Troubleshooting SugarCRM Data Migration: a Roadmap to Success
A CRM system is a powerful tool that can become your loyal companion and help manage various business processes. However, if you feel like your present solution is no longer capable of fulfilling all your requirements, or it lacks some crucial functionality, then it’s the right time to consider changing your legacy system. Even though the thought of data migration may be quite intimidating, sticking with an outdated solution is likely to create some serious stumbling blocks on the road to your business’ success.
SugarCRM is one of the popular and advanced solutions that many organizations turn to when the question of data migration is on the horizon. It is suitable for businesses of any size - from small to enterprise companies. It also introduces a modern UI and an abundance of various plugins to extend the platform functionality. Some of the other most prominent advantages of this system include:
- Affordable price;
- Ease of use;
- Extensive customization options;
- Outstanding support and documentation.
If you have set your mind on SugarCRM migration, there are a few things necessary to remember. Let’s look at some essential advice on how to make your data transfer flawlessly.
Checkpoint #1 - Pre-Departure
Thorough planning and preparation is the key to success of every undertaking and data migration is not an exception.
Take time to rediscover and understand your data to know what you’re dealing with from the start. It is recommended to review your database and determine what sorts of data may require special attention during the migration.
Another useful advice is to filter the information on your legacy system. Delete all outdated or irrelevant information, get rid of duplicated data and orphaned files - doing so will help you significantly reduce the time and resources required for the transfer process.
After you have optimized the data, you should create a backup to prevent the records loss. Such a simple precaution can save you a lot of trouble in the future.
Finally, you should make sure all of your team members are informed about the migration procedure and familiar with new CRM solution. Educate your colleagues about the peculiarities of working on SugarCRM or hire a professional consultant, if needed.
Checkpoint #2 - The Migration Route
When finished with all the initial preparation, you can move on to the core of the task - transferring the data to a new system. Most roughly divided, there are two ways to perform the move - manually or with the help of various tools.
While manual migration is definitely the cheapest option, if you carry it out on your own, it’s also the most troublesome one. Keep in mind that copy/pasting all of the data by hand requires quite some time and technical knowledge. Moreover, there is a big chance of human error during the process.
An automated migration, on the other hand, can be performed much faster and requires no technical background. A solution like Trujay can migrate accounts, contacts, leads, tasks and opportunities completely hands-off. In addition to that, the source CRM platform will remain up during the whole transfer process. If you wish to check out how the service works and how your data will look on SugarCRM, try the free demo migration.
Checkpoint #3 - Arriving at SugarCRM
Moving all the data to your target platform is still not the end of the journey. There are a few more steps necessary to take before your SugarCRM is ready to use.
First of all, check whether all the migrated data is accurate and in the appropriate format. Make sure all fields are transferred correctly. Then you can start adding your company details, creating users and experimenting with customization options.
Additionally, you may want to consider implementing an ongoing quality monitoring to detect the errors that might have been missed at the initial stages of testing and make sure the employees are operating the system correctly.
Finally, you should keep in mind that there may be significant differences between your legacy system and SugarCRM. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the business processes to the peculiarities of the new tool.
Evidently, data migration is not a simple matter and should be taken seriously. However, with the necessary preparation and the right tools to help you, migrating to SugarCRM will become significantly easier.