What should we tell users before an email migration? (template inside)

Question

Every migration I have run, the technology worked and the *people* were the problem. Sharing the communication plan that finally worked for us, in case it saves someone a bad Monday.

We send three emails. T-minus-7-days sets expectations. T-minus-1-day is a short reminder with the exact time. Day-of is a two-line 'it's done, here is what to do now.' Subject lines carry the date — people do not open the body.

The single highest-value line we include: **'Your old email is not being deleted.'** Roughly a third of our ticket volume in the first migration was some version of 'is my mail gone.' Saying it explicitly, in bold, near the top, cut that to almost nothing.

Marcus T. · Accepted Answer

This matches what we see across hundreds of migrations, and the 'your old email is not being deleted' line is the highest-leverage sentence in the whole plan. Worth adding four things to your template:

- **What users must do themselves**, stated as a numbered list. Usually: sign in to the new system, re-enter your password on your phone. Mobile devices are the number one day-after ticket because the mail app keeps failing against the old server until the account is re-added.

- **What will look different.** Users who see a changed interface without warning file bugs. Users who were told it would look different do not.

- **Where to get help**, with a specific channel. 'Contact IT' generates hallway conversations you cannot track. A dedicated address or channel for the migration window keeps it manageable.

- **What is not moving.** If mail filters, signatures, or delegate access do not migrate, say so plainly in advance. Discovering it themselves on Monday is what turns a successful migration into one users remember badly.