How to import your customers

If you're reading this, you've probably just chosen Timely to be your appointment software!

Now, for the admin bit, if you're coming from another system or have a list of all your customers, you can import a list of those customers into Timely to save you from having to enter them one by one. 

We use a specific template, in a CSV (comma separated values) format, to make sure that all of that information is imported correctly. If you aren't sure how or what information to export from your existing system. Get in touch with us by submitting a Help Form at our Help Centre and we can point you in the right direction.

Download the Customer import template

Download the sample file below and open it in a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel:

Add your customers to the template

You can copy and paste your data directly into the file or enter your customers into the template manually. 

There are a few important things you need to know:

1. You don't need to populate all the columns but you must not delete or move the column headers.
2. At least one of the name fields (e.g. First name, Last name or Company name) must be populated.
3. We will automatically add the international prefix to the SMS Number. To make sure that your SMS Numbers are imported as valid numbers, we only accept the following formats:
   • With the "0" removed from the beginning of the number e.g. "21400641"
   • In the full international dialing code format using the "+" prefix e.g. "+6421400641"
   • The full number, without the international prefix e.g. "021400641"
4. Email addresses must be added in a valid format without additional text e.g. hello@email.com and not hello@email.com (work).
5. To populate the Gender field use one of these values (excluding the " "):
   • "Male", "male", "M", "m"
   • "Female", "female", "F", "f"
6. The DateOfBirth field must be in this format: "yyyy-mm-dd" format. [In Excel you can set the format by right-clicking on the column header > choose Format cells > choose Custom, and enter the value "yyyy-mm-dd" into the Type field].
7. If you would like the customer to be marked as a VIP, add "TRUE" to this field. Otherwise, you can leave this blank.

Note: Don't forget to delete the sample customer ;-)

Test your Customer import file in Timely

1. In Timely, go to the Customers tab.
2. Click the Import customers button.
3. Click Upload file for test button.
4. Choose the file you downloaded onto your computer.
5. You will be sent an email with the test results after roughly 15 minutes.
6. Make any changes to your file as required.

Import the CSV file into Timely

1. In Timely, go to the Customers tab.
2. Click the Import customers button.
3. Click Upload file for import button.
4. Choose the file you downloaded onto your computer and confirm.
   
5. You will be sent an email to confirm once the import has been completed. 
6. You can now view and further refine your customer list from within Timely.