Import your existing clients into GuideMate via CSV

You already have your clients somewhere — an Excel spreadsheet, Google Sheets, a digitized paper notebook — and you don't want to re-enter everything by hand in GuideMate. The CSV import lets you transfer your entire list in just a few seconds.

What you can import

The import supports all client record fields:

• Name, email, phone, address
• Emergency contact (name, phone, relationship)
• Insurance (provider, policy number, expiry date)
• Custom information: experience level, dietary restrictions, allergies
• Any additional column from your spreadsheet is automatically kept in the record's custom fields

Step 1: Download the CSV template

Start by downloading the template file. It contains the correct column headers and two example rows to guide you.

Download the CSV template

You can also download this template directly from the app: Profile → Import clients → Download CSV template.

Step 2: Fill in the file

Open the file in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets. Delete the two example rows and enter your clients, one per row.

Column details

Column	Description	Required
name	Client's full name	Yes
email	Email address	No
phone	Phone number	No
address	Postal address	No
emergency_contact_name	Emergency contact name	No
emergency_contact_phone	Emergency contact phone	No
emergency_contact_relationship	Relationship to the client (e.g. Spouse, Parent)	No
insurance_provider	Insurance company name	No
insurance_policy_number	Policy number	No
insurance_expiry_date	Insurance expiry date (YYYY-MM-DD format)	No
experience_level	Experience level (free text)	No
dietary_restrictions	Dietary restrictions	No
allergies	Allergies	No

Additional columns

You can add as many columns as you want beyond those in the template. Any unknown column is automatically kept in the client record's custom fields. For example, a ski_level or newsletter_subscriber column will be accessible in GuideMate without any prior configuration.

Formatting tips

• Addresses with commas: wrap them in double quotes — e.g. "1 Alpine Street, Grenoble"
• Dates: use the YYYY-MM-DD format — e.g. 2027-06-30
• Empty columns: simply leave them empty, don't use a dash or "N/A"
• Encoding: save as UTF-8 if your software offers the option (for accented characters)

Use AI to prepare your file

If your clients are in a spreadsheet with different columns than the GuideMate template, AI can reformat your file in seconds. Copy-paste your spreadsheet contents into ChatGPT or Claude with this prompt:

Here is a table with my clients (paste the raw content or describe the columns). Reformat this data as CSV with the following columns in this exact order, leaving empty what you can't infer:

name,email,phone,address,emergency_contact_name,emergency_contact_phone,emergency_contact_relationship,insurance_provider,insurance_policy_number,insurance_expiry_date,experience_level,dietary_restrictions,allergies

Rules: dates in YYYY-MM-DD format, addresses with commas wrapped in double quotes, one row per client, first row = headers only.

The AI produces a CSV ready to import directly. Quickly review the result before importing to check that names and emails are in the right place.

Step 3: Import in the app

1. Open GuideMate → Profile tab
2. Tap Import clients
3. Tap Choose a CSV file and select your file
4. A preview appears: number of valid clients, skipped rows if a name is missing
5. Tap Import X clients to confirm

The import takes just a few seconds. Your clients appear immediately in the Clients tab.

Undo an import

You have 30 days to undo an import if you made a mistake. Undoing removes all clients imported in that session (those you've individually edited since then remain unchanged).

1. Profile tab → Import clients section
2. In the import history, tap Undo this import
3. Confirm — the clients are deleted immediately

After 30 days, the undo option is no longer available.

Import limits

Free plan: you can have up to 20 clients total. The import takes your existing clients into account and will only import the rows that fit within your quota. If you already have 15 clients and your file contains 10 rows, only 5 clients will be imported — the next 5 will be skipped with a warning in the preview.

Pro plan: import is unlimited in number of clients, but capped at 1,000 rows per import. For longer lists, split your file into multiple imports.

FAQ

What happens if a row has no name? It is skipped during import. The number of skipped rows is shown in the preview before confirmation. Other rows are imported normally.

Are duplicates detected? No, GuideMate does not perform automatic deduplication. If you import a client that already exists, a new record is created. Check your list before importing.

Can I import multiple times? Yes. Each import creates an independent session in the history. You can undo each session separately within 30 days.

Is there a limit per import? Yes. Each import is limited to 1,000 rows. For free accounts, the import is also capped by your remaining quota (20 clients total). The preview tells you exactly how many rows will be imported before you confirm.

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Want to try? GuideMate is free to start — no credit card, no time limit. Data hosted in Europe.