Kustomer recently released our new Data Import utility, an automated wizard that allows you to pull data into your Kustomer instance from external sources. Through the Data Import tool, you can import customers, users, teams, or companies using a CSV file, a common file type that is offered as an export option in most data systems.
Before you begin, you will need to generate a CSV file of your data from the external system so it can be imported. Please check with your data provider if you are unsure how to generate this or use other utilities like Microsoft Excel to convert your data into a CSV file. Kustomer also provides the following example templates below for the different types of imports you can use to better organize your data for optimal import results.
Once you have the CSV file, you can move on to the Data Import tool, which is located under Settings > Administration > Data Import. Select ‘Add Import’ and choose the CSV option. Next, we will walk through the subsequent steps in the import process.
1. Prepare
The wizard will walk you through matching data from your CSV to fields in Kustomer. A lot of thought and preparation will need to go into this process, which largely depends on the data you're importing and your company's needs in Kustomer. We recommend using a notepad to pre-plan and solidify your field matching decisions in advance before diving deeply into the import process itself.
If you plan to link this data to existing Kustomer data, such as linking customers to companies or users to teams, then you may need to gather additional information to ensure the proper data relationships are established during the import.
You also want to consider whether you have any business rules or workflows that run on imported data and consider whether it makes sense to turn these off temporarily to not kick off unwanted processes. Once you have prepared your data and thought through any implications of the import, you are ready to move forward with configuring the import.
2. Configure Import
The second page allows you to define the name of your import, define what type of data you are importing, choose between only importing new records or updating existing data as well, and whether or not you will be linking datasets. See below:
Once you have defined these configuration options, you are ready to move on to actually uploading your CSV file.
3. Upload CSV
In step 3, you will upload the CSV file. The file must be smaller than 10mb and end with a .csv extension. Depending on the size of your file, it may take a few minutes to upload. Do not close the import page until you receive notification that the upload was successful.
4. Link Data
If you opted to link data together in the configuration step, such as associating customers with companies, you will be asked to take additional action at this stage to link the customer data in the import to the company data already in Kustomer.
5. Match Fields
The next step is to match the fields in the import file with your Kustomer attributes. We will attempt to match the data automatically based on column headers and the previous settings you have configured, but you will want to double check and ensure that all the data is mapped correctly and any missing fields are populated so everything is imported as desired.
6. Import CSV
In this final step, you will review the settings you have configured previously to make sure that everything is setup correctly before proceeding with the actual import. You can use the pencil icon to make any needed changes to this setup.
Once you have finished reviewing the setup, click Import CSV to begin the import process. It should not take long, and you will receive an email with confirmation that the data has been successfully imported. The email will contain a link that takes you back to the Data Import page, where you can review the results.
Now that your import is complete, you can now review the data imported into the system and re-enable any automations that may have been paused in the process. Additionally, if you intend to import additional data with the same format and desired configurations, you can create a new import at any time by visiting the Data Import section and creating a new import from the 3-dots next to the import you wish to copy.
See here:
