CrewBoard allows administrators to import multiple employees at once using a CSV file. This helps speed up company setup and reduces the need to create each employee profile manually.
CSV import is designed for onboarding new company accounts, adding a larger number of employees, or migrating employee data from another system into CrewBoard.
Before importing users, we recommend downloading and using the official CrewBoard CSV template. The template contains the correct column structure and helps prevent formatting errors during import.
Before you start
Before uploading your CSV file, please make sure that:
you are using the official CrewBoard CSV template
the column order has not been changed
each employee is entered in a separate row
dates are entered in the required format
email addresses are valid
phone numbers are not automatically changed by Excel
the final file is saved as CSV UTF-8
Existing users will not be changed during the import.
Download the CSV template
To prepare your import file, start by downloading the official CrewBoard CSV template.
Download CSV Template
Use this file as the starting point for your import. Do not rename, remove, or reorder the columns.
You can also review a completed example file to better understand how employee data should be entered.
Required CSV structure
Your CSV file must contain the following columns in the exact order shown below.
Column | Description | Example |
First name | Employee’s first name | Oliver |
Last name | Employee’s last name | Smith |
Birthday | Employee’s date of birth | 05.05.1991 |
Private phone | Employee’s private phone number | 38761111222 |
Private email | Employee’s private email address | |
Address | Employee’s home address | Test Address 1 |
City | Employee’s city | Sarajevo |
Country | Employee’s country | Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Gender | Employee’s gender | Male |
Emergency contact | Emergency contact phone number | 38761111999 |
Blood type | Employee’s blood type | A+ |
Marital status | Employee’s marital status | Single |
Number of children | Number of children | 0 |
Role | Employee’s role in CrewBoard | employee |
Position | Employee’s job position | QA Engineer |
Company email | Employee’s company email address | |
Company phone | Employee’s company phone number | 38761111223 |
Contract type | Employee’s contract type | Full time |
Contract start date | Employee’s contract start date | 01.01.2024 |
Yearly allowance | Total yearly absence allowance | 24 |
Pro-rated days off | Available days off calculated for the current period | 20 |
Accepted values and formats
Some fields must follow a specific format or use predefined values.
Field | Required format / accepted values |
Birthday | Use date format |
Contract start date | Use date format |
Gender | Use values such as |
Marital status | Use values such as |
Number of children | Use numbers only, for example |
Role | Use CrewBoard role values, for example |
Contract type | Use values such as |
Yearly allowance | Use numbers only, for example |
Pro-rated days off | Use numbers only, for example |
For best results, we recommend using consistent formatting across the entire file.
For example, use lowercase values for roles:
employeeadminhr
Even if some systems may accept uppercase values, using consistent lowercase values helps prevent import errors.
Important note about opening CSV files in Excel
CSV files can be edited in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers, or similar spreadsheet tools. However, some spreadsheet tools may automatically change the formatting of the file when it is opened or saved.
This can cause import issues.
For example, Excel may automatically:
change date formats
remove leading zeros from phone numbers
change special characters because of incorrect encoding
convert long numbers into scientific notation
change separators between columns
save the file in a format that CrewBoard cannot read correctly
Because of this, it is important to review the file before uploading it to CrewBoard.
How to edit the CSV file safely
When editing the CSV file, please follow these recommendations:
1. Do not change the column order
CrewBoard expects the columns to appear in the same order as the official template.
Do not:
rename columns
remove columns
add new columns
move columns to a different position
Changing the structure may cause the import to fail or place data in the wrong fields.
2. Keep phone numbers as text
Phone numbers should not be treated as normal numbers by Excel.
For example, if a phone number starts with 0, Excel may remove the first zero. In some cases, Excel may also change long phone numbers into scientific notation.
Recommended approach:
format phone number columns as text before editing
avoid using formulas in phone number fields
review phone numbers before saving the file
3. Use the correct date format
The CSV template uses the following date format:
DD.MM.YYYY
Example:
05.05.1991
Use the same format for:
Birthday
Contract start date
Avoid mixing multiple date formats in the same file.
For example, do not mix:
05.05.19911991-05-0505/05/1991
4. Use valid email addresses
Private email and company email should contain valid email addresses.
Example:
Each company email should be unique.
5. Use numbers only where required
The following fields should contain numbers only:
Number of children
Yearly allowance
Pro-rated days off
Do not enter text such as:
twenty24 daysN/A
Use only numeric values, for example:
24
How to save the CSV file correctly
After editing the file, save it as:
CSV UTF-8 (*.csv)
This format helps preserve special characters, names, and correct file encoding.
In Microsoft Excel
Open the CSV template.
Enter or update employee data.
Click File.
Click Save As.
Choose file format CSV UTF-8 (*.csv).
Save the file.
Upload the saved CSV file to CrewBoard.
In Google Sheets
Open Google Sheets.
Import or open the CSV template.
Enter or update employee data.
Click File.
Select Download.
Choose Comma Separated Values (.csv).
Upload the downloaded file to CrewBoard.
Importing the CSV file into CrewBoard
To import users:
Go to Settings.
Open Import Users from CSV.
Download the CSV template if you have not already done so.
Fill in employee data.
Save the file as CSV UTF-8.
Upload the CSV file.
Review the imported users after the import is completed.
After the import
After the import is complete, go to the users section and review the imported employee profiles.
Check that the following information was imported correctly:
employee names
private and company email addresses
roles
positions
contract types
contract start dates
yearly allowance
pro-rated days off
If something is incorrect, update the employee profile manually or prepare a corrected CSV file and import again, depending on your company setup and import rules.
Common import issues
Issue | Possible reason | How to fix it |
File cannot be imported | File was not saved as CSV | Save the file as |
Special characters look incorrect | File encoding was changed | Save the file as CSV UTF-8 |
Dates are not accepted | Wrong date format | Use |
Phone numbers changed | Excel reformatted the numbers | Format phone columns as text |
Data appears in the wrong field | Column order was changed | Use the original template structure |
Role is not accepted | Invalid role value | Use valid CrewBoard roles |
Email is rejected | Invalid or duplicate email | Check email format and uniqueness |
Allowance value is rejected | Text was entered instead of number | Use numbers only |