Migrate from Bilr to Pipedrive

Bilr clients map to Pipedrive Organizations. Client name, email, phone, and address fields transfer directly. The Bilr client_id is stored as a custom Organization field (bilr_client_id__c) for traceability. A Bilr client with multiple matters creates one Organization with multiple associated Deals.

Individual contacts within a Bilr client firm, such as managing partners, billing administrators, or primary liaisons, map to Pipedrive People records. The Organization is linked via Pipedrive's org_id field on each Person record to maintain the relationship hierarchy. Each Person receives the same bilr_client_id__c custom field for cross-reference back to the source Bilr client record, enabling audit trails and data reconciliation.

Bilr matters are legal cases or engagements linked to a client. Each matter becomes a Pipedrive Deal with the client organization pre-linked. Matter title maps to Deal title; matter value maps to Deal value if a billing amount is set. Custom fields on the Deal carry the original Bilr matter number and billing rate.

Bilr matter statuses (open, pending, billed, closed) are translated to Pipedrive pipeline stages. FlitStack creates a custom pipeline named 'Legal Matters' in Pipedrive with stages that mirror the firm's workflow: Open → Work in Progress → Pending Review → Billed → Closed. The mapping table is confirmed against the firm's existing stage definitions before migration.

Each Bilr time entry (date, duration in minutes, description, billable flag) becomes a Pipedrive Activity of type 'Task'. The subject line is derived from the matter name plus the entry date. The original Bilr duration and hourly rate are preserved as custom fields on the Activity. Billable flag becomes a custom checkbox field.

Bilr invoices have no native Pipedrive equivalent since Pipedrive lacks an invoicing or accounting module. Invoice ID, total amount, line items, and payment status are stored as custom fields on the associated Deal. Full invoice details are preserved in a structured Note attached to the Deal so the data remains accessible without rebuilding a separate accounting system.

Bilr users (attorneys, paralegals, billing admins) are resolved by email match against existing Pipedrive users. If a Bilr user has no Pipedrive account, their records are assigned to a designated fallback owner. Bilr role information is stored as a custom field on the Person record for reference.

Bilr custom fields on any object are read during the audit phase. Pipedrive custom fields are pre-created via the API before the migration run (deals, orgs, people, activities each have separate field endpoints). Field type matching (text, number, date, dropdown) is confirmed before creation to avoid API errors.

Documents attached to Bilr matters or invoices are downloaded from Bilr's storage and re-uploaded to Pipedrive Files, associated with the corresponding Deal or Organization. Pipedrive's file size limit (25MB per file) is respected; larger files are flagged for manual handling.

Bilr trust-account ledger entries are preserved as structured Notes on the Organization for audit-reference purposes only. Pipedrive has no trust-accounting capability, so FlitStack clearly discloses this limitation and recommends firms retain Bilr access or export trust ledgers to a dedicated accounting system post-migration.