The short answer
Before you cancel any app, export your shift notes, invoices and payment history, client records, kilometre logs, incident reports and receipts. Check the file format you get (PDF or CSV), confirm your plan manager has copies of anything they need, and only cancel once you've confirmed everything downloaded correctly.
Switching apps sounds simple until you realise eighteen months of shift notes live somewhere you're about to lose access to. Before you cancel anything, work through what needs to come with you and confirm it actually exports in a form you can use later.
Why this matters more than it seems
As an independent support worker, your notes and invoices are your business records. If you're ever asked to show your work, whether that's a participant, a plan manager or the NDIS Commission, you need to be able to produce it. Some apps let you export everything in a few clicks. Others make it awkward, slow, or limited to a certain date range. Find out which one you're dealing with before you're relying on it.
The records to export first
- Shift notes and progress reports, ideally as PDFs you can open without the original app
- Invoices and payment history, including which ones were paid and when
- Client records and any service agreements stored in the app
- Kilometre and travel logs, especially anything you'll need at tax time
- Incident reports and behavioural observations, if the app captured them
- Receipts or expenses you've logged for work-related costs
- Your calendar or roster history, if you need it for reference
Check the file format, not just the download button
A lot of apps will let you export something, but what you get matters. A PDF of a shift note is easy to keep and show someone later. A CSV of invoice data is useful for your records but not something you'd hand to a participant. Before you commit to switching, do a test export and open the file. If it's garbled, incomplete, or missing photos that were attached to a note, you want to know that now, not after you've cancelled your old subscription.
Loop in your plan manager before you switch
If a plan manager or support coordinator has been receiving your invoices directly from your old app, let them know you're changing systems. Confirm they already have copies of anything they need, and flag that your next invoice will look a little different or come from a new address. A quick heads up avoids confusion when an invoice doesn't land where they expect it.
A straightforward switching checklist
- Export shift notes and progress reports and confirm they open properly
- Export invoice history and check payment status is included
- Export or screenshot client records and service agreements
- Export kilometre logs, especially if you claim travel at tax time
- Download any photos attached to notes, not just the note text
- Tell your plan manager or support coordinator about the change
- Keep your old app active until everything is confirmed exported
- Only then cancel the old subscription
If you're weighing up a move to Sparks Scribe
Sparks Scribe is built by Sparks, so we'll say that plainly rather than pretend to be a neutral reviewer. If you're looking at switching to it, the practical bit is this: everything you add during the 14-day free trial stays in your account, so you can start using it properly before committing. It covers shift notes with templates, NDIS-coded invoicing, and a kilometre log under the Vault plan. It won't import your old data from another app automatically, so you'd still do the export steps above from your previous system first.
Whatever you choose next, the principle is the same. Your records belong to you. Get them out cleanly before you let the old app go.
Frequently asked questions
What if my old app doesn't let me export everything?
Some apps limit exports to a certain date range or file type. If that's the case, take screenshots of anything that won't export properly, especially invoices and client records, as a backup. It's not ideal, but it's better than losing the record entirely.
Do I need to keep my old app running while I set up the new one?
It's worth keeping it active until you've confirmed every export worked and opened correctly. Cancelling too early, before you've checked the files, is the most common way people lose records during a switch.
Should I tell my plan manager I'm switching apps?
Yes. If they've been receiving invoices directly from your old system, let them know in advance so your next invoice isn't a surprise and they know where to find your updated records if needed.
Will a new app import my old shift notes automatically?
Most apps, including Sparks Scribe, don't import data from other systems automatically. You'll need to export your old records yourself and keep them somewhere accessible, even if they're not inside the new app.
What should I do with old kilometre logs once I've exported them?
Keep them with your other tax records. What you can actually claim is a question for your accountant, but having the exported log on hand means you've got the detail if they ask for it.