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Every CRM migration horror story starts the same way: “We just exported everything and imported it.” No audit. No cleanup. No field mapping. No automation documentation. The result: broken relationships, missing data, duplicate records, and a team that blames the new CRM for problems caused by bad migration.
TechEsperto has completed 150+ CRM migrations with zero data loss. Every one followed this 5-phase readiness process. Use it to prepare YOUR migration — whether you hire us or do it yourself.
Before touching anything, understand what you have:
☐ Total Contacts/Leads: ___ ☐ Total Accounts/Companies: ___ ☐ Total Deals/Opportunities: ___ ☐ Total Activities (calls, emails, meetings, notes): ___ ☐ Total Cases/Tickets: ___ ☐ Total Campaigns: ___ ☐ Custom Objects/Modules: list each with record count ☐ Documents/Attachments: total count and total file size
☐ How many duplicate contacts exist? Run a dedup report in your current CRM ☐ What percentage of records have complete information (email + phone + company)? ☐ When was the last data cleanup? If “never” — budget extra time ☐ Are there inactive/dead records that should NOT be migrated? ☐ Are custom field values consistent? (e.g., “USA” vs “US” vs “United States”)
☐ How are Contacts linked to Accounts? One-to-one? Many-to-one? ☐ How are Deals linked to Contacts and Accounts? ☐ Are Activities (calls, emails) linked to the correct records? ☐ Do custom objects have relationships to standard objects?
Why this matters: Migrating 50,000 records takes the same effort as 5,000 if the data is clean. Migrating dirty data just moves the mess to a new platform — and makes it harder to fix.
Clean BEFORE migrating — not after:
☐ Merge duplicate Contacts (keep the most complete record) ☐ Merge duplicate Accounts (“Acme Inc” + “ACME Incorporated” + “acme” → one record) ☐ Merge duplicate Leads that were never converted ☐ Document merge rules: which record wins when fields conflict?
☐ Standardize phone number format (choose one: +1-555-123-4567) ☐ Standardize country names (choose one: “United States” or “US”) ☐ Standardize state/province abbreviations ☐ Capitalize all name fields consistently ☐ Standardize company names (remove “Inc.”, “LLC” variations or keep one format)
☐ Delete contacts with no email AND no phone AND no activity in 2+ years ☐ Delete test records and demo data ☐ Delete bounced/invalid email addresses ☐ Archive closed-lost deals older than 3 years (optional — migrate to a separate archive module)
Pro tip: Export a “before” count per module. After cleanup, export an “after” count. The difference is your data quality improvement. Typical reduction: 15–30% fewer records after proper cleanup.
Map every field from your current CRM to SuiteCRM:
☐ Create a spreadsheet: Column A = Source CRM field name, Column B = SuiteCRM field name, Column C = Data type, Column D = Notes ☐ Map all Contact fields (name, email, phone, title, address, etc.) ☐ Map all Account fields (company name, industry, size, website, etc.) ☐ Map all Deal/Opportunity fields (name, value, stage, close date, probability) ☐ Map all Activity fields (subject, date, type, related records) ☐ Map all Case/Ticket fields (subject, status, priority, assigned to)
☐ List every custom field in your current CRM ☐ Decide: does this field exist in SuiteCRM? Or do we need to create a custom field? ☐ For fields with no SuiteCRM equivalent — create them in Studio BEFORE migration
☐ List every custom object in your current CRM ☐ Can it map to an existing SuiteCRM module? ☐ If not — build a custom module in Module Builder BEFORE migration ☐ Map relationships between custom objects and standard modules
☐ Map dropdown values (your current CRM’s “Qualified” stage → SuiteCRM’s equivalent) ☐ Map pipeline stages — your stages may not match SuiteCRM’s defaults. Customize SuiteCRM stages first ☐ Map lead sources, industry values, and any other picklist fields
Document everything that needs rebuilding in SuiteCRM:
☐ List every active automation/workflow/flow in your current CRM ☐ For each: describe trigger, conditions, and actions ☐ Prioritize: which automations must be live on Day 1? Which can wait? ☐ Plan SuiteCRM equivalents — Workflows for standard automations, Logic Hooks for complex logic ☐ Use our Automation Blueprint to design the complete architecture
☐ List every connected system — email, accounting, phone, marketing, ERP, e-commerce ☐ For each: document what data syncs, which direction, and how often ☐ Plan SuiteCRM connections — REST API, Zapier/Make, or custom integration ☐ Prioritize: which integrations must work on Day 1?
☐ List every report and dashboard your team uses regularly ☐ Document: which modules, which fields, which filters, who receives it ☐ Plan SuiteCRM report equivalents — most rebuild faster than expected
☐ Which AI capabilities do you want during migration? (Adding AI during migration costs 30% less than retrofitting) ☐ AI lead scoring — need 500+ historical leads with outcomes ☐ Predictive deal analytics — need 200+ closed deals ☐ AI email assistant — works immediately ☐ AI chatbot — works immediately ☐ Self-hosted AI needed for HIPAA/GDPR? Data security guide →
Data must be imported in this exact order to preserve relationships:
☐ After each module import: compare record counts (source vs SuiteCRM) ☐ Spot-check 50 random records per module for accuracy ☐ Verify relationships: pick 20 Accounts and confirm their Contacts, Deals, and Activities are linked correctly ☐ Test workflows with real data ☐ Test email send/receive ☐ Test integrations end-to-end
☐ Parallel run period: 1–2 weeks running both old and new CRM ☐ Cutover date communicated to all users ☐ Training completed BEFORE cutover — not after ☐ Rollback plan documented (just in case) ☐ Post-launch support plan in place ☐ 30-day review scheduled to identify and fix adoption gaps
| Complexity | Records | Timeline | Cost |
| Simple (spreadsheets, <10K records) | Under 10,000 | 4–6 weeks | $5,000–$8,000 |
| Medium (from Salesforce/HubSpot, 10K–100K) | 10,000–100,000 | 6–10 weeks | $8,000–$18,000 |
| Complex (multiple sources, 100K+, custom modules + AI) | 100,000+ | 10–16 weeks | $18,000–$35,000 |
Send us your source CRM type, record counts, and custom object list. We’ll provide migration complexity estimate, timeline, cost range, and AI recommendations — within 48 hours, free.
As the Official SuiteCRM Professional Partner, TechEsperto has migrated businesses from Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Dynamics, SugarCRM, Pipedrive, Copper, and spreadsheets — 150+ migrations with zero data loss.
Get your free migration assessment →| Migration services → | Email: info@techesperto.com
Tell us what you’re building. Our team will get back to you within one business day with a clear, no-obligation plan.
