Easy Step-by-Step CRM Migration Strategy Guide

Saphyte Team

4 min read

Updated: February 15th, 2021

Businesses are constantly monitoring and improving customer interaction with existing and potential customers. Most of the time, businesses use CRM tools to dedicate to improving the overall customer relationships of their business.

One of the reasons businesses invest in a CRM is that the system can help them gather data from their communication channels for real-time analysis. At the same time, aid them in mining customer information and user preferences for fair analysis on how to meet the ever-changing customer demands.

A customer relationship management (CRM) software is an investment that any existing business should consider acquiring to assure success for their sales team. The high ROI are a result of great customer experiences and a successful effort to accommodate the changing needs of customers. And it all starts with a great contact management tool.

However, the real challenge comes into light when you plan to move from one CRM system to another or perhaps start from scratch. A successful data migration can be time-consuming and would depend on the data load that you have.

The significance of CRM data migration activities is mostly unnoticed, and consequences are most likely to happen at the later part of the project and most especially when it is too late. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to your data migration process.

How Smooth Should Your CRM Data Migration Be?

Data migration is not a simple task as it appears to be. It may look like a cakewalk but the misconception steps out of the door the moment you get right into the process. The parallel holds true for CRM data migration as there’s more than what meets the eye.

Now that it is established, it is important to have some ground rules as to how your data migration process should be. Also, you need to shift any traces of data to your new system while ensuring that the integrity and accuracy of the data is not lost during the process.

Remember that the success of your email marketing campaign, social media tracking, and your overall sales process relies heavily on data accuracy. In order to assure a painless CRM migration, you need to set ground rules for your team. So, here is a step-by-step CRM migration strategy guide that you can easily follow through.

Client List Cleansing

Before going further with data migration, it is highly recommended that you carry out a data cleansing activity to certify that the data being migrated is accurate and are the ones you actually need.

A CRM system revolves around good quality data, and while this part might be time-consuming, it will be extremely beneficial for you in the long-term. Your provider can help you at this stage; however, the goal is to eliminate the duplicates in your data and ensure data accuracy.

Find your Scope

Before migrating any contact information data, you need to determine the scope of the data being migrated to outline exactly what you need and don’t need to be migrated into the new system. Remember, not all data is required to be moved into your new system. You, your CRM solution provider and your sales team need to work together to define a solid scope.

Having a definite data scope reduces your CRM storage and can save you plenty of time later on. Always consider that the number of contacts you have in your database will add up over time so only migrating the contacts you need will save you in the long-term.

Again, your provider should work with you and recommend any cost-effective storage methods that suit your needs in the present and the future. Or perhaps choose a provider that has flexible cloud storage plans that comes along with their subscription.  

Map your Data all Out

Once you have a clear scope of your data you want to migrate, the next step you need to make is to map your data to the new system. The best method for this is to actually have a half-day onsite meeting with your key stakeholders, go through which data are to be migrated, and show where the data will be mapped to and how it would look like. This is to ensure that you are all in the same page.

If your data map is effective, it will show you the connections and relationships between your data sources, so any potential problems will be more noticeable when you look at the map. Data mapping also makes better data analysis and even more accurate because it reduces the risk of omissions, mistakes, and duplication. So be thorough with your mapping strategy.

Migrate your Data 

Once you have a clear data scope, data, and have a clear map outline, then you can begin with the actual migration process. This is a technical activity and may involve several tools to ensure that the data you’ve collected from different sources and formats are safely migrated to the new system.

This may also take more time as it depends on the load of data you have. If you’re having second thoughts of this process, you may go through everything for the second time, or seek help from the provider.

Reporting

During this part, you can check what has, or has not, been migrated. As massive quantities of data were migrated, you need to know whether they were successful or not. The reporting process will outline which data is expected to be migrated.

The process also includes outlining the quantities and details of the migration, so that once the process is complete, reports can be reread to guarantee that the migration was indeed a success.

During this stage, the reporting will show successes, failures, and any partial migrations. Failures or partial migrations are usually caused by poor quality data or incorrect data. However, this is unlikely to occur if your data cleansing has been thorough from the start.

If there are errors after the migration, then you need to list out your migrations, remediate, and re-migrate the data. If you have to repeat the process, then do so. Skipping unsuccessful data migrations could cost you a fortune in the future.

CONCLUSION

Choosing the right CRM for your data migration is a big step to take. As any other aspect in your small business or enterprise, a CRM platform is an investment and should not be taken lightly. With Saphyte, we understand that your investment should be worth it.

Saphyte is a cloud-based CRM tool that helps you streamline your corporate processes, sales cycle, and marketing activities from email marketing to other sales campaign activities, and fit them into a single powerful platform.

Saphyte has sales and marketing modules designed and built to improve your business’s efficiency and productivity. The system also has other functions and tools that can help you build better customer experiences through impressive customer interaction activities (phone calls, email blasts, etc.) and leads you to build customer satisfaction.

The platform can help you manage vital customer information, conduct marketing tactics and strategies, and identify business opportunities built for the long haul. Saphyte’s features are built for scalability and flexibility. Thus, allowing growth to come easily for your business in the feature. A system built to grow with you and your business.

Saphyte is on a pay-as-you-go subscription plan and is a cloud-based CRM. All you need is a reliable Internet connection and a browser. Saphyte’s subscription plans are complete with a free demo and one-on-one product training.

No set-up fees, no installation fees, no hidden or extra charges, and 24/7 expert customer support availability. Let us help you get started with your CRM journey. Contact us now for a free demo. Or start your trial period now.