Importing Opportunities

The import tool can be used for adding multiple Opportunities to your Capsule account in one go. You can find it directly by going to the Sales Pipeline tab and choosing the Import Opportunities button from the top of the screen, which will take you to the Import hub.

From there, click on From a File and choose the Opportunities option to get started.

How to import Opportunities from a CSV or Excel file

If you’ve used a CRM in the past (or have your sales data stored in other systems or spreadsheets) and you have the option to export them to a CSV or Excel file, you should be able to import them to Capsule. The key to importing successfully into Capsule is getting the preparation step right in your spreadsheet and then making sure Capsule is set up to support any extra fields that you want to add.

Step 1: Organizing your spreadsheet for an import - Required fields

There are a few required fields for a basic Opportunity import. We have described each one below:

Below is an example of how to set up your spreadsheet with just the required fields. Click here to download the sample spreadsheet.

Step 2: Organizing your spreadsheet for an import - Optional Fields

As well as the above information, there are also many optional fields that you can add to your Opportunities:

Below is an example of how to set up your spreadsheet that includes optional fields too. Click here to download the sample spreadsheet.

Step 3: Organizing your spreadsheet for an import - Won vs Lost Opportunities

As well as Open opportunities, you can also import Opportunities that are Closed. This means that the Opportunity is either Won or Lost. Find out more about closed Opportunities here.

The key to setting an Opportunity as Won or Lost is the Milestone field.

• For Won Opportunities: The Milestone will need to be Won.
• For Lost Opportunities: The Milestone will need to be Lost.

The following optional fields only apply to closed Opportunities:

Below is an example of how to set up your spreadsheet for Won and Lost Opportunities. Click here to download the sample spreadsheet.

Step 4: Importing the file into Capsule

Once you have your file ready to go, you can follow the steps below to import it into Capsule:

1. Select Import Opportunities on the Sales Pipeline tab

2. Click From a File > Opportunities* from the screen. Click to upload or drag and drop your file into the box, then select Next to get started.

3. Now you can match up the columns in your file to the Capsule fields. The Import tool will try to automatically detect the right columns but please double-check to make sure they are correct. The 'Uploaded Sample Data' section shows what values from your file will be put into each field. At this point, you can also create your Custom Fields.

4. When you're done with your selection, click the Next button.

5. You'll then be presented with an option to choose how to handle any possible duplicates that Capsule may find in your file. You can either import them all as new Opportunities anyway, ignore the duplicates or choose the option to Import and update duplicates using the data from your file.

We have more details on this process in our dedicated section on updating Opportunities with an import.

6. Next you'll see a preview of the Opportunities that are about to be imported. Confirm that it all looks right and check to make sure that the number of Opportunities about to be created matches up with your expectations.

7. Finally, click Import Now. Your import will start and you will be notified via email when it's complete.

Adding Tags to Opportunities via import

Adding Tags to Opportunities during import helps you to organise them into manageable groups from the outset. There are two ways to do this:

• The first is to add a single column called ‘Tags’ and then add your Tags to each relevant contact as a comma-separated list:

• The second option is to add a separate column for each Tag and just add the Tag in each row where you would like it to be applied:

When you come to the mapping stage in Capsule, select the option to Apply as tag.

Adding Custom Fields to Opportunities via import

Adding Custom Fields to your Opportunities is a quick and easy way to store unique information right from the start. Depending on the data type you want to add, there are some important details to note:

• Text: Text fields have a 250-character limit.
• Date: Choose one of the supported date formats for all dates in the spreadsheet out of dd/mm/yyyy, dd-mm-yyyy, mm/dd/yyyy, mm-dd-yyyy, yyyy/mm/dd or yyyy-mm-dd.
• Check Box: For checked, use Y or TRUE. For not checked, use N or FALSE.
• Number: Number fields have a 12-character limit with optional 3 decimal places.
• List: List fields will need to be set up in Account Settings first. It is a single select field, so you will need to add a single value for that opportunity in their row.

Custom Fields for Opportunities are added in Account SettingsCustom FieldsOpportunities tab. If you are an Administrator User, to make the process quicker, you can set up most Custom Fields when importing instead:

1. At the matching fields Stage, click on the No Match Field
2. Choose Add New Custom Field
3. Fill in all of the details for it including the Type and Description
4. Click Save

The field will then be created and once the import has finished, the information in the column for that field will be stored against your Opportunities.

Adding a Track to Opportunities via import

Adding a Track to your Opportunity means that you will have the first bulk of tasks applied and ready to be worked on as soon as the import is done. An Administrator will need to make sure the Track is set up in Account SettingsTracksOpportunities tab first.

In your spreadsheet, you need to include the Track Name or ID in a column called ‘Apply as Track’. Then when importing, you can map to the right fields. For example, to apply a Track called ‘VIP Track’ to the Opportunities, you would map it like this:

That will apply the Track to any Opportunities with that column populated.

How to assign users to Opportunities via import

To assign Opportunities to a specific User when importing, you will need to first know the display name or username of the Capsule user. Any Administrator on your account can find the Display name of each user by going to Account Settings > Users and Teams.

In your spreadsheet, you will need to add a column in your file with the header ‘Owner’. You can then add the Display name or Username for the Capsule User you would like to assign each Opportunity to in each respective row.

If you are on the Growth, Advanced or Ultimate Plans, you can also assign an Opportunity to a Team. To do this, add a seperate column called 'Team', then add the Team name to the right Opportunity rows. Teams can also be found in Account Settings.

How to import Opportunity history

When importing your Opportunities using the CSV or Excel import process you can also import notes & emails. To import multiple notes for the same Opportunity and to set a date for your history entry you will need to use this format:

*** NOTE ***
2024-01-01
First interesting note

*** NOTE ***
2024-03-20
Second interesting note

Emails can be imported with similar formatting - you just replace NOTE with EMAIL like this:

*** EMAIL ***
2024-02-28
First interesting email

• The note separator field must be formatted exactly as in the example without any extra or removed spaces.
• The date element is optional.
• Excel truncates fields to a relatively short limit of 32,000 characters. As a result, Excel is unsuitable if you're generating CSV or Excel files with long note histories.

Then during the import, you map the history column in your file to 'Add as History/Note' in Capsule.

How to view the last imports

After every import, you will get a confirmation email with a summary of the import and the link to view the imported Opportunities in Capsule. If you want to see a recent list of Opportunities that you've previously imported, this can also be done from within Capsule:

1. Go to the Sales Pipeline tab
2. Choose the Import Opportunities button
3. Scroll down to the File Import History section and click on your chosen import for more details

How to delete a list of Opportunities added by Import

Capsule has the option for Administrators to delete Opportunities in bulk. They will then go to the Trash area, where they will be held for 30 days and can be restored by your Super Administrator if needed. We cover both ways of deleting Opportunities in the sections below.

How to undo the last Opportunity Import

If you want to undo your last import for any reason, you have the option to view any new opportunities added in your last import which an Administrator can then delete in bulk. To do that, you should follow these steps:

1. Go to the Sales Pipeline tab

2. Select Last Import from the Saved Lists at the top of the page

3. To delete some Opportunities in your results, select them by clicking the checkbox next to their names before clicking the Trash icon in the top right of the page. Or click the Trash button straight away to select all of the Opportunities to delete.

How to undo previous Opportunity Imports

If you want to undo any previous imports, you have the option to view any new opportunities added in from them, which an Administrator can then delete in bulk. To do that, you should follow these steps:

1. Go to the Sales Pipeline tab
2. Choose the Import Opportunities button
3. Scroll down to the File Import History section and click on your chosen import
4. In the window, click to View the Opportunities added in that import
5. To delete some Opportunities in your results, select them by clicking the checkbox next to their names before clicking the Trash icon in the top right of the page. Or click the Trash button straight away to select all of the Opportunities to delete.

Opportunity Import CSV or Excel Troubleshooting

Whether it’s your full import or a specific row, there are a few reasons that can cause them to have trouble importing into Capsule. After every Import, Capsule will generate a file of any rows that have failed or been ignored.

How to find out which rows have been ignored or failed

To view the file containing failed or ignored rows:

1. Go to the Sales Pipeline tab
2. Choose the Import Opportunities button in the top right
3. Scroll down to the File Import History section and click on your chosen import
4. In the yellow box, choose the button to download the file

In that file, you will find a Reason column that gives more detail on why it did not import. We have explained all reasons in the section below.

What does each reason mean?

As mentioned in the section above, once you have downloaded your unhandled file, you will find a reason column for that row, explaining why it was failed or ignored.

There are also situations where a Custom Field does not match your settings in Capsule, you can read more about the different types in the importing Custom Fields section. The following reasons apply:

If you need some extra support, you can email support@capsulecrm.com with a copy of the file for more information.