Migrate from PBS Systems to Zoho CRM

PBS CRM contact records map directly to Zoho Contacts. PBS stores name, phone, email, address, and vehicle associations per customer. Email-lookup resolves PBS owner IDs to Zoho users. Contacts without a primary company link to a default Zoho Account. Each PBS customer field (standard and custom) is audited and mapped to the corresponding Zoho Contact field during migration setup.

PBS companies with multiple locations map to Zoho Accounts. PBS's dealership-level organization (parent-dealer vs. franchise locations) translates using Zoho's Account hierarchy via the Parent Account lookup field. One PBS company record produces one Zoho Account. Multi-location dealership groups require pre-migration planning to determine which PBS entities become parent vs. child Zoho Accounts.

PBS vehicle sale records map to Zoho Deals with deal name, amount, close date, and stage. PBS pipeline names (Quote, Pending Credit, Approved, Funded) become Zoho Deal stage pick-list values that must be defined in Zoho before import. Stage names mapped value-by-value.

Zoho has no native vehicle entity. PBS VIN, make, model, year, trim, and mileage records are mapped to custom fields — either on a Zoho custom 'Vehicles' module linked by a lookup to Contact, or as custom fields on the Contact record. We create the custom module structure in Zoho before migration.

PBS tracks F&I products (extended warranty, GAP insurance, paint protection, tire-and-wheel) as line items on a deal. Zoho Deals have no native F&I product structure. These map to a multi-select pick-list or multiple custom fields on the Deal record — e.g., F_I_Product_1__c, F_I_Amount_1__c.

PBS credit application status (Submitted, Approved, Declined, Funded) and lender name have no Zoho CRM native equivalent. These become custom fields on the Deal: Credit_Status__c (pick-list), Lender__c (text), Credit_Application_Date__c (date). Credit status pick-list values must be pre-defined in Zoho before migration to avoid import validation errors.

PBS activity history — call logs, email records, and text notes attached to a customer or deal — migrates to Zoho Tasks (for calls/emails with Type field set) and Zoho Notes (for text notes). Original timestamps, owners, and parent-record links are preserved. Activity type labels (Call, Email, Note) set in the Zoho Type field.

PBS CRM leads that have not yet converted to a customer record map to Zoho Leads. PBS lead source, status, and interest level migrate as custom or standard Zoho Lead fields. Leads that have already converted in PBS (tied to a PBS Customer record) are skipped or merged into the corresponding Zoho Contact.

PBS service write-up records (RO number, service type, advisor, status) map to Zoho Tasks with service-specific custom fields: RO_Number__c, Service_Type__c, Service_Advisor__c, and RO_Status__c. Scheduled service appointments migrate as Zoho Events using the same custom field structure for service continuity across the migration.

PBS allows dealerships to add custom fields to the CRM module for dealer-specific tracking. Every custom field is audited during discovery: data type mapped to the equivalent Zoho custom field type (text, number, date, pick-list, checkbox), and field created in Zoho before migration runs. Relationship fields in PBS translated to Zoho lookup or text fields as appropriate.

PDFs, images, and documents attached to PBS customer records or deals are downloaded and re-uploaded as Zoho Attachments linked to the corresponding Zoho record. File size limits apply per Zoho plan (25 MB per file). Inline images embedded in notes are extracted and hosted as Zoho Files.

PBS user records (salespeople, F&I managers, service advisors) are resolved by email match against Zoho Users. Unmatched PBS owners are flagged before migration; the team either invites them to Zoho first or assigns their records to a fallback Zoho user. Active/inactive status preserved where supported.