CRM migration means moving your contact, company, deal and activity records, the associations that link them, and your business processes from one CRM to another. The hard part is not the data itself but moving it without breaking the associations and rules. The checklist below walks through a migration from start to finish, in order.
1. Inventory: what do you have?
The first step is to map what is in the old system and what is actually used.
- [ ] Objects: contacts, companies, deals, quotes, products, activities, notes, files, custom objects.
- [ ] Record count and last-updated dates for each object.
- [ ] Fields: which are populated, which have never been used.
- [ ] Sales pipelines and stages.
- [ ] Automations, workflows, assignment rules.
- [ ] Integrations: web forms, ad platforms, email, phone, ERP, analytics.
- [ ] Reports and dashboards: which reports does management look at?
- [ ] Users, roles and permissions.
2. The mapping table
The mapping table is the contract of the migration: it states where each field in the old system goes in the new one and how it is transformed.
| Old object.field | New object.field | Type | Transformation rule | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead.Source | Contact.Lead source | Picklist | "Web" → "Web form" | Value list merged |
| Account.Industry | Company.Industry | Picklist | 24 old values → 9 new values | Mapping on a separate tab |
| Opportunity.Stage | Deal.Stage | Picklist | Stage mapping | Based on the new pipeline definition |
- [ ] Source, target, type and rule written for every field.
- [ ] Picklist values mapped one by one.
- [ ] Record owners (users) mapped to users in the new system.
- [ ] Unique ID field defined (the old system's ID is kept in a field in the new system).
- [ ] Associations defined: contact–company, deal–company, activity–contact.
3. Cleanup
Dirty data stays dirty in the new system; clean up before you migrate.
- [ ] Duplicate contacts and companies merged.
- [ ] Invalid emails and phone numbers flagged.
- [ ] Formats standardized: country, phone, company name.
- [ ] Decision made for records untouched for a long time: migrate, archive or delete.
- [ ] Contacts without marketing consent flagged (consistent with KVKK and İYS records, Turkey's data protection law and commercial message consent registry).
4. Test import
Before the big import, try it with a small, representative sample.
- [ ] A sample of a few hundred records from each object selected.
- [ ] Sample imported into a sandbox or a separate trial account.
- [ ] Associations, owners, dates and picklists checked.
- [ ] Someone from the sales team tried their daily work with the sample records.
- [ ] Errors found were fed back into the mapping table.
5. Final import
- [ ] Freeze date shared with the team: no records are entered in the old system after this date.
- [ ] Full backup of the old system taken.
- [ ] Import order: users → companies → contacts → deals → activities and notes.
- [ ] Record counts compared object by object.
- [ ] Randomly selected records checked field by field.
6. Rebuilding processes
Automations, assignment rules, email templates, reports and integrations do not move with the data; they are rebuilt in the new system. This is also a chance to simplify old rules.
- [ ] Web forms connected to the new CRM; a test lead came through.
- [ ] Ad platform lead integrations and offline conversion uploads moved to the new system.
- [ ] Assignment rules and automations set up and tested.
- [ ] Management reports rebuilt and compared with the old system.
7. Go-live and after
- [ ] Team training held before go-live day.
- [ ] A support channel opened for the first two weeks.
- [ ] Old system left read-only; shutdown date set.
- [ ] Retention period for the old data documented together with KVKK obligations.
The most common mistakes
The most expensive mistakes are lost associations (deals left without a company), all record owners being assigned to a single user, and picklist values migrated without mapping. All three are prevented by the mapping table and the test import.
If you want to plan the migration together, our CRM migration service covers this entire list; if you are still choosing the new CRM, start with how to choose a CRM. Our overall approach is on our CRM consulting page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a CRM migration take?
It depends on the number of records, the number of objects (contacts, companies, deals, activities, custom objects) and the integrations. A migration with one pipeline and the standard objects can be done in a few weeks; migrations with many custom fields, automations and integrations take longer. What shortens the timeline most is a complete mapping table from the start.
Can old emails and activities be migrated?
Most CRMs let you import activities, notes and email records, but formats and association rules vary from tool to tool. Decide which history you really need: moving everything takes longer and carries old, dirty data into the new system.
Can the sales team keep working during the migration?
Yes, but you need to set a freeze date. For a short period before the final import, records are updated in one system only; then the final import runs and the team moves to the new system. Entering data in two systems in parallel leads to inconsistencies.
When should I shut down the old CRM?
After validation is complete and the team has worked in the new system for at least one full sales cycle or a reasonable period. Before shutting it down, take a full export of the old system and document the retention decision together with your KVKK (Turkey's personal data protection law) obligations.
Sources
Zehra AdaşManaging Partner
Zehra Adaş is Roicool's co-founder and a Managing Partner, and leads strategic marketing, specializing in brand positioning, digital communication and creative strategy.
