Importing customers from a spreadsheet or your phone

If you've already got a customer list in another app, a spreadsheet or your phone, you don't need to retype it. Export it as a CSV file and drop it into Karven.

Where to find it

Open Import customers. While your customer list is empty, Customers also shows a Switching from paper? card that goes to the same page. Drop your CSV file on the box, or tap it to pick a file.

What Karven reads

Karven reads the name, phone, email and address columns. The column headings don't have to be exact: "Name", "Full Name" and "Customer" all work, and so do "Mobile", "Phone" or "Cell".

Up to 1,000 contacts per file. Got more? Split the file.

Picking who comes across

Before anything is saved you see the list of contacts Karven found. Untick anyone you don't want, then tap import.

Anyone you've already added or imported with the same phone or email is skipped, so importing the same file twice won't double up.

Getting a CSV out of your old system

• A spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers): save or download it as CSV. Excel's "CSV UTF-8" option is the safest.
• Another quoting or job app: look for an export or download option on its customers or clients list and pick CSV.
• Your phone: most phones can't export a CSV directly. On a Mac, the Contacts app can export a vCard, and a free online vCard-to-CSV converter turns that into a CSV.

Good to know

• Your file is read in your browser. Only the contacts you pick are saved.
• Importing sends nothing to your customers. No emails, no texts.
• Imported contacts show in Customers straight away, ready for their first quote.

Old quotes too

To bring quote history across from another tool, use Settings → Connections → Import data.