Import Customers From a File (Web)

To learn how to import customers from a file on Skimmer's website, see the video below. Or, if you prefer, scroll past the video to view our step-by-step text instructions.

Step-by-step instructions . . .

1

Skimmer lets you import customers using an Excel spreadsheet or CSV file, and we’re going to show you how to do it. The first step, of course, is to get your customers into a file. If your customer list is currently in another system, such as QuickBooks Desktop or a Google Sheet, those systems and many others have a built-in function that will export your list directly into an Excel or CSV format.

2

Once you have the file, you’ll likely need to follow another step before you can upload it. On the Customers screen, click the Import from File button, which will take you to the screen where you’ll perform the import. First, though, you’ll need to make sure the customer list is formatted in a way that Skimmer can read the information and put it where it needs to go.

Scroll down and you’ll find guidelines for proper formatting. You’ll want to pay special attention to them because if any of them aren’t followed, Skimmer won’t be able to read the file, which means the list won’t import.

3

The first few sections give you tips, instructions and special notes, so you can learn what Skimmer needs your file to look like. For instance, some important notes are:

-A free and easy way to edit spreadsheets if you do not have access to Excel is with Google Sheets.

-You must have a row that contains the column names.

-All rows in the file must have the exact same number of columns.

-Only the first worksheet in the spreadsheet will be used, so make sure that all the customer data is there.

Those are just a few examples. You’ll want to make sure you read through all the notes. It’ll help you get the formatting right the first time, which will save you lots of time and hassle in the long run.

4

Continue to scroll and you’ll find the Available Columns section. This is very important because it shows you what columns are required, what columns are optional, and how each of them needs to be formatted. If a column is marked as required, it MUST be included in your import file, and all information in your file must follow these formatting guidelines.

For instance, a common mistake would be combining first and last name in the same column, but each one must have its own distinct column in order to import.

5

Skimmer also provides a visual aid to help you. Scroll back to the top and you’ll see that you can download a sample file.

This gives you a spreadsheet that you can model your customer list after. When your spreadsheet looks like this, you’re good to go and ready to import.

It may look like a lot of instructions, but applying it to your customers is typically pretty simple, and if you have questions or hit any snags, our support team is always here to answer questions and point you the right way.

6

When you’re good to go, click Choose File to Upload, navigate to your file and select it. When it’s ready to be imported, you’ll see the file name appear below the buttons. Then click Import Customers From File, which will take you to the import screen.

Here, you’ll have the chance to review the customers you’re importing. They’re all selected by default, but if you decide there are some you don’t want to import yet, you can deselect them.

Note here that Skimmer has alerted us of a potential duplicate. If you’re attempting to import a customer and that name already exists in your Skimmer customer list, it will let you know. You can still import it if you like, but this can help you avoid accidental duplication.

7

When you’re ready, click the Import Customers button, and your new customers will be added to the system.

Return to the Customers list, and there they are. Now you can fill in additional information, and add them to your service schedule.