A CSV ("comma-separated values") is a plain-text spreadsheet. Each row is a record. Each value in a row is separated by a comma. The first row is usually a header that names the columns.
It is the universal format that almost every booking, contact, and email app can read and write. If you are moving from another tool to ApptOnly, CSV is how the client list gets across.
Where to get one
Most booking platforms have an export option in their settings:
- MassageBook — Reports / Clients / Export
- Square Appointments — Customers / Directory / More / Export
- Acuity / Squarespace Scheduling — Clients / Import & Export / Export
- Vagaro — Clients / Tools / Export Clients
- Calendly — Limited; you can export your invitee list per event type
Look for words like "Export," "Download contacts," or "CSV." If your old tool only exports as Excel, save it as CSV first.
If you are starting fresh and don't have a list, skip this step. You can add clients one at a time from the dashboard, or new clients get added automatically the first time they book with you.
What ApptOnly expects
ApptOnly's importer looks for four columns:
- First name
- Last name
- Phone
Any of those can be missing on a given row. The importer matches what it finds. If your file uses different column names ("Given Name" instead of "First name", for example), the import preview lets you map columns to the right fields before anything saves.
You do not need to clean up the file before uploading. The preview screen will show:
- How many clients will be created
- How many already exist (and will be skipped or merged based on email match)
- Any rows that look malformed (missing both email and phone)
You confirm or cancel before anything actually saves.
Common gotchas
- Phone numbers with weird formatting. ApptOnly accepts almost any format and normalizes them. Extensions, parentheses, and dashes are fine. International numbers should include the country code.
- Quoted commas. If a name or address contains a comma, it should be wrapped in double quotes in the CSV. Most export tools do this automatically.
- Encoding. Save as UTF-8 if you have any accented characters. Most modern exports default to this.
If the importer cannot parse your file at all, double-check that it really is a CSV (not an Excel .xlsx saved with a .csv extension) and try a fresh export.