Migrate from Pearl Dental Software to Zoho CRM

Pearl patients with an active treatment plan or confirmed next appointment route to Zoho Contact. Patients imported as prospects with no active treatment route to Zoho Lead. The split decision is based on Pearl's patient status field — if Status equals 'Active Treatment' or 'Under Care', the record lands as Contact; otherwise it lands as Lead.

Pearl first name, last name, date of birth, address, email, phone, and mobile map 1:1 to Zoho Contact or Lead fields. Mobile phone maps to Zoho's Mobile field on the Contact/Lead module. No transformation — Pearl's field names align closely with Zoho's standard contact object.

Pearl classifies patients as New, Existing, Referral, or Insurance. Zoho has no native patient-type field. We create a single-select picklist custom field (Patient_Type) on both Lead and Contact and map each Pearl value directly. Insurance vs. private classification migrates as a separate boolean custom field.

Pearl stores medical history as a structured list (conditions, medications, allergies). Zoho Contacts support subforms — we create a Medical_History subform with fields for Condition, Severity, Medication, and Notes. Each Pearl medical-history line becomes one subform row linked to the Contact record. Conditions and allergies also populate a multi-select picklist for quick filtering in Zoho reports.

Pearl tracks a recall interval (typically 6 or 12 months) and next recall date per patient. We migrate the recall interval as a custom pick-list field (Recall_Interval__c) and the next recall date as a custom date field (Next_Recall_Date__c) on Contact. A Zoho workflow rule then triggers a task assignment when Next_Recall_Date__c is reached, replacing Pearl's built-in recall reminder system.

Pearl appointments map to Zoho Tasks for recall-type events (checkups, hygiene visits) and Zoho Events for time-bound clinical appointments with a specific start and end time. The Pearl appointment type (New Patient Exam, Routine Recall, Emergency, Treatment) becomes a custom pick-list field on both Task and Event. The Pearl surgery or room location becomes a custom text field on the Task/Event.

Pearl treatment plans contain procedure codes, clinical notes, prescribed treatments, and treatment status. We create a Zoho custom module named Treatment_Plans with fields for Procedure_Code, Procedure_Description, Clinician, Planned_Date, Completed_Date, Status, and Notes. Each Treatment_Plan record links to the Contact via a lookup field. Treatment plans with a single procedure may alternatively store as a Contact subform.

Pearl prescriptions and clinical notes flatten into Zoho Notes attached to the Contact record, or into a Treatment_Plans subform row. Rich-text formatting from Pearl notes is preserved as plain text in Zoho Notes. Prescription drug names and dosage instructions are stored in a custom multi-line text field on the Treatment_Plans module.

Pearl stores X-rays, consent forms, and clinical documents in its document management system. Zoho CRM does not have a native dental imaging module. All attachments re-upload to Zoho Files manually post-migration or via Zoho's file attachment API after the Contact record exists. We export a manifest CSV listing each Pearl document with its associated patient name so the team can re-upload in the correct sequence.

Pearl practitioner names and roles map to Zoho Users by email match. If a Pearl practitioner record has no email, the contact lands as a Zoho Contact with a Practitioner custom flag set to TRUE. Clinician-to-appointment linkage is preserved by mapping the Pearl practitioner name to a custom Practitioner lookup field on Task/Event.

Pearl tracks referral source (e.g., Google, existing patient referral, dentist-to-dentist). Zoho has no native referral-source field. We create a pick-list custom field (Referral_Source__c) on Lead and Contact and map each Pearl value 1:1. Referral source is especially important for dental practices tracking new patient acquisition channels.

Pearl insurance fields (provider name, policy number, coverage type) migrate to custom fields on Contact. Where Pearl stores an insurance company as a named entity, we optionally create an Account record in Zoho and link it to the Contact via the Account Name lookup, enabling insurance-provider reporting.