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Switching from spreadsheets without breaking the team

Spreadsheets feel free but cost more than they look. Here's how to migrate without losing the muscle memory the team has built.

Start with two weeks of parallel running

For two weeks, keep the spreadsheet running and enter the same data into Carelyt. It's a small tax that buys you a safety net. After two weeks, retire the spreadsheet — by then everyone's habit is in the new tool.

Don't import history

Resist the urge to bring two years of past data with you. Start clean from your launch date and let history accumulate. Trying to back-fill burns hours and rarely pays back.

Map the spreadsheet columns to fields

Most spreadsheets have client name, suburb, contact, status, therapist, frequency. Map each column to the matching Carelyt field before you start. If the spreadsheet has columns Carelyt doesn't, write them in the client notes — that field is free-form and the easiest way to keep institutional knowledge.

Pick one habit to break first

The habit that costs most teams the most time is the daily morning email of "today's clients". Replace it with My Day. Each therapist opens their phone, sees the day, and goes. That one swap is usually enough to win the team over.

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