How to move customer data from Excel without duplicating records

Move an Excel customer list by cleaning identifiers, separating customer and site information and testing a small import first. Do not assume similarly named rows are duplicates or that contact import includes job history and attachments.

Explore the wider switching and implementation guides for the steps around this decision.

Suggested preparation columns

Column	Check
Customer reference	Stable and unique in the source
Name and contact	Verified, consistently formatted
Payer details	Different where appropriate from site contact
Site reference/address	Separate properties remain identifiable
Current service	Only supported, relevant information
Exception	Missing or uncertain data requiring a decision

This is a preparation structure, not a promised JobDiary import schema. Obtain the actual accepted format before producing the final file.

Test and reconcile

Use a few representative records: one customer with two sites, a possible duplicate and an incomplete contact. Inspect the resulting records and relationships before loading the rest.

In an illustrative list, ‘Example Customer’ appears twice because one row refers to a second property. Merging purely by name would lose that distinction. Resolve identifiers and relationships deliberately.

Preserve the source and privacy

Keep a controlled copy of the original and note which rows were transferred. Use approved access and storage for files containing customer information. Remove unnecessary data rather than carrying every old column into the app.

JobDiary offers a connected customer record and optional setup. Confirm what can be imported directly and what requires manual preparation. A clean CSV does not prove automatic deduplication, attachment migration or full historic-data transfer.

Connect this to the next step

Continue with Self-serve vs paid software setup for a trades business. If the next issue is elsewhere in the workflow, use How to onboard a seasonal worker to a job app.

See starting a JobDiary trial to check how the product supports this work. Use the current product description and a trial to verify the fit for your business.