Before you start: what to export
Everything begins with a clean export. From your current system, pull each of these as CSV (or via its export tools) so you have a complete snapshot of your chamber:
- Companies and member organisations, with their membership tier and join date.
- Contacts, with their role and link to the parent company.
- Membership / dues records: tier, price, renewal date, autopay status.
- Event history: past and upcoming events, registrations and attendance.
- Invoices and payments: the financial history you need for continuity and reconciliation.
- Email lists and communication preferences (consent matters under GDPR / FADP).
The five-step migration
Whichever platform you move to, a safe migration follows the same five steps:
| Step | What happens | Typical days |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Export | Pull the CSVs above from your current system, a full snapshot. | Days 1–2 |
| 2. Map fields | Match each exported column to a field in the new system; confirm the tricky ones. | Days 3–4 |
| 3. Dedupe & validate | Merge duplicate companies/contacts, fix gaps, and validate a sample against the export. | Days 5–10 |
| 4. Parallel run | Keep the old system live while you operate in the new one for a cycle. | Days 11–13 |
| 5. Cut over & cancel | Clear the go-live checklist, switch fully, then cancel the old contract. | Day 14 |
Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)
- Duplicates: the same company entered twice under slightly different names. Merge before go-live, not after.
- Historical invoices: decide whether to import full financial history or a summary; keep the export either way.
- Custom fields: any custom fields you rely on need an explicit home in the new system, or they are silently dropped.
- Member logins: plan how members get access again (a re-invite or a self-set password) so the portal is not empty on day one.
- The public directory: verify listings and logos carried over before you point traffic at the new directory.
A realistic timeline
A chamber-sized migration is a two-week project, not a two-month one, provided the field-mapping and de-duplication are handled properly. The slowest phase is validation, checking that what landed matches what you exported, which is exactly the phase worth not rushing.
How Chamberflow’s Migration Agent handles it
Chamberflow is designed to compress this into about 14 days. Its Migration Agent ingests your export, auto-maps the fields, surfaces likely duplicates as merge-cards for you to confirm, and shows a readiness checklist of exactly what is ready before anything goes live. No consultant, and no data left behind. You cancel the old contract on day 15.