Switch from Elead in 12 minutes.

1. Step 01

   Export from Elead

   Open Elead, drop into Reports, run Customer List → Export to CSV. If you want the full inbound history (recommended), also run Lead Activity Export. Pull everything — no date range, no source filter, all rooftops.

   Path: Reports → Customer List → Export to CSV · Combine with Lead Activity Export for the full timeline.

2. Step 02

   Upload to /admin/import

   Drag the CSV onto the Gladius admin import surface. The file streams up over HTTPS, lands in an immutable archive table (ImportSourceRow), and we show you a row count + checksum before any projection happens.

   Files up to 250 MB stream in chunks. The original CSV is preserved verbatim, queryable forever.

3. Step 03

   Column map is automatic

   The importer recognizes the Elead schema, auto-maps every column (including the long-tail custom fields), and shows you a preview screen with 10 sample rows already projected as leads. Approve the map, override anything, click Run.

   Custom Elead fields land in importCustomFields (JSON) — searchable from day one.

4. Step 04

   One-click rollback (24h window)

   If anything looks off in the first 24 hours, one button rolls the entire batch back. The ImportSourceRow archive is untouched, so we re-tune the map and re-run — no second export from Elead required.

   Rollback is per-batch and atomic. Your dealer ID stays clean either way.

Inside Elead: Reports → Customer List → Export to CSV (or Lead Activity Export for the full inbound history). Elead exports a wide CSV with the customer file, the deal file, and the long notes thread reps have been writing for years. Our importer reads every column verbatim — including the Elead custom fields your store has been writing since the CDK acquisition — and projects them into Gladius without a schema reshape.

• Every row archived in ImportSourceRow

  The raw CSV is stored verbatim before any projection. The original payload is recoverable forever, even after column-map changes.

• Rows without identifiers are QUARANTINED, never dropped

  If a row is missing a phone, email, or external ID, it does not silently disappear. It lands in a Quarantine bucket you can review and re-process by hand.

• Custom columns preserved in importCustomFields JSON

  Custom DealerCenter / VinSolutions / Elead fields the standard schema doesn’t recognize survive the move as a typed JSON blob, queryable from day one.

• Full audit trail with timestamps + user attribution

  Every projected row carries the importBatchId, the operator who ran the import, the source row ID, and the exact timestamp. Compliance teams love this part.

• Per-batch rollback via single button

  If the first 24 hours show anything you don’t like, one click reverses the entire batch. The archive table is untouched, so a second import can run after we tune the column map.

Want the full matrix? See gladiuscrm.com/compare for the 40+ row breakdown.

• Will I lose my call recordings?

  No. If you're on Elead call tracking (or the CDK-bundled call vendor), recording URLs come out in the Lead Activity export and we backfill them onto the Gladius lead record. If a recording lives behind a CDK-only vault, we wire a forwarding rule so all new calls land in the Gladius vault from day one — and we keep a link to the legacy recording for the old ones.

• What about my existing texting and email templates?

  Templates port over as plain markdown and we re-bind them to the matching Gladius communicationTemplate slots. Elead token names auto-map to our equivalents; anything custom shows up in a review screen during step 3.

• Can I run both systems in parallel during the transition?

  Yes — and post-CDK breach, dual-write is the cautious play. New leads dual-write to both systems through a feature-flagged adapter, your reps see Gladius on their cockpit, and Elead stays read-only as a safety net. When you're confident, we flip the flag and Elead goes idle.

• What if my Elead / CDK contract isn't up yet?

  Run both. The $999 Gladius fee against a typical Elead seat block is usually net-cheaper than waiting — and you start banking the rep productivity gain on day one. We have helped dealers run both for the remainder of a CDK term and the math comes out favorable in every case we've modeled.

• How long until my reps are productive in Gladius?

  Same day. The Gladius cockpit was designed by a 20-year operator (Sales → F&I → GSM) and the muscle-memory paths — search a lead, log a call, write an appointment, send a text — are 1-3 keystrokes each. We run a 90-minute live training the morning of cutover, and our team is on the floor (literally or via screen-share) for the first three days.