Preparing Your Data for Import

Overview:
Ensuring your source file is clean and correctly formatted is the first step to a smooth bulk import of customer data.

Steps:

1. Export a fresh template from Customer Management → Customers → Bulk Import → Download Template.

2. Open the template in Excel or Google Sheets and populate your customer data under each column header.

3. Remove any duplicate rows and correct typos in names, emails, and phone numbers.

4. Standardize date formats to YYYY-MM-DD and phone numbers to include country codes.

5. Save your file as CSV (Comma delimited) or XLSX.

Tips & Best Practices:

• Keep only the columns you intend to import; delete unused columns to reduce mapping confusion.

• Use data validation (drop‑downs) in your spreadsheet for fields like status or tags.

• Maintain a master “clean” copy of your file as a backup before importing.

Troubleshooting / FAQs:

• Q: My file won’t open as CSV?
  A: Ensure you save with UTF‑8 encoding and that commas are the delimiter, not semicolons.

• Q: Dates are shifting after import?
  A: Check your spreadsheet’s locale and ensure dates are in the YYYY-MM-DD format.