Importing customers from Excel: how to transfer full names, contacts, bonuses and discount cards

Switching to a new accounting system, launching the software from scratch, or merging several store databases into one — is a common situation in retail that requires preserving years of customer interaction history. The customer import mode is designed specifically to quickly transfer an existing loyalty database from spreadsheets to the Torgsoft system without data loss. 

When preparing for this process, business owners usually have practical tasks and ask the following questions: 

The answers to these questions are built into the flexible settings of the Torgsoft import tool. Below, we will explain in detail how to prepare and transfer all key customer data.

What data can be transferred from other software systems?

Many business owners are interested in the possibility of migrating a database from 1C, UkrSklad, or other accounting systems. Direct transfer "from one database to another" is not available. However, if your previous software allows you to export the customer list to an Excel file, this data can be easily imported into Torgsoft.

You can upload extensive customer information to Torgsoft: the customer name (full name), discount card barcode, discount percentage, initial amount for calculating the discount, accumulated bonus amount, address, phone number, email address, comments, and discount card type. For correct import, the document must be saved in the *.xls (Excel 97-2003) format, and the cells must be formatted as text.

Transferring names and phone numbers and checking uniqueness (duplicate prevention)

Names and full names.

The software provides a flexible approach to customer names. You can import the name as a single line into the "Customer name" field or use the separate "Last name", "First name", and "Middle name" fields by matching them with the corresponding columns in your Excel file.

How does the software distinguish customers with identical names?

Previously, there were questions regarding customer uniqueness, so the algorithm was improved. The phone number is now the primary field that determines customer uniqueness, together with the customer name and region. This means you can import customers with completely identical full names, and the software will create separate customer cards for them, provided that they have different phone numbers.

Updating an existing database.

If you import an updated customer list into a database where these customers already exist, the software will not create duplicates. To do this, simply select the "Overwrite customer information" checkbox in the "Import" form. In this case, if a customer is found, their data will simply be updated with the new values from the file.

Old and new discount card barcodes

 If customers already have discount cards. The Excel file must contain a column with barcodes, which you match with the "Barcode" field in Torgsoft. An important detail: a standard EAN-13 barcode consists of 13 digits, with the last digit serving as the check digit. Torgsoft generates and stores the 12 significant digits of a customer barcode. If you try to import or scan all 13 digits while the option to store the check digit is not enabled in the settings, the software may display the "Customer code is not unique" message or fail to find the customer. In this case, the 13th digit may need to be removed from the file.

 If there are no barcodes (generating new ones). Business owners often ask what to do if a database has already been collected, for example, from an online store, but plastic cards or barcodes do not yet exist. Torgsoft allows you to import a customer list from Excel without specifying any barcodes. During import, the software will automatically generate a unique 12-digit barcode for each new customer. You can then send the generated range of codes to a printing company to produce plastic cards or use them to distribute electronic discount cards.

Preserving customer status: transferring bonuses, accumulated purchase amounts, and discount percentages

To ensure that your regular customers do not lose their privileges when you switch to Torgsoft, the financial indicators must be transferred correctly:

1. Loyalty system type. When configuring the import, you can set a general algorithm for the entire list in the "Discount calculation method" field: "Cumulative", "Fixed", or "Bonus system".

2. Accumulated purchase amounts. If a customer previously had a cumulative discount and has already made purchases totaling, for example, UAH 10,000, this amount must be entered into an Excel column that you will then link to the "Initial amount for discount calculation" field. The software will use this amount to determine the customer's current discount threshold, and their next purchase will immediately take the applicable discount percentage into account.

3. Bonus balance. The number of unused bonuses is transferred from Excel by matching the relevant column with the "Bonuses" field, or the "Bonus amount" field, in the import settings.

4. Discount percentage. If a customer has a fixed discount percentage, for example, a VIP customer, it is uploaded from the "Discount %" column.

A brief procedure in the software

1. Save the prepared customer list in Excel (xls) format and make sure that the data is formatted as text.

2. Open Torgsoft and go to Marketing -> Customers -> Import.

3. In the window that appears, click "Data source" and create a connection to your Excel file.

4. On the "Import settings" tab, select the table. Then, on the "Product" tab, which in this context contains the customer fields, match the column names in your Excel file with the corresponding fields in Torgsoft: full name, phone number, barcode, initial amount, and so on.

5. If necessary, enable the "Overwrite customer information" option and click "Save".

By spending minimal time preparing the spreadsheet and configuring the import template once, you can transfer the entire customer history to Torgsoft while preserving customer loyalty from the first day of working in the new system.