You’ve finally chosen a new software to manage your funeral home. Excited for the upgrade, you start gearing up to make changes to your processes.
But then it hits you: Your old data is scattered across various systems, spreadsheets, and filing cabinets. Maybe there’s even a floppy disk or two hidden in a drawer.
How will you get all that information to be accessible from your new system?
That’s where data migration comes in. In this article, learn why data migration is so important and the 4 steps to make it successful at your funeral home.
Data migration is the process of transferring all your existing information, whether from paper or digital files to your new software system.
And without a solid migration plan, you risk delays in using your new software (while still paying for it) or losing data that’s locked by an old provider or incompatible with your new system. That’s why having a plan and a software partner who knows how to migrate your data successfully is essential.
Now that you know why data migration matters, let’s dive into 4 steps to make sure your data moves into your new system smoothly.
Think of the first step in data migration as spring cleaning for your business data (minus the soap and sponges). Before you move any data, make sure your records are accurate. If you skip this step, you could end up migrating duplicate entries or inaccurate records, which means your shiny new reporting and case management tools won’t be able to function correctly right away.
At Passare, we have data specialists who have successfully migrated over 1,000 data sets from all system types. During this step of the process, they can help prepare your data for import, ensuring everything is accurate.
But if your new software company doesn’t help with this, here are a few areas you’ll want to review on your own:
If you’ve switched providers or canceled your current software, request personal access to your data right away. Why the urgency? Some providers restrict access after you switch, and once that door closes, retrieving your data can be costly or even impossible.
You own your data, and it should never be held hostage. At Passare, we give you complete control over your data. You can view and manage data however you want, export data at any time, and everything is safely stored in the cloud.
If you have paper files, this step in the process will look different, but the goal remains the same: gather all necessary information and prepare it for your new system. We’ve seen funeral homes scan documents themselves, or hire third parties to do it.
Already storing photos, PDF documents, and other files digitally? Passare can help migrate those files too, so everything moves easily into your new system.
Learn more about migrating from paper to digital by reading these funeral home success stories:
👉Transitioning from paper to Passare: Calahan Funeral Home and Cremation’s success story
👉 Going digital: McDougal Funeral Home’s success since implementing Passare
👉 How Passare took the stress out of running two funeral homes
Once you’ve cleaned and gathered all your data, there’s one more step to make sure your data converts well to the new system.
Your old system may store data in formats or structures that don’t match your new software. Without proper conversion, you risk broken fields, missing attachments, or unreadable files.That’s why it’s important to reach out to your new software provider to ensure that the data you will bring into the new system is compatible.
At Passare, we make this part of the process simple. We’ve built tools to take the standard data backup from your previous system that read it, clean it up, convert it, and output the data in a format that works with Passare.
All you have to do? Simply ask your old provider for a “backup of your data”. We’ll do the rest to make sure everything is in the right file format, and you don’t lose any sleep over lost data.
Before you give the green light to import decades of data, review how everything looks in your new system. Because if information doesn’t translate correctly, case details can land in the wrong fields, financials can go missing, and case notes could disappear.
Taking the time to identify any errors upfront will allow your software company to remap the information to the correct location, ensuring the rest of your import goes smoothly.
At Passare, we make sure the data you’ve sent our team is in the right place in Passare, from your price lists and accounts receivable to your organization information and funeral director profiles! Learn what goes into our data verification process here.>>>
An unsuccessful data migration can lead to downtime, frustrated staff, and even compliance risks if financial or legal records are incorrect.
But with the right software team and plan, you can celebrate a smooth migration to your new system and start using your new software right away! If you want to learn more about what it takes for a successful software transition, check out these resources:
👉 Your guide to a successful software switch
👉 How to prepare your staff for a software switch
👉 Passare Launch services overview
Or learn more in a demo with our team to see how Passare makes switching software easy.
“The Passare team does their due diligence to make sure things are going to be smooth and accurate. I've been licensed for about 25 years and have helped lead at least 5 database transitions, and this has by far been the smoothest I’ve ever encountered.”
- Jan Smith, Vice President of Funeral Operations at Flanner Buchanan
Book with our team here! 👇