Migrate from Payaca to Zoho CRM

Payaca Customer records (names, addresses, contact information) map directly to Zoho CRM Contact. The Payaca customer ID becomes a custom field payaca_id__c on the Contact for audit traceability. Payaca does not separate Accounts from Contacts like a traditional CRM; we create each Payaca Customer as a Contact with an auto-generated Company Name derived from the customer name or address for Zoho CRM data model consistency.

Payaca Projects are the central lifecycle record with stage history (Lead, Survey, Quote, Install, Complete) and linked customer references. We map Projects to a Zoho CRM custom module called Projects with custom fields for stage, project_address, and survey_status matching Payaca's schema. Alternatively, for teams preferring standard objects, we configure Deals with a custom Sales Process matching Payaca's fixed stages and use the dealname field for project identifiers. The mapping choice is confirmed during scoping based on the customer's operational workflow.

Payaca's fixed pipeline stages (Lead, Survey, Quote, Install, Complete) are mapped to Zoho CRM stage values within a configured Sales Process. We pre-build the Sales Process in Zoho with the exact five stages in the correct order, preserving stage transition timestamps from Payaca's project history in custom fields for audit. Any Payaca automation triggers on stage change are documented as Zoho Workflow rules for admin rebuild.

Payaca Items (panel configurations, battery sizes, labor rates) map to Zoho CRM Products with ProductCode, Unit Price, and Product Category preserved. Items used across multiple projects get a single Product2 record with multiple Price Book entries. The item-to-product mapping preserves quoted pricing that will populate Deal Line Items or Quotes at the destination.

Payaca Invoices generated within Projects map to Zoho CRM Invoice records. We migrate invoice number, date, line items, totals, payment status, and Stripe transaction references. Historical invoice PDFs are stored as file attachments on the corresponding Invoice record. Payaca's Stripe payment integration requires a separate Stripe API export to preserve full transaction history since Stripe reconciliation data is external to Payaca's export scope.

Payaca Documents attached to Projects or Customers map to Zoho CRM Attachments linked to the corresponding Contact or custom Projects module record. We migrate file names, signing status (from Payaca's portal document signing), and file metadata. Actual file binaries require separate export from Payaca's storage; we coordinate file download alongside record migration and re-attach in Zoho CRM.

Payaca custom fields for compliance tracking, permit management, and AHJ requirements map to Zoho CRM custom fields on the appropriate module. Field types (text, date, dropdown, checkbox) map to equivalent Zoho field types. Custom fields require pre-creation in Zoho CRM before migration because Zoho's Data Migration wizard can auto-create modules but does not auto-create individual fields within standard modules. We document each Payaca custom field definition and its Zoho equivalent during discovery.

Payaca templated automations (pipeline stage triggers, tag-based actions) are documented as Zoho Workflow rules with trigger conditions, filter criteria, and actions mapped to equivalent Zoho CRM workflow actions. Custom multi-step automations with conditional logic lack a native export format; we capture the full configuration during discovery and deliver a written automation inventory specifying each rule's trigger, conditions, and recommended Zoho Blueprint or Workflow equivalent. Rebuild is the customer's admin responsibility post-migration.

Payaca Service Reminders linked to Customers or Projects map to Zoho CRM Tasks with due dates, descriptions, and associated Contact or custom Projects record lookups. We preserve reminder scheduling logic and recurrence patterns as custom fields on the Zoho Task for reference. Tasks are assigned to the mapped User record based on the Payaca owner reference.

Payaca's Stripe-powered online payment collection does not migrate as an active connection. We export Payaca invoice payment records and Stripe transaction references as a CSV alongside the main migration. Zoho CRM's native Stripe integration or Zoho Books Stripe connector must be reconfigured post-migration with fresh API credentials. The customer must retain access to the original Stripe dashboard for historical transaction reconciliation.

Payaca's branded customer portal with proposals, invoices, bookings, and document signing under a custom domain does not migrate. We document the portal configuration (pages, file access permissions, custom domain settings) as a configuration inventory. Zoho CRM customer portal or Zoho Cloud Office (Cliq-based) portal requires manual setup post-migration with the customer's branding and access rules.

Payaca Users referenced on Projects, Invoices, and Service Reminders map to Zoho CRM User records matched by email address. We extract every distinct user reference during discovery and resolve against the destination Zoho CRM User table. Any Payaca user without a matching Zoho User goes to a reconciliation queue for the customer to provision before record migration proceeds.