# Customer Database Software > Replace the customer spreadsheet with a proper database - clean, shared, searchable and segmentable, with the full history of every customer attached. **URL:** https://cubecrm.co.uk/software/customer-database-software Almost every business starts with its customers in a spreadsheet, and for a while that is fine. Then the spreadsheet grows columns nobody understands, several copies appear, somebody sorts one column and not the others, and the question "which customers bought from us last year but not this year?" becomes an afternoon of work. CubeCRM turns that spreadsheet into a proper customer database: one record per customer with rules about what must be filled in, duplicates prevented, every change recorded, and the history of every conversation, quote and case attached. Segments and lists can be built from anything on the record in seconds, and the data stays in step with your accounts package. ## Details - **Solution:** Customer Database Software - **Group:** Keeping customers - **Platform:** CubeCRM (https://cubecrm.co.uk/platform) - **Coverage:** Nationwide, set up in person - **Also known as:** Customer database system, Customer records software, Client database, Customer list software, Single customer view ## What is included - **From spreadsheet to database:** Your existing columns mapped to proper fields during import, with required fields, picklists and validation so the data stays clean from then on. - **One record per customer:** Duplicates merged on import and prevented afterwards, so the same customer is not in the list three times with three phone numbers. - **Custom fields as standard:** Add the fields your business needs - sector, size, account tier, equipment installed, renewal month - without paying for a higher edition. - **Segments in seconds:** Build lists from any combination of fields and history - "customers in the Midlands with no contact in six months" - and save them for next time. - **Every change recorded:** An audit trail of who changed what and when, so an overwritten phone number can be traced and put back. - **In step with the accounts:** Customer details and invoiced revenue shared with Xero, Sage or QuickBooks, so the database and the ledger agree. ## Real-world use cases ### The spreadsheet only one person could edit **Scenario:** A trade supplier’s customer list was a large spreadsheet maintained by the office manager. Others had read-only copies, which were always slightly out of date, and her holidays meant a fortnight of changes waiting. **Outcome:** The spreadsheet became a CubeCRM database the whole team can update, with required fields and an audit trail. The office manager now reviews the data rather than being its only editor. ### Lapsed customers nobody could list **Scenario:** A wholesaler wanted to contact customers who had ordered the previous year but not this year. Producing the list meant cross-referencing the spreadsheet with an export from the accounts package. **Outcome:** With invoiced revenue synced from the accounts package, the lapsed-customer list is a saved segment that updates itself. A monthly call campaign now works through it. ### Columns nobody understood **Scenario:** A service company’s customer spreadsheet had grown to over sixty columns, several with names like "Status 2" and "Old ref". Nobody was sure which were still used. **Outcome:** Import was an opportunity to agree what each field meant. The useful twenty became proper fields with picklists, the rest were archived, and the data became trustworthy again. ## Figures - **1** Record per customer, duplicates prevented - **Any** Field can drive a segment or list - **Every** Change recorded, with who and when ## Frequently asked questions **How do we move from our spreadsheet?** We map your columns to CubeCRM fields during setup, clean and de-duplicate the data, and import it. You check the result against the spreadsheet before switching over. **Can we keep our custom columns?** Yes. Custom fields, including picklists, dates, numbers and checkboxes, are part of the standard product. Setup is a good time to decide which columns are still worth keeping. **Can we export the data again?** Yes, at any time, in full and in open formats. Saved lists can also be exported to a spreadsheet when you need one. **Is it more than a database?** Yes - it is a full CRM, with enquiries, pipeline, quotes, email sync and service cases on the same records. But plenty of businesses start by using it as a better customer database and add the rest later. ## Related solutions - **Contact Management Software** - Every customer, supplier and prospect contact in one shared, searchable place - with companies, roles, history and consent attached. https://cubecrm.co.uk/software/contact-management-software - **Small Business CRM** - A CRM a small team can set up in weeks and actually keep up to date - contacts, enquiries, quotes and follow-ups without the enterprise baggage. https://cubecrm.co.uk/software/small-business-crm - **Cloud CRM Software** - An online CRM hosted in UK data centres - nothing to install, nothing to back up, and the same customer record on every desk and every phone. https://cubecrm.co.uk/software/cloud-crm-software - **CRM Software** - Contacts, enquiries, pipeline, quotes, follow-ups and service in one shared customer record - built in the UK for growing businesses. https://cubecrm.co.uk/software/crm-software ## Contact - **Product:** CubeCRM - **Trading name of:** Cube Systems Limited (company number 17220899, ICO registration number ZC216972) - **Email:** hello@cubecrm.co.uk - **Sales:** sales@cubecrm.co.uk - **Support:** support@cubecrm.co.uk - **Telephone:** 01234 672 617 (+441234672617) - **Address:** Unit 11, Olney Business Park, Osier Way, Olney, Buckinghamshire, MK46 5FP - **Opening hours:** Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.30pm - **Part of:** Crushed Ice Group (https://crushedicegroup.co.uk)