Switching from Arken
Moving drafting software is mostly a data and timing problem, not a technical one. Here is the honest version, including the parts that are annoying.
Moving from Arken to Willo is mostly about data and timing. The technical part is straightforward; the parts that catch people out are contractual.
Check this first#
Your renewal date and notice period. Arken's own materials refer to annual commitments. If you are four months into a twelve-month term, the cheapest move may be to start now and overlap, or to time the switch to the renewal. Find out before you plan anything else.
There is nothing at our end to plan around — Willo is a rolling month with no notice period — so all the timing constraints in this move belong to your current contract.
What comes across#
| Moves | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
| Client records | Yes | We map and import it for you |
| Family and relationship data | Mostly | Structure varies; we check it with you |
| Assets | Mostly | Same |
| Finished documents | Yes, as files | Keep PDFs and Word copies before you close the account |
| Stored answers behind a document | No | Engine-specific. This is the real limitation |
| Templates you customised | No | You will not need them — we maintain the clause set |
| Historic correspondence | Depends | If it is in your email rather than Arken, it is already yours |
The one that matters: you cannot regenerate an old Arken will from its stored answers once you leave. So before you close the account, export final copies of every document. If a client needs a variation in 2029, you will be working from the PDF and re-entering, which is a one-off cost per client rather than an ongoing one.
How we do it#
- Export from Arken. Ask their support for a full structured export. Do this while your account is live.
- Send it to us. We map and import it. We do not hand you a template spreadsheet and wish you luck — mapping someone else's export is our job, not yours.
- We check it with you. Spot-check a sample of records together before you rely on it.
- Run both in parallel for a month. New matters in Willo, existing ones finished where they started. Because there is no contract with us, a month of overlap costs £150 and removes all the risk.
- Close the old account at your renewal date.
What will feel different#
The drafting flow. Willo asks questions in the order you take instructions rather than presenting a clause tree. Most people prefer it within a week; some people who know Arken's library intimately miss the direct clause access. That is a real trade-off, not a marketing one.
No modules. Trusts, LPAs, letters of wishes are all just there. There is nothing to buy.
More than drafting. The CRM, email and invoicing are the parts people underuse in the first month because they are not expecting a drafting tool to have them.
Related#
Before you ask.
Can I export my client data from Arken?
You should be able to — under UK GDPR your clients' personal data is yours and you have a right to portability. Ask Arken support for a full export in a structured format. If you meet resistance, cite Article 20. Do this before you give notice, not after.
Do my existing Arken documents still work?
Documents you have already produced are PDFs and Word files that you keep — they are unaffected. What does not transfer is the ability to regenerate a document from its stored answers, because that depends on Arken's engine. Keep final copies of everything before you close the account.
Am I in a contract?
Quite possibly. Arken's materials refer to annual commitments. Check your renewal date and notice period before you plan the move — this is the single thing that most often turns a simple switch into an expensive one.
See it draft one of your cases.
Book a walkthrough with someone who drafts in Willo every day. They will open your kind of case, not a demo script, and you can stop them and ask anything.
Or call 0333 049 5033 — Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm.