Before you request a CRM migration quote, list the records you need and decide what a correct move means. A supplier needs more than a spreadsheet count. They need your source systems, record types, relationships, duplicate rules, and a safe time to switch.

This checklist helps you prepare a short brief for a new or custom CRM. It does not assume that every old field should move. Keep the original files until your team has checked the new records.

Inventory the records and their owners

List contacts, companies, deals, notes, tasks, and any other records your team uses. Name the system or file that owns each type. Ask one person to decide which records are current, which are duplicates, and which should stay archived.

Count rows and note important links, such as a contact tied to a company or a deal tied to several people. Include files and activity history only if the new CRM needs them. This keeps the first quote tied to a clear scope.

Choose identifiers before you clean the files

Pick a stable way to match each old record to its new record. Email may help with contacts, but shared addresses and missing emails need a rule. Company names can also vary. Keep a source ID column when one exists, and record who can approve a merge.

HubSpot's current import format guidance explains why updates and duplicate checks need a unique identifier. Its required fields depend on the record type. Your target CRM may use different rules, so confirm its import format before editing every file.

Map fields and protect the original

For each source column, write its target field, format, owner, and example value. Mark fields that need a new choice, such as sales stage or country. Agree how blank values, old labels, and dates will be handled. Do not quietly turn unknown data into a default value.

Save a read-only copy of each source file before cleanup. If you export from Excel to CSV, Microsoft warns that CSV does not keep workbook formatting and some features. Check one exported file before treating it as the migration source.

Run a small test import

Test a sample with normal records, duplicates, missing values, and linked records. Compare the source and target counts. Open a few real examples with the sales team. Check names, ownership, stages, notes, and links between records.

Keep an error list. Microsoft's Dynamics import guidance describes reviewing successful, failed, and partial imports, then correcting failed rows. Ask your supplier to show how their process reports these outcomes. A successful upload message alone is not enough.

Plan the switch and ask for a written scope

Name the last day staff may edit the old system, who will export the final data, and who will approve the new records. Decide how late changes will be captured. Keep a rollback plan for the first operating days, including where staff should record new work if the target is unavailable.

Send these six items with your quote request:

  • Source systems and files, with an owner for each.
  • Record types, row counts, and links between them.
  • Fields to keep, change, archive, or leave undecided.
  • Duplicate and missing-value rules.
  • Test-import checks and the people who approve them.
  • Cutover date, allowed downtime, support period, and rollback owner.

Ask suppliers to price cleanup, field mapping, import, testing, training, and support separately. If you also need a new system, describe the sales workflow as a separate build scope. CIT offers custom CRM development. Send CIT your brief through the quote form to discuss the work and a written proposal.