Migration timeline overview
Plan 4–8 weeks for mid-size databases (200–1,000 clients). Export customers, service schedules, pricing, and open AR from the old system. Clean duplicates before import — garbage in means angry clients out.
- Week 1–2: export and clean data
- Week 3: pilot division or route in new system
- Week 4–5: train crew and office
- Week 6: full cutover, read-only old system
What migrates cleanly vs manually
Customer contact info and billing addresses migrate well. Historical job notes and custom fields often break — budget manual cleanup. Open invoices may need parallel collection in old system until paid.
Common failure modes
Cutting over opening day of spring rush. Training only the owner, not crew leads. Keeping two live billing systems without rules about which is authoritative.
If upgrading from Jobber to LMN, read when to upgrade for division-specific timing.
Client communication
Email clients about new payment links and portal changes. One clear notice beats confused autopay failures. Update card-on-file authorization forms if processor changes.