Excel to CRM · Your App Cloud
Turn your Excel customer list into a CRM
Upload the workbook you track customers in. Plan how companies, contacts and deals become linked records, how a loose Status column becomes stages, and who may read each note.
From customer workbook to pipeline.
Three passes over the file: pull apart what one row mixes together, settle the stages, then decide who reads what.
01
Separate companies, contacts and deals
A customer sheet often packs a company, one or two people and a deal onto a single row. Upload the workbook, say which columns belong to each, and check that a firm with three contacts comes out as one company, not three.
02
Turn the Status column into stages
Filter the Status column in Excel and write down every value it holds. Give the prompt your stages in order, say which old values belong to each, and define what counts as Won and Lost.
03
Review duplicates, then decide who reads notes
Look at repeated email addresses before anything is combined. Then say who signs in, whether each salesperson sees only their own deals, and which notes stay private. Check both from a second test account.
What each part of a customer sheet becomes.
The column names and values below come from an illustrative workbook, not a real business. Find the matching column in your own file, then read across to the check.
| In your customer sheet | In your CRM | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| A Company column typed on every row, as 'Atlas Tech', 'Atlas Tech Inc.' and 'ATLAS TECH' | One company record, with its contacts and deals linked to it | Compare the number of companies in the CRM with a unique list of that column. A spelling you didn't mention can end up as a second company. |
| Contact 1 and Contact 2 columns side by side on a company's row | Separate contact records, each with an email, phone and job title of its own | Open a company that had two contacts and confirm both are listed under it, each with the email from the right column. |
| A Status column holding 'Hot', 'hot lead', 'Quote sent' and 'Follow up' | A fixed list of stages in the order a deal moves, shown as a pipeline | Check that each old value lands in exactly one stage. 'Follow up' is usually a task rather than a stage, so say where those deals belong. |
| A Notes cell with dated entries stacked on separate lines | A timeline on the contact, one entry per call, email or meeting | Pick the contact with the longest notes cell and compare entry by entry. Decide what happens to a line with no date: keep it undated, or give it the import date. |
| A Next call or Follow-up column | A next-action date on each deal, feeding a list of what is due and what is late | Entries like 'next Tues' or 'after July 4th' are text, not dates, so they won't sort with the real dates. Filter for them and replace them before you upload. |
| Owner initials such as 'EC' and 'RP', or one tab per salesperson | An assigned salesperson on each deal, who signs in to the published CRM | After the tabs are combined, check that every deal has exactly one owner. If you described each person seeing only their own deals, sign in as one of them and look. |
| Amount and Probability columns, with a summary tab that totals them by status | A deal amount, a weighted value and a pipeline total for each stage | Leave the summary tab out of the records. Then compare its totals with the CRM's stage totals, using the old status names you mapped. |
| A formula like =TODAY()-D2 for days since last contact | A count worked out from the latest dated entry on the timeline | TODAY() returns the current date each time the workbook recalculates, so the Excel count changes from day to day. Compare three contacts on the same day, including one with no entries yet. |
| A Do not email column, or unsubscribed rows shown in red | A contact preference field on every contact | Look for opt-outs kept only as a fill color or a word in the notes. Before the CRM sends any email, confirm those contacts are left out. |
What a customer sheet keeps in people's heads.
The workbook records who you spoke to. The rules around it are rarely written down: when a lead counts as lost, who calls back, which notes a client must never see. Put those rules in the prompt with the upload.
Highlight duplicates, don't delete them
In Excel, Conditional Formatting, Highlight Cells Rules, Duplicate Values on the Email column shows the repeats. Remove Duplicates keeps the first occurrence and deletes each later match as a whole row, so a newer note in the second row would go too.
Names stored two ways
Years of edits can leave a Full name column beside First and Last columns that disagree. Say which one wins, and check awkward names such as 'Dr. Priya Patel' or 'Mary Ann Lopez' after the split.
A rule for leaving each stage
Write one line per stage on what moves a deal forward, for example 'Proposal: a quote has been sent'. Without that line, the new stages collect the same guesses the Status column did.
Contacts who moved on
Rows for people who left a client company are often struck through or grayed out rather than deleted. Decide whether they become inactive contacts or stay behind, so the due list doesn't chase someone who is gone.
An illustrative starting point
A pipeline where the customer sheet was.
Companies, contacts and deals as linked records, a stage list in place of a loose status column, and dated notes on every contact.
A pipeline with the stages you name
Deals line up by stage, from New through Won or Lost. Ask for a lost reason that has to be filled in when a deal closes without a sale, then check it refuses a blank.
A timeline on every contact
Ask for calls, emails and meetings as dated entries instead of one crowded cell. Add an entry from the contact page and check it appears first, with today's date.
A due list for follow-ups
Each open deal carries a next action and a date. Ask for a list of today's and late follow-ups for each salesperson, then check that a deal dated yesterday shows as late.
Notes behind sign-in
People sign in at one address, with the access you describe for each collection, such as notes readable by the assigned salesperson and you. Try it from a second account before you share the address.
Together in your app cloud
The pieces behind the possibility.
Choose the models and services that support the experience you want to create.
Database
Keep data and context for apps and agents
Authentication
Give the right people access
Email
Keep conversations moving
A little more context
Good questions.
How do I deal with duplicate contacts in the spreadsheet?
Decide what makes two rows the same person, usually the email address. Highlight repeats in Excel instead of deleting them. In the prompt, ask for a view of likely duplicates, choose which phone number and notes survive each merge, and check the merged contact kept every timeline entry.
Can the CRM send follow-up emails?
The CRM can send email, such as a thank-you after a meeting or a note to the salesperson whose deal is past its next-call date. A task on a schedule you set can gather next week's calls every Friday. Send test messages to yourself first, leave out contacts marked Do not email, and read the Friday list before acting on it.
Can several salespeople use the same CRM?
Yes. Each salesperson signs in to the published CRM, and you describe which deals and notes each one can read and change. Check that from a second test account.
Do calculated columns like weighted value carry over?
Describe what each one works out rather than pasting the Excel formula, such as a weighted value equal to amount times probability, or a win rate per salesperson. Ask for the same calculation in the CRM, then compare a handful of deals with the workbook before anyone trusts the totals.
Can I keep adding leads in Excel and import them later?
You can, but an upload is a snapshot, not a sync, so the CRM won't pick up new rows by itself. Choose one place where leads are added from now on. If some still arrive as a sheet, such as a trade show list, re-import them deliberately, ask for a match on email address, and test that on a copy.
Can a model help with the notes and follow-ups?
You can add an agent inside the app that summarizes a long contact history or drafts a follow-up from the timeline, when asked or on a schedule you set. Have a person read and edit each draft before it is sent, and check that summaries point to the entries they used. Model and service usage is metered separately.
Which plan does a CRM built from Excel need?
A CRM saves the deals and notes people change and needs sign-in, so it is an app with data, and putting it live needs a paid plan. Email and scheduled tasks belong to the same kind of app. See the pricing page for current plans.
Can I get my contacts out again later?
Yes, you can export your app's data and code. Before you retire the customer workbook, run an export and check that it holds the contacts, deals and timeline entries you expect. Hold on to the workbook until the CRM has seen a full sales cycle.
Explore Pricing for plans, included capabilities, and usage details.
Keep exploring.
Build a client management app ↗
See the outcome and the capabilities behind it.
Turn a customer spreadsheet into a working CRM ↗
The planning side: separating customers, contacts, opportunities and interactions before the first version.
Build a lead tracking app ↗
For leads that arrive as inquiries rather than rows in a sheet: stages, an owner and a recorded next step for each lead.
Understand data and context ↗
Give information the right place in your app.
Prepare to publish ↗
Check the experience you will share.
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