Moving your customer data from an old CRM into something new like Ocean sounds simple—until you actually start. Suddenly, you’re staring at export files, weird field names, and the sinking feeling you’ll lose something important. If you’re responsible for making sure the move goes off without a hitch, this guide’s for you. I’ll walk you through what actually matters, what you can ignore, and how to keep your data (and your sanity) intact.
Step 1: Take Stock of Your Legacy CRM
Before you touch anything, figure out exactly what you’re working with. Every CRM is a little different, and most have quirks that only show up when you try to leave.
What to look for: - Data structure: What’s actually stored? (Contacts, companies, deals, notes, custom fields, attachments, etc.) - Export options: Can you get your data out as CSV, Excel, or something else? Is there an API? - Relationships: How do things link together? (e.g., are notes tied to contacts or companies?) - Custom fields: Any one-off fields your team relies on? - Data volume: How much stuff is in there? (10k contacts is different from 1 million.)
Pro tip:
Don’t trust your memory or the “export all” button. Spend an hour poking through the system. Jot down the fields and types of records you see. If you can, run a test export and open it up—Excel is your friend here.
Step 2: Clean Up Your Data (Seriously)
It’s tempting to just export everything and hope for the best. But old CRMs are full of junk: duplicates, empty fields, outdated contacts, and bad emails. Garbage in, garbage out.
What’s worth cleaning: - Obvious duplicates: Use your CRM’s tools or a spreadsheet to merge or delete. - Blank or junk fields: If a field is 90% empty, consider dropping it. - Outdated records: If you know an account is dead, archive it before export. - Weird formatting: Dates, phone numbers, and addresses are often inconsistent. Standardize what you can.
What’s not worth sweating: - Typos in notes - Minor address formatting issues - Old “last contacted” dates (unless you really rely on them)
Pro tip:
If your team never uses a field—or can’t remember why it’s there—don’t migrate it. Less is more.
Step 3: Map Fields Between Systems
This is where a lot of migrations go sideways. Ocean and your legacy CRM probably call things by different names and structure data differently. You’ll need to make a field mapping—a simple chart showing “Old Field Name” → “New Field Name.”
How to do it: - List out every field you care about from the export. - Match each one to its equivalent in Ocean. - For custom fields, see if you need to create those fields in Ocean before importing. - Make note of anything that doesn’t have a home in Ocean (you’ll need to decide: skip it, create a custom field, or stuff it in a notes field).
Typical mapping headaches: - Multi-select fields: Ocean might use tags instead. - Linked data: Contacts linked to companies might be separate tables. - Attachments: Some CRMs export these as files, others as links. Ocean may or may not handle them directly.
Pro tip:
Don’t rely on field names alone. Check the actual data and sample records. “Primary Contact” in one system might be “Main Point of Contact” in another.
Step 4: Export Your Data (Don’t Trust One File)
Exporting is supposed to be easy. In reality, most CRMs give you a handful of CSVs, and some important stuff (like email history) might only come out as a separate file—or not at all.
Checklist: - Export each data type: contacts, companies, deals, notes, activities, attachments. - Open every file. Make sure data looks right, isn’t truncated, and all columns are there. - Watch for encoding issues (weird characters, missing accents). - If your CRM supports it, do a “full backup” as well, just in case.
Things that often get missed: - Emails and notes (sometimes buried in a separate export) - Activity history (calls, meetings, tasks) - File attachments (export these manually if needed)
Pro tip:
Save a copy of the raw exports somewhere safe. If something goes wrong later, you’ll be glad you did.
Step 5: Prep Your Data for Ocean
Now you’ve got a pile of CSVs, but they probably don’t match Ocean’s import requirements. This is where you’ll spend the most time (and curse the most).
What to do: - Rename columns to match what Ocean expects. Check their documentation for import templates. - Format dates as YYYY-MM-DD (or whatever Ocean wants). - Split or combine columns as needed (e.g., First/Last Name vs. Full Name). - Ensure relationships: If Ocean needs a “company ID” to link contacts to companies, add those columns. - Prep custom fields: Create them in Ocean before you import, so there’s somewhere for that data to land.
Don’t bother with: - Perfectly cleaning every typo. You’ll never finish. - Overthinking field order (unless Ocean is picky about it).
Pro tip:
Work on a small sample first—a few rows for each record type. Test import into Ocean. Fix errors, then do the full batch.
Step 6: Import in Batches (and Don’t Skip Testing)
Resist the urge to import everything at once. It’s almost guaranteed something will break or look weird.
How to do it: - Start with a small batch—maybe 20-50 records. - Check: Did the right data land in the right fields? Are relationships intact (contacts linked to companies, deals attached to contacts)? - Review attachments and notes. Are they readable? - Only when you’re happy, import the rest in bigger chunks.
What to watch for: - Orphaned records (contacts without companies, deals with no owner) - Messed-up date formats (e.g., all birthdays suddenly set to January 1, 1970) - Data cut off mid-field (common with long notes or special characters)
Pro tip:
Involve someone from your team who actually uses the data every day. They’ll spot missing or weird info faster than you will.
Step 7: Validate and Clean Up Post-Import
You’re not done just because the import finished. Now’s the time to check for missing or mangled data before your team starts using Ocean for real.
What to check: - Spot-check key accounts and contacts. Is critical info there? - Search for a few known records—did they come through? - Test search and filters in Ocean. Do custom fields work? - Make sure attachments and emails are accessible.
Fixes: - For minor issues, edit directly in Ocean. - For big problems (e.g., a whole field missing), consider re-importing just that data type.
Pro tip:
Make a list of anything you had to fix by hand. Next time, you’ll know what to prep for.
Step 8: Archive Your Raw Data and Document the Process
Don’t throw away old exports or your mapping notes. If there’s ever a question about what got moved—or what didn’t—you’ll want a record.
What to save: - Raw exports from your old CRM - Field mapping docs - Notes on what you skipped or changed - Ocean import templates you used
Pro tip:
Store this stuff somewhere safe and share it with at least one other person. You’ll thank yourself six months from now.
What Actually Matters (and What Doesn’t)
Worth sweating: - Relationships between records (contacts linked to companies, deals to contacts) - Key custom fields your team relies on - Attachments or important notes (if your team really uses them)
Not worth losing sleep over: - Obscure system fields from your old CRM (e.g., “Record Created By”) - Data nobody remembers or uses - Perfect data purity—focus on what the team needs to work
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple, Iterate as Needed
Migrating CRM data isn’t glamorous, but it’s doable if you keep your eyes on what matters. Don’t get bogged down chasing every last field or fixating on perfection. Start small, test as you go, and be ready to adjust. You can always import more later—but you can’t get back time lost to overthinking. Good luck!