Guide
How to switch field service software and keep your customer list
Switching tools is safe if you move only what you can actually move, run both tools side by side for a short window, and keep the old one open until the last invoice is paid. This is the plan, with dates counted from cutover day.
By CalSpark team. Published . Updated .
What moves and what stays behind
CalSpark imports customers and their addresses from a CSV file. That is all it imports. Job history, estimates, recurring jobs and past invoices do not come across.
That sounds worse than it is. Customers and addresses are what you need to book tomorrow's work. The history stays in the old tool, and you can look things up there until you cancel it. Export what you need for records before you cancel, because the old vendor decides how long it keeps your data.
Plan the exit too. An admin can download customers, jobs and invoices as CSV from Settings, Data, so leaving later is a file download. The export guide explains the columns. The REST API at /developers can read the same data with a scoped key.
Getting the file out of the old tool
All three tools below can export customers as a file. The steps come from each vendor's help pages, read on 2026-10-06. Menus change, so trust the vendor page if it differs.
| Tool | Steps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Jobber | Clients, then More Actions, then Export Clients, then choose CSV | Admins. Up to 1,500 rows per CSV file, so you may get several files. Available on select plans. |
| Housecall Pro | Customers, then Actions, then Export, confirm your email, then Send file | Admins. The CSV arrives by email, usually within an hour. |
| QuickBooks Online | Reports, Standard reports, Customer Contact List, then Export, then Export to Excel | Or use the Export to Excel icon on the customers page. |
For any other tool, search its help for "export customers". Open the exported file before moving on. Save an Excel file as CSV if needed.
The steps in order
- Decide what moves. Customers and addresses move. History, open estimates, recurring jobs and old invoices stay.
- Export your customer list from the old tool and open the file to check it.
- Clean the file. One row per customer, one phone format, address split into street, city, state and ZIP, junk rows deleted. The details are in import customers from a spreadsheet.
- Import into CalSpark. Map the columns, read the duplicate count in the preview (matched by email or phone), run ten rows first, then the rest.
- Run both tools in parallel for one to two weeks. Book new work in CalSpark. Let the old tool finish what is already open.
- Pick a cutover date. Tell customers that payment links and reminder emails will come from a new place.
- Keep the old tool read only until open jobs and unpaid invoices are closed out, then cancel.
Customers with several properties import as one address per row, so add the extra addresses by hand for your biggest accounts before cutover.
What your customers will notice
- Old invoices keep the old payment link. Let them be paid there. Do not ask a customer to pay the same invoice twice.
- New invoices from CalSpark carry a card payment link that pays into your own Stripe account, not the old tool's processor.
- Reminders and confirmations will look different. CalSpark's email automations are all off until an admin switches them on under Settings, Automations. Turn off the old tool's reminders at the same time, or customers get two.
- A short text or email before cutover is enough: "We have a new scheduling system. Your reminders will look a little different. Same crew, same number."
One-page checklist
| When | Do this |
|---|---|
| T minus 7 | Export the customer list. Clean it. Test import ten rows in a CalSpark trial. Invite your team. |
| T minus 1 | Run the full import. Spot check ten customers. Add extra addresses for big accounts. Switch on the automations you want. |
| T | Book all new jobs in CalSpark. Turn off the old tool's reminders. Send the customer notice. |
| T plus 7 | Compare the two tools for anything missed. Finish open jobs in the old tool. |
| T plus 30 | Check the old tool for unpaid invoices. When there are none, export records you want and cancel. |
If it goes wrong
Your rollback is the old tool, which is why you keep it. During the parallel window nothing has been deleted there. If CalSpark does not fit, for example you find you need QuickBooks sync, stop booking in CalSpark and carry on in the old tool. The cost is a few days of double entry. Cancel nothing until T plus 30.
Do not use your busiest week as the cutover. A slow Tuesday teaches you more than a Friday before a holiday.
Sources
- Jobber: export client information, checked October 6, 2026
- Housecall Pro: exporting customers and jobs, checked October 6, 2026
- QuickBooks Online: export customer data to Excel, checked October 6, 2026
Questions
Can CalSpark import my job history?
No. It imports customers by CSV only, with their addresses. Job history, open estimates, recurring jobs and past invoices stay in the old tool. Re-create the ones you still need.
Can I export my data out of CalSpark later?
Yes. A company admin can download customers, jobs and invoices as CSV from Settings, Data. The public REST API at /developers can read your data with a scoped key too.
Will CalSpark migrate the data for me?
CalSpark does not offer a migration service. You export, clean and import the file yourself, using the steps above.
Do I need to keep paying for the old tool?
Only until open jobs and unpaid invoices are closed out and you have exported the records you want. Check the old vendor's terms for how cancellation and data retention work.
What if I have duplicates in the old list?
The import detects duplicates by matching email or phone against existing customers and earlier rows in the file. It will not catch two entries with no email or phone, so clean those by hand first.
Keep reading
- How to import customers from a spreadsheetClean a customer spreadsheet, map columns, catch duplicates and test with ten rows before you load the rest into your field service software.
- Developer docs: REST API, webhooks and eventsThe CalSpark REST API: Bearer API keys, scopes, pagination, idempotency, signed webhooks and every event payload. Off until an admin enables it in Company, Features.
- CalSpark vs JobberA fair look at CalSpark and Jobber for small trades teams: pricing model, what each one does, and who should pick Jobber instead.
- CalSpark vs Housecall ProA fair look at CalSpark and Housecall Pro: plans and user limits, features each one has, and who should pick Housecall Pro instead.
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