Migrate from Close to Zoho CRM

Close Leads map to Zoho CRM Leads. We preserve all standard fields (name, email, phone, status, source, owner) and map the Close lead status label to Zoho's Lead Status picklist values. If the customer has used Close's lead status labels that don't exist in Zoho, we create custom picklist values to avoid data truncation. Custom Fields scoped to Leads are created in Zoho before Lead import so field mapping resolves at insert time.

Close Contacts map to Zoho CRM Contacts. We resolve the Zoho Account reference at migration time by matching Close's organisation field to a Zoho Account by name. If multiple Accounts share the same name, we apply a dedupe key (domain or phone) to avoid creating duplicates. Contact Custom Fields migrate alongside the parent Contact record.

Close Opportunities map to Zoho CRM Deals. The mapping uses Deal Name, Amount, Closing Date, and Stage. We create the Zoho Pipeline first, then map each Close pipeline stage to a Zoho Stage with probability weight preserved. If Close uses multiple pipelines, we configure multiple Zoho Sales Processes and assign a Record Type per pipeline.

Close Pipelines map to Zoho CRM Pipelines. We create the pipeline structure in Zoho first, then configure stages in display order. Stage probability weights migrate to Zoho Stage Probability values. Custom pipeline columns from Close become Deal Custom Fields scoped to the Opportunities module.

Close Pipeline Stages map to Zoho CRM Stages within their parent Pipeline. Stage names, display order, and probability weights migrate directly. If a Close stage name contains characters not allowed in Zoho picklists, we normalise them during import.

Close activity records (calls, emails, SMS, tasks) are retrieved via JSON export because CSV export silently omits all activity data. Calls and tasks migrate to Zoho Notes attached to the corresponding Lead or Contact record, with the activity type, direction, duration, and disposition preserved in the Note body. Email content migrates to Zoho Notes with a structured header. We cannot replicate Close's threaded conversation view in Zoho without manual customisation; the timeline will be sequential by date.

Custom Fields scoped to Lead, Contact, and Opportunity are read from Close's field definition API (field type, choices, required flag) and created in Zoho with matching field types. Multi-select picklists from Close map to Zoho multi-select picklists; date fields map to Zoho date fields; currency fields map to Zoho currency fields. Choice-option labels are preserved verbatim.

Close Custom Activities require a three-phase migration pipeline. Phase one creates the Zoho Custom Module (or repurposes a standard module) that receives the activity data. Phase two creates all Custom Fields scoped to that type in Zoho. Phase three imports activity instances referencing the type and field schema created in phases one and two. Skipping phases or running them out of order returns validation errors from Zoho. If the customer uses Zoho without a Custom Module equivalent, we document the closest available structure (Notes, Tasks, or a Custom Module) for the customer to approve before migration.

Close Custom Objects map to Zoho CRM Custom Modules. We create the Custom Module definition in Zoho first (API name, label, plural label), then create all fields on the module, then import records. Custom Object records can reference Leads, Contacts, or Deals via lookup fields; we resolve those lookups after the parent standard object migration is complete.

Attachments on Close Leads and Contacts are retrieved via the Close API as binary files. We re-upload them to the corresponding Zoho Lead or Contact record as Zoho Attachments. If the attachment filename contains characters not supported by Zoho, we sanitise the filename before upload. Attachment count and file type are preserved.

Close Smart Views (saved Lead searches) are exported as named saved filter configurations. Since Smart Views can only be created from the Leads tab in Close, we query Leads directly via the Close API to retrieve all contacts regardless of how the saved views are structured in the UI. The filter criteria migrate as named Saved Filters in Zoho CRM.

Close Users map to Zoho CRM Users. We match by email address. Any Close Owner referenced on a record without a matching Zoho User is held in a reconciliation queue for the customer's admin to provision the User before record import resumes. Role and team membership are noted in a separate handoff document for manual configuration in Zoho; we do not replicate Zoho permission structures during data migration.