Importing Clients from a CSV File in BookLive

If you’re migrating from another system — or have a list of past clients from a spreadsheet, wedding expo, or Gig Salad — BookLive’s CSV import tool lets you bring them in bulk in just a few steps. You can assign a lead source, apply tags, and choose how to handle duplicates, all before a single contact is created.

Before You Begin #

• Your CSV file must include at least a Name column (or separate First Name + Last Name columns). All other fields are optional.
• Supported optional columns: Email, Phone, Company, Street, City, State, Zip.
• Column names are case-insensitive, and common variations are recognized automatically (e.g., “Email Address”, “Phone Number”, “Postal Code”).
• Save your file in .csv format before uploading.

CSV Format Reference #

Your CSV can use either a single combined name column or separate first/last name columns. Both formats are accepted:

Name,Email Address,Phone Number,Company
John Smith,john@example.com,555-123-4567,Smith Events
Jane Doe,jane@example.com,555-987-6543,Doe Wedding Planning

Or with separate name columns:

First Name,Last Name,Email,Phone
John,Smith,john@example.com,555-123-4567
Jane,Doe,jane@example.com,555-987-6543

Step 1: Open the Import Tool #

1. Log in to BookLive at https://booklive.com/login.
2. Click Clients in the main navigation menu.
3. Look for the Import button (typically near the top right of the Clients page) and click it.
4. The Import Clients from CSV dialog will open.

Step 2: Upload Your CSV File #

1. In the Upload CSV step, click the file field and select your .csv file.
2. BookLive will immediately parse the file and display how many clients were found.
3. If there are any formatting errors, an alert will appear with details — correct your file and re-upload.
4. Once you see a green success message showing the number of clients detected, click Next.

Step 3: Configure Import Settings #

This step lets you set options that apply to the entire import batch.

Lead Source #

Assigning a lead source helps you track where this batch of clients came from (e.g., “Wedding Expo 2026” or “Gig Salad – Chicago”).

• Select an existing lead source from the Lead Source dropdown, or
• Click + Create New Lead Source, enter a name, and click the checkmark to apply it.
• Leave this blank if lead source tracking isn’t needed for this import.

Duplicate Handling #

BookLive checks for duplicates by matching email addresses against your existing client records. Choose one of two behaviors:

• Skip duplicates — Any client whose email already exists in your account will be left unchanged. This is the safe default.
• Update existing clients — If a matching email is found, the existing client record will be updated with the new data from your CSV.

Tags (Optional) #

Tags let you label all imported clients for easy filtering later.

• Select one or more existing tags from the Tags dropdown, or
• Click + Create New Tag, type the tag name (e.g., “Wedding Expo 2026 Leads”), and click the + button to add it.
• Multiple new tags can be queued up before importing.

When you’re done configuring, click Review Import.

Step 4: Review and Confirm #

BookLive runs a duplicate check and displays a preview table showing each client along with their status (New or Duplicate) and what action will be taken (Import, Skip, or Update).

1. Review the list to confirm everything looks correct.
2. If anything needs adjusting, click Back to return to the previous step.
3. When you’re satisfied, click Import Clients to run the import.

Once complete, a summary message will confirm how many clients were imported, skipped, and updated.

Tips & Notes #

• Large lists work fine — there’s no hard cap on the number of rows, but very large imports may take a moment to process.
• Email is your duplicate key — clients without an email address will never be flagged as duplicates, even if they share a name with an existing contact.
• Tags are additive — if you’re updating existing clients, the selected tags will be added to their record without removing any tags they already have.
• Lead sources support ROI tracking — once imported, you can filter your client list by lead source to see which channels are driving bookings. See Managing Client Contacts and Information in BookLive for more on working with lead sources.
• Address fields are imported for use on invoices and contracts — make sure city, state, and zip are in separate columns if you want them mapped correctly.

Related Articles #

• Managing Client Contacts and Information in BookLive
• Viewing Client Performance History in BookLive