Nova Help

Move a customer list from another tool

Worked examples for bringing customers from QuickBooks, Google Contacts or a field service tool into Nova, which columns match which Nova fields, and the usual fixes.

Updated in release 0.0.1 Needs permission from your admin Open this page in Nova

In the sidebar, open Administration, then choose Imports under Data. Every example below starts on the Start import tab at /settings/org/imports. Column choices you keep for next time live on the Saved mappings tab at /settings/org/imports/saved-mappings.

Before you start

  • Keep the old tool's column headings. Nova recognises the names most tools use, so a file usually matches on its own and you only confirm the odd column.
  • When the old tool gives you more than one file, import in this order: customers, then contacts, then addresses, then work orders. Every later file must carry the same customer number or account number.
  • Download example CSV on the upload step gives you a file with the headings Nova expects, handy when you are building a sheet by hand.

Steps

  1. From an accounting tool such as QuickBooks, export the customer list to Excel or CSV with the name, company, account number, phone, email, billing address and open balance columns. Choose Customers, upload it, and type QuickBooks in File came from.
  2. From Google Contacts, export your contacts as a Google CSV file. Choose Customers and type Google Contacts in File came from. Google's own headings, such as Name, E-mail 1 - Value and Phone 1 - Value, are recognised as they are; match Organization 1 - Name to the company name field yourself if you want it.
  3. From a field service tool such as ServiceTitan, Jobber or Housecall Pro, export the customer list first and import it as Customers. Then export the work list and import it as Work orders; each row needs a customer column Nova can match, which you confirm on Check customer matches.
  4. On Match columns, check the table below against what Nova suggested, fix any column marked Needs review, then press Apply column choices.
  5. Type a name such as QuickBooks customers and press Save column choices. The next file with the same layout offers it under Recommended saved mappings with an Apply recommendation button.

What you see

Headings Nova matches on its own, and the Nova field each becomes. The last two rows apply when you chose Work orders.

Old tool heading Nova field
Customer ID, Client ID, Customer Number Customer ID from old system
Account Number, Acct # Account number
Customer Name, Display Name, Full Name Customer name
Company, Business Name, Organization Company name
First Name, Given Name / Last Name, Surname First name / Last name
Email, Primary Email, E-mail 1 - Value Email
Phone, Mobile, Phone 1 - Value Phone
Address, Street, Address Line 1 Street address
City, State, Province, Zip, Postal Code City, State or province, ZIP or postal code
Open Balance, Balance due Imported open balance
WO Number, Ticket Number Work order number
Title, Subject / Description / Status Work order summary / description / status
  • On Saved mappings, each row shows Name, What it imports, File came from, Columns and Last used, with Rename, Edit column choices, Duplicate, Set default, Test with file and Archive/delete. Test with file previews a new file against the saved choices and shows which columns matched; it imports nothing.

If something looks different

  • A balance column stays under Needs review: match it to the imported open balance field to keep the figure for reference, or press Ignore. Nova never turns it into an invoice; balances in Nova come from invoices and payments.
  • A column Nova does not know, such as a customer's gate code or an old tag: press Add to notes to keep it on the record, Custom field to make it a proper field, or Ignore.
  • The same customer appears on several rows with different addresses or contacts: that is expected for Customers. Nova looks for repeated customer rows and shows what it found right after the upload.
  • Rows land under Rows blocked on Review issues because the customer could not be matched: the old file did not carry a customer number, or you imported work orders before customers. Import the customer file first, then run the second file again.
  • The recommended saved mapping warns about columns missing from this file: the old tool changed its export. Press Edit recommended saved mappings to update the choices, or match the columns by hand this once.

Start an import

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