Introduction
Keeping your contacts organized as Customers and Terminals helps you create orders faster and keeps pickup/delivery details consistent. This guide shows you how to export your current contacts, separate them into two groups, and re-import them into the correct lists in Shipper TMS.
How to Separate Contacts
First, you’ll export your existing contacts and label which ones belong in Customers vs. Terminals.
Step 1: Export your contacts
- Go to the Customers tab in Shipper TMS.
- Open the menu and select Export.
- A CSV file containing your contacts will download.
Step 2: Review and label contacts in the CSV
- Open the exported CSV file in Excel or Google Sheets.
- Decide which contacts should be Customers and which should be Terminals.
- Highlight your rows to make sorting easier:
- Yellow = Customers
- Green = Terminals
Step 3: Group rows by color
- In your spreadsheet, open the Data menu and turn on Filter.
- Use the filter dropdown to sort by cell color:
- Sort Yellow (Customers) to the top
- Sort Green (Terminals) to the bottom
How to Import Customers
Next, you’ll use the Customers sample file format to re-upload only your Customer contacts.
Step 1: Download the Customers sample file
- Go to the Customers tab in Shipper TMS.
- Open the menu and select Import, then click Download Sample File.
Step 2: Prepare your Customers CSV
- Open the sample file in Excel or Google Sheets.
- Delete the sample rows (keep the header row).
- Copy your yellow-highlighted rows (Customers) from the exported contacts file and paste them into the sample file.
- Make sure each column matches the sample header formatting.
- For Business Type, use one of these values (or leave it blank): BUSINESS, DEALER, AUCTION, PRIVATE, REPO_YARD, PORT.
- Save/export the file as CSV.
Tip: Keep a backup copy of your original exported contacts CSV before you make changes.
Step 3: Back up and clear your existing Customers list
- Keep your exported file from Step 1 as a backup.
- In the Customers tab, scroll to the bottom, select all customers, and delete them to clear the list.
Step 4: Upload the Customers CSV
- Return to the Customers tab and select Import.
- Upload your prepared Customers CSV.
- Your Customer contacts will now appear in the Customers list.
How to Import Terminals
Repeat the import process using the Terminals sample file format and your Terminal contacts.
Step 1: Download the Terminals sample file
- Go to the Terminals tab in Shipper TMS.
- Open the menu and select Import, then click Download Sample File.
Step 2: Prepare your Terminals CSV
- Open the Terminals sample file in Excel or Google Sheets.
- Delete the sample rows (keep the header row).
- Copy your green-highlighted rows (Terminals) from the exported contacts file and paste them into the sample file.
- Remove extra columns so the file matches the sample headers.
- For Business Type, use one of these values (or leave it blank): BUSINESS, DEALER, AUCTION, PRIVATE, REPO_YARD, PORT.
- Save/export the file as CSV.
Step 3: Upload the Terminals CSV
- Return to the Terminals tab and select Import.
- Upload your prepared Terminals CSV.
- Your Terminal contacts will now appear in the Terminals list.
Additional Tips for Uploading Contacts
- To add new contacts to an existing Customer or Terminal, the Business Name must match exactly. (Other fields can be left blank.)
- Use the appropriate sample file for each import to avoid formatting errors.