We're glad you reach out to the Community, @JDW60.
Just to make sure that we are on the same page. You want to import your customers and vendors information from your Excel template to your QuickBooks Online (QBO) account.
You can import the details of your Excel template to QBO even if some of the information's are not present. The details that you place into your Excel template will match in QBO, and whatever is missing, the system will ask you to fill it in before proceeding.
Let me give you a clear description of the steps:
1. Go to the Expenses.
2. Select Vendors
3. Click the Dropdown arrow beside New vendor.
4. Click "Import vendors".
5. Select your Excel template file to upload. Once done, click Next.
6. The Green check mark indicates that the details of your Excel template match in QBO. On the other hand, you must fill in the box that doesn't have green check mark.
7. Click Next. Then check again to see if the information is complete.
8. Click Import.



Once done, check if the vendor has been successfully added to your account.
You might want to learn about frequently asked questions about importing data to QuickBooks Online, you can read through this article: Common questions about importing data to QuickBooks Online.
I'm also sharing these articles for additional guidelines and reference:
If you have additional questions about vendors and customers import, don't hesitate to reply to this post. Take care.