Platform migration
Moving CRM platform, without losing your audience
A new platform is a chance to fix things, and an easy way to break them. LEDRAN plans the move so the journeys that earn their keep come across, the ones that don't stay behind, and your customers barely notice.
Why CRM platform migrations go wrong
- Everything gets copied across, including the journeys nobody would build again.
- Consent and preferences don't map neatly, so people get emails they opted out of, or stop getting ones they wanted.
- A new sending domain starts cold, and a big first send lands in spam.
- Segments are rebuilt from memory, and quietly change who gets what.
- Reporting starts again from zero, so nobody can compare before and after.
What moves, and what gets rebuilt
- Data
- Contacts, purchase and behaviour data, and the fields your segments depend on. Mapped field by field, with what's missing written down.
- Consent
- Subscription status, preferences and the record of how people opted in. Mapped first, because it's the part you can't fix later. Checked against UK GDPR and PECR.
- Journeys
- Rebuilt, not copied. Each one gets the same three questions first: why this, why now and why here? Some don't come across at all.
- Segments
- Redefined in the new platform's terms, and checked against the old counts.
- Deliverability
- Domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) in place before the first send, and a warm-up that starts with your most engaged customers.
- Measurement
- A baseline from the old platform, and control groups from day one in the new one. The Holdout Calculator works out how big they need to be.
How a platform migration runs
- Audit
- What's running, what earns its keep and what doesn't. Often a CRM audit, done with the move in mind.
- Map
- Data, consent and journeys, from the old platform to the new one.
- Build and test
- In the new platform, with your team, agency or platform partner. Every path tested, including what a customer sees when the data's missing.
- Switch over
- Warm-up first, then journeys, then the big sends. The old platform stays on until the new one has proved itself.
- Hand over
- Journey maps, segment definitions and a measurement plan, written down so your team can run it.
Done before: Mailchimp to Emarsys, through GDPR
In-house at Berry Bros. & Rudd, I led the CRM team through a move from Mailchimp to Emarsys, laying the foundations for a later move to SAP, and through GDPR at the same time. No subscribers were lost in the GDPR transition.
From Ash's role, in-house, before LEDRAN.
Platforms we move between
Ash is a firm believer in outcomes, and always looks to understand the details in what makes a campaign tick, highlighting successes and adjusting losses in a proactive manner.
Ryan Jans, worked with Ash
Questions about a platform migration
- Should we move platform at all?
- Sometimes the platform isn't the problem. A CRM audit finds out first, so you only move if moving fixes something.
- Which platforms can you migrate between?
- Any of the platforms above, in either direction, including Mailchimp to Klaviyo and Mailchimp to Emarsys. Using something else? Just ask.
- Will we lose subscribers?
- Not if consent is mapped first. People who opted in stay opted in, people who opted out stay out, and anyone whose consent isn't clear is handled on purpose, not by accident.
- Who does the build?
- LEDRAN plans the move and builds it with your team, agency or platform partner, inside the new platform with access agreed up front.
- How much does a migration cost?
- It depends on how much is moving. Scope and fee are agreed up front, before anything starts.