Having the foundational structure of your CRM database set up before you migrate helps ensure you can get up and running fast in your new platform.
Pro tip: Use a visual mapping tool like Miro to track how data flows in your current vs. new system for a smoother transition. Map field names from your current vs new system as well. "Ontraport eliminated my need for 12 other systems and simplified my business in an incredible way."
— Nick P.
Phase 2: Executing the migration
Step 1: Migrate in phases
Rather than a high-risk “Big Bang” migration, most businesses benefit from a
phased approach to minimize downtime and reduce errors.
Prioritize the data, templates and campaigns that are most critical to your day-to-day operations. This ensures minimal delays in your customers’ experiences, and it creates a clear stopping point for your old system in terms of capturing new leads and customer activity.
Prioritize these first: - Lead capture forms to ensure new leads flow into the new system
- Checkout pages and order processing to avoid revenue disruptions
- Billing and subscription workflows
- Customer portals and membership access
Plan each migration during low-traffic periods and test small datasets before moving everything
From there, plan to migrate your other data and systems in order of importance, with historical or legacy data last. You may also want to consider waiting to move certain data or web pages until after an upcoming launch date, or around the time your contract with another tool ends.
Pro tip: Follow these best practices from Ontraport’s team, who has supported thousands of businesses in migrating their tech stacks to Ontraport’s unified CRM platform for nearly 20 years. Contacts
- If your contacts are organized in lists or segments, you should import the list or segment name so you can create tags or groups in your new system accordingly.
- It may be helpful to migrate a list of contacts who have opted out of your marketing communications so you ensure you remain compliant with regulations.
Web forms
- When you recreate your forms in your new CRM system, be sure to include form settings to ensure correct tracking and tagging for segmentation and follow-up.
- Remember to also recreate the related assets:
- Confirmation page that visitors see after they fill out the form
- Automations that are triggered by your forms
- Email and/or SMS messages that are sent via those automations post form-fillout
Emails
- Email text: In most circumstances, you can copy/paste the text of your emails from your old platform to your new one. Make sure your email text is placed in a plain text document before copying/pasting.
- Email images: Your images, including banners and footers, are usually hosted with your email system. You may need to re-host these images in your new platform so they show up when you send emails in your new system.
SMS messages
- There's an approval process for sending SMS marketing messages, so allow time to complete the application and get it approved before you’ll need to send them in your new platform.
Payment processor/payment systems
- If migrating subscriptions, payment plans and credit cards, that involves both the old and new system. It's important to consider timelines because it'll take time for the payment processor to export credit card data and the new one to import.
Membership sites and customer portals
- Encrypt and securely transfer membership credentials to avoid login issues.
Affiliate programs
- Links and other promotional tools in your previous system will no longer work once you move systems. Alert your affiliates of the switch over and provide them with new links.
Phase 3: Post-migration optimization and adoption
Step 1: Test and train your team
- Perform end-to-end testing to validate data integrity and ensure automations are functioning correctly.
- Conduct live transaction tests to confirm orders and payments process smoothly.
- Train employees to ensure full adoption and avoid workflow disruptions.
Step 2: Optimize and scale
- Set up dashboards to monitor marketing and sales performance.
- Analyze insights to refine campaigns and improve engagement.
- Iterate and improve based on CRM performance data.
Make the most of your unified CRM
Migrating to a unified CRM isn’t just a software switch — it’s a
business transformation.With careful planning, phased execution and continuous optimization, your business will transition seamlessly — and be
better positioned to scale. "When I switched all my systems over to Ontraport, the difference was night and day."
— Luke W.
