Move the audience without losing its preferences.

Define what is moving and who approves it

List the datasets, brands, forms, templates and active journeys in scope. Record whether the organisation sending the marketing and the intended purpose stay the same. A platform change is not a reason to widen the audience or turn an old service contact into a marketing subscriber.

The Information Regulator's direct-marketing guidance addresses POPIA sections 11 and 69. For unsolicited electronic direct marketing, consent and the customer exception are distinct routes with conditions. A previous purchase is not a blanket permission for every future message. Have the responsible reviewer document the basis relevant to each group; this workflow organises that decision rather than making it for you.

Build a permission ledger outside the import file

Keep the operational import small and the original evidence controlled. The ledger connects a review decision to its source without treating a new upload date as the date permission was obtained.

Do not paste personal records into the worksheet on this page. Use campaign or dataset references. Where you need a contact-level ledger, maintain it in your organisation's appropriately protected records system with access and retention controls.

Resolve conflicts before import

1. Take a dated snapshot

   Export the source datasets and current status history. Preserve a recoverable copy according to your retention and access rules, and record which system remains authoritative during the move.

2. Separate three review queues

   Create approved, excluded and unresolved groups. Check duplicates across brands and lists. A record appearing once as subscribed and once as withdrawn needs review; do not resolve it by choosing the more convenient row.

3. Prepare supported fields

   Inspect the destination's actual CSV import fields. SendMailOS contact preparation can use fields such as email, name and tags; do not assume an arbitrary status column restores consent proof, suppression rules or workflow state.

4. Test a small controlled sample

   Use designated test records to confirm mapping, tags and audience selection. Check that excluded records cannot accidentally enter the intended sendable group through a later import or connected form.

Create one cutover window

Choose when the old system stops marketing sends and when the new system may begin. List scheduled campaigns, form connections, recurring imports and automation entry points. Pause or redirect each deliberately so a signup or preference change does not land in an abandoned system.

Reconcile changes made after the snapshot. This delta can include new signups, edits, withdrawals and delivery exclusions. Before release, compare the old source counts, the reviewed eligible count and the destination audience count, with an explanation for differences. A matching total is useful, but it does not prove the right people are included.

Rebuild templates and journeys as reviewed designs rather than assuming they transfer exactly. Test sender details, links, reply handling and unsubscribe behaviour in a designated test. Name the person who can pause the new campaign if audience or delivery results differ from the approved plan.

Keep permission maintenance running

• Give withdrawal and objection requests a clear operational route across forms, replies and support channels. Test the handoff and the exclusion that follows.
• Restrict manual reimports and connected audience updates to reviewed processes. Keep the original exclusion decision available during future migrations.
• Review the first campaigns against the approved brief. Investigate complaints, unexpected recipients and missing preferences before increasing volume.
• Keep delivery economics separate from audience eligibility. A larger allowance or unlimited platform email volume on your own-server route does not expand permission.