Bring Your Book of Business From Anywhere
The biggest reason pool pros put off switching software is the customer list. Exporting it, cleaning it up, and getting it into a new system feels like a weekend you do not have. So we rebuilt the Pool Founder import wizard to take your list however it comes — a spreadsheet, an export from your old software, or even a photo of a printed customer list.
You will find it under Import Data in the dashboard, and it also runs inline during the guided get-started flow for new accounts. Upload a file, let the AI map the columns, review what it found, and import.
Excel, CSV, or a Photo
You no longer have to convert anything. The wizard now accepts Excel workbooks (.xlsx and .xls) straight from your old software, alongside plain CSV files. Even an Excel file that was saved with a .csv name is detected automatically.
- CSV / Excel — drop in an export from a spreadsheet or your current software.
- Screenshot — upload a photo or screenshot of a customer list and AI reads the rows out of the image.
If all you have is a printed roster or a screen from your old system, take a picture of it. The wizard extracts the names, addresses, and contact info it can see, so you are not retyping the whole list by hand.
AI That Handles Messy Data
Real customer lists are messy. Columns are named inconsistently, addresses live in one cell or five, and every export uses different headers. The wizard reads your file and maps each column to the right Pool Founder field on its own, then shows you the result before anything is created.
On the review screen, every column has a dropdown so you can remap it or mark it Don't import. If a lot needs fixing, type what is wrong in plain English — for example, "the Address column should map to street, not city" — and hit Refine to let the AI redo the mapping. Addresses in a single cell are handled either way, with or without commas.
The review step was rebuilt around clean, normalized columns, so there is no endless horizontal scroll. Rows missing something required show up under Needs your attention with inline fields to fill in, then move into the Ready to import table below. Rows you never fix are simply skipped, never imported half-broken.
One Customer, Many Pools
Plenty of exports list one row per pool, which used to split one customer into duplicates. Now rows that share an email address (or a name, when there is no email) merge into a single customer carrying all of their service locations. A homeowner with three properties comes in as one customer with three pools, not three separate records.
- Phone and email are optional. Only a name is required for a customer, and an address for a service location. Lists with missing contact info import cleanly instead of hitting a wall.
- No duplicates on re-import. If a customer is already in Pool Founder, the import attaches any new pools from the file to that existing customer instead of creating a copy.
- Extra columns are kept. Additional email columns become extra emails, and details like gate codes are saved as notes.
Spreadsheet import brings in customers and their service locations. It does not create jobs — set up recurring service afterward with job templates, which apply one service type to many customers at once.
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Try Pool Founder free for 30 daysFrequently Asked Questions
Can I import an Excel file, or do I have to convert it to CSV first?
You can upload Excel files (.xlsx and .xls) directly. The wizard reads the workbook for you, so there is no need to export it to CSV first. Plain CSV files still work too.
What if all I have is a photo of my customer list?
Choose the Screenshot option and upload a photo or screenshot. The AI reads the visible rows out of the image and pulls out names, addresses, and contact info. Review the extracted data carefully before importing, since a photo is never as clean as a real export.
My export has one row per pool. Will that create duplicate customers?
No. Rows that share an email address, or a name when there is no email, merge into one customer with multiple service locations. Re-importing a customer who already exists adds their new locations rather than duplicating them.
Does the import bring over my routes and service days?
The import brings in customers and their service locations. It does not create jobs, routes, or schedules — those depend on data most exports do not include. After importing, set up recurring service with job templates and then build your routes.