Migrate from Bento to Zoho CRM

Bento's flat Contact model maps to Zoho CRM but requires an architectural decision during scoping: import all contacts as Leads (preserving the original Bento contact as a custom field for lead source reporting), or import into Leads and convert them to Contacts if Accounts exist in Zoho. We set a bento_original_contact_id__c custom field on Lead to preserve the Bento record ID for audit and reconciliation. Standard contact properties (email, first name, last name, phone, company) map to Zoho Lead fields; Bento custom fields map to custom Lead fields by data type.

Bento custom fields are first-class properties with explicit data types (string, number, date, boolean, choice). We map field names and data types 1:1 to Zoho CRM custom fields, using Zoho's equivalent types (single line for string, big integer for number, date for date, checkbox for boolean, picklist for choice). Bento choice fields become Zoho picklists with the same option values. We flag any field name that exceeds Zoho's 29-character field name limit for abbreviation during scoping.

Bento tags are flat string labels attached to contacts. We export the full tag taxonomy and re-apply as a Zoho CRM multi-select picklist field on the Lead module. The customer chooses between a multi-select picklist (suitable for up to 150 unique tags) or a custom tags module with lookup relationships during scoping. We preserve tag frequency counts as a reference document in case the customer wants to prune low-frequency tags before migration.

Bento Segments are dynamic filter rules built from contact properties and behavioral events. We export each segment definition as a structured rule document specifying field conditions, operators, and behavioral event triggers. We recreate equivalent Zoho CRM Filters (for list views) and Custom Views (for shared reports) during migration. Any segment rule referencing Bento-specific event property names is flagged for the customer to update after the event schema is reconfigured in Zoho.

Bento Campaign records contain subject, HTML content, send history, and engagement stats. We migrate campaign metadata and performance statistics to Zoho CRM Campaign records. HTML content is exported as a reference document for rebuilding in Zoho Campaigns (a separate Zoho product) or the customer's chosen email platform. Zoho CRM Campaign records do not store HTML templates; they manage target lists and track Member Status. The campaign content rebuild scope is documented separately from the data migration scope.

Bento Automations are visual behavioral flows with trigger conditions, delay nodes, and action steps stored in a proprietary format that cannot be exported as executable rules. We export each automation as a structured brief including trigger type, all condition branches, delay settings, action nodes, and screenshots of the flow canvas. Zoho's workflow builder uses Blueprint, assignment rules, and field update actions that are structurally different. The automation documentation provides a precise specification for recreating each flow in Zoho; rebuilding is a manual step performed by the customer's admin post-migration.

Bento Custom Events define behavioral signals tracked on contacts with specific property schemas. We export the full event schema (event name, property structure) and event log per contact as structured data. In Zoho CRM, behavioral tracking requires custom field setup and may use Zoho SalesIQ or third-party event tracking. We document the event schema for the customer to configure equivalent event tracking in Zoho, and we flag any event property type (array, nested object) that cannot map directly to a Zoho field type for manual resolution.

Bento maintains a suppression list of unsubscribed contacts. We export this as a separate CSV and import it to Zoho CRM's Global Unsubscribe List via the native suppression import function before activating any contacts for sending. This prevents any unsubscribed address from receiving outbound email after migration and protects sender reputation in Zoho Mail or any connected email sending service.

Bounced addresses are exported separately from active contacts. We carry forward the full bounced list (hard bounce and soft bounce distinguished where Bento provides the flag) to Zoho CRM's bounced contacts suppression list. Hard bounces are imported with permanent suppression status; soft bounces are imported with a flagged status for manual review before any re-send attempt. This prevents Zoho from attempting delivery to known invalid addresses.

Bento's transactional email uses drop-in SDKs across Rails, Laravel, Node, Python, Go, and PHP with API credentials, template IDs, and sending domain configuration. We export these as a structured configuration document specifying the integration type, credentials (redacted), sending domain, and template ID mapping. We do not reconfigure SDK integrations inside the migration scope. The customer's engineering team uses the configuration document to update the SDK initialization in their application post-migration.

Connected Bento integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce, Zapier, and other third-party connections) are listed in a configuration export document specifying which integrations are active, what data they sync, and what trigger events they rely on. We do not reconfigure integrations at the destination. The customer uses the inventory to set up equivalent integrations in Zoho CRM or Zoho Flow for each third-party system. Zoho Flow supports over 700 applications and Zapier-compatible webhooks for any unsupported integrations.