# CRM Implementation Checklist Free template from the CRM Implementation Guide (/resources/crm/crm-implementation-guide/). Version: 2026-09-25. Platform-neutral: works with general-purpose CRMs, all-in-one platforms and industry-specific tools. How to use: copy this file into your project notes, assign an owner and date to each phase, and tick items as you go. Remove items that do not apply to your business. Project owner: ____________________ Target launch date: ____________________ --- ## Phase 0: Goals and baseline - [ ] Appoint a CRM system owner who is accountable after launch - [ ] Agree three to five measurable goals (for example, median first response time, lead-to-booking rate, no-show rate, share of leads with a recorded outcome) - [ ] Record baseline metrics for at least two weeks (manually if needed) - [ ] Estimate the value of the problem you are solving (missed calls, slow follow-up, no-shows) - [ ] Estimate the full monthly cost: subscription, usage charges (calls, SMS, email, AI), phone numbers, setup and maintenance time - [ ] Confirm budget and decision-maker ## Phase 1: Discovery and process mapping - [ ] List every lead source (phone, web forms, booking widget, email, social messages, ad lead forms, directories, referrals, walk-ins) - [ ] For each source, record who receives it, typical response time and where details are stored - [ ] Map the current journey from first contact to paid job and repeat customer - [ ] Interview front-line staff about pain points and workarounds - [ ] Design the target journey (capture, acknowledge, qualify, book, remind, quote, win or lose, review, rebook) - [ ] Name an owner for each stage of the journey - [ ] Identify integrations needed (accounting, job management, practice software, website, ad platforms) - [ ] List must-have workflows for day one (no more than five) ## Phase 2: Data design - [ ] Agree objects: contacts, opportunities, appointments, tasks, activities (companies only if B2B) - [ ] Justify every proposed field by a decision, action or report it supports - [ ] Limit required contact fields to five or fewer - [ ] Create picklists for lead source, service type, lost reason, appointment outcome and consent status - [ ] Write tag naming conventions (for example `source-`, `service-`, `status-` prefixes) - [ ] Write opportunity naming convention (for example `Service - Last name - Suburb`) - [ ] Define consent fields per channel (status, date, method, wording shown) - [ ] Plan UTM parameters and hidden form fields for campaign attribution - [ ] Define pipeline stages with entry criteria, exit criteria, owner and target time - [ ] Define user roles and permissions (who can export, delete, change settings) - [ ] Document all of the above in one shared page ## Phase 3: Data cleaning and migration - [ ] Export contacts from every existing source and keep untouched originals - [ ] Standardise phone numbers (international format), names (proper case) and emails (lowercase) - [ ] Merge duplicates (match on email, then phone) - [ ] Remove junk, spam and test records - [ ] Flag consent and unsubscribe status on every record - [ ] Never mark previously unsubscribed contacts as marketable - [ ] Map spreadsheet columns to CRM field names exactly - [ ] Add an import tag (for example `import-2026-09`) to every record - [ ] Pause or exclude imported contacts from any automation that triggers on contact creation - [ ] Import a test batch of 20 to 50 records and check field mapping - [ ] Import the full file - [ ] Verify totals against expected clean count - [ ] Spot-check at least 20 random records against the source - [ ] Import open opportunities with correct stage, value and owner ## Phase 4: Configuration ### Accounts and access - [ ] Create a login for each user; no shared logins - [ ] Apply role permissions - [ ] Turn on two-factor authentication where available ### Phone, SMS and email - [ ] Set up or port phone numbers; confirm call forwarding and voicemail - [ ] Complete SMS registration required in your country (for example A2P 10DLC for US business texting) - [ ] Authenticate your email sending domain (SPF, DKIM, DMARC as supported) - [ ] Set quiet hours for all outbound messaging - [ ] Confirm opt-out keywords and unsubscribe links work on every channel ### Lead capture - [ ] Connect website forms so each submission creates or updates a contact - [ ] Add hidden UTM fields and map them to CRM fields - [ ] Connect booking calendar or sync existing booking tool - [ ] Connect social inboxes (if supported and wanted) - [ ] Connect ad lead forms through native integration or connector - [ ] Give staff a quick way to add referrals and walk-ins - [ ] Test duplicate handling (same person submitting twice) ### Pipeline - [ ] Build pipeline stages from your written definitions - [ ] Require value and next step on open opportunities where possible - [ ] Create lost reason picklist - [ ] Configure stale deal alerts based on target time in stage ### Calendars - [ ] Set service durations, buffers, minimum notice and booking window - [ ] Sync staff calendars to prevent double booking - [ ] Define assignment rules (round-robin, by skill, by location) ## Phase 5: Automations Build one at a time, test, then move to the next. - [ ] Instant lead acknowledgement (SMS and email within one minute) - [ ] Call task on new lead with escalation to backup after 15 minutes - [ ] Missed call text-back (where permitted) - [ ] Lead follow-up sequence (for example 12 steps over 14 days) - [ ] Appointment confirmation and 48-hour, 24-hour and 2-hour reminders - [ ] Reminder reply handling (confirm, reschedule, other replies to a person) - [ ] No-show recovery sequence - [ ] Quote follow-up sequence (day 1, 3, 7) - [ ] Won handover (welcome message, job creation) - [ ] Post-visit review request and rebooking reminder - [ ] Lost with reason Timing creates a future reminder task For every automation: - [ ] Stop conditions defined and tested (reply, booking, opt-out, stage change) - [ ] Duplicate entry prevented - [ ] Quiet hours respected - [ ] Human notified when a contact replies - [ ] Message placeholders fall back sensibly if a field is empty ## Phase 6: Compliance and privacy - [ ] Confirm consent and opt-out obligations for your countries with a qualified adviser (for example US TCPA, Canada CASL, Australia Spam Act, UK and EU GDPR and PECR) - [ ] Record consent wording, date and method for every opted-in contact - [ ] Separate enquiry consent from marketing consent on forms where required - [ ] Confirm call recording consent rules if calls are recorded - [ ] Add AI disclosure to any AI receptionist or chatbot where required or advisable - [ ] Review vendor data processing terms and data storage location - [ ] Set retention periods for recordings, transcripts and inactive contacts - [ ] Update your privacy policy ## Phase 7: Testing Use your own phone numbers and email addresses as test contacts. - [ ] Website form submission creates contact with correct source and triggers acknowledgement - [ ] Missed call triggers text-back - [ ] Reply to follow-up stops the sequence and notifies the owner - [ ] STOP reply records opt-out and blocks further texts - [ ] Unsubscribe link records opt-out and blocks further marketing email - [ ] Online booking sends confirmation and moves the opportunity - [ ] Cancellation stops reminders and sends cancellation follow-up - [ ] Reschedule restarts reminders for the new time - [ ] No-show triggers recovery sequence - [ ] Marking job complete triggers review request after delay - [ ] Duplicate submission does not double-enrol - [ ] Late-night submission respects quiet hours - [ ] Messages display correctly on mobile (length, links, placeholders) - [ ] Reports and dashboard show test data correctly ## Phase 8: Training and launch - [ ] Run role-based training on real tasks (30 to 45 minutes each) - [ ] Provide a one-page cheat sheet per role - [ ] Record short screen videos for common tasks - [ ] Name a support contact for the first two weeks - [ ] Communicate the launch date and the rule "if it is not in the CRM, it did not happen" - [ ] Make old spreadsheets and tools read-only or archive them - [ ] Remove test contacts or tag them clearly ## Phase 9: Adoption and review ### Weekly (first month) - [ ] Every new lead has an owner, a stage and a next step - [ ] Automation logs checked for errors and unexpected sends - [ ] User feedback collected; one friction point fixed each week ### Monthly - [ ] Metrics compared against baseline - [ ] Lost reasons reviewed for patterns - [ ] Opt-out and complaint rates checked per sequence - [ ] Unused fields, tags and automations retired - [ ] Message templates reviewed and improved ### Day 90 - [ ] Formal review against goals with baseline, target and actual - [ ] Decide next phase (new automations, integrations, AI receptionist, reporting) - [ ] Confirm ongoing owner and time budget for maintenance - [ ] Recalculate stage conversion rates and forecast probabilities