Migrate from Crisp to Zendesk

Crisp Conversations are the primary thread object and map directly to Zendesk Tickets. Each Conversation carries a website_id, a contact reference, a set of Messages, and operator assignments. We translate the Crisp created_at and updated_at timestamps to Zendesk Ticket created_at and updated_at, and map the Crisp resolve status to Zendesk Ticket status (Open, Pending, Solved, Closed). The Crisp conversation URL maps to a Zendesk external_id so the original thread remains referenceable.

Crisp Messages are nested inside Conversations and include body text, attachment references, author metadata, and author_type (operator vs. visitor). We map Messages to Zendesk Ticket Comments preserving body content, author identity (operator emails resolve to Zendesk Agent User records), and timestamp. Public vs. private message visibility in Crisp maps to Zendesk public=true (Comment public=true) or public=false (Internal Comment).

Crisp Contacts are stored in the CRM module (Essentials tier and above) with standard fields (email, name, phone) plus dynamic custom properties. We extract all Contact properties and map them to Zendesk User fields: standard fields map directly (email, name, phone), and custom properties map to Zendesk User Fields. Accounts on Free or Mini tiers with no CRM access may have limited Contact export capability; we confirm API key availability and use the /contacts endpoint as a workaround for lower-tier accounts.

Crisp Operators map to Zendesk Agent User records. We resolve operators by email match against the Zendesk User table. Role-based permissions in Crisp (admin vs. standard operator) map to Zendesk roles (admin vs. agent). Any operator count that exceeds the destination Zendesk Suite plan seat allowance is flagged for the customer to resolve (deactivate or upgrade the destination plan) before migration.

A Crisp Website represents a configured chat widget tied to a domain, holding widget settings, enabled channels, and routing rules. Zendesk has no direct Website equivalent. We extract the Website configuration as a structured snapshot and translate enabled channel types (email, chat, WhatsApp, SMS) into Zendesk channel routing by setting the Ticket channel field and configuring corresponding Zendesk Views per channel. Widget theme and greeting settings do not migrate directly; these require manual reconfiguration in Zendesk Guide or the customer's web team.

Crisp Tags are applied to Conversations to categorize them (urgent, billing, onboarding). Tags carry as plain string labels across the migration. We associate the full tag set with migrated Zendesk Tickets. Note that Zendesk tag limits are enforced at the account level; very large tag sets (hundreds of unique tags) should be reviewed for consolidation during scoping.

Crisp Segments are dynamic Contact filters defined in the CRM module (Essentials+). They are defined by rule conditions against Contact properties. Zendesk has no equivalent dynamic segmentation object. We preserve the segment rule definitions as structured metadata in a written inventory document for the customer to recreate as Zendesk Saved Searches or Views. Segments do not auto-populate in Zendesk; the customer or admin rebuilds them post-migration.

Crisp Canned Responses are pre-written message templates with Crisp-specific %placeholder% variable syntax. We export them as structured records and map to Zendesk Macros. The %session.nickname% and similar Crisp variable syntax does not carry into Zendesk's {{ticket.requester.name}} format natively; we flag each Canned Response for manual adaptation in the destination so the customer can update placeholder syntax to Zendesk macro variable format.

File attachments uploaded to Crisp Messages are stored as URLs referencing Crisp's file storage. We preserve the attachment URLs and re-upload files to Zendesk's file storage during migration, attaching them to the corresponding Ticket Comments. Attachment file size limits must be verified against the destination Zendesk Suite plan; Enterprise plans have higher attachment size limits than Team plans.

Crisp's chat widget has theme, color, greeting message, and behavior configuration tied to each Website. We extract widget settings as a configuration snapshot. These settings do not migrate programmatically to Zendesk because Zendesk's Web Widget is configured separately in Zendesk Guide settings or via the Web SDK. We deliver a written widget configuration inventory so the customer's web team can reconfigure the Zendesk Web Widget with the equivalent settings.

Crisp Channels are enabled per Website and carry channel-type metadata on each Conversation (which channel the message originated from). Zendesk Tickets carry a channel field identifying the source (email, chat, voice, WhatsApp, etc.). We map the Crisp channel metadata to the Zendesk Ticket channel field and configure separate Zendesk Views per channel so agents see a channel-specific inbox experience matching the Crisp multi-channel unified inbox.

Crisp Conversations carry context metadata including website_id, visitor page URL, browser, and geographic data. We map these to Zendesk Ticket custom fields (text, URL, or dropdown as appropriate). The customer defines the field names and types in Zendesk Admin during pre-migration setup. We deliver a custom field schema with the metadata keys and recommended field types.