A migration is the moment most CRM projects go wrong, because bad data moved into a new system is still bad data. Follow these steps in order and you will switch over with everything accounted for.
1. List every source
Spreadsheets, your old CRM, email lists, accounting contacts, shared drives. Note who owns each one and how up to date it is.
2. Decide what not to move
Old leads that never replied, test records and duplicates do not need to come with you. Agree a cut-off date for old activity.
3. Map every field
Create a sheet with each old field, its new home in Zoho, and what happens to values that do not fit. Get it signed off by the people who use the data.
4. Clean before you import
Standardise phone numbers, countries and company names, and merge duplicates. This is far easier before import than after.
5. Import a test sample
Bring across a small, representative set and check it in Zoho with the team. Look at relationships: are contacts linked to the right accounts and deals?
6. Run the full import in the right order
Typically accounts first, then contacts, then deals, then activities and notes, so every record can link to its parent.
7. Verify with numbers
Compare record counts before and after, and spot-check records that matter most, such as your largest clients and open deals.
8. Switch over on a set date
Pick a date, train the team, make the old tool read-only, and keep a full export as a backup.
Want it done for you? Every Operating System build includes migration, or see our migration service on its own.