Help desk migration checklist: switching tools without losing tickets

A help desk migration goes well when you decide what to move before you move it, test the move on a sample, and switch email last. The checklist below is ordered: contract and data first, configuration second, cutover last. Most problems come from steps done out of order, such as switching email forwarding before the new rules exist.

The short version

Check your contract's notice period first. Renewals can lock you in for another term.
Export everything before you give notice, including attachments, macros and help center articles.
Map fields and statuses on paper before any import.
Run both tools in parallel for a short period, then switch email forwarding and DNS.
Redirect every help center URL, or you lose search traffic and break links in old replies.

Before you start: contract and rights

Find the renewal date and notice period. Zendesk's terms require 30 days' notice of non-renewal, Freshdesk's 30 days and Zoho's 7 days. Put the date in the calendar with a margin.
Check refund terms for the new vendor. Zoho, for example, documents a refund window of 45 days on annual plans.
Know your switching rights. In the EU, the Data Act gives customers of cloud services rights when switching providers, including around data export. Our data protection law guide explains what applies.
Check your data processing agreement with the new vendor, and where it hosts data, before any customer data moves. See help desks with EU data residency.

Step 1: inventory and export

Tickets and conversations, with requester, assignee, status, tags, custom fields and timestamps.
Attachments. These are often exported separately or as links that expire when your old account closes. Download them.
Contacts and organizations, with any custom attributes.
Macros, saved replies and canned responses. These rarely import automatically; export them as text.
Automations, triggers and SLA policies. Document them in plain language; they will be rebuilt, not copied.
Help center articles, with their URLs, categories and translations.
Reports you rely on, with screenshots of current figures for comparison after the switch.

Step 2: choose how the data moves

Vendors document migration differently. Help Scout documents an import of emails or tickets. Zoho Desk documents migration from Zendesk and Freshdesk. Intercom describes historical data migration by API script or through a paid service rather than a self-serve import tool. For Zendesk we did not verify a first-party import tool. Third-party migration services exist for most pairs; ask for a sample migration of a few hundred tickets before you pay for the full run.

Decide how much history to move. Many teams move one or two years of tickets into the new tool and keep an archive export of the rest, which shortens the migration and reduces the cost of third-party services priced by record.

Step 3: map fields and rebuild configuration

Map every field and status. "Pending" in one tool may not mean "pending" in another. Write the mapping as a table and have the support lead sign it off.
Recreate groups, teams and roles, then seats. Check who needs a paid seat and who can be a light or read-only user.
Rebuild macros, updating any placeholders to the new tool's syntax.
Rebuild routing rules and SLA policies, using your plain-language notes. See SLA basics.
Reconnect integrations: CRM, e-commerce, billing, chat widget, phone.
Set up AI features last, once the knowledge base is in place, since AI agents answer from it.

Step 4: help center redirects

Every old article URL should return a permanent (301) redirect to its new equivalent. Old replies, product screens and search results all link to those URLs. Build a spreadsheet of old URL to new URL, and test a sample after launch. If you use a custom domain for the help center, plan the DNS change for the cutover.

Step 5: test, run in parallel, cut over

Import a sample and check it with agents: threads in order, attachments open, fields correct.
Train agents on the new tool with real tickets in a test queue.
Run in parallel for a short, fixed period: new channels such as chat can move first while email stays put.
Switch email forwarding from your support address to the new tool, and update SPF and DKIM records so replies sent from the new tool are delivered.
Run a final delta import of tickets created in the old tool since the main import.
Keep the old account read-only until the notice period ends, then export once more and close it.

Budget the switch, too. A migration adds costs that do not show in the new vendor's price: migration services, overlapping subscriptions during the parallel run, and agent time. Compare the ongoing bills in the true-cost calculator, and see the Zendesk alternatives and Freshdesk alternatives pages for common destinations.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a help desk migration take?

For a small team with one email address, a few days of work spread over two to four weeks, including the parallel run. Teams with many workflows, integrations and languages need longer, mainly to rebuild configuration.

Can I migrate ticket history for free?

Sometimes. Some vendors document their own import tools, such as Help Scout's importer and Zoho Desk's migration from Zendesk and Freshdesk. Otherwise, a third-party service or an API script is needed.

What usually goes wrong?

Attachments that were not exported, macros that were forgotten, broken help center links, and email forwarding switched before routing rules were ready.

Do I have a legal right to export my data?

Most contracts allow export, and data protection law gives rights over personal data. EU rules on switching cloud providers add further rights. See our data protection law guide.

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This page was researched and drafted with AI assistance from the sources listed on it. We have not run hands-on tests of these products. Method: How we review