Moving to Techstyles from spreadsheets or another tool
What can come across from spreadsheets or another tool, what has to be added by hand, and a sensible order to do it in.
There is no import in Techstyles. You can't upload a spreadsheet of contacts, products or schedule items, or bring a project across from another tool. It's usually simplest to set up your live projects by hand and leave finished ones where they are.
Here's what can and can't come across.
| What | Can it come across? | How |
|---|---|---|
| Contacts | By hand. There is no import or export. | Add a client, supplier or contractor, one at a time. Clients can also be added from the new project form, and suppliers from a product. |
| Products | By hand, or from supplier websites. | Add a product to your library, or clip products from supplier websites. |
| Schedules | By hand, once the products are in your library. | Add a library product to a project. |
| Project plans | By hand, or from your own template. | Build project templates, then start phases from a studio template. |
| Files | Yes, by uploading. Drag in several at once, up to 50 MB each. | Upload files to a project. Drawings go in drawing packages. |
| Yes, automatically. | Connect Gmail: the last 90 days of email with your CRM contacts comes in. | |
| Google Calendar events | Yes, shown on Home. | The same connection. See Connect your Google Calendar. |
| Contacts in Xero | No, they don't come into the CRM. | Once you add a contact in Techstyles, their first document matches them to the Xero contact by email, then name, so you don't get a duplicate. See What moves between Techstyles and Xero. |
| Past invoices | No. Invoices created directly in Xero don't come into Techstyles. | Keep them in Xero or your old system. Don't re-enter them with Xero connected: each one you save is sent to Xero as a new invoice. |
| Past time logs | No. You can't type in time by hand. | Keep them in your old system. |
A sensible order
- Set up your studio and invite your team.
- Add your live clients, suppliers and contractors to the CRM.
- Add the products you use now to your library.
- If you use Xero, connect it. Enable your currencies in Xero first.
- Set up your live projects: create each project, add its schedule and upload its files.
- Check prices and suppliers, then invite your clients. They see prices and suppliers once you share the schedule.
Let Atelier in Techstyles help
If you're a studio admin, Atelier in Techstyles can read a CSV you attach, and in Agent mode it can propose projects and tasks for you to approve. See Attach a file or dictate a question and Let Atelier in Techstyles plan work for you to approve. It can't create contacts, products or schedule items. You can approve up to 30 changes an hour.
Before you start: decide what's staying behind
Exporting what you need from your old tool is up to you, and worth doing before you cancel it. If you have a lot to bring across, email support@techstyles.ai before you start.