Moving customer records and tools into Vitae OS

Decide what moves and what stays

List the apps involved in one complete process, such as enquiry follow-up. For each record, name the system that owns it. This helps avoid two apps changing the same information without a clear rule.

• Separate active customers and opportunities from archived records.
• Include notes, files and the relationships between contacts and companies.
• Keep a secure export of the original information.

Map and clean the fields

Match each source field to its destination before importing. Company names alone are rarely a safe way to match records. Use stable reference numbers where possible and decide how to handle duplicates and incomplete information.

• Check date formats, currencies and phone number formats.
• Preserve record ownership and relevant contact preferences.
• Document any history or attachments that need separate handling.

Test a representative sample

Use a small set that includes ordinary records and difficult cases. Include a customer with several contacts, an open opportunity, missing details and a duplicate. Ask the people who use these records to review the result.

• Compare imported values and relationships with the original export.
• Check access using the roles that will use the system.
• Confirm the process works, not just that the import finished.

Switch with a clear owner and recovery plan

Agree a final export time and when the team should stop changing the old records. Decide how to handle updates made during the move. Train the team on its first workflow and name someone who can resolve questions after launch.

• Record who signs off the imported data.
• Keep a recovery plan if validation fails.
• Agree the scope and cost of migration, connections and support before starting.

Do we have to replace every existing tool?

No. Keep specialist tools that serve your business and check how they can connect. The important decision is which system owns each record and how updates reach the people who need them.