The import of contact data is a logical next step after companies have been successfully added to a Qargo tenant. This process allows for the bulk creation of individuals linked to specific companies, ensuring a complete and accurate database for order management and communication. This article outlines the specific requirements, best practices, and common issues related to importing contact data.
📖 Glossary of Key Terms
For clarity throughout this guide, the following terms are defined.
Contact: An individual associated with a company record, typically used for communication regarding orders, billing, or operations.
Company Name: The name of the company a contact is linked to. This must be an exact match to a company already in the Qargo system.
Company Accounting Code: A unique identifier from an external system that is used to accurately link an individual to the correct company.
Role: A field used to specify the purpose or job function of a contact (e.g., 'Dispatcher').
✅ Critical Import Requirements for Contacts
Prior to importing contact data, the following requirements and warnings must be considered to ensure data integrity.
Company Prerequisite: A company record must already exist in the Qargo system before a contact can be imported and linked to it. The contact import will fail if the specified company record cannot be found.
Unique Company Identification: For a contact to be successfully linked, the Company Name and Accounting Code in the contact template must be an exact match to the corresponding company record already in Qargo.If the Accounting Code is empty, the system will use the Company Name as a fallback.
🛠️ Step-by-Step Data Import Process
Step 1: Download Template
A specific Excel template is available to upload Contact data:
📚 Always use a blank template downloaded directly from the Qargo platform or provided by the Qargo team. Re-using an old template may lead to import errors.
Step 2: Fill in the Excel Template
Open the template and populate it with the required data. The template contains column headers that correspond to the fields in Qargo.
Required Fields: Make sure to fill out all the required fields (a comprehensive list of required fields can be found in the next section of this article). An import will fail if these fields are left blank.
Formatting: Close attention should be paid to the specified data format (e.g., dates, numbers, text).
Step 3: Submit for Upload
During Onboarding: Work directly with your onboarding manager to upload your initial business data. They will guide you through the process and ensure a successful import.
After Onboarding: For all future data updates and imports, contact your account manager. They will assist you with the upload process and provide ongoing support.
📝 Details of the Contact Import Template
The following table provides a detailed, field-by-field explanation of the Excel template for contact import, including data formats, required fields, and best practices for populating each column.
Column name | Required/optional | Remarks | Example |
company_name | Required | Customer name used in the application | Qargo |
company_accounting_customer_code | Required | Unique ID. It's 'accounting_code' in the customer_import | 134 |
company_is_customer | Optional |
| TRUE or null |
company_is_subcontractor | Optional |
| TRUE or null |
name | Required | Name of the contact | Thomas Smith |
Required | E-mail of the contact | ||
job_title | Optional |
|
|
has_portal_access | Optional | Give a contact access to their company portal. | TRUE or null |
note | Optional | Extra textual information regarding the contact. Usually this contains interesting information that is not part of one of the other categories described here. |
|
phone | Optional |
| +324723372 |
has_role_billing | Optional | To send out invoices to this contact | TRUE or null |
has_role_operations | Optional | To send out operational documents such as transport orders or CMRs. | TRUE or null |
has_role_cmr_processing | Optional |
| TRUE or null |
has_role_other | Optional | To use in individual created tasks. | TRUE or null |
custom_fields__example | Optional | To import custom field values. Remark: 2 underscores are used in the column name. |
|
🔎 Troubleshooting Common Contact Import Errors
This section addresses specific errors that may arise during the import of contact data.
Company Record Not Found: This is the most common error. It occurs when a contact's Company Name or Accounting Code does not exactly match an existing company in Qargo. All company details must be an identical match to an existing record.
Missing Mandatory Fields: The import will fail for any row where a mandatory field is left blank.
Sheet name: The sheet name in the Excel template file must be named exactly 'Import'. Any other name will cause an error when uploading the file.
Phone Number Format: The phone number should reflect the country code followed by the number without any spaces (e.g., +3212345678). In Excel/Google Sheets, the format of the column should be Text and in the formula cell you should add a ' before the country code and phone number (ie. '+3212345678) for the phone number to show up correctly. See example below:
Custom Fields: The column name must follow the convention custom_field__[ID], with the specific ID retrieved from the Qargo organisation settings. Click the copy button next to the custom field to copy its ID:
✨ Best Practices for Importing Contacts
To ensure a smooth and accurate import, consider the following best practices.
Ensure Company Data is Complete: Before attempting to import contacts, verify that all associated companies have already been successfully imported into the system.
Maintain Data Consistency: Pay close attention to the Company Name and Accounting Code fields in the contact template. Any spelling mistakes, extra spaces, or different capitalisation will cause the link to fail.
➡️ What to Do Next
Once contacts have been successfully imported, the system is now ready for order creation and communication. The next logical steps include:
Importing Drivers: If required, internal or subcontractor drivers can now be imported.
Importing Vehicles: The vehicle fleet can be populated by importing vehicles owned by the company or its subcontractors.
📈 Use Cases for Contact Import
Importing contact data is an invaluable tool for several key business processes.
Initial Tenant Setup: After companies are imported, contacts can be added in bulk to populate the system and make it ready for operational use.
Adding Contacts to Existing Companies: For companies already in the system, this provides a quick and efficient method for adding multiple new contacts at once.