Importing contacts from Excel/CSV

Importing contacts from Excel/CSV

The bulk import tool lets you load hundreds of customers, vendors, and other contacts at once from an Excel or CSV file, saving hours of manual data entry. Usystems validates each row and reports errors clearly, so you can fix issues and re-upload without losing progress.

Before you start

• You need admin permissions to import contacts.
• Prepare a spreadsheet (Excel .xlsx or CSV) with one contact per row. Required columns: Name, Type (Customer, Vendor, or Other), and Contact Method (email or phone). Optional columns: Address, City, Country, Tax ID, Notes.
• Download a blank template from the import page to see the exact column order.
• Check that all phone numbers and emails are formatted consistently (no extra spaces or symbols that might block validation).
• If you are updating existing contacts, include their unique ID in the spreadsheet so the system knows which row to replace.

Steps

1. Go to Contacts → Import and click Choose File.
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2. Select your Excel or CSV file from your computer.

3. Click Preview to see how the system will read your data. Check that names, types, and contact methods appear in the right columns. If columns are misaligned, cancel and fix your spreadsheet.

4. Review any validation errors shown on the preview. Common issues:

   • Missing required field (Name or Type)
   • Invalid email format
   • Duplicate contact in your file or already in Usystems
   • Invalid Contact Type

5. Fix errors in your spreadsheet, re-upload, and preview again until all rows pass validation.

6. Click Import. The system creates or updates contacts and shows a summary: how many were added, updated, or skipped.

7. Go to Contacts → All Contacts to verify the new entries.
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Tips & common mistakes

• Phone format: If your file mixes formats (01234567, +93 123 4567, etc.), add a note in your spreadsheet and standardize before import, or add all numbers with the same format and edit outliers manually after import.
• Duplicate prevention: Usystems matches new contacts against existing ones by name and type. If you have "Ahmed" as both Customer and Vendor, the system treats them as separate entries — this is correct, but watch for accidental duplicates when you upload again.
• Large files: If you have more than 5,000 rows, split your spreadsheet into chunks (1,000 rows each) and import separately to keep the preview responsive.
• Update vs. create: If you want to update an existing contact's phone or address, include their contact ID in the import file. Without it, the system will create a new entry instead of overwriting the old one.