Migrate from Bilr to Mailchimp

Bilr client records map to Mailchimp subscribers. Every billable client contact becomes a subscriber in the target Mailchimp audience. Email address is the unique key on both sides — duplicates are handled via upsert logic. Unsubscribed or opted-out contacts in Bilr land in Mailchimp's suppressed list.

Standard contact properties — first name, last name, email address, phone number — map directly to Mailchimp's FNAME, LNAME, EMAIL, and PHONE subscriber fields. These are the highest-fidelity mappings in the migration with no transformation required. The data passes through unchanged, preserving original formatting and ensuring accurate subscriber records in the target Mailchimp audience.

Bilr's structured address fields (street, city, state, zip, country) map to Mailchimp's built-in ADDRESS field, which stores address components as an object. This preserves mailing address data for segmented sends based on geography. Address data enables location-based campaign targeting within Mailchimp's segmentation tools.

Matter names have no native Mailchimp equivalent. We create a custom merge field called MATTER_NAME on the Mailchimp audience. Matter names over 40 characters require abbreviation during mapping — we flag these in the pre-migration audit and document the truncation rule before the full run.

Bilr practice areas are stored as multi-select values per client. Mailchimp has no native multi-select field type, so we convert practice areas to Mailchimp groups — one group category called 'Practice Area' with individual group names matching each Bilr value. Groups enable audience segmentation in Mailchimp campaigns.

Bilr case status (pipeline stages like Open, Pending, Closed, On Hold) map to a text-based CASE_STATUS merge field. The pick-list values are mapped value-by-value to preserve the original status label in Mailchimp merge field output. This field can be used to filter audiences for status-specific campaigns.

Bilr billable rate is stored as a currency field. Mailchimp has no currency field type, so we store the value as a text merge field with the currency symbol prepended. For example, $350.00 becomes the text string '$350.00' in the BILLABLE_RATE merge field.

Total invoiced amount maps to a text merge field TOTAL_INVOICED. Currency formatting from Bilr is preserved as-is. This field is useful for VIP segmentation in Mailchimp — targeting clients by invoiced volume — but is stored as text since Mailchimp does not support numeric merge fields.

Matter numbers transfer directly as a text merge field MATTER_NUMBER. This provides a reference identifier that can be included in email content via merge tag and used to correlate Mailchimp subscribers back to Bilr matter records. The matter number merge field enables staff to reference specific matters when reviewing subscriber profiles.

Outstanding balance maps to a text merge field OUTSTANDING_BALANCE. Currency formatting is preserved as text. Sensitive billing data like trust account balances is intentionally excluded from migration — this merge field holds invoiced outstanding amounts only, keeping sensitive financial records secure within Bilr's native system.

Secondary contacts at the same firm are stored as a SECONDARY_EMAIL merge field rather than separate subscribers. This preserves the contact point while keeping the audience model clean. If the secondary contact should be a full subscriber, we create them as a separate subscriber record.

Mailchimp's built-in subscriber timestamp reflects when the contact was added to Mailchimp, not when the client was created in Bilr. We preserve the original Bilr client creation date as a custom date merge field ORIGINAL_CREATE_DATE for reporting continuity. This ensures historical reporting accuracy and maintains the true client onboarding timeline across both platforms.

Bilr internal notes (billing notes, matter-specific context) are migrated as a Mailchimp note attached to the subscriber profile. Mailchimp notes are agent-facing only and are not visible in sent campaigns. This preserves the context without exposing it in email content.

Partner or assigned attorney names can be mapped as a text merge field ASSIGNED_ATTORNEY or as a Mailchimp group by attorney name. Groups are preferred if the firm wants to segment campaigns by assigned counsel. We confirm the preferred approach during the pre-migration audit.

Contacts marked as opted-out or unsubscribe in Bilr are imported with status 'Unsubscribed' in Mailchimp — they land in the suppression list and cannot receive campaigns. Active contacts are imported as 'Subscribed'. This preserves consent records across both platforms, ensuring compliance with communication preferences and preventing unintended outreach to contacts who have opted out.