Importing MB clients (logins change?)

[Si]

Hi,

This looks like a godsend piece of software since using MB for almost 2 years and having aged 10 years in the process.

 

What I'm wondering is, if I import my MB clients, will their logins (usernames and passwords) change or stay the same?

 

I want to try and achieve as smooth a transition if possible.

 

I also run kayako and rather than wait on the integration script, would be happy to use the inbuilt support in the one package, but we have a massive ticket history and almost more importantly our knowledgebase in kayako is quite extensive. Can the tickets and/or knowledgebase be imported into the existing KB in WHMCS?

 

Thanks for what I'm convinced already is a major stress reliever and business tool.

 

Si

[Matt]

Hi there,

 

Welcome to WHMCS!

 

Unfortunately it isn't possible to import clients passwords from MB due to them being encrypted so the importer automatically assigns new passwords. You can then use the mass email system to notify clients of their new passwords or alternatively you can just let clients use the password reminder feature on their first login to your WHMCS.

 

As for Kayako, we don't have any importer for this at the current time. We currently have a loginshare which you can use to link the two systems and you can redirect the links in the template files to it if you wish.

 

Matt

[Si]

Matt,

Thanks for that.

 

I've just imported my MB DB and noticed the note about the logins after I'd posted the question above.

 

Maybe I'm just a modernbill affected sceptic now (forgive me if I insult you guys), but does the loginshare actually work. I mean, if customers change their email address in their WHMCS profile, does it do the same in kayako. (It never worked properly in MB) and I had to buy further mods developed by other companies.

 

Is there docs you can point me in the direction of that will give step by step instructions on how you do the integration (including modifying the links)?

 

Thanks

 

Si

[Matt]

No, I think we would have the same issue if the email is changed. The loginshare module is placed into the kayako directory and then just checks the WHMCS database when users try to login instead of the kayako one. Kayako don't provide a hook for updating the email of an account as far as I'm aware.

 

Regarding the changing of links, you just need to open up the template files in your regular HTML editor and change the links - in particular header.tpl, homepage.tpl and clientareahome.tpl

 

Matt

[Si]

OK, I thought that would be the case. So, as good as kayako is, I think its best (from experience) if I'm going to move my billing to WHMCS to keep it all as one and so I'll manually update the KB and Predfined replies for support as I go. Thanks.

 

Sorry for this, but hopefully these questions will help others.

 

I've imported my MB database and all has come across great, re clients, their invoices etc. However, I have about 80 packages which have all come across with no prices, and no billing periods. The other issue is that they are all in a predefined group called 'ModernBill Imported Packates'. OK, understandable, but should I have created package groups before the import or is there no way to avoid this.

 

It also means, by default that all of these packages appear on the ORDER link in the clients control panel. So, I have to manually go through each package to set, hide from order form, assign to a group, input the prices and billing period.

 

Now, it's going to take me weeks to do that, and as I'm on a live site my customer records on modernbill are going to be way out of date and sync by the time I get WHMCS ready to go live.

 

Is there a way I'm missing that can be done to achieve a smoother (maybe not quicker) changeover?

 

Sorry for the questions. I just want to make sure I don't cause more work than I need and lessen the margins of error.

 

Thanks

 

Si

[Matt]

No, you aren't missing anything. It's not possible to import package settings as MB has different settings for packages. You will need to go through and reconfigure the products after the import to set the pricing, server details, welcome email, etc...

 

You can make the entire MB Import group hidden after the import so they aren't showing from the frontend and then they will only show up as you edit them and move them into the new groups.

 

Matt

[Si]

OK, then from my thinking, can you confirm this would work.

 

The best way to do this is to leave the Mb import to the very end. I should set up everything else on WHMCS including manually adding my KB and predefined replies etc and also create NEW packages in new groups which will be made viewable on the order forms. (Some of these packages will be duplicates of the MB Import packages, but, if after I have everything set up and tested, including crons, mods, ie registrar mods, server mods and payment gateways), I should import the MB database and none of the settings and packages I have created should be deleted.

 

I can then take the MB Import Package group and make it hidden, so that clients with existing packages will continue to be billed as normal, but for all new packages ordered, they will simply order up the new packages I created before the import.

 

(Phew, does that make sense)?

 

Thanks for bearing with me while I plan this out.

 

Si.

[Matt]

Yes, that would be a good way to do it.

 

Matt

[Si]

Worried thought: The imported packages have no prices, billing periods etc. So, when an invoice is raised, does the invoice show 0.00 or where does it get the information to place into the invoice?

 

ie, what amount to charge

what date to roll the next renewal on to etc.

 

Does that all still have to be manually updated?

[Matt]

The imported hosting accounts shouldn't have no price - open a ticket so we can take a look.

[Si]

The imported hosting accounts shouldn't have no price - open a ticket so we can take a look.

 

Apologies. They do. I was looking at a product we had given a 0.00 price in MB.

 

So, no worries. Repeat invoicing will carry on as normal then.

 

Happy days.