Step 1: Export everything before you cancel
Your old system is the only copy of years of work. Export first, cancel last. Download every file below, save them in two places, and open each one to make sure it is not empty or cut off. This is the core of any data migration.
| Export | What to check |
|---|---|
| Customers and contacts | Names, phones, emails, billing and service addresses as separate fields; notes; tags; lead source |
| Open invoices and balances | Invoice number, customer, amount, amount paid, due date. Match the total to your books |
| Price book | Service names, codes, descriptions, prices, costs, categories, and any materials attached to a service |
| Scheduled jobs | Every job booked from today forward: date, window, customer, address, tech, job type, notes |
| Memberships and maintenance plans | Plan name, start and renewal dates, visits used and left, billing schedule |
| Equipment | Make, model, serial, install date, location at the address, warranty dates |
| Job and invoice history | Past jobs and invoices per customer, even if only as a file you can search |
| Open estimates | Unsold estimates you plan to follow up on |
| Attachments | Photos, signed contracts and permits you are required or want to keep |
Some systems export some of these only on request, or as several files. Ask your current provider early which exports exist and how long they take. Do not wait until the last week of your contract.
Step 2: Clean before you import
Every duplicate and dead record you import will follow you. Spend an afternoon on it now.
- Merge duplicate customers. Watch for the same phone number on two records.
- Archive customers with no job in many years, if you will not market to them.
- Retire price book items nobody has sold, and fix the ones with no cost. See building a flat-rate price book.
- Match open invoice totals to your accounting software, so you start with the right accounts receivable.
Step 3: Test import, then check row by row
Import into the new system as a test first. Then check, by hand, a sample from each file:
- Pick 20 customers you know well. Are the addresses, phones and notes right?
- Pick 10 open invoices. Do the balances match?
- Look up 10 price book items. Right price, right cost?
- Open next week's jobs. Right day, window and tech?
- Check 5 memberships. Right renewal date and visits left?
- Check the totals: number of customers, sum of open balances.
If something is off, fix the file and import again. A good import process lets you undo a bad run instead of cleaning by hand.
Step 4: Run both systems in parallel
Plan one parallel week. The old system stays the record of truth while the team does real work in the new one.
- Book new calls in both, or in the new one with a copy in the old.
- Have techs run their day in the new app, with the old one as a backup.
- Have the office invoice from the new system and compare totals at the end of each day.
- Keep a shared list of every question and problem. Fix them before cut-over, not after.
A parallel week costs some double entry. It is much cheaper than finding out on a Monday that scheduled jobs did not come across.
Step 5: Phone numbers: forward first, port later
Your phone number is the most valuable thing you are moving. Do it in two steps.
- Forward first. Keep the number with your current phone carrier and forward calls to the new system. If anything goes wrong, turn forwarding off and you are back where you started in minutes.
- Port later. Once the new system has run cleanly for a while, move (port) the number itself. Get your account number, PIN and a recent bill ready, as carriers usually ask for them.
- Do not cancel the old phone service first. Canceling before the port is done can cost you the number.
Port numbers one at a time, starting with the least important line, and never on a busy day.
Step 6: Train by role
Train people on what they will do on day one, not on every screen.
- CSRs: answer, find a customer, book a job, take a payment over the phone.
- Dispatchers: the dispatch board, moving jobs, emergencies.
- Techs: today's jobs, I'm here, photos, estimate, invoice, payment. Practice on a fake job in the driveway.
- Owner and books: reports, payroll, accounting sync.
Pick one person per role as the go-to for questions during the first two weeks.
Step 7: Cut-over day
Choose a slow day, often mid-week and outside your peak season.
- Do a final export of anything that changed since the test import: new customers, payments, new bookings.
- Import the changes and recheck open balances and the next two weeks of jobs.
- Switch phone forwarding, web forms and booking links to the new system.
- Tell techs at the morning meeting: from today, the new app only.
- Keep the old system read-only for at least a few months, so history is there if a question comes up.
How SWITCHBOARD handles this
SWITCHBOARD's import takes exports from ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber, QuickBooks, Hearth or any spreadsheet or CSV, with a dry run, row review and Undo. Setup is done with you on a call, and you can run a shadow week next to your old system. Phone numbers are forwarded first and ported later; the goal is live in about 1 to 2 weeks. If you are leaving a specific tool, see ServiceTitan alternatives or switching from Jobber, or book a walkthrough.
Questions people ask
What data should I export before switching field service software?
Customers, open invoices and balances, price book, scheduled jobs, memberships, equipment, job and invoice history, open estimates and key attachments. Export before you cancel.
How long should I run both systems?
A week of real work in both is usually enough to find gaps, as long as someone compares jobs and invoice totals each day.
Will I lose my business phone number?
Not if you forward first and port later. Keep the old service active until the port is complete.
When is the best time to switch?
A slow mid-week day outside your peak season, after a clean test import and a parallel week.
Do I need to keep my old system after switching?
Keep read-only access, or your full exports, for at least a few months so old history and invoices are easy to check.