How do you move from another file portal safely?

Staying on a portal you have outgrown is often less about the portal than the fear of moving. It is a reasonable fear, because your customers' balances and history are in there. Done in the right order, though, a move is mostly dull, which is exactly what you want.

What should you bring with you?

• Customers, with their contact details and their prices.
• Credit balances, to the penny. This is the one nobody forgives.
• Past jobs, so a customer can still see what they had done.
• Files, originals and tuned, so your library comes too.
• Your price list, including tiers and any special deals.
• Your staff, and what each of them can see.

What should you do before anything moves?

Ask your current portal how to get your data out, in writing, and check what you are entitled to. Take a full export early, even if you have not yet decided, because that shows you what you are really working with. Note down your current balances on a set date, so you can prove they came across correctly.

What order should the move go in?

1. Agree the date with a person, on a quiet day of your week.
2. Copy everything once and check a sample: ten customers, their balances, their past jobs and a few files.
3. Try it for real with a handful of friendly customers.
4. Tell everyone, with the date and what will change for them.
5. Copy what has changed since, and switch over.
6. Keep the old portal readable for a while, in case of questions.

Check the balances first. A customer forgives a new look. They do not forgive missing money.

What will customers notice?

As little as possible. The same name, the same logo and ideally the same address. If you have been on your own domain, it can point to the new portal when you are ready, and then they simply sign in as usual. Passwords may not always come across, so plan a friendly reset message and test it yourself first.

What usually goes wrong?

Small things in the corners. Email not arriving because the sender was not set up, a payment account not connected, a price list that came over with one vehicle type missing. So test the whole journey as a customer before the switch: sign up, upload, pay, receive, and download the invoice.

What does moving to TunerEngine cost?

Moving from another portal is free. Your customers, your files and your past jobs are moved in with you, on a date a person agrees with you. You can see how the packages are priced and build yours before you decide.