Switching to vcita from other platforms is easy! In this article, we'll walk you through how to import your clients, payments and your documents from other platforms. See our export guide to find out how to export data from specific platforms.

Clients

vcita offers the following import options:

• Square Contacts
• QuickBooks 
• CSV/Excel spreadsheet

Out of these options, spreadsheet import is the most versatile. If using Square, Google or QuickBooks, the import is automated and the information imported is predetermined - you won't be able to import custom client fields. 

To import your clients via spreadsheet:

1. Prep your client card for import: The client card will be pre-populated with the most commonly stored client information fields like Name, email, phone number etc. Make sure to add the additional fields relevant to your business.  
2. Export data from your existing platform: The method will differ depending on the platform you are using. Many platforms will allow you to directly export to a spreadsheet.  
3. Fill out/format the spreadsheet: Download our template and fill it out (remember to add your additional fields as column headers) or format your existing spreadsheet to match the fields in your vcita client card. 

4. Import clients: In the Clients section of your vcita account, click the Import button and follow the instructions provided to import your spreadsheet. This article will walk you through the whole process.

Payments

You can easily sync over transactions from Square or QuickBooks, if you use either of those platforms. 

To connect:

1. Start in your vcita account and navigate to Settings > Integrations. 
2. Click on the Connect button under either Square or QuickBooks.
3. Follow the prompts to complete setup.

If you do not use either of these platforms, there are still some steps you can take to transfer payment and transaction data over to vcita.

First, export payment data from your previous platform. Then, 

• Upload as a document: Upload internal documents to the client card (you can also share it with the client if you want them to be able to reference their payment history). If you have multiple files, you can create a zip file and upload the zip file to the client card (each client's transaction records documents must be uploaded one client at a time). 
• Import as a note: Import Notes during your client import! Create a Notes column in your spreadsheet and add transaction details. Keep in mind you can only import one note during client import. If you already imported your client list, you can reimport the list with the added note column. Use the overwrite import option to update existing clients with the note.
• Manually record transactions: Manually record payments for your clients. Manually recorded payments have the advantage of appearing as a normal payment in the Payments tab of the client card and they are visible to the client if they want to review their transaction history. 

Documents

1. Export documents from your previous platform. 
2. You can upload documents in three ways depending on your needs:
   • Upload to My Documents: My Documents is a personal library of documents that you will be sharing regularly with clients such as privacy statements. Each staff member/user on your account has their own documents library, so make sure that all the relevant users upload documents to their library. 
   • Upload to the client card: Upload a document directly to the client card. The documents will be stored on the Documents tab of the client card. You can store documents internally or share them with the client.

Internal Notes

There are a few options for importing client notes depending on how many notes you have. 

• Import Notes: (Best for a small number of notes) Import Notes during your client import! Create a Notes column in your spreadsheet and add transaction details. Keep in mind you can only import one note during client import, so this option is best if you don't have a large number of notes to import. If you already imported your client list, you can reimport the list with the added note column. Use the overwrite import option to update existing clients with the note.
• Upload as a Document: You can upload internal documents to the client card, such as PDFs and text files. If you have a large number of files, you can create a zip file first and upload the zip file to the client card (each client's transaction records documents must be uploaded one client at a time).
• Manually record notes: Finally, you can copy and paste text from your previous platform into the Notes tab of the client card in vcita and manually add them that way.

Export from other platforms

Below, you will find information on exporting your data from other platforms. If you are having trouble exporting data, please contact the relevant platform for assistance.