Migrating from AccessAlly Managed to Drip

Complete Guide: Migrating from AccessAlly Managed to Drip

Why Migrate from AccessAlly Managed to Drip?

Common reasons for migrating from AccessAlly Managed Contacts to Drip:

• E-Commerce Focus: Drip’s automation is purpose-built for product-based businesses
• Better Email Deliverability: Upgrade from WordPress/SMTP to Drip’s infrastructure
• Advanced Automation: Visual workflow builder with sophisticated e-commerce triggers
• Scalability: Drip handles larger email volumes more reliably than WordPress
• Revenue Tracking: Built-in e-commerce analytics and revenue attribution
• List Management: Better segmentation and contact management tools

What You’ll Need Before Starting

✅ Required Access & Accounts

• WordPress admin access to your AccessAlly site
• Drip account (must be set up and configured first)
• AccessAlly license that supports CRM switching
• Access to your payment gateway (Stripe or PayPal)
• User export plugin or database access (to export WordPress users)

📋 Complete the Pre-Migration Checklist

Before proceeding, work through the complete Pre-Migration Checklist. Key items include:

• Full backup of WordPress site and database
• Export of all WordPress users (your current contacts)
• Audit of your current member count, AccessAlly tags, and user meta fields
• Data mapping spreadsheet (WP users → Drip, tags, custom fields)
• Staging site setup for testing (CRITICAL for CRM switches)
• Request 2-site exception from AccessAlly support
• Downtime plan and member communication

Phase 1: Pre-Migration Setup (3-4 hours)

Step 1: Set Up Your Drip Account

If you haven’t already set up Drip:

1. Sign up for Drip at drip.com (choose appropriate tier for your contact count)
2. Complete basic account setup:
   • Company information
   • Business type (e-commerce)
   • Timezone
   • Sender email and name
3. Configure email deliverability:
   • Set up SPF record for your domain
   • Set up DKIM authentication
   • Verify sender email address
4. Test email sending (send yourself a test campaign)
5. Create your first form and test it

Step 2: Export Your WordPress User Data

AccessAlly Managed stores all contacts as WordPress users. You need to export this data.

Option 1: Use a WordPress User Export Plugin (Recommended)

1. Install a user export plugin (e.g., “Export Users to CSV”)
2. Go to WordPress → Tools → Export Users
3. Select “All Users” and “All User Meta”
4. Click Export to download CSV

Option 2: Export from WordPress Database (Advanced)

1. Access your WordPress database via phpMyAdmin
2. Export the wp_users table
3. Export the wp_usermeta table
4. Join the data in Excel/Sheets to create a complete user export

What’s included in the WordPress user export:

• Email addresses (user_email)
• First and last names (user meta)
• AccessAlly tags (stored as user meta)
• Custom fields (WordPress user meta)
• User registration dates
• User roles

What’s NOT automatically exported:

• Email campaign history (none exists in AA Managed)
• Email Wizard sequences (must be rebuilt in Drip)
• Form designs (must be recreated)

Step 3: Map Your AccessAlly Data to Drip

Create a data mapping spreadsheet. Use the Data Mapping Reference Guide for details.

Step 4: Recreate Your Tags in Drip

AccessAlly tags and Drip tags both use a flat structure (no categories), making this straightforward.

1. Make a list of all AccessAlly tags from your user export
2. Go to Drip → Subscribers → Tags
3. Create each tag in Drip
4. Use the exact same tag names for easier mapping (case-sensitive)

Step 5: Create Custom Fields in Drip

1. List all WordPress user meta fields you need to preserve
2. Go to Drip → Settings → Custom Fields
3. Create each custom field in Drip
4. Note that all Drip custom fields are text (no type validation)
5. Document the field names for CSV mapping

Common user meta fields to migrate:

• Membership level
• Purchase history
• Content progress tracking
• Business/profile information
• Custom survey responses

Step 6: Prepare Your CSV for Import

The AccessAlly Migration Wizard expects a specific CSV format. Transform your WordPress user export.

Required columns for AccessAlly + Drip import:

• Email – Email address (required)
• First Name – First name
• Last Name – Last name
• Tags – Comma-separated list of Drip tag names
• custom_field_name – Custom field columns (use exact Drip field names)

CSV transformation steps:

1. Open your WordPress user export in Excel or Google Sheets
2. Create these columns:
   • Email (from user_email)
   • First Name (from first_name user meta)
   • Last Name (from last_name user meta)
   • Tags (extract AccessAlly tags from user meta, comma-separate)
   • Additional custom fields as needed
3. Filter out admin users and test accounts
4. Remove users with invalid email addresses
5. Ensure tags are comma-separated in one cell per user
6. Save as new CSV: “aa-managed-to-drip-import.csv”

Step 7: Connect Drip to AccessAlly (Staging Site First)

1. On your STAGING site, go to AccessAlly → Settings → General
2. Under “CRM Integration,” change from “Managed Contacts” to “Drip”
3. Enter your Drip API credentials:
   • Account ID (found in Drip → Settings → Account → General)
   • API Token (found in Drip → Settings → User Settings → API Token)
4. Click Save and Test Connection
5. Verify the connection is successful

Phase 2: Migration Execution (2-3 hours)

Step 8: Download and Activate the Migration Wizard Plugin

1. Go to AccessAlly → Utilities
2. Find “Migration Wizard Plugin”
3. Click Download to get the plugin ZIP file
4. Go to WordPress → Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
5. Upload the Migration Wizard ZIP file
6. Click Activate Plugin

Full instructions: Using the AccessAlly Migration Wizard Plugin

Step 9: Import Your Contacts via Migration Wizard

1. On your STAGING site, go to AccessAlly → Migration Wizard
2. Click “Import from CSV”
3. Upload your prepared CSV file
4. Map CSV columns to Drip fields (should auto-detect if named correctly)
5. Choose import options:
   • Update existing users: Check if users already exist in WordPress
   • Create users in CRM: Check (this creates contacts in Drip)
   • Add tags: Check (applies tags from CSV)
   • Send welcome email: UNCHECK (you’ll email members separately)
6. Click “Start Import”

What happens during import:

• WordPress user accounts remain (or are created if missing)
• Contacts created in Drip
• Tags applied in Drip
• Contact ID from Drip stored in WordPress user meta (CRITICAL)
• This Contact ID linking enables AccessAlly to check Drip for member access

Step 10: Update AccessAlly Tags and Access Rules

Verify that all tag-based access rules still reference the correct tag names.

1. Go through each AccessAlly Module or protected page
2. Check “Who Can Access” settings
3. Verify tag names match Drip tags EXACTLY (case-sensitive)
4. Update any tag-based access rules if needed
5. Update membership levels to link to correct Drip tags

Critical areas to check:

• Module access rules
• Page protection settings
• Order form tag assignments
• Email wizard tag triggers
• Automation trigger rules

Step 11: Link Payment Gateway Subscriptions

If you have paid members with active subscriptions, ensure their Stripe/PayPal subscriptions are properly linked.

1. Export active subscriptions from Stripe or PayPal
2. Match subscription IDs to member email addresses
3. In AccessAlly, go to each member’s profile
4. Verify the subscription ID is stored correctly
5. Test that failed payments will cancel access

Detailed guide: Preserving Subscriptions During Migration

Step 12: Rebuild Your Email Sequences in Drip

AccessAlly Email Wizards must be rebuilt as Drip workflows. This is one of the most time-consuming steps.

AccessAlly Email Wizards → Drip Workflows mapping:

Common Email Wizards to rebuild:

• Welcome sequences: Use Drip workflows with “Tag added” trigger
• Drip campaigns: Time-based email sequences
• Purchase follow-ups: Workflow triggered by purchase tag
• Content unlock sequences: Module completion → tag → workflow trigger

Step 13: Migrate Your Forms

AccessAlly opt-in forms can be replaced with Drip forms OR kept as AccessAlly forms that submit to Drip.

Option 1: Use Drip Forms

1. Create forms in Drip → Forms
2. Embed Drip form code on your WordPress pages
3. Style forms to match your site
4. Set up tag assignments and workflow triggers

Option 2: Use AccessAlly Forms (Recommended)

1. Keep existing AccessAlly opt-in forms
2. Update form settings to submit to Drip (automatic after CRM switch)
3. Better integration with WordPress/AccessAlly features
4. More control over styling and behavior

For purchase forms:

• AccessAlly order forms continue to work (they submit to Drip automatically)
• Verify tag assignments post-purchase still work
• Test purchase → access granting flow

Phase 3: Go-Live and Verification (2-3 hours)

Step 14: Test Everything on Staging

Before touching your live site, thoroughly test on staging:

• ✅ Member login works
• ✅ Content access rules work correctly
• ✅ Tags control access properly
• ✅ Forms submit to Drip and create/update contacts
• ✅ Purchase flow works end-to-end (use Stripe test mode)
• ✅ Subscription linking works
• ✅ Failed payment handling tested
• ✅ Email workflows trigger correctly
• ✅ Email sending works from Drip
• ✅ Contact IDs properly linked between WordPress and Drip

Step 15: Switch Live Site to Drip

When staging tests pass, switch your live site:

1. Schedule downtime (2-4 hour window recommended)
2. Put site in maintenance mode
3. Create fresh WordPress backup
4. Export final WordPress user list (capture any new users since staging)
5. Switch AccessAlly to Drip (same steps as staging):
   • AccessAlly → Settings → General
   • Change CRM to Drip
   • Enter Drip API credentials
   • Test connection
6. Import any new users from final export via Migration Wizard
7. Verify access rules and tags
8. Test login for 3-5 members (different membership levels)
9. Take site out of maintenance mode
10. Monitor closely for 1 hour

Step 16: Complete Post-Migration Checks

Work through the complete Post-Migration Verification Checklist. Key items for AA Managed → Drip:

✅ Contact Data Integrity

• Verify total contact count in Drip matches WordPress user count
• Check 10 random contacts in Drip for complete data (names, tags, custom fields)
• Verify Contact IDs properly stored in WordPress user meta
• Check for duplicate contacts in Drip

✅ Access & Permissions

• Test login as multiple member types
• Verify access to protected content for each membership level
• Check tag-based access rules work
• Test content unlocking based on tags

✅ Tags & Custom Fields

• Verify tags migrated correctly (sample 10 contacts in Drip)
• Check custom fields populated in Drip
• Test tag-based access rules
• Verify tag assignment via forms

✅ Email Deliverability

• Send test emails from Drip to Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo
• Check inbox placement (not spam)
• Verify unsubscribe links work
• Test email workflow sequences
• Monitor email bounce rates (should be LOWER than AA Managed)

✅ Forms & Automations

• Test each opt-in form submission
• Verify form data reaches Drip
• Test order form purchases
• Confirm post-purchase workflows fire in Drip
• Test auto-login after purchase

✅ Subscriptions & Payments

• Verify active subscriptions linked correctly
• Test new purchase flow end-to-end
• Test subscription cancellation
• 🚨 CRITICAL: Test failed payment handling
• Verify member access aligns with payment status

Step 17: Monitor for 7 Days

Monitor for issues during the first week:

• Day 1-2: Watch for immediate access issues, login problems
• Day 3-5: Monitor email deliverability and engagement rates (should improve)
• Day 6-7: Check subscription/payment handling

What to monitor:

• Member support tickets (any migration-related confusion?)
• Email bounce rates (should decrease vs. AA Managed)
• Email engagement rates (opens, clicks)
• Login errors or access issues
• Payment failures or subscription problems
• Form submission success rates

Step 18: Clean Up

Once migration is stable (7+ days):

1. Deactivate Migration Wizard plugin
2. Remove staging site’s 2-site exception (contact AccessAlly support)
3. Update member documentation with new email preferences link
4. Monitor Drip costs vs. old SMTP costs
5. Celebrate better deliverability!

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue 1: Members Have Tags But Can’t Access Content

Symptoms: Members have correct tags in Drip but getting “insufficient permissions” errors

Causes:

• Contact ID not stored in WordPress user meta during import
• Contact ID stored under wrong meta key
• WordPress user exists but Drip contact doesn’t
• Tag names in AccessAlly don’t match Drip exactly (case-sensitive)

Solution:

1. Check WordPress user meta for “drip_contact_id” or “contact_id”
2. If missing, re-import the user via Migration Wizard with “Update existing users” checked
3. Verify the Contact ID in Drip matches the stored ID
4. Check tag name spelling and capitalization
5. Test access after fixing Contact ID

Issue 2: Custom Fields Data Missing in Drip

Symptoms: Custom field data didn’t migrate from WordPress user meta to Drip

Causes:

• Custom fields not created in Drip before import
• CSV column names don’t match Drip custom field names
• Data type conversion issues

Solution:

1. Verify custom fields exist in Drip → Settings → Custom Fields
2. Note exact field names (case-sensitive)
3. Update CSV column headers to match Drip field names
4. Re-import with “Update existing users” checked
5. Check a few contacts to verify data populated

Issue 3: Emails Landing in Spam

Symptoms: Members report not receiving emails from Drip, or emails in spam folder

Causes:

• SPF/DKIM not configured correctly for your domain
• Sending domain has poor reputation (rare with Drip)
• Email content triggers spam filters

Solution:

1. Verify SPF and DKIM records are correct in Drip → Settings → Email Authentication
2. Check domain reputation with MXToolbox
3. Test email deliverability with Mail Tester (mail-tester.com)
4. Review email content for spam trigger words
5. Contact Drip support if deliverability issues persist

Issue 4: Workflows Not Triggering

Symptoms: Drip workflows aren’t triggering when tags are added or purchases occur

Causes:

• Workflow trigger conditions don’t match exactly
• Workflow not activated
• Tag names in workflow trigger don’t match applied tags (case-sensitive)
• Contact already passed through workflow (check “Re-entry” settings)

Solution:

1. Check workflow status (must be “Active”)
2. Review workflow trigger conditions
3. Verify tag names match exactly (case-sensitive)
4. Check workflow re-entry settings
5. Test workflow with a test contact
6. Review Drip Activity log for errors

Issue 5: Subscription Payments Not Linked

Symptoms: Active subscribers showing as “no subscription” in AccessAlly

Causes:

• Subscription IDs not properly transferred during migration
• Email address mismatch between Stripe and WordPress
• Subscription metadata not stored correctly

Solution:

1. Export active subscriptions from Stripe
2. Match subscription IDs to WordPress user emails
3. Manually update AccessAlly subscription data for each user
4. Test failed payment handling for each subscription

Detailed guide: Preserving Subscriptions During Migration

Issue 6: Higher Email Costs Than Expected

Symptoms: Drip monthly bill higher than anticipated

Causes:

• Imported inactive/unengaged contacts
• Contact count tier higher than planned
• Didn’t clean list before migration

Solution:

1. Review your Drip contact count vs. pricing tier
2. Identify unengaged contacts (haven’t opened in 6+ months)
3. Archive or delete inactive contacts to reduce costs
4. Set up re-engagement campaigns before deleting
5. Consider Drip’s “Unsubscribed” status to maintain contact history without paying

Cost Analysis: AccessAlly Managed vs. Drip

Cost comparison by list size:

What you gain for the cost increase:

• ✅ Professional email infrastructure (better deliverability)
• ✅ Advanced e-commerce automation
• ✅ Revenue tracking and attribution
• ✅ Behavioral triggers and segmentation
• ✅ Visual workflow builder
• ✅ Email analytics and A/B testing
• ✅ Reduced support burden (more reliable)

Migration Timeline & Downtime

Total Time Estimate: 6-8 hours (plus 2-3 hours testing)

Recommended Downtime Window: 2-4 hours on a weekend or low-traffic period for the live site switch

Need Help?

Migration Support:

• Review the Migration Support Policy
• For CRM switch assistance: Contact AccessAlly support
• Consider professional migration help for large or complex sites

Related Guides:

• Pre-Migration Checklist
• Post-Migration Verification
• Data Mapping Reference
• How to Migrate CRMs and Keep The Same AccessAlly Site
• Preserving Subscriptions During Migration
• Drip → AccessAlly Managed (Opposite migration)