Source: https://aquasops.com/help/import-clients-from-a-spreadsheet Last updated: 2026-10-29 > How to bring clients, sites and systems into AquaOps from a CSV file: prepare the file, match columns, check every row and import. Help: Getting started · 4 min read # Import your clients and systems from a spreadsheet How to bring clients, sites and systems into AquaOps from a CSV file: prepare the file, match columns, check every row and import. By the AquaOps team *[Image: A red-handled ball valve on a metal water pipe with a pressure gauge above it]* You can bring clients (with their sites) and systems into AquaOps from a CSV file instead of typing them in. Open **Import** in the menu (under Records in the admin area) and follow the four steps. You need permission to import; owners have it. ## Before you start 1. Save your spreadsheet as a **CSV** file (in Excel or Google Sheets, choose “Save as CSV”). 2. One row per client (or per system). Keep the header row. 3. Every client needs an **email address and a phone number**. Phone numbers are stored in international format, and Nigerian numbers such as 0801 234 5678 are understood. 4. Other columns depend on your company’s settings: client types, system types and custom fields are yours to define, and the import lists them for you. ## The four steps 1. **File:** choose the CSV and say whether it holds clients or systems. 2. **Match columns:** tell AquaOps which of your columns is the name, email, phone and so on. You can use the template the screen offers. 3. **Check:** AquaOps reads **every row with the real rules** and shows the problems (bad phone numbers, missing emails). Nothing has been created yet. Download the list of problems as a file, fix the spreadsheet and check again. 4. **Import:** the rows are created in batches. Existing records are **skipped, never overwritten**, and a repeat run does not make anything twice. ## Good to know - An import **never emails anyone**. If you want to invite the clients to the customer portal, choose that on purpose (a limit of 200 applies). - Clients and their sites come in together; import systems after the clients exist. - The import is quick to repeat: fix, check, import again. Next: [create a maintenance plan](https://aquasops.com/help/create-a-maintenance-plan) for the systems you imported. ## Questions and answers Will the import email my customers? No. An import never emails anyone unless you choose to invite clients, and then only up to 200 at a time. Does the import overwrite existing clients? No. It only creates. A client that already exists (matched by email, phone or exact name) is skipped, and so is a site with the same name for the same client or a system with the same serial number. ## Keep reading - [Create a maintenance plan that books visits for you](https://aquasops.com/help/create-a-maintenance-plan) - [Set up roles and permissions for your team](https://aquasops.com/help/set-up-roles-and-permissions) ## Want to see it working on your own data? Book a demo and we will walk through this with your kind of work. [Book a demo](https://aquasops.com/contact) [See how it works](https://aquasops.com/how-it-works)