How to Import Your Client Data from Spreadsheets

One of the biggest reasons salon owners delay switching to booking software is the thought of typing in every client record by hand. If you have 50, 100, or 300 clients in a spreadsheet, a notebook, or an export from another system, that is hours of data entry nobody wants to do.

You do not have to. Minuvox supports bulk CSV import for clients, along with categories, services, and staff. A clean spreadsheet and a few minutes with the import tool gets your client database set up without re-entering anything.

This guide walks through the process, from preparing your data to handling errors.

A quick note on format: CSV stands for “comma-separated values.” It is a simple file format that any spreadsheet program can open and save. If you have your clients in Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers, you can save or export that file as CSV. It is the standard way to move data between systems.

What You Can Import

Minuvox supports four types of CSV import:

• Categories – service categories like “Haircare”, “Nails”, “Skincare”
• Services – individual services with pricing, duration, and category
• Clients – your client list with contact details and notes
• Staff – your team members with roles and permissions

If you are setting up from scratch, the recommended import order is: categories first (because services reference a category by name), then services, then clients, then staff. If you import services before their categories exist, the category reference will not match and the row will fail validation. Clients and staff are independent of each other, so their order does not matter.

Each type uses the same workflow: download a template, fill it with your data, and upload it.

This article focuses on the client import, which is the most common starting point. The same process applies to the other types.

Prepare Your Spreadsheet

Before you import anything, spend a few minutes cleaning up your data. Most import errors come from inconsistent formatting, not from the tool itself.

Download the template first. In Minuvox, open the Import section from the sidebar and click Download Template next to the Clients section. The template is a CSV file with the correct column headers and 10 example rows so you can see the expected format.

The client template has these columns:

• first_name (required) – the client’s first name
• last_name (required) – the client’s surname
• email (optional) – must be a valid email format if provided. Each email must be unique within your company; duplicates are rejected.
• phone (required) – the client’s phone number. This is the primary contact method.
• notification_preference (optional) – “email”, “telegram”, or “none”. Defaults to “email” if left blank.
• notes (optional) – any information you want to keep about the client. Preferences, allergies, scheduling habits – anything that helps you serve them better.
• is_active (optional) – “True” or “False”. Defaults to True if left blank. Set to False for clients who have moved away or are no longer active.

Common cleanup tasks before importing:

• Split full names into first and last. If your spreadsheet has a single “Name” column, split it into two. Most spreadsheet programs have a “Text to Columns” or similar feature that splits on spaces.
• Remove duplicate rows. If the same client appears twice, delete one. Minuvox checks for duplicate email addresses and rejects the second one, but if two rows have the same name with different (or no) email, both will be imported.
• Standardise phone numbers. Pick one format and use it consistently. Minuvox accepts any text in the phone field, so the format is up to you – but consistency makes searching easier later.
• Fill in required fields. Every row needs a first name, last name, and phone number. Rows missing any of these are skipped during import.

Step by Step: Importing Your Client List

1. Open the Import section from the sidebar.
2. Download the client template by clicking the Download Template button next to the Clients section. Open the file in your spreadsheet program (Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, or similar).
3. Replace the example data with your own. Keep the header row exactly as it is – the column names must match. Delete the example rows and paste or type your client data below the headers.
4. Save as CSV. In most spreadsheet programs, this is File > Save As (or Export) and selecting “CSV” as the format. If your program asks about encoding, choose UTF-8.
5. Upload the file. Back in the Minuvox Import section, click the file selector in the Clients area, choose your CSV file, and click Upload Clients.
6. Review the results. Minuvox processes each row and shows you a summary: how many rows were imported successfully and how many were skipped. If any rows were skipped, you get the row number and the reason for each one. A typical success message looks like: “Successfully imported 47 row(s). 3 row(s) failed validation and were skipped.”

What Happens When Something Goes Wrong

Minuvox validates every row individually. Valid rows are imported even if other rows in the same file have errors. You do not lose your good data because of a few bad rows.

Common error messages and what they mean:

• “First name is required” / “Last name is required” / “Phone is required” – a required field is empty. Fill it in and re-import the row.
• “Invalid email format” – the email address is not in a valid format (e.g. missing the @ sign). Fix or remove the email.
• “Client with email ‘x’ already exists” – a client with that email is already in your Minuvox account. This could mean you already imported them, or you have a duplicate in your spreadsheet. The row is skipped to avoid creating a duplicate record.

To fix errors: correct the problem rows in your spreadsheet, remove any rows that were already imported successfully, and upload only the corrected rows. The duplicate email check prevents double entries for clients who have an email address, but clients without email have no automatic duplicate protection – if you upload a phone-only row twice, you will get two separate records. Removing already-imported rows before re-uploading is the safest approach.

Tips for a Clean Import

• Start small. Import 5-10 clients first to make sure the format is right and you understand the results summary. Then import the rest.
• Use the notes field. If you have information about clients that does not fit neatly into a column – “prefers morning appointments”, “allergic to latex”, “always brings her daughter” – put it in notes. You can search the notes field later from the client list.
• Keep a backup. Save a copy of your original spreadsheet before you start editing it for import. If something goes wrong, you want the original data intact.
• Coming from another booking system? Export your client list from the other platform first (most systems offer a CSV or Excel export). Then open the export, match the columns to the Minuvox template format, and save as CSV. You may need to rename or rearrange columns, but the data is the same. Minuvox does not import directly from other booking platforms – the CSV template is the standard format for all imports.
• Mark inactive clients. If some clients have moved away or stopped visiting, you can still import them with is_active set to False. Their records are preserved in the Clients list (which you can filter by status), but they will not appear in the client dropdown when creating or editing bookings.

After the Import

Once your clients are imported, you can find, search, and filter them from the Clients section in the sidebar. A few things worth doing right after your first import:

• Spot-check a few records. Open 3-5 client profiles to make sure the data looks right – names, phone numbers, notes all in the correct fields.
• Add notes to your top clients. If you imported without notes, take a few minutes to add preferences, allergies, or scheduling habits for the clients you see most often. Those notes pay off on every future visit.
• Try searching. Type a name, phone number, or even a keyword from the notes field into the client search bar to confirm your data is searchable.

For a full walkthrough of how to manage your client records, add notes, and use search and filters, see How to Build and Manage Your Salon Client Database.

If you are still setting up the rest of your booking system, How to Set Up Online Booking for Your Salon covers the complete setup from registration through your first booking. You can also explore the full set of scheduling, invoicing, and analytics features that Minuvox includes at no cost.

This article was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed, fact-checked, and edited by the Minuvox team.