Migrate from Bill4Time to Mailchimp

Bill4Time clients map 1:1 to Mailchimp contacts. The clientName becomes the contact name; email, phone, and address fields map directly. Clients with no email address are flagged during the pre-migration audit — Mailchimp requires an email for every contact, and these records require manual resolution before the final import.

Bill4Time's customId (user-generated client identifier) migrates as a TEXT merge tag CLIENT_ID__c on the Mailchimp contact. This identifier is essential for reconciling migrated contacts back to their original Bill4Time records post-migration, and it appears in the migration audit log for traceability.

Bill4Time account manager ID translates to a TEXT merge tag ACCOUNT_MANAGER__c on the Mailchimp contact. Mailchimp internal seat assignment is separate — the account owner who imported the contact is assigned by default. The merge tag value supports internal team routing of campaigns and follow-ups in Mailchimp.

Each Bill4Time project becomes a Mailchimp tag on the linked client contact. projectName and projectType populate the tag label. If the client has multiple projects, all associated project tags are applied to the single contact record, enabling segmentation by project type across campaigns.

Bill4Time billingMethod values (Hourly, Flat Fee, Percentage) map to Mailchimp tag values: BILLING_HOURLY, BILLING_FLAT_FEE, BILLING_PERCENTAGE. Applied as separate tags alongside the project name tag to enable campaign filtering by billing arrangement type.

Project status (Open, Closed) maps to Mailchimp tags PROJECT_STATUS_OPEN or PROJECT_STATUS_CLOSED. This mapping enables segmentation of active versus closed client matters when targeting campaigns, ensuring marketing reaches only relevant contacts.

Time entry records (hours logged, descriptions, rates) have no Mailchimp object equivalent. FlitStack exports a time_entries.json reference file keyed by clientId for finance-side use. The JSON file is attached to the migration deliverable package and is not imported into Mailchimp contacts.

Invoice records (invoiceAmount, paidStatus, laborAmount, expenseAmount) have no Mailchimp equivalent. FlitStack exports an invoices.json reference file keyed by clientId. Invoice totals may be surfaced as merge tags (e.g., TOTAL_BILLED__c) by explicit client request during scoping.

Bill4Time users with billing rates and overtime rates do not map to Mailchimp contacts. They fall outside the contact migration scope. If the firm wants to notify staff of the migration, user emails can be added as contacts in a separate internal Mailchimp audience.

Bill4Time custom fields (Text, Number, Date, List, Client List, User List types) map to Mailchimp merge tags. List-type custom fields require value-by-value mapping to Mailchimp's RADIO or DROPDOWN merge tag options. Each merge tag is created in the destination audience before import to ensure successful field population.

Bill4Time clientType values map to Mailchimp Groups (e.g., INDIVIDUAL, CORPORATE, GOVERNMENT). If clientType values vary widely across the dataset, FlitStack maps them to a CLIENT_TYPE__c merge tag instead of creating one group per distinct value.

Bill4Time creationDate migrates as a DATE merge tag CLIENT_SINCE__c on the Mailchimp contact. This preserves the original client onboarding date for welcome-sequence segmentation and historical tracking in the marketing platform.

Bill4Time client status (Active, Disabled) maps to Mailchimp contact member_status. Disabled clients migrate as unsubscribed contacts to prevent accidental marketing sends; Active clients migrate as subscribed.