Overview
Bulk Import is the fastest way to work through a large customer list. Instead of adding customers one at a time, you upload a spreadsheet, tell GiveMe5 which column holds which piece of information, and choose how and how quickly to send. GiveMe5 takes care of the rest, queuing and delivering invitations at the rate you set.
Good times to use Bulk Import: after completing a large job batch, when migrating from another system, or any time you need to catch up on a backlog of invitations quickly.
What you can do here:
Upload a CSV file of customers for any location on your account
Map each column in your file to the right GiveMe5 field (the system auto-detects common column names)
Control delivery speed — from 5 to 100 invitations per day
Send by email, SMS, or both at the same time
Review your import history and download error logs for rows that failed
Access requirements:
You can't use Bulk Import on Free or Free Trial plans.
Viewer role can't run Bulk Import. Owner, Admin, and Manager roles can.
SMS is only available for locations in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, or Canada, and requires a connected Twilio account.
Prepare your CSV
Your file must be saved as a CSV (.csv). Excel (.xlsx) and Google Sheets files are not accepted directly — export them to CSV first.
Columns you can include:
Column | What it's for | Required |
First Name | Personalises the invitation message with the customer's first name | No |
Last Name | Customer's last name | No |
Email Address | Email address to send the invitation to | Required if Phone is not mapped |
Phone | Phone number for SMS delivery | Required if Email is not mapped |
Country Code | Country dial code for the phone number (for example, +1 for the US) | Required whenever Phone is mapped |
Employee Name | Appears in invitation template personalisation | No |
Service Name | Appears in invitation template personalisation | No |
The minimum you need in your file:
An email address column alone is enough to proceed, or
A phone number column paired with a country code column.
You can include both email and phone in the same file — that gives you the option to send by either channel or both at the send step without re-uploading.
Tip: Download the sample CSV from the upload panel (see next section) to get a template with column names already in the format GiveMe5 auto-detects. Fill it in and save it as a CSV.
Upload your file
Click Bulk Import in the top-right corner of the Invited customers table. A side panel opens with a three-step progress bar across the top.
Select a location. Use the location dropdown at the top of the panel to choose which business location the invitations will come from. Sub-locations appear in the list alongside parent locations.
Get the sample file (optional). Click Download Sample CSV above the upload area to download a ready-made template. Fill it in, save as CSV, and use it in the next step.
Upload your file. Drag your CSV file into the upload area, or click Choose File to browse. A circular progress indicator appears as the file loads. When it finishes, a banner shows how many contacts were detected in the file.
Name this import. The File Name field fills in automatically from your file's name. Change it to something descriptive if you want — for example, "June 2026 – Westside" — so you can find this batch in your history later.
Click Start Column Mapping to continue. This button stays inactive until a location is selected, a file is uploaded, and the file name field has text.
Import history: When no file is loaded, the panel shows a table of your previous imports — date, name, status, and a download button for any error log. The history disappears once you select a new file to upload.
Map your columns
GiveMe5 reads the column headings from your CSV and tries to match them automatically. A column named "email" or "e-mail" is matched to Email Address without you doing anything. Columns it can't recognise are left unmatched for you to assign.
The mapping table shows one row per field. For each field you want to include:
Check the box to the left of the field name.
Use the dropdown on the right to select the matching column from your CSV.
Mapping rules:
Map Email Address alone, or map Phone + Country Code together — at least one of these combinations must be complete before you can continue.
If you check Phone, you must also check and map Country Code. The Next button stays inactive until this requirement is met.
You can map both Email Address and Phone at the same time for maximum flexibility at the send step.
Click Next when your required fields are mapped.
Choose how invitations are sent
Set the send speed
Choose how many invitations to send per day. The available options are 5, 10, 15, 20, 50, and 100. The default is 10 per day, which is the recommended setting for most accounts — it produces a steady, natural-looking flow of reviews rather than a sudden spike.
Example: A file with 60 contacts sent at 10 per day will deliver invitations over 6 days, roughly 10 each day.
Choose a delivery channel
Select at least one channel — the Import & Send Invite button stays inactive until you do.
Email — Available for any location. Check this to send invitations by email.
SMS — Check this to send invitations by text message. SMS is unavailable if your location is outside the US, UK, Australia, or Canada, or if your account isn't connected to Twilio. Check SMS setup in your account settings if the option is greyed out.
Selecting both Email and SMS means each customer in the import receives the invitation through both channels.
Send and track results
Click Import & Send Invite to submit. A green confirmation screen appears with the message Invitations Scheduled — this means the import is queued and GiveMe5 has started sending at the rate you chose.
After submitting, each customer appears in the Invited customers table as their invitation is processed. Open any customer's activity panel from the Actions column to see when the invitation was delivered, opened, and acted on.
If any rows in your file had problems (for example, a missing country code or an unrecognised phone format), an error log appears in the import history table on the first step. Download the error CSV — it lists each failed row with columns for Email, Phone Number, Country Code, and the specific error — fix the issues, and re-import those contacts.
Tips
Include both email and phone in the same file. You won't need to re-upload if you decide to switch channels or add SMS at the send step.
Use the sample CSV template. Column names in the sample are pre-formatted to trigger auto-detection, so the mapping step needs little or no manual work.
Name imports specifically. A name like "May 2026 – Downtown" makes it easy to find a batch in your history when you need to check its status or download an error report.
Stick to 10 per day for new locations. The recommended speed keeps your review flow consistent and avoids a large simultaneous delivery that can look unusual on review platforms.
Review the error log after each import. Even a small file can have rows with formatting issues. The error CSV tells you exactly which contacts failed and why.
Frequently asked questions
Who can use Bulk Import?
Owners, Admins, and Managers on a paid plan. It is not available on Free or Free Trial plans, and Viewer role can't access it on any plan.
What file format does Bulk Import accept?
CSV only (.csv). To export from Excel: File → Save As → CSV (Comma delimited). From Google Sheets: File → Download → Comma-separated values (.csv).
Do I need both an email address and a phone number?
No — either one is enough on its own. Email alone works. Phone alone works too, as long as you also include a Country Code column. Including both gives you more flexibility at the send step.
Why is SMS greyed out?
There are three possible causes: (1) your location is in a country where SMS isn't supported — only US, UK, Australia, and Canada are currently supported; (2) your account isn't connected to Twilio; or (3) your plan doesn't include SMS. Check your SMS settings in Setup to investigate further.
What does the send speed setting do?
It limits how many invitations from this import are delivered each day. A 200-contact import at 20 per day takes 10 days to complete. This pacing keeps your review flow steady over time.
Will Bulk Import send to customers who've already been invited?
No automatic deduplication happens against previously invited customers. Remove contacts who have already received a recent invitation from your CSV before uploading to avoid duplicate messages.
Where do newly imported customers appear?
In the Invited customers table, as each invitation is processed. The table updates progressively as invitations go out — not all at once.
Can I cancel after clicking Import & Send Invite?
The batch can't be cancelled once queued, but you can stop individual customers from receiving further messages using the Stop button in the Invited customers table.
What's in the error log CSV?
Each row that failed appears with four columns: Email, Phone Number, Country Code, and the specific error message explaining why that row couldn't be processed.
What does the import history show?
Each previous import is listed with the date it was run, the name you gave it, its current status (for example, Completed or Partial), and a download button for the error log if any contacts had problems.