CRM Migration Checklist: 15 Steps to Switch Without Losing Data

Document everything in your current CRM.

Custom fields, deal stages, pipelines, automations, email templates, reports, and integrations. HubSpot exports contacts/deals as CSV but workflows don't export. Salesforce custom objects require Data Loader. Pipedrive exports everything via CSV.

Clean your data before export.

Remove duplicates, merge incomplete records, archive stale contacts. Migrating dirty data to a new CRM creates the same problems at a higher price. A clean Pipedrive Lite ($14/seat/month) dataset beats a messy Salesforce Enterprise ($175/seat/month) one.

Map fields between old and new CRM.

Create a spreadsheet: old field name, new field name, data type, required/optional. HubSpot has 100+ default properties. Pipedrive has fewer but more flexible custom fields. Salesforce requires custom object mapping for complex setups.

Confirm your new CRM's tier handles your data volume.

HubSpot Free: unlimited contacts. Pipedrive Lite: 3,000 open deals. Freshsales Growth ($11/seat/month): unlimited records. Zoho Free: 5,000 records max. Make sure your plan can hold everything before you start.

Identify integrations that need reconnecting.

Every Zapier Zap ($29.99/month for Professional) or Make scenario ($10.59/month for Core) pointing to your old CRM needs updating. Email sync (Gmail, Outlook), calendar, and form integrations all need re-mapping.

Export contacts, companies, and deals as CSV.

HubSpot: Export from Contacts > Import & Export. Includes all properties. Pipedrive: Export from list views. Includes custom fields. Salesforce: Use Data Loader for large volumes or Reports export for smaller sets.

Export activity history and notes.

This is where migrations break. HubSpot exports activity logs via API only. Pipedrive includes notes in CSV exports. Salesforce requires Data Loader or connected app for task/event history. Budget 2–4 hours for this step.

Transform data to match new CRM format.

Deal stages won't match 1:1. Date formats differ. Multi-select fields may need splitting. Use a spreadsheet or import tool to reformat before importing.

Run a test import with 50–100 records first.

Never import your entire database on the first try. Import a small batch, verify field mapping, check for data loss, and confirm relationships (contacts linked to correct deals/companies) before the full import.

Import the full dataset.

Import in order: Companies first, then Contacts, then Deals. This preserves relationships. HubSpot supports association imports. Pipedrive links via company name matching. Salesforce uses external IDs for relationships.

Verify record counts match.

Compare total contacts, companies, and deals between old and new CRM. Any discrepancy means records were dropped during import. Check import logs for errors.

Rebuild automations in the new CRM.

Automations never migrate. HubSpot workflows must be rebuilt from scratch in Pipedrive or vice versa. Prioritize revenue-impacting automations first (deal stage changes, follow-up sequences). Budget 1–2 hours per complex workflow.

Reconnect integrations.

Update every Zapier Zap, Make scenario, email sync, calendar connection, and form integration to point to the new CRM. Test each integration with a real record.

Run both CRMs in parallel for 1–2 weeks.

Don't cancel the old CRM immediately. Run both in parallel to catch missing data, broken workflows, and team adoption issues. This costs an extra billing cycle but prevents disasters.

Train the team and officially cut over.

Record a 15-minute walkthrough of the new CRM setup. Share it with the team. Set a hard cutover date. After cutover, make the old CRM read-only for 30 days as a safety net, then cancel.