Migrate from Crisp to Zoho Desk

Crisp Conversations map to Zoho Desk Tickets. Each Conversation carries a website ID, a contact reference, a set of Messages, and operator assignments. We map the Crisp conversation_id to Ticket zohoDeskId for audit traceability. The Crisp channel type (chat, email, WhatsApp) maps to Zoho Desk's channel field. Status values (open, resolved, pending) map to Zoho Desk Ticket Status (Open, On Hold, Waiting on Customer, Closed). Priority from Crisp operator rating maps to Zoho Desk Priority (Low, Medium, High, Urgent). Original conversation timestamp migrates as the Ticket creation date.

Crisp Messages nested inside Conversations map to Zoho Desk Threads. We preserve message body, author identity (operator vs. visitor), timestamp, and attachment references. Operator-authored messages map with the author's name attributed to the Thread; visitor messages carry the contact name. Thread direction (incoming/outgoing) maps from Crisp's author type. Note: Zoho Desk's assisted migration documentation flags that Comment Author (Contact or Agent) attribution may be simplified during import; we preserve author identity in a custom field for audit.

Crisp Contacts (CRM module, Essentials+ only) map to Zoho Desk Contacts. Standard fields (email, name, phone) migrate directly. Custom Contact properties in Crisp migrate to Zoho Desk custom fields scoped per department. If the source Crisp account is on Free or Mini tier, the CRM module is inaccessible via UI but Contacts are available via the REST API /contacts endpoint; we use the API export path. Crisp Contacts with a company domain may optionally split into a Zoho Desk Account with child Contact records based on the customer's account strategy during scoping.

Crisp Operators map to Zoho Desk Agents. We match by email address, which is the required deduplication key in Zoho Desk. Zoho Desk's assisted migration guide specifies that agent email addresses must match exactly between source and destination, and agents must be active in the destination account at time of import. Seat limits differ: Crisp Mini (fixed small count), Essentials (up to 5), Plus (higher) versus Zoho Desk Standard/Professional per-agent. If the destination plan's agent count is exceeded, we flag the reconciliation for the customer to deactivate operators or upgrade before migration.

Crisp Tags applied to Conversations migrate as Zoho Desk Tags. Tags are stored as label strings on the Ticket record. We extract all distinct tag values from Crisp Conversations, normalize them (trim whitespace, collapse duplicates), and write them to the migrated Tickets. Note: Zoho Desk's Zwitch tool documentation for other platforms flags that tags may not migrate fully in all paths; we use direct API mapping to ensure tag fidelity rather than relying on Zoho's import wizard.

Crisp Websites represent configured chat widgets tied to domains with widget settings, enabled channels, and routing rules. Website IDs and configurations do not have a direct Zoho Desk equivalent because Zoho Desk does not manage chat widget deployment. We extract Website settings as structured metadata and either map the Crisp website_id to a Zoho Desk custom field on Ticket for reference, or map the routing intent to Zoho Desk Department assignment rules. The chat widget replacement (installing Zoho Desk's widget or a third-party chat tool) is handled by the customer's dev team post-migration.

Crisp Segments (dynamic Contact filters defined in the CRM module, Essentials+) are rule-based definitions against Contact properties. We preserve the segment rule definitions as structured metadata in a custom field on the Contact record (e.g., a JSON blob of the rule logic). Zoho Desk does not have native dynamic Segments; rebuilding segment-based routing requires Zoho CRM automation or manual contact filtering. We document the original Crisp segment criteria for the customer's admin to rebuild as Saved Filters or CRM workflows.

Crisp Canned Responses use %placeholder% syntax (e.g., %session.nickname%) for dynamic values. We export Canned Responses as plain text with placeholders intact and deliver them as a structured list for manual adaptation. Zoho Desk Macros use {{ticket.id}} and {{contact.name}} variable syntax, which differs from Crisp's %variable% format. We flag each Canned Response for manual review and document the recommended Zoho Desk Macro variable replacement so the customer's admin can adapt templates without rebuilding from scratch.

File attachments uploaded to Crisp Messages are stored as URLs referencing Crisp's file storage. We preserve attachment URLs during extraction and re-upload files to Zoho Desk's attachment storage during migration. Large attachments are handled in sequence to avoid timeout. Note: inline images within message bodies may require URL rewriting if Crisp-hosted URLs are not publicly resolvable at migration time; we flag any broken attachment references for manual resolution.

Crisp's chat widget theme, color, greeting message, and behavior configuration is tied to each Website and cannot be exported in a form that Zoho Desk can import. We extract widget settings as a configuration snapshot document for the customer's development team to use when installing Zoho Desk's chat widget, Zoho's SalesIQ, or an alternative widget post-migration. This is an operational rebuild task, not a data migration task.

If the source Crisp account has engagement logging (e.g., emails sent via Crisp Campaigns or call logs in the CRM module), we map these to Zoho Desk Tasks and Events. Note that Crisp's core product is messaging rather than a full engagement tracking platform; engagement data density depends on which Crisp plugins are active. We migrate what is present and flag any engagement gaps for the customer's awareness.

Products configured in Crisp's CRM module (Essentials+) migrate to Zoho Desk Products. The Crisp product name, SKU (hs_sku), and price map to Zoho Desk Product2 name, product code, and unit price. If no Products are configured in Crisp, this object is skipped.