Importing/Uploading Data from Excel (CSV) Spreadsheets - Prepare to Send Your First Newsletter or Import Leads Follow

Importing/Uploading Data from Excel (CSV)

The legal CRM system features a user-friendly import wizard that makes it easy to import/upload data from other case management and CRM systems.  This tutorial will also help familiarize you with how to import/upload spreadsheet data.

💡 The legal CRM team is here to help. There is no charge for us to review your import files before you begin and help guide you through the import process since it can get a bit complex depending on the data that is being imported.  

Video Tutorials:

• ▶️ Video: Importing leads/intakes
• ▶️ Video: Importing cases/matters
• ▶️ Video: Importing contacts

Save Your Spreadsheet as a "CSV" Format

First, please ensure that your import file is in CSV (Comma Separated Value).  Both applications allow "Save As" into the "CSV" format if you are using Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.  CSV is the universal format for importing/exporting data.  

Using the Import Wizard

After your data is in the "CSV" format, you will open the Import Wizard. Let’s get started. The first step is to click “Setup” on the left menu bar. Then, scroll down to the bottom of the options and click on “Import Wizard" 

💡 It is strongly recommended that you have headers in the first row of the importing spreadsheet. It will make it a lot easier for you to map fields in the later steps, so if your spreadsheet does not have headers, then we suggest that you go back and add them at this time and re-upload the spreadsheet again.

You must be a user with admin access, or you will not be able to see these menu options. Please ask your firm administrator or IT department if you need assistance.

The first step in the Import Wizard is to choose a "CSV" formatted spreadsheet to upload for data import, as shown below. Click the "Choose File" button to choose a spreadsheet:

Then, press the green "Continue" button in the bottom right corner of the Import Wizard.

After you have uploaded a "CSV" spreadsheet, the next step is selecting the data type from the available options.

• Case - this option is to import cases/matters into the legal CRM.  Any cases you import will also create a corresponding lead/intake, and a contact record since the legal CRM system requires both a contact and a lead/intake to create a case.  If the contact already exists, it will use the existing contact record for any leads/intakes/cases, or if they do not exist at the time of import, they will be created for you automatically.
  
  ⚠️ During the Case Import process, there will be leads/intakes that are created automatically. However, they will be locked and uneditable since the system does not allow editing of leads/intakes after they are made into a Case.  This allows for a clean audit trail of leads > cases.
  
  
• Contacts - this option is to import a list or Rolodex of contacts into the legal CRM system. Contacts are the basis of every lead/intake/case in the legal CRM system since it is required to have a Primary Contact in every lead/intake/case in the system.  You may import either individual or business contact types.  
  
  
• Leads/Intakes - this option is the most common import type in the legal CRM system.  If you would like to import leads/intakes which are not signed cases yet, then you may do so at any time and convert them to cases/matters at a later date at your convenience.  However, we suggest using the Case import type if you want to import cases/matters.
  
  ⚠️ Any leads/intakes you import will also create a contact record since the legal CRM system requires a contact to create a lead/intake.  If the contact already exists, it will use the existing contact record for any leads/intakes, or if the contact does not exist at the time of import, it will be created for you automatically.
  
  
• Referral Firms - this option is to import a list of law firms that will be used in the legal CRM as referral firms, co-counsel, litigation, or other firms in each lead's Firms and Fee Shares section/case.  Any firms that are imported will be readily available to be added to any lead/intake/case after they are imported. To see the list of referral firms at any time, visit "Setup" > "Manage Referral Firms"
  
  Please note: You must be a user with admin access, or you will not be able to see these menu options. Please ask your firm administrator or IT department if you need assistance.

Duplicate Checking in the Import Wizard

The Import Wizard includes four different options for duplicate checking of imported data.  The available options are as follows:

Skip: if a duplicate record is found, then skip the duplicate, i.e., leave the original record as it is. This is the most popular import type and the safest option.

Update: update the original record with the database fields from the import data. Fields not included in the import data will be left as they are. Any data fields in the import file will overwrite existing data for imported fields. 

This option can be used by including a column in your spreadsheet with the "Lead ID" and "Case ID" to pinpoint the records to be updated.  As a helpful tip, if you would like to do an offline bulk update of data and then import all of those changes using the Import Wizard, you could export a list of leads/intakes/cases at any time from the Inbox or Custom Reports.

⚠️  This will overwrite any existing data for the imported fields and cannot be undone. 

Fill: fill in the additional contact data if it contains missing or blank fields in the original records, and leave fields that currently have values as they are.  This option will skip any existing fields that contain data that are not empty.

No Duplicate Checking: this inserts all valid records without comparing them to existing contact records for possible duplicates. This will overwrite any existing data and could create duplicates.

⚠️ This duplicate checking option is not recommended unless you are an expert user and understand that the effects of this import type cannot be undone.

Using a Saved Import Wizard Field Mapping Template

If you have previously created a saved Field Mapping Template in the Import Wizard, then they will be available to all users for any data imports in the future.  This is optional and not required.

To use a saved Field Mapping Template, click the dropdown in that section, and choose from the available templates as shown:

Press the green "Continue" button to move forward in the Import Wizard.

Mapping Fields from Your Import Spreadsheet into the Import Wizard

The next step is very important and is the final step in the Import Wizard.  You will want to map each field in your imported spreadsheet in the Field Mapping screen as shown below:

💡 It is strongly recommended that you have headers in the first row of the importing spreadsheet. It will make it a lot easier for you to map fields in the later steps, so if your spreadsheet does not have headers, then we suggest that you go back and add them at this time and re-upload the spreadsheet again.

You will now see the column names from your spreadsheet in the first column.

The next two columns will show you a preview of your data in the row after the headers. This is very helpful for choosing the corresponding field for mapping.

💡 The last column is the "Matching Field," and this is a required field.  You must select each field that you would like to import.  Any fields that you do not map will not be skipped and not imported, so only choose the fields that you would like to import.

Below the field mapping section, there are some additional default options.  If you would like to set a default "Case Type" or "Lead Assignee" or "Lead Owner" or "Status" or "Lead/Marketing Source" for ALL imported records, then you could use these options.  Leave these options if you do not want to set a default for all imported records.  As an alternative, you could include these columns in your imported spreadsheet if you would like to set them for each record that is imported.

If you would like to save this field mapping, then name it and click the "Save this field mapping" checkbox as shown here:

Press the green "Continue" button to move forward in the Import Wizard.

At this time, your records will be imported.  

If there are any issues or errors, you will get an output spreadsheet of any issues so that you can handle those errors/exceptions individually.

After completing your import, you will receive an email from the legal CRM system telling you the total count of how many records were successfully imported or had issues.  

⚠️ Please note:  Imports can take several minutes to hours depending on the number of records.

Support/Assistance

If you need further assistance, then please contact Support to assist you further.  Legal CRM Support is happy to look at your import spreadsheets before you start the import, so feel free to use them as a resource before you begin your imports.  

🤗 Thank you very much for choosing us as your legal CRM!