Before you start
A CRM, which means customer relationship management software, holds the contacts, companies, deals and notes that a business relies on. Moving that data is mostly preparation work, so the checks below matter more than the new tool itself.
- Confirm which record types the business uses, such as contacts, companies, deals, tasks and notes.
- Confirm who holds admin rights in the old tool and can run a full export.
- Confirm the new tool accepts each record type you plan to keep, and read its import rules in the provider's own documentation.
Rules about personal data, file retention and deletion vary by country and by provider. Check the provider's own documentation and your local authority before you move anything that identifies a person.
The steps in order
Work through these steps in sequence. Each step relies on the one before it, so skipping ahead usually creates duplicate or broken records. The cut over, which is the switch to the new tool as the only place where records change, comes near the end.
- Audit the fields in the old tool and write down what each field holds.
- Decide which fields to keep, rename, merge or drop.
- Clean duplicates by merging contacts that share an email address, and merge companies that appear under more than one spelling.
- Export every record type as a spreadsheet file.
- Map each exported column to its matching field in the new tool.
- Test the import with a small sample set and check each mapped field by eye.
- Run the old and new tools side by side for a short, agreed overlap period.
- Cut over by making the new tool the only place where records change.
- Keep the full export as a backup until every check has passed.
Map fields and test the import
Field mapping means matching each old field to a new field with the same meaning. Fields with no clear match are the usual place where data goes missing, because they either get dropped or land in the wrong spot. Write the mapping as a table before you import anything.
Build a small test set of records that includes messy examples, such as a contact with no company and a deal with an empty stage. Import that set into a clean area of the new tool. Then open each imported record and compare it with the original, field by field.
Dates, phone formats, tags and long notes need close attention. They often change shape during an import, and a small change in format can make a whole column look empty when it is not.
Run the old and new tools side by side
During the overlap period, the team keeps working in the old tool while the new one is checked. New records entered in the old tool must reach the new tool too, either by a sync that the new tool offers or by a short daily copy you manage by hand.
Compare totals for each record type at the end of the overlap. Counts, owners and open deal stages should match before anyone stops using the old tool. Ideally, choose a quiet day for the switch, when few deals are moving and few messages need follow up.
What to do if it fails
If the record count in the new tool does not match the export, stop and find the gap before going further. Compare the source file against the import results for each record type in turn.
- Missing fields: check the mapping table and confirm the target field exists and accepts that kind of content.
- Duplicates after import: merge them in the new tool, then tighten the matching rules before the next attempt.
- Broken characters or columns: correct the encoding and separators in the source file, then run the test import again.
- Rejected rows: find the shared pattern in the rejected rows and correct that group, rather than editing rows by hand.
Never delete the old data while a check is still open. Losing the backup is the step that turns a small import error into permanent loss.
Where this matters when choosing a tool
How easily data leaves a tool is worth weighing before you commit to any product. Look for export options that cover every record type, documented import formats, and a way to keep notes and attachments intact. Some tools make this easier than others, so ask about it early.
Compare the options in the CRM comparison, then read the guide to choosing a CRM for more questions to ask. Terms about data export and ownership vary by provider, so check each provider's own documentation before you decide.
The same habit applies to other tools, such as email marketing tools, where subscriber lists are hard to rebuild once they are gone.