Mistake 1: Thinking you’ll get away without having a data migration plan
Sadly, it’s surprising how often we encounter customers who fail to make a data migration plan and don’t appreciate why they need one. To put it in context, let’s look at your data this way:
You are moving to a new house. It’s smaller, more modern, is in a much nicer location than your current one and has myriad new features (and perhaps even a hot tub). But – there’s a lot less space to store those things you don’t need or use anymore, and you can’t afford the expense of an extra room to stack it in. So, you must make some tough decisions about what you are taking, why you need it, and where it will go.
Which is why you need a plan of attack. Data migration starts with picking over and downsizing your amassed data with knowledge, intelligence, and pragmatism while being aware of the desired end outcome.
A planning document provides tables of the data that needs to be shifted, for example, contacts, accounts, and associated emails. And it specifies what doesn’t come – the information you don’t care about. For example, do you really need a contact’s middle name or historic fields? The plan also specifies what the data needs to look like in the new system and details the mapping from the old system to the new one. (Psst: your partner should be able to provide you with a template.)
A new CRM is an opportunity to do more and do it much better. And it always starts with a planned ‘what, why, where’ approach to your data which supports your customer and user-centric visions. Critically, make the plan in conjunction with someone who is across your data and can dedicate their time and energy to making intelligent decisions.