# How to move your shop from a notebook and Excel to an app, without disruption

> A one-week plan to move customers, dues, stock and open work from a notebook and Excel sheets into BizOS, without stopping billing for a day.

Published 2026-10-18 · BizOS team · https://bizos.3roses.in/blog/from-notebook-excel-to-business-app

## Key facts

- **BizOS imports four things from Excel or CSV:** customers, items with opening stock, leads, and opening dues (what customers owed you before BizOS).
- **A BizOS import takes up to 20,000 rows per file** in four steps: upload, map columns, review, import. Rows with mistakes come back as an error file; the good rows still go in.
- **Opening dues imported into BizOS are chased like any bill** but kept out of this year's sales figures, because the money was earned before you started.
- **BizOS can continue your existing bill numbers** from a bill book, Excel or other software, so the series does not restart at 1.
- **Every new BizOS business gets a 30-day trial with everything unlocked**; the free platform after that covers 100 customers, 20 invoices a month and one user.
- **Staff join BizOS with their own mobile number and one of six fixed roles**; a field technician sees only the jobs assigned to them.
- See [Moving from Excel to BizOS](https://bizos-docs.3roses.in/docs/excel-to-bizos) and [Data import](https://bizos-docs.3roses.in/docs/data-import) for the full steps.

Move in this order: customers with what they owe you, then items with opening stock, then the quotes and jobs that are still open. Import the first two from Excel in an afternoon, bill new work in the app the next day, and keep the old notebook only to look things up. Below is a day-by-day plan for a shop that cannot afford a slow day at the counter.

## How do I know I've outgrown the notebook and Excel?

A notebook and a few sheets work well for a long time. These are the usual signs that they have stopped helping:

- **The sheets disagree.** The stock sheet says 40 MCBs; the shelf has 31. The customer sheet says Ramesh owes ₹18,500; the udhaar notebook says ₹12,000.
- **Only one person knows the truth.** When you are away, nobody can tell a customer their balance or confirm a rate.
- **Chasing money depends on memory.** You remember to call about the overdue bill on the day you happen to look at the notebook.
- **Bills take too long.** Working out 18% GST, totals and the next bill number by hand slows the counter at the busiest hour.
- **Staff are in the field.** A technician calls the shop for the customer's address, and someone writes the material used down twice.

If two or more of these are true, it is time. If you make a handful of bills a month, alone, with no stock, a spreadsheet is still fine; the [Excel guide](https://bizos-docs.3roses.in/docs/excel-to-bizos) says the same.

## What should I move first?

Move the things that cost you money when they are wrong, in this order:

1. **Customers, with what they owe you.** The customer is what every quote, job, bill, payment and WhatsApp chat attaches to in BizOS. Import the list, then import **opening dues**: each unpaid bill from before BizOS, with the customer, bill number and date, due date, total and amount already paid. This is the step people skip, and without it BizOS only knows about money owed on bills made in BizOS.
2. **Items and stock.** Import your item list with SKU, barcode, unit, HSN, GST rate, sale and purchase price, and an **opening quantity**. That quantity becomes the first entry in each item's stock ledger, so stock starts from a real figure. Count the fast-moving shelves before you import.
3. **Open quotes and jobs.** These are not part of the import. Type in only the ones that are still live: the quote you sent a builder last week, the AC installation booked for Thursday. It is usually ten or twenty records, not hundreds.

Imports run from **Settings → Connections & AI → Import from Excel** (Owner and Admins). Phone numbers can be written as 9876543210, +919876543210 or 98765 43210; BizOS stores them in one format and matches customers on phone number, so the same person is not added twice. Items match on SKU or barcode. You choose whether a match is skipped or updated. See [Data import](https://bizos-docs.3roses.in/docs/data-import).

## How do I get my Excel sheets ready for import?

A few minutes of tidying saves an hour of errors:

| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| One header row, no merged cells | The import reads the first row as column names |
| No totals row at the bottom | A total looks like a customer with a strange name |
| One sheet per thing | Customers, items and dues are separate imports |
| Customers before dues | Dues refer to customers, so the order matters |
| Every phone number has all ten digits | BizOS can fix spacing and +91, not a missing digit |

Rows with a mistake do not stop the import. The good rows go in, and the rest come back as a downloadable error file listing the row, the field and the reason. Fix that file and upload only it.

If your records are in a notebook, type them into Excel or Google Sheets first, one row per customer or item. For a shop with 300 customers and 50 people who owe money, that is an evening's work.

## What does a 7-day switch-over look like?

This plan keeps the counter running every day. Bills keep going out; only where they are written changes.

| Day | What to do | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sign in with your mobile number and set up the business. Say yes to "already making bills?" and continue from your last bill number. Add GSTIN, address and UPI ID in Settings. Import customers. | The customer list matches your sheet |
| 2 | Count the fast-moving shelves. Import items with opening stock. | Ten random items show the right quantity |
| 3 | Import opening dues from the udhaar notebook. Check the Owes you figure for your ten biggest debtors against the notebook. | The ten match |
| 4 | Type in open quotes and booked jobs. Make your first real invoice in BizOS and send it on WhatsApp. From now on, every new bill is made in BizOS. | One customer has received a bill link |
| 5 | Invite staff by mobile number and give each a role. Each person installs the app and makes one quote or bill. | Every staff member has signed in |
| 6 | Record payments as they come in. Switch on payment reminders under Settings → Customer messages → Automatic messages. | Paid bills show as Paid |
| 7 | Compare stock and dues with the old records one last time. Stop updating the sheets and keep the notebook for reference. | Nobody writes in the notebook any more |

If a day slips, nothing breaks; the order matters more than the pace. For how the reminders on Day 6 work, see [WhatsApp payment reminders](https://bizos.3roses.in/blog/whatsapp-payment-reminders).

## How do I get my staff on board?

Invite each person by mobile number under **Settings → Business → Team & roles**. They sign in with an OTP on that number, on the Android or iPhone app or in a browser; there is no password to forget. Each person gets one of six fixed roles:

| Role | Typical person | What they do in BizOS |
|---|---|---|
| Owner, Admin | You, a partner | Everything, including settings and team |
| Manager | Shop manager | Runs the day, reassigns work |
| Office staff | Counter, desk | Bills, quotes, customers, leads, booking jobs |
| Accountant | Your accountant | Sees sales and money, chases dues; cannot create or change bills |
| Field technician | Electrician, fitter | Only the jobs assigned to them, with the customer's address and phone |

Roles change what each person sees: office staff see customers without the rupee figures, and a field technician never sees the customer list. Start with one person at the counter on Day 5, then add field staff once billing feels normal.

The phone app needs a connection to save a record. If your counter has patchy internet, bill from the web app, which keeps a local copy of your items for fast search; see the [speed and offline guide](https://bizos-docs.3roses.in/docs/speed-and-offline).

## What should I leave behind?

Not everything needs to move. Leave these where they are:

- **Paid bills from past years.** BizOS needs what is still owed, not your full history. Keep the old books for reference and for your CA.
- **Dead quotes and closed jobs.** If nothing will happen on them, typing them in only adds noise.
- **Attendance and salary.** BizOS has no attendance, leave or payroll. Keep that sheet or your payroll tool.
- **Your books with the CA.** BizOS runs the day's work and gives your CA exports; the books stay with your CA, in Tally or wherever they keep them. If you already bill in Tally, connecting it is a different route; see [Tally data on your phone](https://bizos-docs.3roses.in/docs/tally-on-mobile).

## How much does it cost to try?

Every new business starts with a **30-day trial** with everything unlocked, which is longer than this plan needs. After that, the **free platform** covers 100 customers, 20 invoices a month and one user. The **Billing** base, at ₹2,999 a year before 18% GST, removes those limits and adds payment links and automatic payment reminders. Each extra office user is ₹999 a year and each field staff user ₹499 a year, before 18% GST. See [Plans & billing](https://bizos-docs.3roses.in/docs/plans-and-billing).

## Is BizOS the right app for my move?

**It fits if** you run a shop, a distributor, a trade such as electrical or plumbing work, or a service business in India; you bill with GST or plan to; your money is chased on WhatsApp; and more than one person needs to see customers, stock or jobs.

**It is not a fit if** you only need books kept (your CA's software does that); you need e-invoices or e-way bills filed from your billing tool, which BizOS does not do; you run a factory and need production planning; you need attendance and payroll; or your business is outside India.

If you also chase enquiries from IndiaMART or Justdial, read [how to stop losing those leads](https://bizos.3roses.in/blog/indiamart-justdial-leads-follow-up) next.

Ready to start Day 1? [Sign in with your mobile number](https://bizos.3roses.in/login) and import your customer sheet today.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I import my customer list from Excel into BizOS?

Yes. BizOS imports customers from a CSV or Excel file of up to 20,000 rows. You upload the file, match your column headers to BizOS fields, review the check and import. Customers are matched on phone number, and you choose whether duplicates are skipped or updated.

### How do I move the udhaar (credit) notebook into BizOS?

Type each unpaid balance into a sheet with the customer, bill number and date, due date, total and amount already paid, then import it as opening dues. BizOS shows those balances on the customer and chases them like any bill, but does not count them as this year's sales.

### Can I import my old quotations and jobs?

No. The BizOS import covers customers, items, leads and opening dues. Open quotations and jobs that are still live are best typed in by hand on the first few days; closed ones can stay in the notebook.

### Do I have to stop billing while I switch?

No. Import the masters first, keep billing as usual, and move new bills into BizOS from the day your customers and items are in. Most of the work is a tidy spreadsheet, not downtime at the counter.

### Will my bill numbers start again from 1?

No, unless you want them to. When you set up the business, BizOS asks whether you are already making bills. Say yes and you can continue the series from your last bill number.

### Can my staff use BizOS on their phones?

Yes. Invite each person by mobile number under Settings, Business, Team and roles, and give them one of six fixed roles. They sign in with an OTP on the Android or iPhone app or in a browser, and see only what their role allows.

## Related guides

- [Moving from Excel to BizOS](https://bizos-docs.3roses.in/docs/excel-to-bizos)
- [Data import](https://bizos-docs.3roses.in/docs/data-import)
- [Customers](https://bizos-docs.3roses.in/docs/customers)
- [Items & stock](https://bizos-docs.3roses.in/docs/inventory)
- [Team & roles](https://bizos-docs.3roses.in/docs/roles-and-permissions)
- [Plans & billing](https://bizos-docs.3roses.in/docs/plans-and-billing)