Data Import and Migration

We begin by listing every source: spreadsheets, an old CRM, accounting or billing exports, email contacts, form submissions, ad lead forms and chat tools. For each we note volume, fields, quality and owner. We take a copy of everything before touching it. Next we design the target structure with you. What objects does the new CRM need: contacts, companies, deals, tickets, products, notes and activities? Which custom fields do you need? Which fields from old files are useful and which are noise? We write a field map showing each source column, its destination, the data type and any transformation needed, such as splitting a full name into first and last, standardising phone numbers to include country codes, normalising state and city names, or converting date formats. We then clean the data. We remove exact duplicates and flag likely ones for a decision, standardise capitalisation and formats, fix obviously broken emails, separate multiple values packed in one cell, and identify records missing key fields. We pay attention to relationships: matching contacts to companies using domain or name, and linking deals to the right contacts. Where the source data lacks a stable identifier, we create one so repeated imports do not create new duplicates. Before the full load, we run a test import with a representative sample of a few hundred records, then check how fields, owners, dates, tags and associations appear. We fix mapping issues and repeat if needed. For the main import, we load in a sensible order, usually companies, then contacts, then deals and activities, using the CRM’s import tools or API, depending on volume and complexity. For migrations from an older CRM, we also consider notes, attachments, email history and custom objects, and tell you honestly which can be transferred and which cannot. After the load we verify: record counts against the source, spot checks of random records, key reports compared with the old system, and a review with the sales team. We keep a log of rejected rows and fix or explain them. We set duplicate-prevention rules in the CRM for future entries, and connect ongoing sources such as website forms and Google Sheets automation. Finally, we agree a cut-over plan: a freeze date for the old system, how new records are handled in between and when the old system is archived. We cannot recover data that was never stored, or guarantee that every old record is perfect, but we make the move traceable and reversible where possible.