Import people from any spreadsheet, PDF or Word document with automatic column detection. Great for importing class lists, cast lists, programmes, or fitting sheets. Excel (.xlsx, .xls), CSV, Apple Numbers (.numbers), PDF and Word (.doc, .docx) files are all supported.

Upload: Click "Smart Import" from the People menu (or from a show's Cast & Crew tab) and select any spreadsheet, PDF or Word file
PDF and Word: A table in a Word document is read directly. Anything else — a PDF programme, a cast list typed as prose — is read by AI, which is free and doesn't use credits. Either way you get the same preview, so nothing is created until you've checked it
Auto-Detection: The system scans all sheets for name columns and extracts available data
Sheet Selection: If your workbook has multiple tabs, choose which sheets to import
Fields Detected: Names, roles, email, phone, and costume measurements are automatically recognized
Volunteer lists: A Skills (or "Can help with") column is split on commas into one skill per person, feeding the Who Can Help report. When the sheet has a Parent or Guardian column, the adult is the person imported and the Student and Program columns record who they're helping for; everyone defaults to the Parent type. A row with two email addresses keeps the first and notes the second — the preview says so
Deduplication: People appearing on multiple sheets are merged (data from all sheets combined)
Row Selection: After preview, select which rows/people to import

AI Column Suggestions: If some columns aren't recognized, click "Ask AI" to get intelligent suggestions for what each column might be. The AI looks at the actual values in each column, so even a sheet with no obvious name column (say, names living in a "Description" column) can be mapped. Review and confirm the suggestions, then use "Apply & Refresh Preview" to see the result before importing - AI mappings are only applied when you confirm them.

Tip: Smart Import works with any column layout - no specific template required. It can handle fitting sheets, class rosters, contact lists, PDF programmes, and more.

More in Managing People

Managing People: Adding People — People are stored in a central directory. You can then assign them to shows. When assigned to a show, they can have show-specific roles.
Managing People: Importing People (Bulk & Smart Import) — Two ways to add a lot of people at once, from the People page or a show's People tab. Both accept Excel (.xlsx, .xls), CSV and Apple Numbers files, and Smart Import also reads PDF and Word (.doc…
Managing People: AI Resume Import — Use AI to extract details from resumes and quickly create People records.
Managing People: Document Management — Store multiple documents for each person including resumes, headshots, contracts, tax forms, and more.
Managing People: Assigning to Shows — Once added to the People directory, assign people to specific shows.
Managing People: Your Profile — Click your avatar at the bottom of the sidebar to open Settings, where your profile, AI key, email preferences, and account deletion all live on one page.
Managing People: Dark Mode & Appearance — CueCall can run light or dark. Open Settings from the sidebar and use the Appearance card.
Managing People: Cast pages for young performers — Performers under 13 do not sign in to CueCall. Instead, a production can give each one a cast page: a read-only page, reached by a private link, showing their part of the show. There is no account…
Managing People: Deleting Your Account — You can permanently delete your account at any time from the Settings page.
Managing People: Headshots — Add profile photos (headshots) for cast and crew members.
Managing People: People vs. Collaborators — Understanding the difference:
Managing People: Costume Measurements — Track costume measurements for cast members to help with fittings and costume construction — and, alongside them, the Hair & wig measurements a wig maker needs and the makeup allergies a makeup…
Managing People: Archiving and Deleting People — Clean up your People directory by archiving or deleting people who are no longer active.
Managing People: Merging People — Combine two people records into one when duplicates exist. All assignments and data from the source person are transferred to the target.
Managing People: Linking a Guardian to a Student — On a student's profile on the People page, the Guardians card records which CueCall accounts hold the login for a performer who never signs in. A linked guardian's own account sees the student's…
Managing People: Assigning People to an Organization in Bulk — Put several people onto (or take them off) a company roster at once, instead of opening each profile individually.

Related features

People Roster & Profiles — Cast and crew records with headshots, documents, contact details and show assignments, including merging duplicates.

Try CueCall

Your first two shows are free for a full year each, with every feature and unlimited users. Pricing is per show, not per user.