Generic CSV import
Migrate from Shopmonkey to Pitlane.
Pitlane uses its generic CSV importer for Shopmonkey exports. Shopmonkey's customer/vehicle export comes out close enough to Pitlane's canonical schema that the column-name parser handles it without a per-source provider. The importer auto-maps standard fields like Customer Name, Phone, Email, VIN, License Plate.
The migration runs from /settings/migration inside Pitlane. There's no integration to set up. Pitlane runs alongside Shopmonkey: keep Shopmonkey for the RO side and add Pitlane for the customer-side workflow, review requests after pickup, follow-ups, win-backs, and PitCrew drafting.
What transfers from Shopmonkey
- Customer first/last name, phone, email. Deduplicated on email or phone
- Mailing address fields (street, city, state)
- Vehicles with VIN, year, make, model, license plate
- Last-known mileage and last service date when included in the export
What stays behind (and why)
- —Repair-order line items (these don't transfer via CSV; Pitlane writes new ROs itself)
- —Inventory and parts catalogs
- —Shopmonkey-specific integration data (CarFax, accounting hooks)
Where to find the export inside Shopmonkey.
Shopmonkey → Reports → Customer Export. Pick the CSV format. If your account has multiple shops, export each separately so the importer associates customers with the right Pitlane workspace.
The full migration in five steps.
- 1
Export your customer list from Shopmonkey
From the Shopmonkey reports area, export Customers (and vehicles, if separate) to CSV. Full list, no filter. The importer dedupes so re-imports are safe.
- 2
Sign up for Pitlane
Create your free trial account. The migration tool comes with the plan, and it runs during the trial too.
- 3
Settings → Migration → drop the CSV
Pitlane's generic importer reads standard customer/vehicle column names. If the fingerprint isn't 100% recognized, you'll be prompted to confirm the mapping; the preview shows exactly what will land.
- 4
Review and import
Confirm row count and warnings, then click import.
- 5
Stop Shopmonkey's customer-outreach where it overlaps
If you've used Shopmonkey's review or marketing modules, turn them off after the Pitlane import. Otherwise customers will get duplicated outreach. Pitlane's review automation, win-backs, and declined-work recovery cover the same surface.
After the migration: what to keep, what to drop.
Keep
- Shopmonkey for your historical repair orders, parts, and inventory (RO line items don't transfer via CSV; Pitlane writes the new ones)
- Any vendor-specific integrations you actively use
- Your accounting integration if it's tied to Shopmonkey invoicing
Drop
- —Shopmonkey's review and marketing add-ons (Pitlane covers them)
- —Manual win-back campaigns you've been running
- —Third-party SMS or review tools. Pitlane has review requests and two-way SMS in the one price. Texting activates after carrier registration, usually a few business days. Pitlane files the registration
Questions about migrating from Shopmonkey.
Why add Pitlane if Shopmonkey already runs my shop?
Shopmonkey's RO workflow is solid; keep it. The gap Pitlane fills is the customer-side workflow: review requests after pickup, follow-ups, win-backs, and PitCrew drafting (review replies, recovery texts) that you approve before anything sends. Pitlane runs alongside Shopmonkey, it doesn't replace it: keep Shopmonkey for the RO workflow and add Pitlane for the customer relationship.
What if Shopmonkey's CSV export looks different from what the importer expects?
Pitlane's generic importer matches by column name with multiple aliases per field. If a column doesn't match any known alias, the import still completes. The unrecognized field is dropped and a warning is logged. Email support@usepitlane.com with the column name if it's critical and the parser is updated in the next release.
Can I migrate a multi-location Shopmonkey account?
Yes. But each Pitlane workspace maps to one shop. Export each Shopmonkey location separately and import each into its own Pitlane workspace. If you need shared customer data across locations, that's deferred until Pitlane's multi-shop feature ships in a later phase.
Does the migration preserve historical service records?
It preserves what's in the export. Typically last service date and last known mileage. Full RO line-item history stays in Shopmonkey because it's not part of standard exports. Pitlane reminder logic works off the imported service-record stubs.
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