Migrate from Chatwoot to Freshdesk

Chatwoot Conversations map to Freshdesk Tickets. We preserve conversation status (open, resolved, pending) as Freshdesk Ticket status values, priority mapping from Chatwoot priority to Freshdesk priority (urgent, high, medium, low), assignee mapping from Chatwoot assignee_id to Freshdesk responder_id, and team-to-group resolution where Chatwoot Teams exist on Business+ source plans. Label taxonomy migrates to Freshdesk Tags on the ticket record. The conversation created_at timestamp becomes Ticket created_at; last_message_at becomes Ticket updated_at. Private notes from Chatwoot map to Freshdesk's internal notes using message_type = 'note' on the conversation_message.

Chatwoot Contact records (name, email, phone, custom_attributes) map directly to Freshdesk Contact. The Contact email field is the dedupe key. Chatwoot custom_attributes that attach to Contacts migrate to Freshdesk custom contact fields, which must be pre-created in the Freshdesk schema before import. Chatwoot Contact avatar URLs migrate as contact avatar URLs in Freshdesk if the destination plan supports avatar uploads.

Chatwoot Messages nest inside Conversations as conversation_message records. We flatten the message array and write each message as a Freshdesk Conversation entry (public reply or private note) using the message_type field (incoming/outgoing = public note; activity = internal note). Message created_at timestamps preserve chronological order in Freshdesk's conversation timeline. Attachments migrate as conversation attachment URLs linked to the Freshdesk conversation record. Chatwoot's sender_type (agent vs customer) maps to Freshdesk's body_text_type (reply vs note) to preserve agent-versus-customer attribution.

Chatwoot Inboxes (Website Live Chat, Email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, API) map to Freshdesk Products (channel configurations). Channel credentials (webhook URLs, page tokens, WhatsApp business account tokens, API keys) are credentials-bound and do not transfer between platforms. We document the inbox type and name from Chatwoot so the customer's admin can configure the corresponding Freshdesk Product with matching channel type at the destination. The live chat widget code snippet does not migrate; Freshdesk provides its own widget script that replaces Chatwoot's widget on the website.

Chatwoot Agents (user accounts with email, name, role, and availability status) map to Freshdesk Agents. We match by email address during import. Chatwoot role values (agent, administrator) map to Freshdesk Role permissions. Agent passwords do not transfer; Freshdesk sends invitation emails to migrated agents. If a Chatwoot agent account is inactive, we create the Freshdesk agent as inactive pending the customer's decision on provisioning.

Chatwoot Teams (Business tier and above) map to Freshdesk Groups. Teams group agents and route conversations in Chatwoot; Groups serve the same routing function in Freshdesk. If the source Chatwoot plan is Hacker or Startups, no Teams exist in the export and this mapping step is skipped. We create Freshdesk Groups using the Team names from Chatwoot and map agent memberships to Group membership. Team-level routing rules are documented separately as Freshdesk Group assignment automations for the customer's admin to rebuild.

Chatwoot Labels (string tags applied to Conversations) map to Freshdesk Tags at the ticket level. We export the full label taxonomy including label names and color metadata where available. Tags are applied to migrated Tickets to preserve the categorization layer. Tag color display metadata from Chatwoot does not transfer; Freshdesk uses a default tag color palette.

Chatwoot Custom Attributes (text, number, dropdown, checkbox) attached to Conversations or Contacts map to Freshdesk Custom Fields. We pre-create the destination schema in Freshdesk (Admin Settings > Custom Fields) before any record import, matching the Chatwoot attribute name, type, and dropdown options. The destination field type must be explicitly mapped: Chatwoot text becomes Freshdesk text, Chatwoot dropdown becomes Freshdesk dropdown, Chatwoot checkbox becomes Freshdesk checkbox. Schema creation is a prerequisite step; migration cannot begin until all custom attribute targets exist in Freshdesk.

Chatwoot Canned Responses (pre-written reply templates with shortcut codes) map to Freshdesk Canned Templates. We export the full set including template content and shortcut trigger. Canned Responses with variable placeholders ({conversation.snoozed_until}, {contact.name}) are preserved as-is; the customer's Freshdesk admin verifies template variable compatibility post-migration. Canned Responses require Startups tier or higher on Chatwoot; if the source is on Hacker plan, no canned responses exist to migrate.

Chatwoot Automation Rules (Business+ tier only) trigger on Events and execute Actions such as assign, label, or send email. They map conceptually to Freshdesk Scenario Automations, but the rule logic is platform-specific and cannot transfer as executable code. We export the full rule definitions (trigger, conditions, actions) and deliver a written reconstruction guide mapping each Chatwoot automation to the equivalent Freshdesk Scenario Automation step-by-step. If the source Chatwoot plan is Hacker or Startups, no automation rules exist in the export and this documentation step is skipped.