Customer reference library template
A customer reference library is one list of the customers who have agreed to act as references, tagged so sales can find the right one quickly. This free template gives you the 15 columns to track, in CSV and XLSX. The CSV version imports into lyynx without changing the headers.
| Company | Website | Industry | Company Size | Region | Use Case | Products Used | Contact Name | Contact Role | Contact Email | Privacy Level | Available Formats | Max Requests per 30 Days | Last Engaged | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demo Co. | https://demo-co.example.com | Software | 201-500 | North America | Replaced spreadsheets with one sha... | Core Platform, Analytics | Alex Example | VP Operations | alex.example@example.com | Approval Required | call, quote | 2 | 2026-08-14 | Prefers video calls on Tuesdays or... |
| Example Health | https://example-health.example.com | Healthcare | 1001-5000 | North America | Rolled out across three regional t... | Core Platform | Sam Sample | Director of IT | sam.sample@example.com | Private | call | 1 | 2026-06-02 | Internal use only until the renewa... |
| Sample Logistics | https://sample-logistics.example.c... | Logistics | 51-200 | Europe | Cut manual reporting for the opera... | Core Platform, Integrations | Jordan Placeholder | Head of Operations | jordan.placeholder@example.com | Public | call, video, case study | 3 | 2026-09-20 | Happy to speak with other logistic... |
| Fictional Foods | https://fictional-foods.example.co... | Food and Beverage | 501-1000 | Asia Pacific | Standardized onboarding for new lo... | Core Platform | Riley Demo | COO | riley.demo@example.com | Approval Required | quote, case study | 1 | Written quote approved. No calls t... | |
| Test Retail Group | https://test-retail.example.com | Retail | 5001+ | North America | Company profile only, advocate to... | Analytics | Private | No contact yet. This row creates t... |
The taxonomy behind the template
A reference library is only useful if a salesperson can answer one question fast: who can this prospect talk to? The template is built around the four things you need to know to answer it.
- Who the customer is. Company, Website, Industry, Company Size and Region describe the account, so you can match a prospect to a peer.
- What they can speak to. Use Case and Products Used describe the story the customer can tell.
- Who the advocate is. Contact Name, Contact Role and Contact Email identify the person, because a prospect talks to a person, not a logo.
- What they agreed to. Privacy Level, Available Formats and Max Requests per 30 Days record the advocate's terms. Last Engaged shows how recently you asked them for something.
The set of values you allow in each column is your taxonomy. Keep the lists short and use the words your sales team already uses. For a fuller method, read how to build a reference taxonomy that sales uses, or start with the definition of a reference taxonomy.
What each column means
Company is the only required column. Leave anything else blank until you know it.
| Column | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Company | The customer's company name. Required. |
| Website | The company's website address. |
| Industry | One industry, from your own short list. |
| Company Size | A size band, such as an employee range. |
| Region | Where the customer is based or operates. |
| Use Case | The problem the customer solved with you, in a sentence. |
| Products Used | A comma-separated list of the products they use. |
| Contact Name | The advocate's full name. Leave blank to add the company only. |
| Contact Role | The advocate's job title. |
| Contact Email | The advocate's work email address. |
| Privacy Level | Public, Approval Required or Private. Blank means Private. |
| Available Formats | A comma-separated list from: call, video, quote, case study. |
| Max Requests per 30 Days | A whole number. This is the advocate's own limit. |
| Last Engaged | A date written as YYYY-MM-DD. |
| Notes | Anything else your team should know. |
How to fill it in
- Start with companies. List every customer who has agreed to be a reference, one row each. A row with no Contact Name creates the company only, so you can add people later.
- Add the advocates. Put one contact on each row. To add more contacts to a company, add more rows and repeat the same Company name.
- Record what each advocate agreed to. Ask them. Do not guess the privacy level, the formats or the request limit. If you are not sure about privacy, leave it blank and it is treated as Private.
- Keep your values consistent. Decide on one spelling for each industry, size band and region, and use it on every row. Filters only work when the values match.
- Keep the headers as they are. The same file imports into lyynx without changing the headers, so do not rename or reorder the columns.
Keeping it current
Update Last Engaged each time you ask an advocate for something, and compare it with their request limit before you ask again. Review the whole sheet on a regular schedule, because people change roles and consent changes with them.
Frequently asked questions
What is a customer reference library?
It is a single, maintained list of customers who have agreed to be references, with the details needed to match them to a prospect: industry, size, region, use case, products, contacts, privacy level and the formats they accept.
Which columns are required?
Only Company. Every other column can be left blank and filled in later, although a blank Privacy Level is treated as Private.
How do I add more than one contact for the same company?
Add one row per contact and repeat the Company name on each row. A row with no Contact Name creates the company only.
What does Max Requests per 30 Days mean?
It is the number of reference requests the advocate has said they are willing to take in any rolling 30 days. It is the advocate's own limit, so ask them. Do not guess.
Can I import this file into lyynx?
Yes. The headers match the lyynx reference library import, so you can fill in the CSV and import it as it is.
Can I add my own columns?
In your own spreadsheet, yes. Keep the 15 headers unchanged if you plan to import the file, and put anything that does not fit in the Notes column.