Adding people one at a time is fine for a new starter. To set up a whole team, upload a spreadsheet instead. You choose what each column means after uploading, so the column names in your file do not matter.

1. Download the template

Go to Portal > People and click Add User, then click Template at the bottom of the window.

The template is an Excel file with two sheets:

  • People: one row per person, with a note on each column heading explaining what it accepts.
  • Groups: your groups as they are now.

You do not have to use the template. Any spreadsheet with one person per row will work.

2. Fill it in

Column What it does
First Name Required, unless you supply a last name
Last Name Required, unless you supply a first name
Email Address Only needed if the person signs in to the Portal or is being invited. Each address can belong to one person only
Send Invite Yes emails them an invitation to join your team. Needs an email address
Permission User, Manager or Admin. Leave blank for User
PIN At least 4 digits, numbers only. Leave blank to turn PIN sign in off
Health & Safety Yes or No
Groups Separate several with a semicolon, for example Auckland; Christchurch

3. Upload the file

Click Add User > Upload and pick your file. Accepted formats:

  • Excel (.xlsx, .xlsm)
  • OpenDocument (.ods) from LibreOffice, OpenOffice or Google Sheets
  • Comma separated (.csv) and tab separated (.tsv)

Old .xls files are not supported. Open one and save it as .xlsx first.

4. Match the columns

Each column in your file gets a dropdown. Pick the field it holds, and leave anything you do not want as Ignore. Columns with recognisable headings are matched for you.

The first few rows of your file are shown underneath so you can check you picked the right ones. If your file has no heading row, untick First row has column names so the top row is treated as a person.

When it looks right, click Add n people.

5. Review and save

Everyone from the file loads into the normal add people form, where you can correct anything before it is saved. Anything worth checking, such as a PIN that is too short or a group that did not match, is listed on the import screen first.

Click Save to create them. Invitation emails go out at this point, not when you upload.

Creating groups that do not exist yet

If your file mentions a group you do not have, admins are offered a tick box to create it, listing the names so you can spot a typo before saving. Untick it and those people are added without that group.

You can also add a group by typing it at the bottom of the Groups sheet in the template.

Good to know

  • Up to 500 people per file. Split a larger list and upload it in parts.
  • Group names are matched exactly but ignore capitals, so auckland finds Auckland.
  • You cannot give someone a higher permission level than your own.
  • Managers manage the groups you put them in, so give every manager at least one group. You can fine tune this afterwards in Edit Person.
  • Email addresses must not already belong to someone else, in your company or any other.
  • Nothing is created until you press Save. If the save is refused, fix what it reports and press Save again.

If something goes wrong

Message What to do
No group matched "..." Check the spelling against the Groups sheet, or tick the box to create it
The email address ... is already assigned to ... That person already exists. Remove the address or the row
... cannot be given a higher permission level than your own Only an admin can create an admin
... is a Manager, so needs at least one group Add a group to that row
... has a PIN that is not at least 4 digits PINs are 4 or more digits, numbers only
Leading zeros missing from a PIN Format the PIN column as text in your spreadsheet, or use our template, which already is
The old .xls format is not supported Save the file as .xlsx, .ods or .csv