If you want to effectively create several customers at a time, the easiest option might be to import data from an external Excel or CSV file.  


Things you should consider when creating the import file: 

  • Excel tends to extract zeros before numbers. This can lead to errors when importing numerical data such as phone numbers. 
  • Electronic invoicing intermediary must be written as a code, not the service provider’s name 
  • Customers’ contact persons cannot be imported at the same file as customers, so you should not include contact persons on the file.
  • Tip: Export your current customers to an Excel file and use this file as a starting point.


Start by clicking "Import" button on the "Customers" section.  




Now you can choose the file that you want to use to import customers. After you have chosen the file, click the "Preview" button. 

 


First, you need to set column connections with Koho and the imported table. Koho tries to connect column names automatically but if there are empty or false values, you can change the title from the dropdown menu. Note that you cannot edit the table on this view. You need to make changes to the original file and then start the import process from the start. 


Next, you can edit the Import settings: 

  • Update records by field: If you want to update existing records, in this option you can choose which field Koho will use to connect imported data and existing data. It is recommended to use business ID or customer number on this field. If all imported customers in the table are new, you can leave this field empty. 
  • New records: If you choose Skip on this field, Koho will skip all new records and will not bring them to the system.  
  • Existing records: If you choose Skip on this field, Koho will skip all existing records and does not update them. 
  • Skip first row: If you select this field, Koho will skip the first row of the imported table. This is set as default because usually the first row has titles. 
  • Skip rows with blank values: If you select this field, Koho will skip all rows that have empty columns. This can be used, for instance, to skip subtitles.  
  • Update also archived: If you want to update also archived customers, select this field.  




 

Use the preview to verify correctness of data. You cannot import data before you have previewed it. The preview will open into a new window.  

From the status column you can see whether the row has a new or existing customer. A new customer has a plus sign and an existing customer has an edit sign. You can also see what changes will be made to the existing customer. 



If you notice errors in the data, you must do the corrections on the original external file and then start the importing process from the beginning. 


After you have checked the data on the preview, you can close the window. Now you should be able to import changes into Koho.  



Depending on the amount of the imported customers, this can take a while. Do not close the window before Koho has confirmed the changes. Koho will tell how many records were updated and how many records were created. Customer import is now ready.

 



If you run into any problems or feel uncertain about importing customers from an external file, please contact our customer service at asiakaspalvelu@kohosales.com. For a small fee, we can also do the customer import for you.