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Import multiple customers at once from a spreadsheet to quickly migrate from your existing system.

When to Use Import

  • New to Crewdex: Moving from spreadsheets or another system
  • Seasonal influx: Adding batch of new customers
  • System migration: Transferring data from old CRM
  • Data recovery: Restoring customer list from backup

Before You Start

What You'll Need

  • Customer list in spreadsheet format (CSV, Excel, or Google Sheets)
  • Required information:
    • Customer name (minimum)
  • Optional information:
    • Phone number
    • Email address
    • Physical address (street, city, state, ZIP)
    • Notes

Best Practices

  1. Start small: Test with 10-20 customers first
  2. Clean your data: Remove duplicates before importing
  3. Standardize phone numbers: Any format works, but consistent is better
  4. Review carefully: Check the preview before importing

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Download the Template

  1. Go to Customers page
  2. Click Import button (desktop) or ⋯ menu > Import from Spreadsheet (mobile)
  3. Click Download CSV Template
  4. Open the template in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet program

The template includes:

  • Example customers (replace with your own)
  • All required and optional columns
  • Format examples for phone numbers and addresses

Step 2: Fill Out Your Data

Required Columns

Name (required)

  • Full customer name
  • Example: John Smith or Acme Corporation
  • Minimum 2 characters

Optional Columns

Phone (optional)

  • Any common format accepted:
    • (555) 123-4567
    • 555-123-4567
    • 5551234567
    • 555 123 4567
  • System automatically standardizes format
  • Leave blank if unknown

Email (optional)

Address (optional)

  • Street address
  • Example: 123 Main St, Apt 4B

City, State, ZIP (optional)

  • Helps with route planning
  • State: 2-letter code (TX, CA, etc.)
  • ZIP: 5-digit code

Notes (optional)

  • Special instructions or preferences
  • Example: Side gate access or Call before arrival
  • Maximum 5,000 characters

Tips for Data Entry

✅ Do this:

  • Include area codes in phone numbers
  • Use consistent formatting within columns
  • Double-check for typos in email addresses
  • Keep notes brief and relevant

❌ Avoid this:

  • International phone numbers (use US format)
  • Special characters in names (except apostrophes, hyphens)
  • Extremely long notes (keep under 500 characters)

Step 3: Upload Your File

  1. Save your spreadsheet as CSV (comma-separated values)
    • Excel: File > Save As > CSV UTF-8
    • Google Sheets: File > Download > Comma Separated Values (.csv)
  2. Click Next Step in the import wizard
  3. Either:
    • Drag and drop the CSV file onto the upload area
    • Click to browse and select your file
    • Paste data directly from your clipboard

File requirements:

  • Format: .csv or .txt
  • Maximum size: 5 MB (~5,000 customers)
  • Encoding: UTF-8

Step 4: Review the Preview

The system validates your data and shows:

✅ Valid (green)

  • Customer ready to import
  • All required fields present and correct

⚠️ Warning (yellow)

  • Customer will import with minor issues
  • Example: Email format slightly off (will be skipped)
  • Optional fields missing (will be blank)

❌ Error (red)

  • Customer cannot be imported
  • Must fix before importing
  • Common issues:
    • Name too short (less than 2 characters)
    • Invalid phone number
    • Duplicate phone number (already in your system)

Review Options

  • All Rows: See complete preview
  • Errors Only: Focus on problems to fix
  • Download Error Report: CSV of rows with errors

Step 5: Import

  1. Review the summary:
    • X customers ready to import
    • Y rows have warnings (will import with defaults)
    • Z rows have errors (will be skipped)
  2. Click Import X Customers
  3. Wait for completion (usually 5-30 seconds)
  4. Success! Your customers appear in the list

Customers with errors are skipped automatically. Download the error report to fix and re-import them later.

Common Issues & Solutions

Duplicate Phone Numbers

Problem: "Phone (555) 123-4567 already exists for John Smith"

Solution:

  • Check if customer already in your system
  • If different person, update phone number in spreadsheet
  • If same person, skip (no need to re-import)

Invalid Phone Number

Problem: "Invalid phone number format"

Solution:

  • Must be 10 digits (US numbers only currently)
  • Remove extra characters except: (), -, spaces
  • Add area code if missing
  • Example fix: 123-4567 → 555-123-4567

Name Too Short

Problem: "Name required (min 2 characters)"

Solution:

  • Provide full name or business name
  • Minimum 2 characters required
  • Example fix: J → J. Smith

File Won't Upload

Problem: File too large or wrong format

Solution:

  • Too large: Split into multiple imports (1,000 customers per file)
  • Wrong format: Save as CSV UTF-8 (not Excel .xlsx)
  • Encoding issues: Open in Excel/Google Sheets, re-save as CSV

Empty Import Preview

Problem: No customers appear after upload

Solution:

  • Check CSV has header row: Name,Phone,Email,...
  • Verify data starts on row 2 (row 1 is headers)
  • Ensure columns are comma-separated
  • Try pasting data directly instead of uploading file

Tips for Large Imports

Importing 100+ customers?

  1. Test first: Import 10-20 customers to verify format
  2. Split files: 500-1,000 customers per file works best
  3. Plan timing: Off-hours (evenings/weekends) for large imports
  4. Clean data first: Remove duplicates, fix phone numbers before import
  5. Keep backup: Save original spreadsheet before importing

After Importing

What Happens Next

  1. Customers appear immediately in your customer list
  2. Search works: Find by name, phone, or email
  3. Ready for jobs: Schedule jobs for imported customers right away
  4. No geocoding yet: Addresses not mapped until first job scheduled

Verify Your Import

✅ Check these:

  • Correct number of customers imported
  • Names display correctly
  • Phone numbers formatted consistently
  • No duplicate customers

Clean Up (if needed)

If you imported incorrect data:

  1. Go to customer details
  2. Click ⋯ menu > Delete Customer
  3. Re-import with corrected data

A: Not currently. Import only creates new customers. To update existing customers, edit them individually.

Q: What happens to duplicate phone numbers?
A: They're automatically skipped to prevent duplicates. You'll see them in the error report.

Q: Can I import international phone numbers?
A: Not yet. Currently only US phone numbers supported. International support coming soon.

Q: Is there a limit on number of customers?
A: File size limit is 5 MB (~5,000 customers). For larger imports, split into multiple files.

Q: Can I undo an import?
A: No automatic undo. You'd need to manually delete imported customers and re-import corrected data.

Q: What if I have custom fields?
A: Custom fields not supported in bulk import yet. Add them individually after importing.

Q: Can I import from QuickBooks/other software?
A: Export customers from that software as CSV, then use our import tool. You may need to rearrange columns to match our template.

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