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Using Onfleet’s CSV Import with International Phone Numbers

3 min read

While a direct API integration is recommended for any large delivery operation, Onfleet’s import feature is one of the most powerful ways to get a large volume of tasks into your dashboard prior to making that investment. With a simple .csv file and a few clicks, dispatchers can import thousands of deliveries and auto-assign them to drivers with ease.

As Onfleet powers deliveries for customers in 60+ countries, our powerful import tool is able to reliably handle any international phone number that your customers might provide. Having said that, the import sheet must have the correct phone number format. Let’s take a look at a few of these required parameters.

Accessing the Import Sheet

You can find an example import sheet in this Onfleet support article that outlines the basics of our import feature. With a basic .csv import, dispatchers can specify over 25 parameters within each task, which makes for an incredibly rich amount of information available to your drivers.

Importing the Tasks

Once the .csv is populated with your delivery data, that spreadsheet can be imported directly through your dashboard. Simply click the import button at the top right of your dashboard and the wizard will guide you through the process.

E.164 Phone Number Format

Onfleet recognizes all phone numbers that conform to the E.164 formatwithin the The International Public Telecommunication Numbering Plan. Essentially, this format specifies that all phone numbers can have a maximum of 15 digits including the corresponding country code.

International Country Calling Codes

Onfleet also recognizes International Country Calling Codes that can be found here.

Preparing The Import Sheet

Last, but not least, the recipient phone numbers within your spreadsheet must properly display all the required fields. For example, this is a sample phone number format for a Slovakian phone number: +421915426219

If you are using Excel to create your import, you will need to make sure the cells containing the phone numbers display the + for the import to be successful. There are two ways to do this:

First way to achieve this is to apply a custom cell format with these steps

1. Highlight the column and/or cells that contain the phone numbers
2. Click Format → Cells → Custom
3. Type: +0 → Click OK
4. You should now see the + displayed in front of the international phone numbers
5. Highlight the column and/or cells that contain the phone numbers
6. Click Format → Cells → Text
7. Click OK
8. You should now see the + displayed in front of the international phone numbers

Changing the cell format can also be easily achieved in Google Sheets by performing the similar steps:

1. Highlight the column and/or cells that contain the phone numbers
2. Click Format → Number → More Formats → Custom Number Format
3. Type +0 and Click Apply

If you want to learn more about the basics of the Onfleet Import feature, feel free to stop by our support center for more tips and tricks. Also, don’t hesitate to reach out to sales@onfleet.com if you have specific questions.