Not every business runs on a booking system or CRM that can connect automatically. For everyone else, a CSV import is the fastest way to get a full list of past customers into a review request system without waiting on any integration.
Why this matters for businesses without booking software
A business that has been running on paper records, spreadsheets, or a point of sale system with no review tooling attached still has a customer list worth contacting. CSV import covers exactly this gap: export whatever contact list already exists, in whatever format it is in, and bring it in directly rather than waiting for a technical integration that may never happen.
What a CSV import actually needs
At minimum, a name. Phone number and email are both optional but at least one is needed to actually send anything, since a contact with neither sits in the list but can never receive a request. Most spreadsheet exports, from a till system, a booking diary, or a simple customer list, already have these columns somewhere, even if the headers do not match exactly.
Importing in stages instead of all at once
There is no need to import an entire multi year customer history on day one. Starting with the last few months of customers, the ones most likely to remember the experience clearly, gets requests moving immediately. A second, larger import covering older records can follow once the first batch is sending without issue.
What happens after the import
Imported contacts behave exactly like any other contact: they can be sent a review request the same way, and the system checks for duplicates against anyone already in the list, so re importing an overlapping file will not result in someone getting the same request twice.