Importing Your Booking Data

# Importing Your Booking Data Moving to RecSystems from another booking system? Our Import Wizard makes it easy to bring your existing reservations, customers, and booking history with you. Rex, your AI-powered assistant, guides you through every step. ## When to Use This - **Switching from another booking system** (FareHarbor, Recreogo, Checkfront, etc.) - **Importing historical bookings** from spreadsheets - **Migrating customer data** from another platform - **Consolidating data** from multiple sources ## Before You Start ### What You'll Need 1. **Export files from your previous system** - Most systems export to CSV format 2. **Admin or Owner access** to RecSystems 3. **About 10-15 minutes** for the wizard (longer for large imports) ### Exporting from Common Systems **FareHarbor:** Reports → Bookings Report → Export → CSV **Recreogo:** Admin → Exports → Customer List + Financial Report **Checkfront:** Inventory → Reports → Export → Bookings CSV **Peek Pro:** Analytics → Export Data → Reservations → CSV **Any other system:** Look for "Export" or "Download" options. Choose CSV format if available. --- ## Step-by-Step Guide ### Step 1: Start the Import Wizard 1. Go to **Settings** (gear icon in your dashboard) 2. Click **Import Data** under Configure 3. Rex will greet you by name! ### Step 2: Upload Your Files - **Drag and drop** your CSV files onto the upload area - Or **click to browse** and select files from your computer - You can upload multiple files at once **File limits:** - Up to 10 files - 50 MB per file maximum - 200 MB total maximum **Using Excel?** Save as CSV first: - File → Save As → Choose "CSV" format ### Step 3: Watch Rex Work Rex analyzes your files automatically. You'll see: - **Progress updates** as he reads your data - **Discovery messages** showing what he finds - **Confidence indicators** for each column he maps Just sit back and watch—Rex does the heavy lifting! ### Step 4: Review the Column Mapping Rex shows you how he'll match your data to RecSystems: | Your Column | RecSystems Field | Confidence | |-------------|-----------------|------------| | Customer Name | Customer name | ●94% | | Rental Date | Booking start | ●92% | | Boat Name | Unit name | ●87% | **What to do:** - Review Rex's suggestions (green dots = high confidence) - Use the dropdowns to change any that look wrong - Changes save automatically! **Pro tip:** Yellow or gray dots (○) mean Rex wants you to double-check. ### Step 5: Match Your Equipment If Rex finds boat/equipment names that don't match your current inventory, he'll ask you to connect them: > "I found 'Pontoon #3' in your file. Is this the same as 'Paradise Pontoon' in your fleet?" **Your options:** - **Accept** Rex's suggestion - **Choose a different** boat from your inventory - **Create as new** to add it to your fleet - **Skip** if you don't want these bookings ### Step 6: Start the Import Click **Start Import** and watch the progress: 1. ✓ Importing customers... 2. ✓ Setting up equipment... 3. ✓ Creating bookings... 4. ✓ Finalizing... **How long does it take?** - Under 500 bookings: 1-2 minutes - 500-2,000 bookings: 2-10 minutes - Over 2,000 bookings: 10-30 minutes **Can you leave?** Yes! The import continues in the background. Rex will email you when it's done. ### Step 7: Celebrate! 🎉 When complete, you'll see: - Confetti celebration - Summary of what was imported - Next steps to continue setting up --- ## What Gets Imported | Data Type | What's Included | |-----------|-----------------| | **Bookings** | Dates, times, units, totals, confirmation numbers | | **Customers** | Names, emails, phone numbers, addresses | | **Equipment** | Creates new units if they don't exist | | **Notes** | Special requests, custom fields, comments | ### What Doesn't Get Imported - **Payment processing** - Historical payments are recorded but not re-processed - **Waivers** - Signed documents from other systems don't transfer - **Photos** - Upload these manually after import --- ## Important: No Customer Emails **Imported bookings will NOT send emails to customers.** This is intentional! We don't want customers receiving confirmation emails for reservations that already happened. New bookings created after the import will send emails normally. --- ## Common Questions ### "Can I undo an import?" Yes! Within 30 days, contact support and we can reverse an import. After 30 days, manual cleanup may be needed. ### "Some records were skipped. Why?" Records are skipped if: - They're duplicates of existing bookings - Required information is missing (like customer email) - Dates are invalid or in the past - The equipment doesn't exist and you chose to skip it Rex will tell you exactly what was skipped and why. ### "Can I import from multiple systems?" Absolutely! Run the Import Wizard once for each system. RecSystems will detect and prevent duplicates. ### "My dates look wrong!" This usually happens with date formats. Rex will ask you to confirm if dates are: - MM/DD/YYYY (American: 12/31/2024) - DD/MM/YYYY (European: 31/12/2024) - YYYY-MM-DD (ISO: 2024-12-31) ### "Rex got a column wrong. What do I do?" Use the dropdown menu next to any column to change Rex's mapping. Your changes save automatically. --- ## Troubleshooting ### File Won't Upload - Check file size (under 50 MB?) - Make sure it's CSV format - Ensure the file isn't empty - Try a smaller file first ### Import Takes Forever Large imports (5,000+ records) can take 30+ minutes. You can: - Close the browser—import continues in background - Check back later using the same link - Rex emails you when it's done ### Error Messages Rex translates technical errors into plain English. Common issues: - "Missing required field" → Some rows don't have customer emails - "Invalid date format" → Dates aren't in a recognized format - "Duplicate detected" → This booking already exists --- ## After Your Import ### Verify Your Data 1. Go to your **Bookings** page 2. Use the **Tag filter** to show only "imported" bookings 3. Spot-check a few records to make sure they look right ### Set Up Going Forward Now that your historical data is in, you can: - **Configure pricing** for future bookings - **Set availability** for your equipment - **Enable online booking** on your website - **Connect payment processing** through Stripe --- ## Getting Help Need assistance with your import? - **Email:** [email protected] - **Subject:** "Import Help - [Your Business Name]" - **Include:** What you're importing, any error messages, screenshots if helpful Our team typically responds within 24 hours. --- *Rex and the RecSystems team are here to make your transition smooth! 🚀*