If You export data from another tool to a .csv file and then want to import it to Livespace CRM, there is a good chance that everything will be fine without any additional steps. However, it is also possible that there will be problems with the handling of Polish characters. This is related to different standards for encoding Polish letters in text files. If there is a problem with Polish characters, You can always undo the import (we describe this in more detail in the How to undo imported contacts section) and try to prepare the file for import according to the suggestion below. You will need Microsoft Excel for this.

Preparing a .csv file for import to CRM using Excel

The case in question uses Microsoft Excel version 2010. It is possible to perform the following activities also using another version of the program - the procedure may then be slightly different.

Save the file to Your hard drive

Save Your exported file from other software to Your computer's hard drive. To be safe, make a copy of it before continuing with the next steps.

Open a new Excel spreadsheet

Open Excel with a blank workbook. Select the first cell in the sheet (A1).

Import the .csv file where You want to correct the formatting

To do this, go to the Data tab and select the From text option. You will be able to decide what the character encoding of the imported data is before importing the file. Select saved file to import.

Choose the right data parameters

Selecting the file will launch the text import wizard. In the preview, You can see whether Polish characters in the imported document will be read correctly. If not, use the File origin field and select a different encoding format.

After changing the character encoding to UTF-8

Depending on the source of the file, You may need to select a different encoding. The most popular variants are:

65001: Unicode (UTF-8)

28592: Central European (ISO)

1250: Central European (Windows)

After selecting the encoding in which Polish characters will be displayed correctly, press Next.

In the second step, You need to determine the way of separating the data - what character is responsible for separating one parameter from another. Incorrect indication of the marker separating subsequent data will make it impossible to distinguish individual pieces of information. A common marker is the semicolon (;).

Once You select the appropriate tag, the preview will show how the data will be split.

To properly import the data, You can skip to step three and then click Finish without specifying the data format in the columns. Step 3 will be important if You want to process the imported data in Excel, but it is not important for importing into Livespace. After pressing Finish, confirm that You want to place the data in cell A1.

Check if the data is correct and save the file

Your data has been imported into Microsoft Excel. You can now easily verify that everything is correct before importing them into Livespace and make any manual corrections. If Polish characters do not display correctly, repeat the steps by selecting a different character encoding.

If everything is correct, save the prepared file as an Excel spreadsheet. Livespace will handle it just like a .csv file, so it will be the fastest solution.

After completing the above steps, You can import the corrected data using standard file import in Livespace.