How to switch from Zoho CRM to Nanobox CRM
Zoho CRM gives you two clean ways out: export a single module to CSV at a time, or run a full Data Backup that zips every module into CSVs at once. Either route gets your Contacts, Accounts, and Deals out without drama. The real work is mapping Zoho's module fields onto Nanobox and rebuilding the blueprints, workflows, and layouts you configured, none of which travel in a CSV. For a standard Zoho setup it's a focused day.
What comes over from Zoho CRM
Everything below exports as CSV and imports straight into Nanobox CRM. No rebuild, no re-keying.
- Contacts: exported from the Contacts module with name, email, phone, title, and custom fields
- Accounts: Zoho's Accounts module maps to companies in Nanobox, including industry, website, and billing address
- Deals: your pipeline, with deal name, amount, stage, and closing date carried into Nanobox pipeline records
- Leads: import as contacts or as an early-stage pipeline depending on how you qualify
- Notes and activities: exported per module or via Data Backup and re-attached to the right records
- Custom fields: every custom field you built in a Zoho module becomes a CSV column you map to a Nanobox field
How the move works
Decide between per-module export and a full backup
For a few modules, use Setup > Data Administration > Export and pick one module at a time: Contacts, Accounts, Deals. For everything at once, use Data Administration > Data Backup, which compresses every module into CSVs in a single archive. Backups are limited to two per month, so plan that one deliberately.
Export Contacts, Accounts, and Deals to CSV
If exporting per module, choose the module from the dropdown and export. Zoho returns the records as a zipped CSV and notifies you when the download is ready. If you only need a subset, create a custom view with filters first. Zoho exports the records in that view, so you can leave stale data behind.
Unzip and review each module's columns
Either export path, per module or Data Backup, gives you one CSV per module. Unzip the archive and open Contacts, Accounts, and Deals to see exactly which fields came across, including your custom fields. Zoho exports can be large, up to 200,000 records per module in a single export.
Map fields and keep the record IDs
Decide which Zoho field maps to which Nanobox field, drop the system columns you don't need, and standardize date and currency formats. Keep Zoho's record IDs as a column so you can re-link deals and notes to the correct contacts and accounts after import.
Import accounts, contacts, then deals
Import in dependency order: Accounts as companies first, then Contacts linked to them, then Deals pointing at the right account and contact. Nanobox imports CSV straight into a database you own, so if a mapping is wrong you simply correct the file and re-import.
Rebuild layouts and verify before cutover
Recreate your Zoho pipeline stages, layouts, and the views your reps use in Nanobox. Blueprints and workflow rules don't export. Spot-check a sample of records for correct amounts and stages, confirm counts match your export, then switch the team over and keep Zoho read-only for a month.
Getting out of Zoho cleanly
Zoho CRM is unusually accommodating when you decide to leave. You get two exits that both produce plain CSV: a per-module export under Data Administration for grabbing Contacts, Accounts, and Deals one at a time, or a full Data Backup that zips every module into CSVs in one archive. Nanobox imports those CSVs directly into a database you own, so the data side of the move is genuinely straightforward: no API scripting, no vendor lock-in format to decode.
What doesn't come along is the configuration layer, and Zoho users tend to have a lot of it. Blueprints that enforce stage transitions, workflow rules, custom module layouts, and the dashboards your managers watch all stay behind, because none of it lives in a CSV. That's the honest tradeoff: the records move easily, the automation gets rebuilt by hand. For most teams that's an upgrade in disguise. Zoho configurations have a way of accumulating rules nobody remembers writing. You rebuild only what you still use.
The mechanics reward a little discipline. Choose per-module export for a handful of modules or a Data Backup for everything, then map each module's fields onto Nanobox and trim the system columns you don't need. Import in dependency order (Accounts as companies, then Contacts, then Deals) so relationships hold, and keep Zoho's record IDs as a working column so notes and deals re-link to the right records. Recreate your pipeline stages and views, spot-check a sample, and keep Zoho read-only for a month as a safety net.
Budget a focused day for a standard setup, more if you run several modules with deep customization and large record counts. When you'd rather not spend that day in spreadsheets, our $1,500 done-for-you launch handles the whole migration end to end. Either way the destination is the same: you own the source and the database, and there's no per-user subscription left to renew.
Still weighing it up? Read the full Zoho CRM vs. Nanobox CRM comparison or the Nanobox CRM overview. Want it done for you? Our done-for-you launch includes the import.
Nanobox CRM
Run your whole business on a CRM you own, tuned to your industry.
from $399 · one-time
See Nanobox CRMBuy a licenseQuestions, answered.
- For three or four modules, per-module export is simpler and immediate. If you want everything in one shot (including modules you might forget), use Data Backup, which zips all modules into CSVs. Just remember Zoho limits you to two backups per month, so don't waste them on test runs.
- No. Only record data exports as CSV. Blueprints, workflow rules, custom layouts, and dashboards stay in Zoho. You rebuild pipeline stages and views in Nanobox. For most teams this is a chance to simplify automation that had quietly grown over the years.
- Yes. A single per-module export tops out at 200,000 records. That's far more than most teams have, but if you're over it for one module, split it with filtered custom views or use the Data Backup route instead.
- Yes. Our done-for-you launch is $1,500. We run the Zoho exports (or backup), map the module fields, import accounts, contacts, and deals in order, rebuild your pipeline, and hand you a working Nanobox install. Worth it if you have many custom fields or several modules in play.