Moving plumbing records from spreadsheets: a practical checklist

Inventory the work before copying the data

Start by listing the spreadsheets, shared inboxes and paper records that support the office. For each, write down who maintains it, what decisions it supports, and whether it contains current or historical work. Two files with similar names may serve different purposes; copying both without a plan can create duplicate records and conflicting job statuses.

Choose the workflow you want to move first. A controlled enquiry-to-estimate pilot is easier to assess than moving customer records, scheduling, billing and reporting at once. Keep responsibilities explicit while the team decides what is ready.

Create a field map

Ask the receiving vendor for its actual supported fields and file format. The table is a planning aid, not an import specification. Automatic data import is not a generally available Flor Plumbing capability.

Resolve ambiguity before migration

Review likely duplicate contacts with someone who understands the work. Do not merge two records simply because their names match. A customer may have more than one property, and a property may have several contacts. Preserve original references so the office can reconcile a record with its source.

Mark missing and uncertain information explicitly. Do not invent a completed date, consent record, approved estimate or service address to fill a required field. Ask how the new tool represents an unknown value and whether the missing information blocks a particular workflow.

Check regional details in Canada

Use a fictional Canadian record containing a unit, city, province and postal code. Check that postal-code spacing, accented names where relevant, CAD amounts and appointment time zones remain understandable after transfer. A record should not lose a unit number because one tool expects a single street-address line.

Inspect the exported and imported records side by side. Verify totals and sample individual records; matching row counts alone do not prove that values landed in the correct fields. Confirm how attachments and conversation history will be handled if they are in scope.

Pilot, reconcile and decide

• Use fictional data for the first vendor demonstration.
• Agree who is permitted to handle real records before any production transfer.
• Check a small approved pilot against the original source.
• Ask another office user to find the current scope and next action.
• Record missing functionality and unresolved differences.
• Decide who accepts the pilot and what would trigger a rollback.

Before a cutover, document the date when the new system becomes the working record, how changes made during migration will be reconciled, and how the old records remain available under the business’s access and retention arrangements. Avoid two uncontrolled versions of active work.

Confirm readiness before replacing a process

Use our customer record structure and handoff checklist to prepare. Flor Plumbing is in early access, so confirm onboarding and data-handling options before planning a transfer. Do not upload customer spreadsheets through the marketing enquiry form.