Edition: Business, Enterprise
User-level: System Administrator
Note: The spreadsheet for this Data Import was updated 04/05/2025 - Previous versions of the Contacts Import spreadsheets will not be compatible.
In Synergy, there are three types of contacts.
Company- are project-related companies or businesses that you deal with.
Individuals - entities that you work with that are not a Company. Usually, the difference is that Individuals don't have business numbers or registrations.
A good example would be J & J Doe.
Personnel - are the people that work at the companies you are importing or in the example of Individuals, are the people John Doe and Jane Doe.
Before importing contacts, you'll need to ensure Unique Contact IDs, Contact Title and Contact Roles are set up.
1. Download the Synergy Excel template.
Organisation drop-down > Settings>Organisation>Data Import>Excel Import
Click on the Contacts tab, and click Download.
This will download the Excel file named Synergy data import – Contacts.
The file will include four tabs:
Intro – Provides guidance and tips.
Company – To populate with Company data.
Individual – To populate with Individual data.
Personnel – To populate with Personnel data.
Warning:
Do not rename, reorder, or delete any columns.
Do not remove or alter the header rows.
2. Check what information can be imported.
Navigate across the sheets (tabs) 'Company', 'Individual', and 'Personnel' to see the column names that will match fields in Synergy.
3. Export your contacts from your other system.
Use an export feature in your current system to get an excel style output (commonly CSV) with all your existing contact details. This could mean you export the contact details from your accounting system, or another software package, or maybe you already have it in a spreadsheet.
4. Match your data to the Synergy Excel columns.
Compare the data in your excel file to the columns in the Synergy Excel template and check you have all the required information as well as the optional information that you want to import.
5. Using the Synergy Excel template
Copy and Paste your data into the Synergy Excel template.
Contacts are split across three separate tabs based on type:
Company
Individual
Personnel
Refer to the row directly beneath the column headers for guidance on what to enter in each field.
Columns marked with a single asterisk (*) are mandatory. All others are optional.
Columns marked with double asterisks (**) have special rules—refer to the information row below the headers for more details.
Do not delete any columns or header rows.
Do not modify formatting (e.g., number, date, or currency formats).
Do not enter data beyond the final column of the template.
Do not rearrange or rename any columns.
Use 'Skip' in Column A to exclude a row from import. Rows marked as 'Import' or left blank in this column will be imported.
The Missing Fields column will show how many required fields are missing. Do not edit or remove the formula in this column.
Do not change the order of sheets within the workbook.
If you need to use formulas, perform lookups, or paste reference data, create a new sheet and position it at the far right of the workbook.
6. Double-check the data in the template.
Ensure that all contacts you intend to import are included and correctly placed in the appropriate columns.
Confirm that each contact type is listed in the correct sheet:
Company tab: Only the Name field is required.
Individual tab: First Name, Last Name, and Email are required.
Personnel tab: Parent Company, First Name, Last Name, and Email are required.
Personnel contacts must have a corresponding company already created in Synergy or listed earlier in the same import file.
For fields that support multiple entries—like Tags and Roles—use comma-separated values (e.g., Tag1, Tag2, Tag3).
Roles can only be imported if they already exist in Synergy. Set them up via:
Settings > Contact Lists > Roles.
7. Import Synergy data import - Contacts
In Synergy, go to: Settings > Organisation > Data Import > Excel Import
Select the Contacts tab and click Upload.
Click 'Add Files' to browse and select your completed import file, or drag and drop the file into the upload area.
An import preview will display your data for review.
If there are errors, click the red or orange warning icon for instructions on how to resolve them.
Skip any lines in the preview that you do not want to import. Lines with unresolved errors are automatically skipped.
Click Import to upload all valid data.
After this import, your Contacts will be in Synergy and you'll be ready to load Projects.
Tips!
Start with a test import—enter one contact of each type (Company, Individual, Personnel) to confirm correct setup before importing in bulk.
Although imports can be done in stages, the import tool does not update existing records. Import as much data as possible in one session to maximize efficiency.
Any skipped records can be downloaded, corrected, and reuploaded.
Use the example rows provided to check formatting. Be sure to delete them before importing to avoid accidental uploads.