You get data out of a CRM through one of four routes: CSV exports from list screens, saved reports, the API, or a full backup requested from the vendor. Which of those your CRM offers, and what each one leaves behind, is something to find out with a test export long before you plan to leave.
The four routes in principle
- CSV export. Offered on list views in many CRMs. Good for contacts and leads, one table at a time. Check whether there is a row limit and whether your user role is allowed to export.
- Reports. A report builder can sometimes pull fields that the list export cannot, such as lead source or salesperson. The result is still flat rows.
- API. If the vendor offers one, a developer can pull records with their ids and the links between them. Check whether API access is included in your plan or sold as an extra.
- Full backup or data dump. Some vendors will provide a complete copy on request, sometimes only at the end of the contract. Ask what format it comes in and how long it takes.
What tends to get left behind
The customer list is the easy part. The value of a dealership CRM is in everything attached to the customer, and that is the part flat exports handle worst.
- Notes and call logs, which may export as a separate file with no obvious way to match them back to the customer.
- Emails and text message threads.
- Attachments such as scanned licences, credit applications and signed paperwork.
- Activity history: who contacted the customer, when, and what happened next.
- Relationships between records. One household with two buyers, a customer linked to three vehicles of interest and a trade-in, a lead linked to its salesperson and the source it came from.
- Consent and opt-out records for calls, texts and email. You need these to carry on contacting people properly.
- Tasks, appointments and follow-up schedules that are still open.
Record ids matter more than they look. If every export includes the CRM's own id for the customer, the separate files can be joined again later. Without ids you are matching on names and phone numbers, which goes wrong on common surnames and shared numbers.
A test export checklist
Pick ten customers you know well, including a messy one with several vehicles, a co-buyer and a long history. Then work through this.
- Export them by every route you have access to.
- Open the files and check each customer against the screen, field by field.
- Confirm notes, messages and attachments came out, and that you can tell whose they are.
- Check dates and times survived, including the time zone.
- Check that custom fields you added are present.
- Write down what is missing and ask the vendor, in writing, how to get it.
- Ask what happens to your data after the contract ends and how long you have to collect it.
Dealership specifics
Your CRM probably feeds or reads from your dealer management system, and may receive leads from a system the manufacturer requires. Those connections are not yours to remove, so note which data originates there and which exists only in the CRM. The CRM-only data is what you stand to lose.
While the contract is open on your desk, work out what the CRM costs over its full term. Our software bill calculator is a free calculator that turns a per-seat price and a headcount into a yearly and a three-year figure.
When we rebuild a CRM at Hiro, moving the existing data across is part of the job, and the customer owns the data and the code afterwards. We do not replace manufacturer-required systems. We build around them. There is more on our page about software for car dealerships, and our guide to owning your software goes further into data ownership and export.