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Software Update

Save time with Customer Master’s Importer Tool

By Julie Riecken, Training Support Manager

One of the topics we’ll be discussing at our upcoming MACC Billing and Technology Conference is the Importer Tool. If you haven’t attempted to use the Importer, we would encourage you to think about the benefits of using it.

There are actually six different import types available in the tool: Address, CRM, Custom Fields, OCC, Sales Lead, and USP. Here are some practical uses for each of these:

Address (import new): Use this feature to mass-insert addresses from a spreadsheet. If you are about to begin providing service in a neighboring community, and you have the addresses available to you, the Importer will provide control over management of the new addresses.

Address (update existing): You may also update existing addresses with information such as auto-assigned values and address geo-coding by using the Importer. It’s an easy way to perform mass updates instead of making manual changes to each individual address. The key to performing mass updates is to make sure the address is an exact match before attempting to perform the update.

CRM: This importer allows you to mass-insert notes on accounts. If you’ve performed some mass-communication to customers, and you have a list of accounts (such a report from an auto-dialer), this tool is a huge time saver.

Custom Fields: If your company uses Custom Fields to track miscellaneous information on accounts or networks, and you need to quickly apply the details to those accounts, the Importer will make that process a breeze!

OCC: This one is a favorite! Instead of manually entering a list of one-time charges for things such as a mass outage credit, use the Importer to perform a mass entry of credits on accounts or networks.

Sales Lead: This is especially helpful for companies that are working from a list of prospective customers. One thing to keep in mind is to pre-load the customer addresses using the Address Importer prior to loading the customer list. Use the Sales Lead Importer Tool to bring in the list of potential customers as Sales Leads.

USP: Another favorite! If you have a list of accounts that need USPs mass inserted or mass deleted, this is a great way to simplify the process. Customer Master has always had a mass insert and mass delete tool, but it required specific criteria. If you have a list of affected accounts, save it as a .CSV, and the importer will bring them in – performing either an update or an addition of the USPs.

All of the Importer criteria can be saved, so that if you perform the same type of import again in the future, the criteria will be available to use again. Training is available (and recommended) on the Importer tool.