Migrate from Chat2Desk to Zoho Desk

Chat2Desk Client records map to Zoho Desk Contact. We map client name to Contact First Name and Last Name (splitting on space if available, otherwise using a single name field), phone to Phone, email to Email, and the original messenger ID to an External ID field. Custom fields on Chat2Desk Clients require per-department field creation in Zoho Desk because Zoho Desk custom fields are scoped to departments. We flag any required custom fields that are missing in the destination department before import begins.

Each Chat2Desk conversation thread becomes one Zoho Desk Ticket with all messages split into Ticket Comments. We use the Chat2Desk conversation_id to generate a Zoho Ticket Number, map the first message as the Ticket Description, and append subsequent messages as ordered Comments preserving the original timestamp, author type (client vs operator), and author name. We use cursor-based pagination on the Chat2Desk messages endpoint (start_id, not offset) to paginate through the full conversation history without duplication.

Chat2Desk Channel records (WhatsApp Business API, Telegram, Instagram, Viber, online chat) do not map to a discrete Zoho Desk object. We map channel source to the Zoho Desk Channel field on each Ticket (values: Email, Phone, Live Chat, Twitter, Facebook, etc. plus custom channel types) and apply a tag matching the channel name (e.g., tag: whatsapp, tag: telegram). This preserves channel attribution in reporting without requiring a schema change in Zoho Desk.

Chat2Desk Operators map to Zoho Desk Agents by email address. We extract operator records during discovery, match each by email to an existing Zoho Desk agent, and use the Chat2Desk operator_id as an External ID on the Zoho Desk agent profile. Any Chat2Desk operator without a matching Zoho Desk agent email goes to a reconciliation queue for the customer's admin to provision. Department assignments from Chat2Desk Operators map to Zoho Desk Teams.

Chat2Desk Department records map to Zoho Desk Departments and Teams. Zoho Desk's department hierarchy (departments containing agents, with department-specific layouts and fields) is the closest equivalent to Chat2Desk's operator grouping. We map the Chat2Desk department name to the Zoho Desk Department name and create corresponding Teams under each Department. Any routing logic attached to Chat2Desk departments is flagged in the automation inventory since it requires manual rebuild in Zoho Desk workflow rules.

Chat2Desk Sales Funnels track leads through pipeline stages and do not have a direct equivalent in Zoho Desk's ticket-centric model. We map funnel stage names to a custom multi-select picklist or status field on the Ticket object, preserving the original stage progression. The customer chooses whether to use Zoho Desk's standard ticket status values or a custom field for funnel tracking. Stage transition timestamps are preserved as Ticket field updates if tracked in Chat2Desk.

Chat2Desk Knowledge Base articles with categories migrate as Zoho Desk Help Center articles under the customer's selected department. Article body content (title, body HTML, category) transfers directly. Article creation and modification dates in Zoho Desk will reflect the migration date rather than the original creation date — this is a known limitation of Zoho Desk's assisted migration and API import paths that we disclose upfront. We recommend the customer review published KB articles for accuracy after migration.

Chat2Desk message Templates (response macros and auto-reply content) migrate as Zoho Desk Macros. We export the template body text, subject line (if applicable), and the operator or department assignment. WhatsApp Business API template approval status (the Meta-governed template model) does not carry over; customers must re-submit approved templates to Meta's WhatsApp Business API directly after migration. We include this as a separate step in the post-migration checklist.

Chat2Desk Departments group operators and define routing for inbound messages. We map department structures to Zoho Desk Teams and associate the migrated agents with their corresponding Teams. Department-level routing rules (e.g., round-robin or load-based assignment) are flagged as configuration items requiring rebuild using Zoho Desk's Assignment Rules or the Workload Management feature.

Chat2Desk Tags applied to conversations or Clients migrate to Zoho Desk Tags. Tag names are normalized to lowercase with hyphens replacing spaces to match Zoho Desk's tag naming convention. Tags used for conversation-level categorization in Chat2Desk attach to the corresponding Zoho Desk Ticket as Tags. Tags applied at the Client level attach to the migrated Contact record.

File attachments within Chat2Desk messages are downloaded from the platform and re-uploaded to the corresponding Zoho Desk Ticket Comment. File names, content types, and original upload timestamps are preserved. Inline images embedded in message bodies are handled as file attachments linked to the Comment record. Large file attachments (exceeding Zoho Desk's file size limits) are flagged for the customer to review post-migration.

Chat2Desk's chatbot builder rules, auto-reply configurations, and Python script automations are platform-native configurations stored in Chat2Desk's internal bot builder. They do not export as structured records and cannot be mapped 1:1 to Zoho Desk equivalents. We do not migrate them. We provide a written inventory of every active chatbot rule, trigger condition, and auto-reply sequence with a Zoho Desk Workflow Rule or Macro equivalent recommendation for the customer's admin to rebuild manually.