Migrate from PHP CRM to HighLevel

Discovery and source access audit

We audit the PHP CRM deployment by accessing the admin panel and developer API tools (where credentials are provided). We enumerate every custom field name and type across all active objects, document the pipeline names and stage lists, count record volumes by object, and identify any attachments stored in accessible directories. If API access is unavailable or exhibits throttling, we fall back to CSV export via the admin panel. The discovery output is a written migration scope with a custom field inventory, pipeline map, and a GoHighLevel plan recommendation (Starter at $97/mo or Unlimited at $297/mo) based on feature requirements.

GoHighLevel environment setup

We create the destination GoHighLevel environment by building the pipeline and stage structure to match the source PHP CRM deployment. We create all required custom fields on the Contact and Opportunity objects before any data import begins. We configure tags to match the source tag taxonomy, set up user accounts and role assignments, and configure the GoHighLevel account settings for timezone, currency, and default field behaviors. This phase requires the customer's GoHighLevel admin credentials and runs in parallel with source data extraction.

Source data extraction

We extract data from PHP CRM in dependency order: Companies (parent), Contacts (with company linkage), Pipelines and Stages (configuration), Deals (with contact and owner linkage), Tasks (with assignee and linked entity), Notes (with parent record reference), and Activities (with timestamps and disposition). Custom fields are extracted as named columns alongside their parent object records. If the API is unavailable or unreliable, we export via CSV from the admin panel and normalize the data into a staging format before transformation.

Custom field mapping and data transformation

We build the field-level mapping from the discovered PHP CRM custom field inventory to GoHighLevel custom fields (pre-created in Step 2). For every source custom field, we determine the GoHighLevel field type (text, number, date, dropdown, checkbox), create the destination field if it does not exist, and add the mapping to the transform script. We also resolve PHP CRM owner IDs to GoHighLevel user emails for assignee and deal owner mapping, and resolve contact-company linkage by matching against the migrated company records.

Staging validation and reconciliation

We load all extracted data into a staging environment and run reconciliation checks: record counts by object, required field completeness (email on Contact, amount on Deal), duplicate detection (email deduplication on Contacts, name deduplication on Companies), and parent record linkage validation (every Deal has a resolved Contact reference, every Task has a resolved assignee). We deliver a reconciliation report to the customer's project manager for sign-off before production import begins. Any records failing validation are flagged with the specific issue and corrected in the source staging data.

Production import and parent record resolution

We run production import in dependency order: Companies first, then Contacts with company linkage resolved, then Pipelines and Stages configured, then Opportunities with contact and pipeline stage resolved, then Tasks with assignee and linked entity resolved, then Notes, then Activities. Each phase emits a row-count reconciliation report before the next phase begins. We use GoHighLevel's bulk import tools with batch chunking for large record sets. Any records rejected during import are captured with the rejection reason and scheduled for correction and re-import.

Cutover, validation, and workflow rebuild handoff

We freeze PHP CRM writes during cutover, run a final delta migration of any records modified during the migration window, then mark GoHighLevel as the system of record. We validate a random sample of 25-50 records against the source data and deliver the final reconciliation report. We provide an attachment and email template handoff package: a directory of extracted files with file-to-record mapping guidance, and a template content inventory CSV for manual recreation in GoHighLevel. We deliver the workflow and automation rebuild inventory document to the customer's admin team for post-migration recreation. We do not rebuild workflows or automations inside the migration scope.