How to move your practice from another system, step by step, without losing data

"I would like to change my software, but all my clients are in there." That is the most common reason for staying with a tool that no longer fits. Yet a well-planned move takes one afternoon. Here is the plan we use, with what matters for GDPR, and an honest word about what does not move over.

Step 1. How do you export data from the old system?

Almost every practice-management system can export data to CSV files (usually under Settings). Download everything you can, most often: clients, appointments or sessions, the list of therapists. Even if the new system will not read every file, this is your archive.

Do this export BEFORE you close the old account, because once the contract ends, getting to your data can become difficult.

You have the right to do this: client data is data for which you are the controller (not the software provider). The export is how you meet your duty to keep records continuous. Whether a system lets you take your data with you is worth checking when you choose it: it is one of the questions in our text on client data security in a practice.

Step 2. Why do you import your clients yourself?

Because it matters for GDPR. The safest pattern for a move: the file with client data should not pass through third parties at all, including the company you are moving to.

In a well-designed system you do the import yourself: you pick the CSV file on your own computer, the system recognises the columns (full name, phone, e-mail, guardian for a child) and loads the clients without the file being e-mailed to anyone.

Step 3. What should you do with GDPR consents when changing software?

Close the loop on them, ideally online. A move is a great moment to tidy up consents. If the new system can send consents by e-mail (the client clicks a link, the status comes back to their record), the binder of paper closes itself within a week or two.

In MentAI every imported client immediately has the status "consent to be sent": one click and it is gone.

Step 4. What about appointment history and future appointments?

Here is the honest part: appointment history and notes are usually not transferred between systems. They stay in your archive from step 1 (you have to keep them anyway).

What you move is the future: regular clients are entered as series (for example "every Tuesday at 17:00 × 12 weeks"), not one by one. A typical practice has a dozen or so series, a quarter of an hour of work. One-off appointments you add as you go.

What such a series looks like for a whole school year, including public holidays and school breaks, is shown in our text on a speech therapist's schedule for the whole school year.

Step 5. How do you check that the new system works?

The old system does not have to disappear overnight. Most programs (ours too) have a free trial period, so for a week or two they can run side by side. You cancel the old contract only once the new system has passed the checklist.

How much does it cost?

With us: nothing. Moving to MentAI (a 30 to 45 minute call, import on your own screen, setting up services, the schedule and the booking page, appointment series) is free, whichever system you are coming from. Write to kontakt@mentai.pl, we agree a time, and the next day your practice is up and running.

Broader help with getting started is priced individually after a short conversation.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

How do you move a practice from another system without losing data?

Start with a full export of your data to CSV files before you close the old account, because once the contract ends, getting to your data can become difficult. This export is your archive. Then import your clients yourself, send GDPR consents online and enter future appointments as series. Finally, test everything against the "it works the next day" checklist, for example with a test booking made from a phone, like a client. A well-planned move takes one afternoon.

Does appointment history move over when you change practice software?

Usually not. Appointment history and notes stay in your archive from the CSV export, and you have to keep them anyway. What you move is the future: regular clients are entered as series, for example "every Tuesday at 17:00 × 12 weeks". A typical practice has a dozen or so series, a quarter of an hour of work. One-off appointments you add as you go.

Can the client database be sent to the new provider by e-mail?

No. The file with client data should not pass through third parties at all, including the company you are moving to. In a well-designed system you do the import yourself, from the CSV file on your own computer, and the system recognises the columns (full name, phone, e-mail, guardian for a child). If someone is going to help, make it a video call with screen sharing: the file stays with you, and the helper sees only what you show.

What should you do with GDPR consents when changing practice software?

A move is a great moment to tidy up consents, ideally online: the client clicks a link in an e-mail, and the status comes back to their record. The binder of paper then closes itself within a week or two. In MentAI every imported client immediately has the status "consent to be sent": one click and it is gone.

Can the old and the new practice software run side by side?

Yes, for a week or two. Most programs, MentAI included, have a free trial period. You cancel the old contract only once the new system has passed the "it works the next day" checklist: among other things, the number of clients matches the export, a test booking from a phone goes through and the text-message reminder arrives.

How much does it cost to move a practice to MentAI?

Nothing. Moving to MentAI is free, whichever system you are coming from. It covers a 30 to 45 minute call, import on your own screen, setting up services, the schedule and the booking page, and appointment series. Write to kontakt@mentai.pl and we agree a time. Broader help with getting started is priced individually after a short conversation.

Create an account, 30 days of the full versionRead next: how to read "from PLN 99" price lists (in Polish)

The product interface is in Polish. Pricing: PLN 99/month incl. VAT (about €23) for the first therapist, each additional one PLN 39 (about €9).

This is an informational article. Export procedures differ between systems; check the names of the steps in your current provider's documentation. For questions about record retention and the legal basis for processing data, consult your data protection officer or lawyer, if you have one.

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