Customer database

What the customer database does

Your customers are your business, and many small businesses keep them in phone contacts and in memory. This database lists each customer with their phone, email, town, type, date added, last purchase and total spent, shows how many customers you have, the total they have spent and the average, and counts customers by type.

Who it is for

Shop owners, service providers and sales teams who want to remember who buys what, follow up with regular customers and send offers by SMS or WhatsApp.

How to use the workbook

1. Enter each customer with their phone number and town.
2. Choose their type: retail, wholesale or corporate.
3. Update the last purchase date and the total spent as they buy.
4. Filter or sort the list to find customers to contact.
5. Save a copy under a new name for each month or year, so earlier records stay as they were.

What is inside

• Name, phone, email, town and type
• Date added, last purchase and total spent
• Customer count, total spent and average
• Summary by customer type with a chart
• Space for 1,000 customers

The workbook has these sheets: Instructions, Customers, Summary. The main table has the columns Customer; Phone; Email; Town; Type; Date added; Last purchase; Total spent. Yellow cells are for you to fill in and grey cells calculate by themselves, so leave the grey cells alone. The example rows show how it works; type over them with your own entries.

Tips for getting it right

• Ask permission before you add people to marketing messages.
• Keep personal data safe; do not share the file widely.
• Update total spent after each purchase or each week.
• Phone numbers are best stored in one format, for example 07xx xxx xxx.

Why keep this record

Running a business on memory works until it grows. Writing the numbers down turns opinions into facts you can compare month to month, and shows early which products, customers or costs deserve attention. Even a simple workbook, used every week, usually beats a sophisticated one that is opened once a year.

Questions people ask

Do I need to know Excel formulas? No. Type into the yellow cells and the rest is worked out for you. The formulas are visible if you want to see how a figure is reached.

Can I add rows or change the layout? You can add your own columns to the right and your own notes. If you insert rows inside a table, copy the grey formula cells down so the new rows calculate too.

Will it work on my phone or in Google Sheets? Yes for viewing and typing, but dropdown lists and the charts look best in desktop Excel or LibreOffice.

Keeping it safe and up to date

A plan is only as good as the numbers you put in. Start with honest estimates, update the workbook as real figures arrive, and compare the two so your next estimate is better. Save a dated copy each month so you can see how your thinking changed.

Read how to build a cash flow forecast for the wider picture. See more business templates or ask us for a custom one.

The workbook works in Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets. It is a tool to help you work out and record figures, not tax, legal or accounting advice, and it is not affiliated with the Kenya Revenue Authority. If something does not work as described, contact us and we will put it right.

Related guides, calculators and templates

• Guide: How to build a 12-month cash flow forecast for a small business
• Guide: How to price your products and services: markup, margin and break-even
• Guide: Turnover tax for small businesses in Kenya: rate, limits and when to use it
• Another template: 12-month cash flow forecast
• Another template: Break-even and pricing calculator
• Another template: Budget versus actual tracker

Need something different? Request a custom template, browse all guides or see every Excel template.