Import from Google Sheets

Not recommended for regular use

We strongly recommend using the Add Lead page in the CRM instead of importing via Google Sheets. The sheet import has no validation. If column names, advisor names, or data formats do not match exactly, leads will be imported with missing or incorrect information and you will need to fix them manually one by one.

Import leads from your Google Sheet directly into the CRM. The system automatically checks your sheet every 5 minutes and pulls in new or updated leads. This page is only intended for one-time bulk migration when you first start using the system. For day-to-day use, always add leads through the CRM Add Lead page it has proper validation, advisor selection, and does not require manual fixes.

Super admin only

Only super admin accounts can access the sync page and run imports. Regular admins will not see this option in the sidebar.

Preparing your sheet

Open Google Sheets and paste your data in (or use File > Import to upload an Excel or CSV file). The first row must be the column headers exactly as listed below. Each row after that is one lead.

Tip

If you already track leads in Excel, just export as CSV, then import into Google Sheets (File > Import > Upload). Rename your columns to match the names in the table below.

Required columns

The system looks for these exact column headers in the first row. Extra columns are ignored:

Column Name	Required	Description
Lead Name	No	Prospect name. Falls back to email username if empty.
Phone	No	Contact number
Email	Yes	Rows without an email are skipped. Used to check for duplicates.
Lead Source	No	Where the lead came from (e.g. website, referral, walk-in)
Recommended Program	No	Program the lead is interested in
Eligibility	No	Entry pathway or APEL status
Intake	No	Preferred intake month or year
Note	No	Additional notes about the lead
Assigned Advisor	No	Advisor name or email. The system tries to match this to an existing advisor in the system.

Sample row

Here is how a completed row looks in your sheet:

Lead Name	Phone	Email	Lead Source	Recommended Program	Eligibility	Intake	Note	Assigned Advisor
Ahmad Faiz	012-3456789	ahmad@email.com	Website	Master in IT	APEL A	2026 Q3	Interested in scholarship	Siti Sarah
(empty - uses email name)	016-9876543	nurul@email.com	Referral	Diploma in Business	SPM	2026 Q1	(empty)	nurul.advisor@email.com

Note

The second row has no Lead Name, so the system uses the email username (nurul) as the name. The Assigned Advisor column uses the advisor email instead of name.

Connecting your sheet to the system

For the system to read your sheet, you need to share it with the service account email. Click the Share button in your Google Sheet and add this email as an Editor:

skc-education-group@project-f6ab5402-2c9f-49c1-9eb.iam.gserviceaccount.com

If you want to use a different Google Sheet, ask the developer to update the GOOGLE_SHEETS_ID environment variable (you can find the sheet ID in the sheet URL between /d/ and /edit).

Cannot see the Sync button?

Go to Settings in the sidebar and look for the Google Sheets Sync section. Only super admin accounts can access this. If you need access, ask your system administrator.

How it works

The system reads all rows from your Google Sheet
Rows without an email address are skipped
If a lead with the same email already exists in the CRM, it updates that record instead of creating a duplicate
The system tries to match the Assigned Advisor column to an advisor in the system by name or email
A sync log is created showing how many were imported, skipped, or errored

Duplicate emails in the sheet

If your sheet has two rows with the same email address, the system processes rows from top to bottom. The first row creates a new lead. When the second row is processed, the system finds the lead that was just created (by matching the email) and updates it with the data from the second row. This means the last row in the sheet with that email wins and overwrites whatever the earlier row imported. To avoid losing data, make sure each email appears only once in your sheet.

What gets synced

Each sync reads every row in the sheet. The following fields are synced from the sheet to the CRM:

Lead Name - falls back to email username if empty
Phone - contact number
Email - used to match existing leads (case-insensitive, trimmed)
Lead Source - where the lead came from
Recommended Program - programme interest
Eligibility - entry pathway or APEL status
Intake - preferred intake
Note - additional notes
Assigned Advisor - matched to an existing advisor by name or email

Existing leads are updated with fresh data from the sheet. Fields that are empty in the sheet will overwrite existing values with blank. The sales stage and lead status are always set to their defaults (new_lead / active) on creation, but are not changed on existing records.

Filling the Assigned Advisor column

You can put the advisor name or email in this column. The system checks in this order:

Exact name match - The advisor name must match exactly as it appears in the system
Exact email match - If you put an advisor email, the system looks for an advisor with that email
Case-insensitive match - If exact name fails, it tries ignoring uppercase/lowercase differences
Partial match - If nothing else works, it checks if the typed name is contained within any advisor name (e.g. typing "Ali" matches "Ali Hassan")

If no match is found, the row is still imported but without an assigned advisor. Check the sync log for warnings.

Running a sync

Go to Settings > Google Sheets Sync
Click the Sync Now button
Wait for the import to complete (may take a few seconds depending on sheet size)
Review the results. Any errors or skipped rows will be shown.

Changes not showing?

The system checks your Google Sheet every 5 minutes. If you update the sheet and need to see the changes right away, click Sync Now to pull the latest data immediately instead of waiting for the next automatic check.

Sync history

Every sync is logged. You can see past runs with their status, how many leads were imported, and any errors that occurred. This helps track when data was last updated and troubleshoot any issues.

Troubleshooting

Column names dont match - The first row of your sheet must use the exact column names listed above. Extra columns are ignored, but missing ones will leave those fields empty.
Advisor not found - If the advisor name in your sheet does not match any advisor in the system, that row will still be imported but without an assigned advisor. Check the sync log for warnings.
Duplicates - Rows with the same email as an existing CRM lead update that record instead of creating a new one. If the sheet itself has two rows with the same email, the last row wins and overwrites the first.