Migrate from Close to Mailchimp

Close Contacts map to Mailchimp Audience members. The contact's email address is the dedupe key used during import to prevent duplicate members. First name, last name, phone, and organisation fields map to Mailchimp merge fields FNAME, LNAME, PHONE, and COMPANY. Owner assignment from Close does not transfer as Mailchimp has no user-assignment model; owner information can be stored as a tag if the customer requires it for segmentation.

Close Leads also map to Mailchimp Audience members. If the customer uses both Leads and Contacts in Close, we merge them into a single Mailchimp Audience (dedupe by email address) unless the customer specifies separate Audiences. Lead status and source data migrate as merge fields or tags. Lead status labels (New, Working, Cold) map to tags rather than named fields since Mailchimp has no native lead-status concept.

Close Custom Fields scoped to Contact (and Lead) migrate to Mailchimp merge fields. Field types map as follows: text to text, number to number, date to date, single-select picklist to radio merge field, multi-select picklist to checkboxes merge field. We read the field definition from Close's API, create the matching merge field in the Mailchimp Audience, then populate values during contact import. Choice labels from Close picklists carry over exactly as merge field options.

Close Smart Views are saved lead search filters. We export the filter criteria and recreate them as named Mailchimp Segments using Mailchimp's segment conditions. The segment name carries over. Close Smart Views that reference Custom Fields require those merge fields to be created first, so we sequence the migration: merge fields, then segments, then full contact import. Smart Views with date-range filters translate to Mailchimp date-based segment conditions.

Close Users carry name, email, and role. We preserve user assignment as a tag on each migrated contact (for example, tag all contacts owned by a given user). Mailchimp does not have a user-assignment model, so the tag is informational rather than a functional assignment. We do not migrate internal role permissions, lead visibility rules, or team memberships because Mailchimp has no equivalent access control model.

Close Opportunities (Deals) with pipeline, stage, value, expected close date, and owner have no Mailchimp equivalent. Mailchimp Automations handle marketing sequences, not sales pipeline management. We do not migrate Opportunities. If the customer needs to preserve opportunity value data, we recommend exporting it as a CSV before migration begins and maintaining it in a spreadsheet or a dedicated CRM alongside Mailchimp.

Call recordings are stored as audio files in Close and accessible via the API. Mailchimp has no file attachment model for individual contacts and does not store call recordings. We do not migrate call recordings. We flag this during scoping and recommend that teams requiring call recording retention export them from Close before migration.

Close SMS messages are stored as activity records on Contacts and Leads. Mailchimp supports SMS sending on some tiers but does not store individual SMS conversation threads as a contact activity log. We do not migrate SMS history. Teams that rely on SMS conversation records for compliance or customer service purposes should export SMS logs from Close before migration begins.

Close Workflows (Growth and Scale tiers only) automate task creation and outreach sequencing based on triggers, conditions, and steps. Mailchimp Automations use a different logic model built around audience membership, campaign triggers, and journey milestones rather than CRM record events. We do not migrate Workflows. We deliver a written inventory of every active Close Workflow with its trigger, conditions, and actions, along with a recommended Mailchimp Automation equivalent where one exists.