Switching job software: a checklist for carpet cleaners

Most owners don't switch job software for fun. They switch because the bill went up, the app slows the crew down, or something they need just isn't there. What stops them is the fear of losing years of customer history, or dropping jobs during the changeover.

This guide takes the move in order: what to export before you cancel, what to check in your contract, how to protect the phone number and Google listing your customers already use, how to run both systems for a short overlap, how to bring your crew along, and what to ask any new vendor before you sign.

Before you cancel: export everything

Once an account is closed, you may not be able to get back in. Export first, and confirm the files open before you give notice. Look for an export or download option in your current job software's settings, and write down which records it covers and which it doesn't.

• Customer list: names, phone numbers, emails, and anyone who has asked not to get texts or marketing emails, so you don't message them again from the new system.
• Service addresses, including second properties and commercial sites, plus access notes such as gate codes and pet warnings.
• Job history: dates, rooms or areas cleaned, services and amounts. This is what lets you say "last time we did the living room and stairs."
• Notes: fiber type, stains treated, problem areas, customer preferences.
• Open quotes and unpaid invoices. Keep a separate list of these so nothing falls through the gap.
• Recurring and maintenance schedules, such as annual cleans and commercial contracts.
• Your price list and service menu, including add-ons like protector, deodorizer and stairs.
• Photos and documents attached to jobs, if your current job software stores them.

Open each file and spot-check ten customers you know well against what the app shows. Save copies in two places. If some records can't be exported, such as notes, ask the vendor's support in writing what options exist, and screenshot the ones that matter most.

Check your contract and billing terms

Before you give notice, find your agreement and your billing settings. Look for:

• Contract length and renewal date: monthly or annual, and whether it renews automatically.
• The notice period for cancelling, and how notice has to be given (in the app, by email, in writing).
• Whether prepaid months are refunded.
• How long you can still log in and export after cancelling, and what happens to your data after that.
• Payments: if card payments run through your current job software, when outstanding payouts arrive and whether payment links you've already sent will stop working.
• Phone and text: if your business number came with the software, whether you can take it with you.

Get the cancellation confirmed in writing and put the date on your calendar.

Keep your phone number and Google profile steady

Your phone number is what past customers, reviews, vehicle wraps and directory listings all point to. Keep it. If your current job software supplied the number, ask both the old and the new provider how to move it, and don't cancel until the move is done.

Leave your Google Business Profile alone as much as you can during the switch. Google says it reviews changes "before we update them live on your profile," and that if you change your business name after verification, "you might need to verify your business again" (Google Business Profile Help). In some regions and business categories, Google also says it may contact "the verified phone number on your profile" by automated call, text or WhatsApp to confirm business details. That is one more reason to keep the number you have.

What you may need to change are links. Google notes that some business categories might be able to add more links to their website "like online orders, reservations, or appointments" (Google Business Profile Help). If your profile or website has a booking link that points at your old software, update it on switch day and test it from your phone.

Run both systems for a short overlap

Pick a cutover date in a quieter week, not the middle of your busy season.

1. Import your customers into the new system and spot-check them again.
2. Enter every future booked job and recurring schedule into the new system.
3. From the cutover date, take new bookings only in the new system.
4. Collect open invoices from the old system until they're paid, or reissue them from the new one, but not both, so no customer is billed twice.
5. Turn off automatic reminders and messages in the old system once the new one is sending them, so customers don't get two texts.
6. Cancel only when the number has moved, your data is exported and the last payout has arrived.

A week or two of overlap is usually enough to catch what's missing without paying for two systems for long.

Bring your crew along

Your technicians care about one thing: can they see today's jobs and get them done. Tell them the date and the reason. Then show them the handful of things they do every day: see the schedule, open job notes and addresses, mark a job complete, and take payment.

Name one person as the go-to for questions during the first week, and ask the crew to report anything missing, like a note field they relied on. After cutover, remove everyone's logins from the old app so nobody works in the wrong system by habit.

Questions to ask any new vendor

Ask these before you sign, and get the answers in writing:

• Data ownership and export: Do you own your data? Can you export all of it, in what format, at any time, including after you cancel?
• Per-user pricing: Is the price per user or per technician? What counts as a user, and what does it cost to add a seasonal tech?
• Payment processing: What are the fees for card and bank payments? Are you required to use their processor?
• Add-on costs: Are texting, phone features, online booking, marketing, extra numbers or setup billed separately? Is there a fee to import your data?
• Phone and text features: Can you bring your existing number? Can you take it with you if you leave? Are there limits on texts?
• Contract length: Monthly or annual? What's the cancellation notice, and how much notice do you get before a price change?

If you're looking at CarpetOS, it imports your customer list from a spreadsheet (CSV) and keeps notes and custom fields such as rooms, fiber, pets and gate codes.

Quick checklist

• Export customers, addresses, job history, notes, quotes, invoices, schedules and price list, then open and spot-check each file.
• Read your contract: renewal date, notice period, and how long you keep access to your data.
• Keep your phone number, and move it before cancelling if the software supplied it.
• Leave your Google Business Profile name and number alone, and update booking links on switch day.
• Run both systems briefly, with new bookings only in the new one and old reminders turned off.
• Train the crew on daily tasks and remove old logins after cutover.
• Get vendor answers on data export, per-user pricing, payment fees, add-ons and contract length in writing.

Sources

• Google, Edit your Business Profile (Google Business Profile Help) — https://support.google.com/business/answer/3039617?hl=en