How to Bring Your Customer Data Into Jira and Actually Use It Across Your Teams

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Managing customer information across multiple tools is still the reality for many Jira teams - spreadsheets for contacts, old or disconnected CRMs for historical records, event lists for leads, shared drives for partner details, and support tickets sitting elsewhere. The result is predictable: scattered context, inconsistent data, and teams working without a shared view of the customer.

This article explores how to bring your customer base into Jira in a structured, practical way and explains how different teams - support, delivery, sales, and product - can use that data directly in their day-to-day work. Instead of introducing yet another system, the goal is to make Jira the place where customer information and actual work finally meet.

Why Jira Teams Need Access to Customer Context

Most teams already maintain some form of customer database. It may sit in spreadsheets, a dedicated CRM, marketing tools, event exports, or shared folders. Each system holds a piece of the truth, but none of them are truly connected to the daily work that happens in Jira. This separation creates gaps in context, slow handovers, and unnecessary back-and-forth between teams.

When customer data is visible inside Jira, work becomes easier to understand and faster to complete. Support agents immediately see who submitted a request. Delivery teams understand the importance of the company behind an issue. Sales and account managers gain visibility into customer activity without asking other departments to forward information manually. Product teams can track which customers requested which improvements and plan more confidently.

Bringing your customer data into Jira is not only about centralizing information. It is also about giving every team access to the same customer context at the moment they need it. Once contacts, organizations, and lead information live inside Jira, collaboration becomes smoother, decisions are more informed, and the entire customer lifecycle is easier to follow.

The Three Pillars of Customer Data in Jira: Contacts, Companies, and Leads

Before you bring any customer information into Jira, it helps to understand the three primary types of records that make up a complete customer database. These records reflect the real relationships your teams work with every day and form the structure you will map your existing data to during import.

Contacts: the people you communicate with

Contacts represent individual people.
A contact usually includes:

• Name
• Email
• Job title or role
• Interaction history
• Relationship to a company
• Past or ongoing work

Contacts are the foundation of customer data because every interaction begins with a person. These are the individuals who schedule meetings, open support requests, approve budgets, request features, or participate in project discussions.

Companies: the organizations behind your projects and requests

Contacts typically belong to a company or organization.
Companies help your teams understand the broader context:

• Which issues or requests come from the same client
• Which projects relate to the same account
• Who owns the relationship internally
• What industry or segment the customer belongs to
• How the overall partnership is progressing

Companies provide the higher-level view of the customer relationship. Instead of isolated individuals, teams see how all interactions relate back to the organization behind them.

Leads: early opportunities that help teams track potential future work

A lead represents the earliest stage of a potential customer relationship. It signals that there may be upcoming work, but it is too early to treat it as a confirmed customer record. Leads are intentionally lightweight because opportunities often appear before the team knows who the primary contact is or whether the company already exists in the system.

A lead can come from many places:

• someone met at an event
• a warm referral
• a website or marketing submission
• prospecting or outreach
• a request from a person at an existing customer company

Leads often start with minimal information, and teams enrich them gradually as the details become clearer. Over time, a lead may gain related contacts, be linked to an existing company, or become ready to convert into confirmed work. The purpose of a lead is to help teams understand what potential business is forming, even when the information is still incomplete.

How these three records work together

Contacts, companies, and leads each serve a different purpose, but the real value appears when they are connected. Together they create a shared customer view that supports every team working in Jira.

• Contacts anchor the work to real people who make decisions, ask questions, or provide feedback.
• Companies provide the organizational context behind those people and show how individual interactions relate to the broader relationship.
• Leads capture what is forming next, giving teams visibility into potential future work before it becomes part of the customer base.

When these three record types link together, Jira gains something that spreadsheets and separate systems rarely provide: a clear, navigable map of your customers, their organizations, and the opportunities connected to them. This structure allows teams to move from scattered information to a single, consistent view that supports sales, support, delivery, and product planning.

Understanding this relationship model upfront makes it easier to prepare your data for import and ensures that once the information is inside Jira, every team can use it in a meaningful and organized way.

Understanding Your Options for Bringing Customer Data Into Jira

Jira does not include native CRM records. It has no Contacts, no Companies, no Leads, and no built-in way to store or import a customer database. To work with real customer information inside Jira, you need a system that introduces these record types and makes them part of everyday work.

There are only two ways customer-related information can enter Jira, but they serve very different purposes:

Option 1: Bring your full customer base into Jira with Mria CRM

Mria CRM: CRM for Jira Teams is the only practical way to bring a real customer database into Jira and use it across your teams. It introduces the CRM records Jira does not have:

• Contacts
• Companies
• Leads & Deals (for future work, if needed)

This means you aren’t just importing data. You are adding a CRM to Jira.

With Mria CRM, teams can:

• import contacts, companies, and leads from CSV or XLSX
• map spreadsheet columns to CRM fields
• link contacts to companies automatically
• import incomplete leads and enrich them later
• connect imported records to Jira issues, requests, and projects
• track owners, sources, stages, and relationships
• see customer context directly inside work

Importing is only the beginning. Once the data is in Jira, Mria CRM becomes the system that manages it:

• showing who a customer is
• how they are connected
• what work belongs to which accounts
• what new opportunities are forming
• who owns the relationship
• what activities (meetings, tasks, notes) exist
• how customer history connects to delivery and support
  
  

It’s not “import and forget.” It’s “import, organize, connect, use, and grow.”

Jira becomes a place where customers, work, and opportunities finally live together.

Option 2: Import basic support profiles with Customer Service Management

Jira also includes a customer and organization import feature inside Customer Service Management (part of the Atlassian Service Collection). This import is useful for service teams, but it has a very different purpose from a CRM.

What Customer Service Management actually supports

CSM allows you to import:

• Customers: Import with Email as the only required field; extra details can be added if matching customer detail fields exist (create all the detail fields you need before uploading).
• Organizations: Import with Organization Name as the only required field; extra details can be added if matching organization detail fields exist (create all the detail fields you need before uploading).

This allows support teams to store more context about requesters, but:

• imported customers and organizations are not linked to each other
• they do not represent CRM contacts or companies
• there is no customer lifecycle, no relationship history
• this data is visible only in the support context, not across Jira

It is a support context, not customer relationship management.

Think of it as:

• “Who opened this ticket?” — Customer Service Management
• “Who is this customer overall, who do we know there, what opportunities exist, what work has been done?” — Mria CRM

Both can coexist, but only one manages your customer base.

How to Import Your Customer Data Into Jira With Mria CRM

To bring your customer base into Jira, you first need the ability to store Contacts, Companies, and Leads - record types Jira doesn’t have on its own. This becomes possible once you install Mria CRM for Jira from the Atlassian Marketplace. After installation, you’ll see dedicated sections for Leads, Contacts, and Companies in Mria CRM navigation.

          Mria CRM: CRM for Jira Teams - App Listing on the Atlassian Marketplace.

Once the app is installed, the next step is to look at the customer data you already have and decide what you want to import.

For a full introduction to setting up and using Mria CRM, read our Getting Started Guide.

Step 1. Before you import, take a moment to review your data

This is not required, but it almost always results in a cleaner CRM inside Jira.

Teams typically start from very different sources:

• a CRM export (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Zoho, etc.)
• spreadsheets maintained by sales or support
• marketing or event lists
• several small files created by different people
• one big file containing everything

A quick review helps:

• remove obvious duplicates
• correct broken emails
• unify company names
• add missing details you already know 
• decide what should become a Lead and what should become a Contact

If you’re unsure about the structure, you can download a sample file for Leads and Contacts directly from the Mria CRM import screen, which shows the recommended format and makes it easier to adjust your own spreadsheet.

Once you’re ready, you can import your customer base using two tools:

• Leads Import - for prospects and opportunities
• Contacts Import - for real people and the Companies they represent (Companies are created automatically)

Step 2. Import Leads into Jira (your opportunities)

Many teams start with Leads because they already have prospect lists from different places - a CRM export, marketing spreadsheets, event registrations, partner lists, or website signups. Mria CRM can handle all of these.

Where to start

Open Mria CRM → Leads → Import Leads, or go to Settings → Data Administration → Leads.

            Navigation path to Leads Import in Mria CRM: Leads → Import Leads

What to prepare

Mria CRM needs only two fields to create a Lead:

• Name
• Email

But to use Leads fully after import, it helps to include fields like:

• Source (campaign, event, website, partner)
• Status (New, Qualified, Follow-up)
• Tags (segments, regions, industries)
• Company (if known)

If you’re unsure about the structure, you can download a sample file directly from the import page.

How Lead import works

1. Upload your CSV/XLSX
   Most CRM exports work without changes.
   
   
2. Map your columns
   Mria CRM will auto-match common names.
   
   
3. Map your Status and Source values
   The system shows all unique values from your file so you can match them to the CRM’s options.
   
   
4. Assign an owner (optional)
   You can assign all imported Leads to one user.
   
   
5. Choose how duplicates are handled
   • add everything
   • or only import Leads with new emails
     
     
6. Import
   The system processes your file and creates Leads inside Jira.

           Mria CRM Leads Import - file upload, field mapping, and duplicate handling

Your Leads are now in Jira and ready to assign, filter, qualify, link to Jira issues, and use across all teams.

A full, detailed walkthrough of every step is available in the Mria CRM Leads Import documentation.

Step 3. Import Contacts (your actual customers with companies)

Contacts are the core of your customer base. They represent real people (customers, stakeholders, partners), and in Mria CRM, they also determine which Companies exist and how everything links together.

When you import Contacts, Companies can be created automatically based on the company field in your file.

Where to start

Open Mria CRM → Contacts → Import Contacts, or go to Settings → Data Administration → Contacts.

       Navigation path to Contacts Import in Mria CRM: Contacts → Import Contacts

What to prepare

Mria CRM needs only two fields to create a Contact:

• Name
• Email (must be unique per Contact)

But to get the most value after the import, it helps to include additional fields if you have them:

• Company (this will automatically create the Company and link it to Contact)
• Phone
• Job title
• Tags (segments, regions, roles, etc.)
• Linkedin

If you’re unsure about the structure, you can download a sample file directly from the import page.

How Contacts import works

1. Upload your CSV/XLSX
   Files from most CRMs import cleanly.
   
   
2. Map your columns
   Mria CRM will suggest matches automatically.
   
   
3. Important! Choose how Contacts interact with existing data
   You decide if the system should:
   • Create new Contacts only
   • Create new Companies from the company field in your file
     
     
4. Link Contacts to existing Leads (optional)
   If a Lead has the same email, Mria CRM can link the two automatically.
   
   

Import
The system creates Contacts, Company records, and relationships in one step.

                   Mria CRM Contacts Import - mapping fields and configuring

                                     company and lead linking options

Your Contacts are now in Jira and ready to use as your shared customer base - linked to Companies, connected to matching Leads, and available across all teams and Jira issues.

You can find complete step-by-step instructions in the Mria CRM Contacts Import documentation.

Step 4. After the Import: Your Customer Base Now Lives Inside Jira

Once your Leads and Contacts are imported:

• Companies are created automatically
• Contacts are linked to their Companies
• Contacts are linked to matching Leads
• All records become searchable, filterable, and usable inside Jira
• Your CRM structure is fully formed and can now support work across teams

This completes the data import phase - the next step is using this customer context inside Jira.

How to Use Customer Data Across Jira Teams

Once your customer base is inside Jira through Mria CRM, the real value starts to appear.
Every team works with customers in a different way, but all of them benefit from having Contacts, Companies, and Leads available directly inside Jira issues, projects, and daily workflows.

Below is how this shared customer context becomes useful across the organization.

Sales Teams

With Mria CRM, sales teams don’t just get access to a customer base inside Jira - they get a real CRM built into the platform they already use. Leads, Contacts, Companies, Deals, and Activities all live inside Jira, which means sales can finally manage their full pipeline without switching tools.

Sales teams can:

• work with Leads inside Jira, update statuses, qualify opportunities, and assign owners
• convert qualified Leads into Deals and track the deal through the pipeline
• plan and track sales activities such as calls, meetings, follow-ups, and internal notes
• maintain Contacts and Companies as part of the CRM: update info, add context, and keep relationships accurate
• collaborate with product and support by mentioning them directly in CRM notes
• create Jira issues and connect them to a customer record, making the customer context visible to whoever works on the issue
• see customer-related Jira work that influences ongoing deals (bugs, features, support tickets)

          Deal pipeline inside Mria CRM with stages, assignees, and key deals info

This gives sales a complete CRM workflow inside Jira - full visibility, structured records, and real cross-team collaboration without switching between disconnected systems.

Support Teams

Support teams work inside Jira Service Management, and they often start with very limited information about the requester. With Mria CRM, agents can finally identify customers directly from the request and see the context they need without switching systems or guessing who the customer is.

Support teams can:

• search for a customer directly from the JSM request and link it instantly
• confirm whether the requester is an existing customer instead of relying on guesswork
• see basic customer details at a glance - company, status, owner
• open the full CRM record when deeper context is needed, such as activity history, related people, or open opportunities
• understand account importance by seeing which Companies and Deals are behind the request
• view all other issues and requests linked to that customer, giving agents a complete picture before responding
• pass accurate customer context when escalating to product or engineering (since the CRM record is already linked)

      Customer support request showing Mria CRM context in the sidebar, including         

                     customer identity, company information and related deals

This gives support teams what they usually lack:
clear customer identity and context right inside the request.

No more guessing. No more switching tools. No more “Who owns this customer?” Just instant understanding and better answers for the customer.

Product & Delivery Teams

Product and delivery teams make decisions inside Jira every day, but they rarely see the customer behind the work. With Mria CRM, that context sits directly inside issues, so teams can understand who the request is for, how important the account is, and how it fits into the bigger customer picture.

Product teams can:

• see the linked Contact or Company directly inside Jira issues, without searching across tools
• open the CRM record when deeper insight is needed, such as who else is involved, previous interactions, or open opportunities
• understand account impact - strategic customers, active deals, high-value companies
• prioritize work more effectively based on customer segments, deal size, or overall account value
• view all customer-related issues across Jira, not just the one they’re working on
• collaborate with sales and support inside CRM notes, keeping all customer insights in one place
• avoid blind decision-making, since customer identity and context are visible immediately

         Jira issue displaying the Mria CRM sidebar with customer details: Contact,

                                       Company and associated Lead

This gives product and delivery teams something they have never really had inside Jira:
a clear understanding of who is asking for something and why it matters.

Not just issues. Not just ticket counts. But actual customer context — visible, structured, and shared across the entire product workflow.

Leadership & Operations

Leaders and operations teams rely on accurate, up-to-date information to prioritize investments, plan capacity, and understand customer impact. When customer data lives inside Jira through Mria CRM, they finally get a real view of how customer relationships connect to actual work across product, delivery, and support.

Leadership & operations teams can:

• see which customers generate the most activity across Jira, not just in a CRM dashboard
• identify strategic accounts and understand how much work goes into supporting or developing for them
• spot patterns across segments or industries based on linked issues and customer activity
• evaluate customer demand by viewing all issues, requests, and opportunities tied to a Company
• make more informed prioritization decisions, because they see the real customer impact behind product and engineering work
• understand pipeline health by observing Leads and Deals in the same place as delivery capacity
• reduce system sprawl, since the whole organization relies on one platform (Jira) instead of scattered tools
• strengthen alignment between sales, product, support, and delivery, because all teams see the same customer narrative

                      Company profile in Mria CRM showing linked Contacts,

                        past Won Deals, Active deals, and related Jira issues

This gives leadership something most organizations struggle to achieve:
a unified, real-time view of customers, work, and priorities - inside the system where the work actually happens.

Not separate systems. Not outdated exports. Not disconnected reports.

One platform. One customer picture. One source of truth.

Conclusion

When your customer data lives inside Jira, teamwork becomes clearer and more connected. Instead of switching between tools or searching for information, every team works with the same customer context in the same place where work already happens.

Importing your Leads and Contacts with Mria CRM gives Jira a structure it never had on its own - real customer records, real relationships, and real visibility that everyone can rely on. From there, collaboration becomes easier, decisions become faster, and customer understanding becomes part of everyday work.

If you’re ready to explore what this looks like with your own data, install Mria CRM for Jira and see how customer awareness can fit naturally into your existing workflows.