A CRM is only as trustworthy as the data inside it, which is why migration is treated as its own disciplined workstream rather than a bulk import run the week before go-live. We audit source data — spreadsheets, a legacy CRM export, or a disconnected point tool — for duplicates, inconsistent formatting, and missing required fields before mapping it to the new system's schema.
Tooling depends on the platforms involved: native import wizards and Data Loader for Salesforce, HubSpot's import tool for smaller datasets, or ETL middleware (Talend, or custom scripts) for larger or messier data volumes moving between dissimilar systems. Historical activity — notes, past deal stages, prior communications — is preserved wherever the source export supports it, and we flag anything that genuinely can't be migrated reliably rather than importing it silently.