Status |
A yes/no value indicating if a Sprout user completed the message. Yes appears in this column if the message was completed and No appears if the message is incomplete. |
All Plans |
|
Completed By |
The Sprout user that completed the message. For example, Mandy P. If the message isn’t complete, this column appears blank. |
All Plans |
|
Completed Timestamp |
The date and time the message was completed. For example, 2020-05-05 14:21:09 |
All Plans |
|
Liked Status |
A yes/no value indicating if a Sprout user liked the message. Yes appears in this column if a user liked the message and No appears if the message is unliked. |
All Plans |
|
Liked By |
The Sprout user that liked the message. For example, Mandy P. If the message wasn’t liked this column appears blank. |
All Plans |
|
Liked Timestamp |
The date and time the message was liked. For example, 2020-05-05 14:21:09 |
All Plans |
|
Hidden Status |
A yes/no value indicating if a Sprout user hid the message. Yes appears in this column if the message was hidden and No appears if the message remains shown. |
All Plans |
|
Hidden By |
The Sprout user that hid the message. For example, Mandy P. If the message wasn’t hidden, this column appears blank. |
All Plans |
|
Hidden Timestamp |
The date and time the message was hidden. For example, 2020-05-05 14:21:09 |
All Plans |
|
Message ID |
The unique identifier for the message. For example, 1260936426004381696 |
All Plans |
|
Parent Post ID |
The Post ID the message is related to. For example, 1260936426004381696 |
All Plans |
|
Ad ID |
The unique identifier for an ad. For example, 1260936426004381696 |
All Plans |
|
Ad Campaign ID |
The unique identifier for the ad campaign. For example, 1260936426004381696 |
All Plans |
|
Ad Account ID |
The unique identifier for the corresponding ad account. For example, 1260936426004381696 |
All Plans |
|
In Response To: Timestamp |
The date and time of the corresponding parent message. For example, 2020-05-05 14:21:09 |
All Plans |
|
In Response To: Message ID |
The unique identifier of the Post ID when the parent message is a post. For example, 1260936426004381696 |
All Plans |
|
In Response To: Message |
The message text of the parent message. |
All Plans |
Reviews Export
The following table provides details on the data included in the Smart Inbox Export for reviews.
The Column Name provides the name of the column in the CSV export and the Description provides details about the values you can expect to see in each column. The Plan Level column specifies which Sprout plan the data is available for.
|
Column |
Description |
Plan Level |
|
Timestamp |
The timestamp of the review based on the user's local timezone. For example, 2020-05-04 15:21:16 |
All Plans |
|
Message Type |
The type of the review message. Incoming appears in this column. |
All Plans |
|
Network |
The network the review is associated with. For example, Facebook or TripAdvisor. |
All Plans |
|
Connected |
The social profile of the brand associated with the review. For example, Sprout Coffee Co. |
All Plans |
Inbox Export FAQ
How are files exported?
Files are exported directly to your desktop via toast notification.
Which file types can I export?
CSV only.
What types of messages can I export?
You can export all message types in the Smart Inbox across all networks - including Brand Keywords and Sent Messages.
How far back can I export messages?
Message data can be exported as far back as the time period you select.
Can I export from Isolation Mode?
No.
Will the Export Inbox function honor the Hide Completed Items toggle?
Yes. If you hide completed items, completed items won’t appear in the Smart Inbox, so they won't appear in the export. If you do not hide completed items, they get included in the export.
Will the Inbox Sort preference apply?
No. The export displays messages from oldest to newest. You can sort the messages however you prefer in the CSV by using an app like Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel.
Am I able to exclude a specific timeframe?
No, but you can choose a customizable date range from the Send CSV modal.
Can I export based on the tags filter?
Yes, you can export the Smart Inbox or a custom Inbox View with tags selected.
Will chatbot messages be included in the export?
Yes, as long as they appear in the Inbox before you export.
How is this different from full archiving services?
Exported messages are available for the time period you select--this doesn't include a recurring or scheduled export of all message data.
Can I send this to non-Sprout users?
Yes. But, please be mindful that this export can contain sensitive information. Within the Send CSV modal that pops-up upon clicking Export Inbox, there is a disclaimer, "The Inbox Export may contain confidential or other sensitive information, including personally identifiable information. By hitting Send, you agree that Sprout Social is not responsible for the security of the information contained in the Inbox Export or compliance with any applicable law following your request to send the Inbox Export."
Is it possible to limit access from Read Only users?
No. Read Only users are able to see inbox messages so it makes sense for them to be able to export as well.
Does Inbox Export support non-Latin characters in the export?
Yes. If you receive a message in a language that does not use the Latin alphabet, those messages will appear in Sprout as well as in the exported file in the original alphabet used.
Does the export include data on the completion status of incoming messages?
Yes. As of January 2018, the export has been enhanced to indicate whether incoming messages have been completed, and by whom (This data is not available for sent messages as sent messages cannot be completed).
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