SB Help Group

Switching CRMs? Check Your Customer Data Before You Import

A CRM move can look straightforward until your team opens the first imported customer record. The phone number is there, but the latest quote, assigned employee, or promised callback is missing.

Before choosing a migration date, check what your business needs to carry forward. This CRM data-cleanup checklist gives small teams a practical way to prepare for a vendor conversation and judge whether a proposed move is ready.

If you are still defining the overall project, start with our one-page CRM implementation brief.

1. Choose the records your team actually needs

Create a list of your data sources: the current CRM, spreadsheets, shared inboxes, appointment tools, and any separate customer lists.

For each source, name the person who understands it and decide what belongs in the first migration. Active customers and open opportunities may need different treatment from old inquiries or archived jobs.

Keep an untouched copy of each original export before editing. Record its date and where it came from. Work from a separate cleanup copy so questions can be traced back to the source.

2. Explain what each field means

Two columns labeled “status” can describe completely different things. One might mean a sales stage; another might indicate whether an account is active.

Build a simple field map showing the original name, its meaning, the intended destination, and an example value. Include:

Check date formats, time zones, phone-number formatting, and postal codes. A spreadsheet can quietly turn a postal code into a number and remove its leading zero.

Ask the provider which fields can be imported, which need preparation, and which require another approach. Keep unanswered questions on the migration checklist.

3. Set rules for duplicates and conflicting information

Use several identifiers to investigate possible duplicates. A shared name alone may refer to two different customers.

Decide how your team will identify likely duplicates and who can approve a merge. A shared company phone number or family email address may belong to several legitimate contacts.

Also decide what happens when records disagree. If two sources list different phone numbers or account owners, someone needs to verify the correct information. Keep unresolved cases separate rather than guessing.

Treat contact restrictions carefully. Review conflicts before moving records into any outreach workflow, and preserve the evidence your team relies on.

4. Check history separately from contact details

A successful contact import does not establish that notes, attachments, appointments, or conversation history moved with it.

Make an explicit list of the history your employees use. For each item, ask whether it will transfer, how it will remain connected to the right customer, and how staff will access anything retained elsewhere.

Then agree on a small test import. Include representative cases such as an open quote, multiple contacts at one company, a duplicate candidate, and a record with communication restrictions.

Review the resulting records with someone who handles customers daily. Check values, relationships, and dates as well as record counts. Keep outbound messaging disabled during testing unless a controlled test has been deliberately arranged.

5. Plan the final changeover

Choose when the final export happens and where employees should enter new information during the switch. Decide who will reconcile changes made after that export.

Write down the conditions that would delay launch and how the team would continue working if a critical issue appears. Verify required records and access before cancelling the old service.

Include cleanup, testing, and staff time in your budget. Our small-business CRM pricing guide explains how implementation and migration fit into the wider operating cost.

Bring a clearer migration plan to your Straton walkthrough

SB Help Group provides hands-on setup and workflow support around Straton CRM. Request a walkthrough to discuss your current tools, the information your team needs, and the scope of a possible move.

Bring your field names, approximate record counts, and fictional examples of difficult cases. Ask us to review what the proposed setup can support, who would handle each step, and what costs apply before you decide.