How do I import shifts into my schedule?

How do I import shifts into my schedule?

This guide walks you through importing shifts into an opportunity using a spreadsheet. It’s similar to creating shifts normally, but lets you set shift titles, descriptions, and locations per shift (row by row) instead of applying only one central title, description, or location to a whole batch!

What you can import (and why it’s helpful)

When you import, you’re uploading a list of shifts where one row equals one shift. Vome uses each row to create a shift inside the opportunity you choose.

Big advantage vs. “Generate shifts”

  • With normal shift generation, you often apply one title, description, or location to many shifts.

  • With importing, you can include different titles, descriptions, and locations for each shift directly in your file.

Accepted file types

Vome accepts:

  • .CSV

  • .XLSX (Excel)

If your file won’t import, the most common reasons are:

  • It’s not a .csv or .xlsx file

  • The first row does not contain column headers (for example: “Date”, “Start time”)

  • One or more rows are missing required information

  1. Decide which opportunity you’re importing shifts into.

  2. Confirm the timezone the shifts should use (this is accessible or editable from your Settings page).


File format (very important)

1) One row equals one shift

Each row in your spreadsheet should represent a single shift.

2) The first row must contain headers

Row 1 must include column names.

3) Required columns

Your file must include all four of the following columns:

  • Date

  • Start time

  • End time

  • Spots

Vome is flexible with header wording (for example, StartTime, Start Time, or start_time often work), but to avoid issues, use the exact labels above.

4) Optional columns (for per-shift details)

These are optional, but strongly recommended if you want per-shift customization:

  • Title — Shift title

  • Description — Shift description

  • Location — Location name or address text

  • Minimum time

    • You can enter this value in either of the following formats:

      • Numeric minutes:  Examples: 15, "15", 30.5

      • ​Duration format (HH:mm or HH:mm:ss): Examples: 00:15, 1:00, 00:15:00

Example spreadsheet

Use this structure as a reference:

DateStart timeEnd timeSpotsTitleDescriptionLocation
2026-01-1009:0012:004Morning SetupSetup tables and suppliesMain Entrance
2026-01-1012:0016:006Afternoon SupportHelp direct guestsLobby

Tips:

  • Spots must be numeric (for example, 6, not “six”).

  • Times can be entered as 09:00 or 9:00 AM.

  • Dates can be YYYY-MM-DD (recommended) or common formats like MM/DD/YYYY.

Date and time rules

Date formats

Vome supports common date formats, including:

  • YYYY-MM-DD (recommended)

  • MM/DD/YYYY

  • Many standard Excel date formats

Time formats

Vome supports common time formats, including:

  • 09:30

  • 9:30 AM

  • Excel time cells

Overnight shifts

If the End time is earlier than the Start time (for example, start at 22:00 and end at 02:00), Vome treats the shift as an overnight shift that ends the following day.

Step-by-step: importing shifts in Vome

  1. Go to your Schedule and click Actions in the top right of your page.

  2. Click Import schedule.

  3. Upload your .csv or .xlsx file.

  4. If your file includes locations:

    • You’ll see Map imported locations.

    • For each imported location, choose to:

      • Map it to an existing Vome shift location

      • Use the Default opportunity location, or

      • Create a new shift location (recommended for new locations). Please note that if you used a location field in the import that is very similar to a shift location you've already created in the past, Vome attempts to map it already and will do so in most cases. If it cannot recognize it, it will show your Opportunity's default location, and you can choose to select an existing shift location or create a new one on spot. 

  5. Go to Edit details & settings.

    • Configure settings that apply to all imported shifts.

  6. Review the Preview.

  7. Click Publish.

  8. If any shifts are in the future, Vome may ask whether you want to notify users.

What comes from your file vs. global settings

Imported from your file (row by row)

These values are taken directly from each row:

  • Date, start time, and end time

  • Spots

  • Optional: title

  • Optional: description

  • Optional: location (mapped during import)

  • Optional: minimum time (which creates flexible time slots)

Set during “Edit details & settings” (applies to all shifts)

These settings apply to every imported shift:

  • Coordinators

  • Watchers

  • Shift tags

  • Waitlist policy

  • Notification policy

  • Reservation restrictions using profile tags

Important note about title, description, and location

Fields in Edit details & settings act as a fallback:

  • If a shift already has a title, description, or location from your spreadsheet, Vome keeps it.

  • If a shift is missing those values, Vome uses what you enter in this step.

This ensures your per-shift data is never overwritten.

Troubleshooting

“Invalid file”

Possible causes:

  • The file is not a real .csv or .xlsx

  • The file is password-protected or corrupted

Fix:

  • Re-save the file as .xlsx or export again as .csv

“Missing required columns”

Cause:

  • One or more required headers are missing: Date, Start time, End time, Spots

Fix:

  • Add the missing headers to the first row

  • Confirm spelling and placement

“Row X is invalid”

Cause:

  • Missing date, time, or spots value

  • Spots is not numeric

Fix:

  • Go to the indicated row

  • Fill in missing cells

  • Ensure Spots is a number

Locations don’t match automatically

Cause:

  • Location text doesn’t exactly match existing shift locations

Fix:

  • Use Map imported locations to map each one manually

  • Choose Create new shift location if it’s a new location

Best practices

  • Use the recommended headers exactly: Date, Start time, End time, Spots, Title, Description, Location

  • Keep one shift per row

  • Avoid blank rows in the middle of the file

  • Prefer YYYY-MM-DD for dates

  • Use 09:00 or 9:00 AM for times

Need help?

If your file still won’t import:

  • Take a screenshot of the error message

  • Share the header row and first few data rows

  • Contact support and we’ll help you fix the formatting quickly

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