Bring your stops into Upper
All the ways to get stops into Upper: type them in, import a spreadsheet, pull from contacts or tasks, drop pins on the map, or connect your store or system.
A route is just a list of stops. Upper gives you several ways to get those stops in — type them one at a time, import a spreadsheet, reuse saved customers, drop pins on the map, or bring them in automatically from another system. Pick whichever fits how your work arrives.
This article uses the driver / Delivery default labels. A workspace set up for service businesses may show Technician / Service instead — the features are the same.
Only the address is required to create a stop. A name, phone, email, time window, and notes are all optional — but adding a phone number or email lets Upper send that customer delivery notifications.
Add a stop manually
Best for a handful of stops or quick edits.
In the route builder, on the Add Stops tab, choose Add Stop Manually. Start typing an address and pick it from the autocomplete suggestions. To capture more detail at once — phone, time window, notes — use Add Stops (With Details), which opens the full stop editor.
Import a spreadsheet
Best when you already have your stops in a CSV or Excel file. Upper supports .csv, .xls, and .xlsx files, and there are two ways to import — both use the same engine and both remember your column mapping. The only difference is the screen.
Import with Preview
See and edit your file's contents while you import, with a 3-step guided wizard. Recommended — it's the easier path.
Import File
The older drag-and-drop screen, kept for teams that already use it. Same import, fewer on-screen checks.
New to importing? Use Import with Preview. Click Download the Sample first to get a template you can fill in.
How Import with Preview works
Upload your file
The Upload spreadsheet wizard opens. Drag in or upload your .csv, .xls, or .xlsx file. (There's also an Or manually enter data option to type rows into a blank grid.)
Select the header row
Click the row in your file that holds the column headers, then continue. If Upper recognizes a file you've imported before, it offers your previous mapping.
Map your columns and review
Match each of your columns to an Upper field. Address Line 1 is the only required field — everything else is optional. Review the preview grid, edit any cell inline, and use Show only rows with issues to focus on problems. When it looks right, click Import (the button shows the exact count, like Import 23 rows).
Upper remembers your column mapping when your headers stay the same — same names, same order. If you rename or reorder columns next time, you simply re-map them; nothing breaks.
How to format addresses
The rule is consistency. Upper accepts any one of these formats — just don't mix them in the same file:
- One cell with the full address, or
- One cell with bracketed latitude,longitude, or
- Separate columns (street, city, state, zip — or separate latitude and longitude columns).
If you put the full address in one cell for some rows, do it for every row. If you split it across columns, keep it split across columns throughout.
After you import
Upper checks every address automatically. A single red validation icon appears if any need attention — click it to see all flagged stops grouped by status: Verified, Needs Review, Not Found, and Duplicate. Fix or remove the flagged ones before you optimize.
Reuse saved customers (Contacts)
If you serve the same customers repeatedly, save them once in Contacts (your address book under Manage → Contacts) and pull them onto routes without re-typing. From the route builder you can add stops directly from your contacts, or from the Contacts page you can select several customers and Create New Route or Add to Existing Route from them.
Add a contact manually
Save a single customer to your address book.
Create a route from saved contacts
Turn selected contacts into a route.
Plan ahead with Tasks
Tasks (under Plan → Tasks) are stops you've collected but haven't put on a route yet — useful when work comes in throughout the day and you batch it into routes later. The Tasks page has three views: Pending, Scheduled, and Completed.
Add tasks the same ways you add stops — Add Task, Import Tasks, or Import Tasks With Preview — and a task can carry a Due Date, a time window, and Pre Assigned Drivers. When you're ready, select tasks and turn them into a route with Create New Route or Add to Existing Route.
Tasks are available on the Professional, Optimize, and Enterprise plans (not Starter). Controlling tasks through the API is available on Optimize and Enterprise.
Drop pins on the map
If you'd rather work visually, you can add a stop by selecting a location directly on the map in the route builder. You can also reposition an existing stop with Edit Stop On Map from its action menu.
Connect your store or system
If your orders already live somewhere else — an online store, an order system, or your own software — you don't have to re-enter them. Stops, contacts, and tasks can each be created manually or through Upper's API / a connected system, so orders can flow in automatically.
Upper's API and connected workflows are available on higher plans (task control through the API is on Optimize and Enterprise). For setup help and to find out what your plan includes, contact the team at support@upperinc.com.
Which method should I use?
Next step
Related
Set up your account
Get your Upper account ready: fill in your company profile, set your units and default route settings, and invite your team and drivers.
Create your first route
Plan, optimize, and dispatch your first route in Upper: add your stops, assign a driver, optimize the sequence, and share it to the mobile app.