Why switching scares shops
Changing software feels like open-heart surgery on the business. Customer history, open jobs, the price book, memberships: losing any of it hurts, and some vendors talk about onboarding in months. The SWITCHBOARD switch-over is built around three ideas: bring the data you already have, see everything before it is written, and keep the old system running until you are sure.
Step 1: your exports
Export customers, jobs, invoices and the price book from your current system. The import reads CSV, TSV and Excel files (every sheet), finds the heading row under any title rows, and recognizes known export layouts from ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber, QuickBooks and Hearth, so columns land in the right place without you mapping them. Any other spreadsheet works too; columns are matched by name and by what is in them ("these look like phone numbers").
Step 2: the dry run
Before anything is written, the dry run shows what would happen: new customers, matches to existing ones, rows with problems. Dates, money formats, phone numbers and states are cleaned and shown. You review the rows, fix what needs fixing, and only then import. AI is used only when a column cannot be placed by those rules, once per file, never row by row.
Step 3: Undo
If something looks wrong after an import, Undo takes it back out. That makes it safe to start with one file and check it before bringing the rest.
Step 4: phones and a shadow week
Phones come first. Forward your existing number, which takes minutes, and port it later if you want. Then run a shadow week: phones ring you first, and the AI receptionist catches what you miss, while your old system is still there as a safety net.
The calls
Setup is done with you. The first call gets the phones going and walks you through what to gather; the second brings in the data and trains the team. The goal is about one to two weeks, depending mostly on how fast the exports come together. Trade-specific guides: from Jobber, from Housecall Pro, from ServiceTitan, and the general switching without losing data.
Questions people ask
What systems can I import from?
ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, Jobber, QuickBooks and Hearth exports are recognized, and any spreadsheet or CSV works.
Can I undo an import?
Yes. Every import can be undone, and nothing is written until you have reviewed the dry run.
How long does switching take?
The goal is about one to two weeks with one or two calls. Most of the time is gathering exports.
Do I have to stop using my old system right away?
No. A shadow week lets you run both while you get comfortable.
Do I keep my phone number?
Yes. Forward it first; porting is optional and can come later.