Importing Customers from CSV
If you're switching to Trade2Base from a spreadsheet, another CRM, or an older job management system, the CSV import tool lets you bring all your existing customers across in one go — no re-typing required. This guide walks through every step.
Step-by-step import process
Click Customers in the sidebar, then click the Import button at the top right of the customer list. Select "Import from CSV" from the dropdown.
Click "Download template" to get a pre-formatted CSV file with the correct column headers. Open it in Excel or Google Sheets — it's easiest to fill in or paste your data into this template rather than trying to format your own file.
The template has four required columns: Name, Phone, Email, and Address. Every row must have at least a Name and either a Phone or Email. Rows missing all contact details will be skipped during import.
Two optional columns are also in the template: Tags (comma-separated, e.g. "Landlord,Commercial") and Notes (any free-text notes about the customer). Leave these blank if you don't need them.
Save your completed CSV file, then drag it onto the upload area in Trade2Base, or click "Choose file" to browse. Trade2Base validates the file immediately and shows a preview of the first 10 rows.
Trade2Base checks for existing customers with the same phone number or email. Any potential duplicates are highlighted. You can choose to skip them (keep the existing record) or merge (update the existing record with the CSV data).
Review the confirmation screen showing how many customers will be created, updated, or skipped, then click "Start import". A progress bar shows the import running. For large files (1,000+ rows), this may take a minute or two.
Required vs optional columns
| Column | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes | Full name or business name |
| Phone | Yes* | *Phone or Email must be present |
| Yes* | *Phone or Email must be present | |
| Address | Yes | Full postal address on one line |
| Tags | No | Comma-separated, e.g. "Landlord,Commercial" |
| Notes | No | Free text, any length |
Tips and common issues
The importer matches columns by their exact header name. If you rename a column (e.g. “Phone Number” instead of “Phone”) the column will not be recognised and that data will be skipped. Always use the downloaded template as your starting point.
UK numbers should be in the format 07700 900000 or +447700900000. Trade2Base normalises formatting automatically, so you don't need to strip spaces or leading zeros before importing.
The CSV importer supports up to 5,000 rows per file and a maximum file size of 10 MB. If your export has more than 5,000 customers, split it into multiple files and import them sequentially.
What to do after importing
Once the import completes, your customer list is populated and ready to use. Here are a few recommended next steps:
- Send a welcome message — use Bulk Messages to send a personalised WhatsApp or SMS to let your customers know you're now managing their account in Trade2Base.
- Add tags — if you imported customers without tags, open the customer list, use the filter to find groups (e.g. postcodes), and bulk-tag them.
- Check for missing data — review a sample of imported records to make sure names, addresses, and phone numbers look correct.
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