granola-migration-deep-dive

Granola Migration Deep Dive

Overview

Comprehensive guide for migrating to Granola from competing meeting note tools. Covers source-specific export procedures, historical data preservation, parallel-run strategy, team transition, and cutover execution. Granola's key differentiator — no bot joins meetings — means the migration also changes the user experience fundamentally.

Prerequisites

• Access to source tool with export capability
• Granola workspace configured (see granola-install-auth)
• Migration timeline agreed with stakeholders
• Budget approved for Granola licenses

Instructions

Step 1 — Assess Migration Scope

## Migration Assessment

Source tool: [Otter.ai / Fireflies / Fathom / tl;dv / Manual / Other]
Total meetings in source: [____]
Date range: [____] to [____]
Active users to migrate: [____]
Integrations to recreate: [Slack, Notion, CRM, etc.]
Historical data priority: [Archive all / Selective / Fresh start]
Target cutover date: [____]
Parallel run duration: [1 week / 2 weeks]

Step 2 — Source-Specific Export

From Otter.ai

• Export format: TXT, SRT (subtitles), PDF
• Bulk export: Otter Pro/Business: Settings > Export > Download All
• Limitations: Free plan only exports individual notes
• Key data: Transcripts with timestamps, speaker labels, action items

From Fireflies.ai

• Export format: TXT, JSON, PDF, SRT
• Bulk export: Admin > Data Management > Export
• Limitations: Custom fields may not export
• Key data: Transcripts, AI summaries, custom topics

From Fathom

• Export format: Markdown, CSV, video clips
• Bulk export: Settings > Data > Export All
• Limitations: Video clips don't transfer
• Key data: Meeting summaries, action items, highlights

From tl;dv

• Export format: TXT, video recordings
• Bulk export: Settings > Data Export
• Limitations: AI highlights may not transfer
• Key data: Transcripts, timestamps, meeting recordings

From Manual Notes (Google Docs, Notion, Confluence)

• Already in accessible format
• No export needed — archive in place
• Focus on establishing the Granola workflow going forward

Step 3 — Choose Migration Strategy

Strategy	When to Use	Data Handling	Effort
Fresh Start	<100 historical meetings, or meetings have low reference value	Archive source data externally, start fresh in Granola	Low
Selective Migration	100-1000 meetings, some have ongoing reference value	Export key meetings (client calls, decisions, contracts)	Medium
Full Archive	Enterprise with compliance requirements, everything must be searchable	Export all data, archive in Notion/Drive/cloud storage	High

Recommended for most teams: Fresh Start or Selective. Granola doesn't import historical data from other tools — there's no import feature. Historical data lives in your archive (Notion, Google Drive, local files).

Step 4 — Archive Historical Data

For important historical meetings, archive before cutting over:

#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""Organize exported meeting notes for archival."""
import os
from pathlib import Path

EXPORT_DIR = Path("~/Downloads/otter-export").expanduser()  # Adjust for your source
ARCHIVE_DIR = Path("~/Documents/meeting-archive").expanduser()

# Create organized archive structure
categories = {
    "client": ["client", "customer", "deal", "sales", "demo"],
    "engineering": ["sprint", "standup", "architecture", "review", "retro"],
    "product": ["product", "prd", "design", "feedback", "roadmap"],
    "leadership": ["all-hands", "board", "strategy", "planning"],
    "general": [],  # catch-all
}

ARCHIVE_DIR.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
for cat in categories:
    (ARCHIVE_DIR / cat).mkdir(exist_ok=True)

for file in EXPORT_DIR.glob("*.txt"):
    filename_lower = file.name.lower()
    placed = False
    for cat, keywords in categories.items():
        if any(kw in filename_lower for kw in keywords):
            dest = ARCHIVE_DIR / cat / file.name
            file.rename(dest)
            placed = True
            break
    if not placed:
        (ARCHIVE_DIR / "general" / file.name).rename(file)

print(f"Archived to {ARCHIVE_DIR}")

Alternatively, upload the archive to Notion or Google Drive for team-wide searchability.

Step 5 — Parallel Run (2 Weeks)

Run both tools simultaneously to build confidence:

Week 1: Dual recording

• Keep source tool active (bot still joins or captures)
• Enable Granola on all meetings (system audio capture)
• Compare output quality daily:

Metric	Source Tool	Granola	Winner
Transcription accuracy	___%	___%
Action item detection	___/total	___/total
Summary quality	___/5	___/5
Processing time	___ min	___ min
User experience (no bot)	N/A	Yes	Granola

Week 2: Granola primary

• Keep source tool as backup only (disable auto-record if possible)
• All sharing and distribution via Granola integrations
• Team members report any quality issues

Step 6 — Cutover Execution

Cutover day checklist:

• Final export from source tool (last day of data)
• Verify archive is complete and accessible
• Disable source tool recording/bot
• Remove source tool bot from calendar (if applicable)
• Cancel source tool subscription (save on unused billing)
• Announce to team via email/Slack:

Subject: Meeting Notes Migration Complete — Granola is Now Primary

Team,

As of today, we've completed our migration to Granola for meeting notes.

What's changed:
- No more [Otter/Fireflies/etc.] bot joining meetings
- Granola captures audio directly from your device (no bot visible to participants)
- Notes are auto-enhanced with AI summaries and action items

What you need to do:
1. Ensure Granola is running on your device
2. Verify your calendar is connected (Settings > Calendar)
3. Check that microphone + Screen & System Audio permissions are granted

Historical notes: Archived at [Notion link / Drive folder]
Support: Post in #granola-support

Thank you for the smooth transition!

• Monitor for 3 days:
  • Capture rate (% of meetings recorded)
  • Support ticket volume
  • User feedback
  • Integration sync health

Step 7 — Post-Migration Optimization

After 1 week on Granola exclusively:

• Configure templates for each meeting type (see granola-core-workflow-a)
• Set up Zapier automation for recurring workflows
• Create custom recipes for team-specific post-meeting tasks
• Establish folder structure matching team workflow
• Delete source tool accounts and data (if no longer needed)

Key Differences from Bot-Based Tools

Feature	Bot-Based (Otter, Fireflies, tl;dv)	Granola
Meeting join	Bot joins as participant	No bot — system audio capture
Participant awareness	"Bot is recording" banner	No banner (still announce recording for consent)
Platform support	Platform-specific integrations	Any platform (captures system audio)
Typed notes	Separate app	Built-in notepad merges with transcript
Enhancement	Auto-generated	User-controlled (click Enhance)
Templates	Limited	29 built-in + custom
Chat	Limited or none	Full Granola Chat with Recipes
Built-in CRM	No	People & Companies

Output

• Source data exported and archived
• Parallel run completed with quality validation
• Team migrated and recording in Granola
• Source tool deactivated and subscription cancelled
• Historical data accessible in archive

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Fix
Source export incomplete	Free plan limits bulk export	Upgrade source plan temporarily for export, then cancel
Team resistance to change	Comfort with existing tool	Share quality comparison data from parallel run
Missing historical context	No import feature in Granola	Point team to archived data (Notion/Drive)
Audio quality different than bot	System audio vs. platform API	Optimize audio setup (see granola-performance-tuning)
Low adoption post-migration	Setup issues	Run drop-in support sessions, share quick-start guide

Resources

• Granola Setup Guide
• Granola vs Otter Comparison
• Granola Free Trial
• Granola for Sales Teams

Next Steps

After migration, explore granola-performance-tuning to optimize output quality.