# Cutover runbook and rollback plan before support launch

> Write the first migration run and the formal cutover as a runbook with a rollback path before launch day so the switch does not depend on memory or Slack improvisation.

- Canonical HTML: https://growth.iangoh.com/growth-ideas/cutover-runbook-and-rollback-plan-before-support-launch/
- Source: [intercom.com](https://www.intercom.com/help/en/articles/9396032-historical-data-migration-to-intercom)
- GrowthDex source hub: [Intercom Help](/sources/intercom-help-intercom-com/)
- Last checked: 2026-05-26
- Rarity: rare
- Budget: free
- Channels: Support, Operations, Internal Comms
- Stages: migration, rollback, change management, switcher intent


## Why this can grow

A migration often looks scarier than it is because the sequence lives in people's heads. A runbook turns the switch into visible steps, checkpoints, and ownership. Adding a rollback plan matters just as much. Buyers relax when they can tell the team has already thought about what happens if one assumption fails halfway through the move.

## Ian's take

From scaling consumer platforms across MENA and Southeast Asia, my default is to distrust growth work that only looks good in a slide. My bias is to treat this as a small market test first. Make the audience narrow, make the promise concrete, and let the first real response decide whether it deserves more work. I would run it small enough to learn quickly, then only scale the parts that real users repeat, save, reply to, or buy from. For this tactic, I would watch one clear growth signal before putting more time or budget behind it.

## Action plan

1. Define one narrow startup segment where cutover runbook and rollback plan before support launch can create a measurable lift.
2. Turn the tactic into one offer, page, campaign, or workflow for the Support and Operations channel.
3. Use the evidence from intercom.com to set the first version of the message, format, and audience.
4. Launch a small test for 7 to 14 days with one success metric: one measurable growth signal.
5. Review the result, keep the winning message, remove weak variants, and turn the learning into a repeatable growth playbook.

## Source-backed example

Intercom's migration guide tells teams to create a run book and rollback plan covering both the first migration run and the formal cutover plus delta migration run.

## Adjacent tactics in the same lane

- [Drain-and-fill cutover before final support history batch](/growth-ideas/drain-and-fill-cutover-before-final-support-history-batch/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 2 shared stages
- [Delta-date cutover for support migration](/growth-ideas/delta-date-cutover-for-support-migration/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 2 shared stages
- [History structure choice before support import](/growth-ideas/history-structure-choice-before-support-import/) - same source, 1 shared channel, 2 shared stages
- [Contact and attribute preload before support history import](/growth-ideas/contact-and-attribute-preload-before-support-history-import/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 1 shared stage

## Read GrowthDex essays

Browse the plain-English essay index at [GrowthDex Blog](/blog/).

## Related GrowthDex essays

- [The switch feels safer when the cutover has a script](/blog/the-switch-feels-safer-when-the-cutover-has-a-script/) - support migration, switcher marketing, brand trust

## Advisory

If you want help turning this into a working growth system, Ian Goh offers advisory at https://iangoh.com/advisory.