Managing your guest contacts efficiently is crucial for streamlined communications and service delivery. Scanotel allows you to add contacts manually one-by-one or in bulk through an Excel import. Here’s how to get started with both methods.
Manually Adding Contacts
Step 1: Access the Contacts Section
Log into your Scanotel account.
Navigate to the ‘Contacts’ section from the main dashboard.
Step 2: Add a New Contact
Click on the ‘Add Contact’ button.
Fill in the contact details in the provided form:
Name: First and last name of the guest.
Mobile Number: Enter a valid mobile number; this will be used for sending automated messages.
Email Address (optional): Include an email if available.
Additional Information (optional): Any other relevant information such as the guest's preferences, the purpose of visit, etc.
Step 3: Save the Contact
Review the information to ensure accuracy.
Click ‘Save’ or ‘Submit’ to add the contact to your database.
Importing Contacts via Excel
Step 1: Prepare Your Excel File
Download the excel template here and populate with you data
Organize your data into columns with headers. The essential columns are:
Name
Mobile Number
Arrival Date
Departure Date
Save the file in .csv format.
Step 2: Access the Import Feature
Log into your Scanotel account.
Go to the ‘Contacts’ section.
Click on ‘Import Contacts'.
Step 3: Upload Your Excel File
On the import page, you will find an option to upload your file.
Click ‘Browse’ or ‘Choose File’ and select the Excel file from your computer.
Upload the file by clicking ‘Open’ and then ‘Upload’.
Step 4: Map Your Data
We will automatically map your data, but you must ensure your data is in the correct columns:
Column A: Name
Column B: Number
Column C: Arrival Date
Column D: Departure Date
Step 5: Complete the Import
Review your data mappings to ensure everything is correct.
Click ‘Import’ to finalise the process.
Once the file is uploaded, you will be able to go back to the 'Import Contacts' screen, and see the status of the upload.
If any errors occur during the upload process, you will be able to download the errors file which will tell you each line that has an error and what the error is, for example:
Row 22: Invalid Arrival Date.
Step 6: Verify the Contacts
After importing, it’s good practice to check a few entries to ensure all data has been transferred correctly.
Navigate to the ‘Contacts’ list to view the newly added entries.
Tips for Successful Import
Ensure that the mobile numbers are in a format accepted by Scanotel (e.g., phone format must be: 44771234567 and not +44771234567).
Avoid duplicate entries by cleaning and organizing your data before import.
Use the provided template by Scanotel, if available, to minimise errors during the mapping stage.
By following these steps, you can efficiently manage your contact list in Scanotel, whether you are adding a few contacts manually or importing a large list through Excel. This will help streamline your guest communication and improve overall service delivery.