The final part of our story of How to migrate Salesforce to Microsoft Dynamics CRM is about going live.
Countdown to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Go-Live
When we created our custom-built integration process for SalesForce, we understood that we would have multiple migration events. First, to migrate a range of test data records to be able to view and verify the operations in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, second, to move over the complete database, and third to be able to target a small section of the data based on date range in order to cover any records that were created\modified in SalesForce before the official cutover date to Dynamics CRM. This capability is important because you can avoid continually moving a large database several times as well as outages that require everyone to stop using either SalesForce or Dynamics CRM while the system is being updated. This capability was very useful as we neared the end of the project and prevented the customer from experiencing any significant downtime.
Training
This is an absolutely key item in any CRM project. At NexTec, we believe it is best to train users with
- Their data
- Real business scenarios
- The final user interface
- As close to go live as possible
Typically, administrative and line of business users receive separate training, and in some cases, there are further breakdowns by function, such as sales, support or marketing.
Bringing it all together
The final step is to do a final review, followed by cutting over from the old system, a final import, and going live with the new implementation. In this case, we managed to complete all of the critical and necessary installations, configurations, and migrations before the project timeline was up, so the client was very happy not to have to spend more money on a SalesForce import extension. We were able to complete all the project tasks by the time they started using the new system and had very few support issues at the beginning usage of the new system. Our client considered the project a resounding success and later worked with us on a phase two project that added more features to the new system. We were satisfied with our result and felt proud to have accomplished a difficult and multi-layered technical project in a very short time frame.