Step 1: Clean and deduplicate the spreadsheet
This is where most migrations slow down. Your existing past-client spreadsheet has issues you have not noticed:
- Duplicate contacts (same person, different rows, different spellings)
- Inconsistent name formatting (Jane Smith vs Smith, Jane vs JANE SMITH)
- Missing fields you need for CRM (email addresses, phone numbers, NMLS records)
- Notes scattered across columns instead of in a notes field
The cleanup is one of three things: do it yourself (slow but free), pay a virtual assistant (medium), or let the BNTouch White Glove team handle it during onboarding (included with annual plans).
Step 2: Map columns to CRM fields
Your spreadsheet has columns. BNTouch has fields. Mapping is straightforward for standard fields:
| Spreadsheet column | BNTouch field |
|---|---|
| First Name + Last Name | Contact first/last name |
| Email (primary) | |
| Phone | Phone (mobile or home) |
| Property Address | Property address |
| Closing Date | Loan closing date |
| Loan Amount | Original loan amount |
| Interest Rate | Current rate (for refi triggers) |
| Credit Score | Credit score (with consent) |
| Notes | Contact notes |
| Referral Source | Lead source (for partner attribution) |
Custom columns map to custom fields. BNTouch allows unlimited custom fields, so unusual spreadsheet columns (loan officer notes, partner relationship details, anniversary preferences) all transfer.
Step 3: Import contacts in a sandbox first
Never import directly to production on the first try. BNTouch provides a sandbox environment where you upload the spreadsheet, see how the contacts will look in the CRM, fix mapping issues, and validate before pushing to production.
The sandbox catches problems like: phone numbers in the wrong field, dates parsed incorrectly, currency values stored as text, character encoding issues with apostrophes and accents.
Step 4: Validate the import
After production import, run validation checks:
- Total contact count: matches the spreadsheet row count (after deduplication)
- Critical fields not blank: email, phone, name are present for every contact
- No contacts in wrong status: everyone is in the correct lifecycle stage
- Sample-check 20 random contacts: their notes, dates, and custom fields are correct
The validation step typically takes 1-2 hours. The White Glove team runs it with you on a live call so issues are caught immediately.
Step 5: Activate campaigns on the imported data
Once the import is validated, turn on the campaign sequences. For past clients with closing dates already in the data, the post-close 5-10-15 year sequences activate based on the time since close. Some past clients will immediately be in their year-3 or year-5 cohort and will receive the appropriate touch.
For active leads (people in pipeline, not yet closed), activate the new-lead nurture sequences. For real estate partners, activate the partner nurture cycles.
Frequently asked
How long does the full Excel-to-BNTouch migration take?
For solo LOs with under 500 past clients in a relatively clean spreadsheet, 1-3 days end to end. For brokerages with 1,000-10,000 contacts and complex data, 14-30 days. White Glove team handles most of the work.
What if my spreadsheet has 5,000+ contacts?
Same process, just longer. Large imports run in batches (typically 1,000 at a time) so issues can be caught and fixed before the whole import completes.
Do I lose my past-client history?
No. Everything transfers. If your spreadsheet has the loan closing date, original loan amount, interest rate, and any notes, BNTouch imports all of it and uses the data to time the appropriate post-close campaigns.
