Troubleshooting QuickBooks Online Customer Import Issues in SynkedUP
Importing your customers from QuickBooks Online into SynkedUP is one of the first steps in getting set up — but a few common issues can make the process confusing. This article covers the two most frequent problems: customers appearing with only a phone number (no name), and accidentally importing more customers than intended.
QuickBooks Online Sync vs. CSV Import — What's the Difference?
SynkedUP offers two ways to bring in your customer list:
QuickBooks Online Sync — Pulls customers directly from your connected QuickBooks Online account. You can choose to import one customer or many. This is the most common method for existing QuickBooks Online users.
CSV Import — Lets you upload a spreadsheet of customers manually. This is useful if you're not using QuickBooks Online or want more control over which customers come in.
If you connected QuickBooks Online and clicked "Import Customers," you used the QuickBooks Online Sync — not a CSV import. The steps to fix issues are different for each method.
Why Are My Imported Customers Showing Only a Phone Number?
This happens when a customer's name is stored in the Company Name field in QuickBooks Online, but the First Name and Last Name fields are blank. When SynkedUP imports that record, it matches to the name fields — and if those are empty, the customer's contact card displays with only the phone number visible.
This is very common for customers who are businesses rather than individual homeowners.
Quick Fix: Change What the Customer List Displays
You don't need to re-import or delete anything. You can change SynkedUP's customer list to display the Company Name instead of the First/Last Name field:
Go to your Customers list in SynkedUP.
Look for the display field selector at the top of the list.
Switch the display field from Name to Company.
Your customers who were stored as companies in QuickBooks Online will now show their company name correctly.
Long-Term Fix: Update the Name Fields in QuickBooks Online
For a cleaner experience going forward, update the affected customer records in QuickBooks Online to include a First and/or Last Name in addition to the Company Name. Re-syncing after that update will pull in the correct name fields.
I Imported More Customers Than I Wanted — Now What?
When syncing from QuickBooks Online, you can select one customer or many — so if you ended up with records you didn't intend to import, it's easy to clean up.
How to Remove Unwanted Imported Customers
If you imported customers you didn't intend to, you have two options:
Delete individually — Open each customer record and delete it one at a time. This is best if only a small number of records need to be removed.
Mass delete all customers — If you want to start fresh, contact SynkedUP support and we can mass delete your entire customer list so you can re-import cleanly. Note: this cannot be undone, so make sure you have a backup or your original QuickBooks Online data to re-import from.
Tips for a Smooth Import
Review your QuickBooks Online customer records first — Before syncing, scan for customers that only have a Company Name and no First/Last Name. Filling those in ahead of time will save cleanup work.
Be selective when importing — Only import the customers you need. You can always come back and add more from QuickBooks Online later.
Avoid syncing the same customers twice — Importing a customer that already exists in SynkedUP can create duplicate records. Check your customer list before syncing again.
Still having trouble? Reach out to the SynkedUP support team and we'll help you sort it out.