If you have a list of customers in another system (such as an email database or an old CRM system) it’s possible to import them into Spektrix so that you have them all in one place. You can even add tags and attributes along the way. Alternatively, you can use the same functionality to take an existing list of customers in your database and group them into households.
To do this you need to send a list of your data over to the Spektrix Support Team via our secure uploader tool, SendSafely, and then contact Support to let us know that you have uploaded all of the files you need.
TIP: If the file you want to import has fewer than 50 records, you'll need to manually add these to your system. Our Support Team can import any data containing 50 records or more.
This article will explain everything you need to do to get your data ready and upload it to us.
New customer imports
In order for us to import your data into Spektrix, you need to be able to output the data as a CSV or Excel list.
Once you’ve done that, you will need to download our customer import template and paste your data into it. Alternatively, you can set the column headings of an existing CSV to match the ones given in the template (they do not have to be in the same order).
Duplicates
If you’re importing names into a Spektrix system that’s already live then it's possible that the import will create duplicate records. To prevent this you should always include your customers’ email addresses in your imported records. Spektrix will use the email address field to find those customers which already exist in your existing system and update them with details from the sheet, rather than creating a new account.
If you’re re-importing customers that you extracted from Spektrix in the first place then you can use the Spektrix customer ID to update each record with the information from your CSV.
Addresses
If you supply an address then it will be imported into the system and can be set as the default delivery and billing address. We won’t remove the old address.
Adding tags, attributes and contact preference info
It's a big help if you can tell us as much as possible about the people you want to import. Giving us a list of names and emails is fine but we can only set up the imported customers using the data you supply. For example, if you don't include any Contact Preferences then the new records won't contain any, and you will need to set them individually...which is boring.
You may also want to add new information to your imported customers, such as a new tag or attribute. You can do this by putting the tag/attribute data into the CSV sheet before you send it to us.
In order to do this, set the column headings as follows:
To add a tag: set the column heading in the following format: Tag:{Tag Group}:{Tag Name}
For example: Tag:Preferences:Drama
or Tag:Access Information:Wheelchair User
Place a y in the column to apply it to a record.
To add an attribute: set the column heading to the following format: CustomField:{Attribute Name}
For example: CustomField:Job Title
or CustomField:Wedding Anniversary
In the column, type the value for the attribute (e.g. Manager or 2012-01-01) to apply it to a record.
To add Contact Preference Statements: set the column heading to the following format: ContactPreference:{ContactPreferenceName}
For example: ContactPreference:Agreed to post
or ContactPreference:Agreed to email.
Place a y in the column to apply it to a record.
Please note that we need the Name of your Contact Preference Statement as it is on your Spektrix system.
Households
We can also group customers into households in bulk following the same general process as above - rather than importing a CSV full of new customers, you’re taking existing customers and putting them into households. You can find more information on the Households functionality in Spektrix in the article Setting Up and Using Households.
NOTE: this process is for taking existing customers and grouping them into households, rather than creating households for newly-uploaded customers. If you would like to include households in a brand new customer import please get in touch with the Spektrix Support team first, to discuss whether this will be possible.
Essentially, what we’ll need from you is a CSV file with specific column headers indicating the IDs of the Primary Householder and all the other members of the household together. You can use this household import template.
Keep the following in mind as you’re completing your sheet:
- Column headers must match exactly to the template.
- You can use either Spektrix Customer IDs or a Foreign ID to identify the customers.
- A Spektrix ID can be found on the customer record, following the format I-XXXX-XXXX.
- A Foreign ID must be a customer attribute with a unique entry for each customer.
- There are two sets of columns that represent the people in the household, one each for Primary Householders and for Members (i.e. everyone else in the household).
- One person in each household needs to be the Primary Householder.
- Everyone else in the household should be included in the Members columns. If there are multiple people in the household, there should be one row per member, with the Primary Householder’s ID repeating on each row.
- A Primary Householder must always be indicated, and any customer who’s listed as a Primary Householder cannot appear as a Member in another part of the list.
Once you have your CSV file, follow the steps below for securely sending the data over, and let us know once you’ve uploaded it!
Encrypting the data for sending
As your spreadsheet is going to be full of personal data, you must not email it to us but instead send it via our secure upload tool - SendSafely.
You will need to upload your files, then email support@spektrix.com to let us know you've done so, making sure to tell us the submission IDs of your uploads.
There is further guidance on how to use SendSafely in our Sending Files to Spektrix using SendSafely article, including the link you'll need to use to access it.