Migrate from Desku.io to Zoho Desk

Desku Tickets map to Zoho Desk Tickets. The primary mapping preserves subject, description, status, priority, assignee (by email lookup), tags (as custom multi-select picklist cf_ticket_tags), and the original created_at timestamp. We set the createdAt timestamp via the Zoho API during ticket insert to preserve historical ordering. Internal notes from Desku map to Zoho Desk Ticket Comments (private = true); public replies map to Ticket Threads.

Desku Conversations within a Ticket split into two Zoho Desk sub-object types: Thread entries where is_public = true become Ticket Threads (visible to customers in the help center); entries where is_internal = true become Ticket Comments (agent-only visibility). Each thread entry preserves the author email, timestamp, and message body including any inline images as ContentDocumentLink attachments.

Desku Contacts map to Zoho Desk Contacts. We use email as the dedupe key and preserve name, email, phone, company, and all custom contact properties as Zoho custom fields (cf_ prefix). The Contact to Account linkage is resolved after we create the Account record, using the company name from Desku to match or create a corresponding Zoho Account.

Desku Contacts store an optional company field. We map this to Zoho Desk Account. Account Name becomes the Account's company name, and we populate Website, Phone, Industry, and Street from the corresponding Desku contact or company field. Account is created before any Contact import so that the Account lookup is satisfied at Contact insert time.

Desku Shared Inboxes group tickets by channel or team. Zoho Desk has no direct inbox object — tickets belong to a Department, and agents see tickets via Custom Views filtered by criteria. We map each Desku Shared Inbox to a Zoho Department, creating the department in Zoho Desk first, then routing imported tickets to that department. Agents are assigned to the department via the department-agent linkage. Custom Views are configured post-migration to replicate inbox filtering logic.

Desku Ticket Tags use a flat key-value label model with no hierarchy. Zoho Desk has no native tag system. We create a custom multi-select picklist field cf_ticket_tags on the Ticket module, and all distinct tag values from Desku are added as picklist options during schema setup. Agents then apply tags via the ticket layout. Tag-based routing rules in Desku do not migrate and must be rebuilt as Zoho Desk Workflow rules.

Desku CSAT scores (available on Team and Business tiers) attach to tickets as a satisfaction rating. Zoho Desk's native Customer Happiness feature is only on Standard and above. For Starter-tier customers or when migrating CSAT data, we create a custom numeric field cf_csat_score on the Ticket module and populate it with the original rating. The survey metadata (respondent email, submission date, comment) maps to custom text fields. Customers on Standard Zoho Desk can alternatively use the native Happiness feature post-migration.

Desku Knowledge Base articles map to Zoho Desk Help Desk articles (Solutions). We export article title, content, category, publication status, and section structure. Zoho's assisted migration guide notes that attachments will not be migrated — we flag this explicitly and advise customers to re-upload article attachments (PDFs, images) manually or use Zoho's file hosting within the article editor. Category structure from Desku maps to Zoho Desk article categories.

Desku Agents map to Zoho Desk Agents by email match. We extract agent name, email, role (admin vs agent), and team assignment. Zoho Desk role mapping: Desku admin becomes Zoho Support Administrator; Desku agent becomes Zoho Agent. Light Agent roles in Zoho are assigned if the customer specifies read-only access for certain team members. Zoho's import guide notes that agents receive an invitation email and must accept before appearing in the agent list.

Desku Automation & Workflow Engine rules are stored as JSON configuration, not records. We export the full rule logic (trigger conditions, actions, delays, branch logic) as a JSON blueprint bundle. We do not import automation rules into Zoho Desk because Zoho's Workflow, Assignment, and Supervise Rules use a different rule schema. The JSON bundle is delivered to the customer with a written recommendation for each automation's Zoho equivalent. Typical rebuild time is 1-4 hours depending on complexity.

Desku's Eva chatbot conversational flows built in the drag-and-drop builder are platform-specific JSON configuration. We export the full flow definitions (trigger points, decision nodes, response content, integration calls) as a JSON bundle. Zoho Desk does not have a native chatbot flow builder at this tier; the closest Zoho equivalent is Zoho SalesIQ for chatbot functionality, which is a separate product. We recommend rebuilding bot logic manually or evaluating Zoho SalesIQ integration. The JSON bundle serves as a complete functional specification for the rebuild.

Desku's live chat widget embed code, custom form fields, and branding settings are tied to Desku's infrastructure. We export the widget configuration (branding, form field names, and routing settings) as a JSON bundle. The widget itself cannot be transferred — it must be uninstalled from Desku and the equivalent Zoho Desk web widget or Zoho SalesIQ widget must be installed at the destination URL. We coordinate a same-day cutover with a brief overlap window to prevent message loss during the transition.

Desku custom input fields on tickets and contacts are exported with their field name, type (text, number, dropdown, date, checkbox), and option values. We pre-create matching custom fields in Zoho Desk with a cf_ prefix on the appropriate module (Ticket or Contact) before data import. Field types are mapped: Desku text to Zoho single-line, Desku textarea to Zoho multi-line, Desku dropdown to Zoho picklist, Desku checkbox to Zoho checkbox. Validation rules on custom fields are disabled during migration to prevent record rejection.

Desku integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and supports webhooks on Business tier. OAuth tokens, API keys, and webhook subscriptions are stored in Desku's infrastructure and do not transfer. We document each active integration connection (source, trigger, action) during discovery and deliver a written integration inventory. Customers reconfigure each integration in Zoho Desk using Zoho's own connectors or Zoho Marketplace apps. Shopify and WooCommerce connect via Zoho Commerce or webhook-based integration; social channels require Zoho Desk's social media routing configuration.