Onboarding a Client to a New Platform: Migration Checklist

Moving a client onto a new platform is where a lot of goodwill is won or lost. A smooth migration feels like an upgrade. A rough one, with lost contacts, missed calls or messages sent to people who opted out, can damage the client's business and your relationship with them.

The checklist below breaks a migration into phases: discovery, data, consent records, phone numbers, configuration, training, cutover and follow-up. Adapt it to each client, but try not to skip phases, even for small accounts.

Parts of this guide touch on telecommunications and marketing rules. It is general information, not legal advice.

Phase 1: Discovery and inventory

Before you move anything, document what exists today:

• Every system the client uses for contacts, scheduling, messaging, email, payments, reviews and reporting
• Where each type of data lives, and who has admin access
• All phone numbers in use, which carrier or provider holds each one, and which numbers send or receive texts
• Website forms, booking links, chat widgets and integrations that will need to point somewhere new
• Automations, templates and workflows that run today, even informal ones

Expect some of this to need rebuilding rather than moving. NIST's cloud synopsis (SP 800-146) notes that "customized workflow and business rules, user interface and application settings, support scripts, data extensions, and add-ons developed over time can also be provider specific and not easily transferable."

Phase 2: Export, clean and import data

1. Take a full export from every old system and store a copy somewhere the client controls, outside both the old and new platforms.
2. Clean the data: remove duplicates, standardize phone and email formats, and flag records with missing information.
3. Map fields from the old system to the new one, including custom fields and tags.
4. Run a test import with a small sample and check it record by record.
5. Run the full import and compare record counts against the export.

Keep the original exports until the client has been live for a while and confirmed nothing is missing. SP 800-146 advises consumers to look for whether a provider "recommends independent backup of data stored in their cloud," and CISA's advisory for managed service provider customers emphasizes backups that meet "resilience and disaster recovery requirements."

Phase 3: Bring consent and opt-out records with the data

Contact lists are only half the story. Who agreed to receive what, and who asked to stop, needs to move too.

For calls and texts, the Federal Communications Commission's rules define "prior express written consent" for certain telemarketing calls as "an agreement, in writing, bearing the signature of the person called," and allow electronic signatures where recognized by law. The rules also say a person may revoke consent "by using any reasonable method," and list replies such as "stop," "quit," "end," "revoke," "opt out," "cancel," or "unsubscribe" as reasonable means. A residential subscriber's do-not-call request must be honored within a period that "may not exceed ten (10) business days," and if those records are maintained by another party, the business on whose behalf calls are made remains liable.

Industry guidance points the same way. CTIA's Messaging Principles and Best Practices say message senders "should retain and maintain all opt-in and opt-out requests in their records," and that a consumer opt-in "should not be transferable or assignable."

For email, the Federal Trade Commission's CAN-SPAM guide says opt-out requests must be honored "within 10 business days."

Practical steps:

• Export consent records with timestamps, source and wording where available.
• Import every opt-out and suppression list before any automation is turned on.
• Do not treat a list from another business as consent for your client.
• Review with the client and their counsel any campaign that relies on older or unclear consent.

Phase 4: Phone numbers and porting

Porting moves an existing number to a new provider so customers can keep calling the number they know. Under FCC rules, carriers must complete a simple wireline or simple intermodal port "within one business day unless a longer period is requested by the new provider or by the customer," and a non-simple port within four business days. The rule also notes that an accurate and complete request must be received between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time for same-day activation eligibility.

Practical steps:

• Gather account details for each number exactly as they appear on the current carrier's account.
• Keep the old service active until the port completes; canceling first can put the number at risk.
• Schedule the port for a quiet time in the client's week.
• Ask the new provider what is needed to enable texting on ported numbers and how long that takes.
• For toll-free numbers, note CTIA's guidance that the holder of record "has the sole authority to control additional services" associated with that number.

Phase 5: Configure and test

• Apply your standard template, then client-specific settings.
• Rebuild automations, starting with the ones that matter most to daily operations.
• Point website forms, booking links and integrations to the new platform in a test environment, if available.
• Send test messages and calls to internal numbers only.
• Confirm that opt-out replies are processed and suppressed correctly.

Phase 6: Train the client's team

Keep training short and role-based. Front-desk staff need to answer conversations and book appointments; owners need reports and settings. Provide a one-page quick-start guide and a recorded walkthrough.

If the client does telemarketing, note that FCC rules require personnel engaged in it to "be informed and trained in the existence and use of the do-not-call list."

Phase 7: Cutover and the first weeks

1. Set a cutover date and a short freeze on changes in the old system.
2. Export any records added since the main import and load them.
3. Switch website forms, links and integrations to production.
4. Complete phone number ports and verify inbound and outbound calls and texts.
5. Monitor closely for the first week: missed messages, failed automations and staff questions.
6. Keep a rollback plan until you are confident the new setup is stable.

After a few weeks, hold a review with the client, confirm nothing is missing, and only then cancel the old services, once their data has been exported and stored safely.

Key takeaways

• Inventory everything first, including informal workflows and every phone number.
• Keep full exports outside both platforms until the client confirms nothing is missing.
• Move consent and opt-out records before turning on any automation.
• Keep old phone service active until ports complete, and confirm texting works afterward.
• Train by role, cut over deliberately, and monitor closely in the first weeks.

Sources

• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 47 CFR 64.1200 Delivery restrictions
• Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 47 CFR 52.35 Porting Intervals
• CTIA, Messaging Principles and Best Practices (May 2023)
• Federal Trade Commission, CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business
• National Institute of Standards and Technology, SP 800-146: Cloud Computing Synopsis and Recommendations (May 2012)
• Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Protecting Against Cyber Threats to Managed Service Providers and their Customers, AA22-131A (May 11, 2022)