What each kind of record shows
You decide which of these move forward. Any of them can be left out.
Conversations
Incoming requests, quoting, supplier coordination and internal email. Email shows how deals are negotiated and seen through.
Chat
Short exchanges where people ask for help, flag problems and agree on next steps.
Know how
Shared drives and docs
Checklists, procedures, templates and proposals. This is how a company writes down the way it works.
Code repositories
Commits, pull requests and review comments that show how your software was written and changed.
Customers
CRM
Account notes and pipeline history, from first contact to renewal.
Help desk tickets
Each case captured one at a time: the issue, what was tried and how it was fixed.
Operations
Project trackers
Tasks, owners, blockers and completions that show how projects really move.
Finance and operations
Ordering, purchasing and approval workflows. Account numbers and other sensitive values stay out.
Signs your records are a good fit
Useful records are rarely polished. They show people working: asking, answering, correcting and deciding. Years of steady use in one or two tools often matter more than a bit of everything.
Changing systems along the way is perfectly normal. Bring it up on the call and the scope can include both the old system and the new one.
What does not need to happen first
You do not need to tidy, export or sort anything before asking for an estimate. The form only asks four questions. At that stage, nothing in your systems is accessed.
How far back do records need to go?
History matters, which is why the estimate asks how long you have been operating. Years in business affect your range: under 3 years lowers it, and longer histories raise it slightly. The number is the same whatever your business type.
Quick answers
Can the scope cover a single team?
Yes. It can be limited to one department, one system or one stretch of time.
What about a system we stopped using long ago?
Bring it up on the call. Older records can still be part of scope if your company still holds them.
Do paper records count?
The focus is on records kept in business software.
Who qualifies
Three things to check first
Buyers look at these basics before anything else.
- Your company employs 20 or more people.
- The company is at least 3 years old.
- Your records are kept in business software like Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, a CRM, an ERP or project tools.