How to switch recruitment CRM without losing your data

How hard is it to switch recruitment CRM?

Switching recruitment CRM is less about the new software and more about the data you bring with you. The work is getting a complete export out of the old system, checking nothing is missing, and mapping each field to the right place in the new one.

Size changes the volume of that work, but it does not change the steps. A database of 80,000 candidates goes through the same export, mapping and checking as one of 8,000.

Kepler’s migration is free on every plan, however large or messy the export. Kepler’s team does the mapping and checking for you, so an agency with a large database pays nothing extra to move it.

What should you export from your current recruitment CRM?

Ask for everything, even data you think you will not need. It is easier to leave a column out of the migration than to go back to a system you have left.

• Candidates, with every field, including source and owner.
• Contacts and companies, with the links between them.
• Jobs, open and closed, with their owner and client.
• Applications and stages, so you know who was put forward for what and how far they got.
• Notes and activity, such as calls, meetings and tasks, with dates and authors.
• Emails, if your current system stores them.
• CV files and attachments, as the original files, linked to the right person.
• Custom fields, with a list of their names and allowed values.
• Placements and fees, including start dates and invoice status.
• Consent records, with the date, purpose and source of each one.

Consent records matter more than they look. Under the GDPR, an organisation that relies on consent must be able to show that the person consented, so that history needs to survive the move.

What should you check in your current contract before switching?

Read your current agreement before you set a date. Each vendor’s terms are different, so treat these as questions to answer from your own contract or account manager:

• When does the contract renew, and how much notice must you give?
• Can you export all of your data yourself, or does the vendor run the export?
• Is there a charge for a full export, or for including attachments?
• Which formats does the export come in, and does it include CV files and emails?
• How long can you still access the system and your data after the contract ends?

Ask for a test export early. Seeing a real file weeks before the switch shows you what is in it while there is still time to ask for more.

How does migration to Kepler work?

Kepler runs a done-for-you migration from any ATS, CRM, spreadsheet or folder of CVs. You send the export, whether it comes from Bullhorn, Vincere, JobAdder or a spreadsheet, and Kepler does the rest.

1. You send Kepler the export from your current system.
2. Kepler extracts the data, maps each field, removes duplicates and validates the result.
3. You review a sample of 50 of your own records before the full load.
4. Kepler loads the full database once you are happy with the sample.

Custom fields are recreated in Kepler as real fields, rather than flattened into notes. Activity, stages and history come across with each record, as well as names and email addresses.

Once the export is complete, the migration is done in days. Kepler’s CV parsing, which reads the CV files in your export, comes from RemakeCV, a separate CV tool used by 300+ recruitment agencies and built by the same team as Kepler.

Can you import CVs and spreadsheets into Kepler yourself?

Yes. Kepler takes a folder of CVs in bulk and parses each one into a structured candidate profile you can search. Bulk CV import and parsing suits agencies whose candidates live in files rather than a database. The help article on adding candidates from CVs shows the review screen.

Kepler’s CSV import reads a spreadsheet, proposes which column goes to which field, and proposes new custom fields from the file. You review the mapping before anything is imported.

When a row matches a record already in Kepler, you choose what happens: fill in blanks, overwrite, skip the row, or review each one. The help article on importing your data covers each step.

How do you plan cut-over day?

Pick a cut-over day and tell the team in advance. From that day, new work goes into the new system, and the old one is kept only for reference.

• Take the final export as close to cut-over as you can, so the fewest changes happen after it.
• Ask consultants not to edit records in the old system once the final export is taken.
• Connect each consultant’s mailbox to the new system on day one. Kepler syncs Gmail and Outlook both ways and links each thread to the right record.
• Spot-check records your team knows well, such as live jobs and recent placements.
• Keep read access to the old system for a short overlap, within what your contract allows.

After the move, a quick test is to ask a question you already know the answer to. In Kepler you can ask AI Chat in plain English, and it searches the CVs, notes, emails and call transcripts you brought across.

What does it cost to switch to Kepler?

Kepler’s migration costs nothing, on every plan, however large the database. Kepler is USD 99 per user per month billed annually, or USD 129 per user per month billed monthly, on one plan with every feature.

AI Chat is included on every plan, monthly and annual, with no add-on or upgrade needed. Kepler also lets you export your whole workspace at any time, with no exit fee. See Kepler pricing for the details, and side-by-side comparisons of Kepler with other recruitment CRMs.