Migrate from HelpDesk 3 to Gorgias

HelpDesk 3 Tickets migrate to Gorgias Tickets as 1:1 records, preserving ticket ID (stored as external_id__str for reference), status, priority, assignee (resolved by agent email match), created_at and updated_at timestamps, and the customer lookup. Ticket subject and body content map directly. Multi-email linking to a single ticket in HelpDesk 3 is preserved as a single Gorgias ticket with all message threads merged. We flag any ticket with a null assignee and route it to a default agent designated during scoping.

Email conversation threads in HelpDesk 3 migrate to Gorgias Message records linked to the target Ticket. The message body, sender, recipient, timestamp, and channel marker (email) transfer directly. We preserve the original message ID as external_id__str for reconciliation against HelpDesk 3 source records. Attachments referenced in messages export as file references and are re-linked in Gorgias after the attachment migration phase completes.

HelpDesk 3 stores in-app chat transcripts as separate conversation objects from email threads, both linked to the same ticket. We extract chat messages from HelpDesk 3, match them to the parent ticket by ticket_id, and insert them into the Gorgias Message timeline in chronological order alongside migrated email messages. Each message carries a channel tag (chat vs email) so agents can distinguish the original interaction type. This merge is the most migration-specific step; skipping it produces duplicate or out-of-order message artifacts in Gorgias.

HelpDesk 3 Customer records map to Gorgias Customer objects. We extract name, email, phone, company association, and billing profile fields. Email address is the dedupe key: if a Customer with the same email already exists in Gorgias, we merge by matching on email and update the existing record rather than creating a duplicate. The HelpDesk 3 customer_id is stored as external_id__str for reconciliation.

HelpDesk 3 Agent accounts (name, email, role, availability settings) map to Gorgias Agent records. We resolve by email match against the Gorgias agent table. Agents without a matching email in Gorgias are placed in a reconciliation queue for the customer's admin to provision before the ticket import phase begins. Role assignments from HelpDesk 3 are preserved as custom fields on the Gorgias agent profile because Gorgias roles are managed differently within its permission structure.

HelpDesk 3 FAQ articles export as structured HTML with title, body content, category, and visibility settings. We remap categories to Gorgias Help Center sections, convert HTML to Gorgias's article format, and set article state (Draft, Public, Unlisted) from the HelpDesk 3 visibility flag. Gorgias natively supports Help Center import from Zendesk, HelpDocs, Re:amaze, and Intercom; HelpDesk 3 is a non-native source, so articles migrate via structured CSV with a custom field mapping sheet included in the delivery package. Appearance and custom scripts from HelpDesk 3 do not transfer and are documented for manual rebuild.

File attachments linked to tickets and FAQ articles are exported to cloud storage (with customer-provided bucket or FlitStack AI temporary storage), re-uploaded to Gorgias, and relinked to their parent ticket or article record. Attachments stored as external URLs (linked URLs, not uploaded files) are flagged as external references and documented with the original URL preserved in a custom field on the parent record.

Tags from HelpDesk 3 tickets migrate as Gorgias tags. Tag namespaces between platforms are normalized at import time: we strip any HelpDesk 3-specific prefix and apply the raw tag name. Tags used on articles migrate to Gorgias topic assignments on the Help Center article. Tag counts per ticket are preserved.

HelpDesk 3 per-ticket custom field definitions and values are extracted during the audit phase. We map each HelpDesk 3 custom field to a corresponding Gorgias Ticket Field of equivalent type (text, number, date, dropdown). If a Gorgias field with the same name does not exist, we create it during the pre-migration schema setup phase. Required-field constraints on Gorgias ticket fields are flagged before migration to prevent import rejections.

HelpDesk 3 per-customer custom fields (billing profile fields, account type flags, internal customer segmentation tags) are extracted and mapped to Gorgias Customer Fields. We create matching fields in Gorgias before the customer import phase. Multi-select or checkbox-style fields from HelpDesk 3 map to Gorgias multi-select customer fields.

HelpDesk 3 ticket status workflows (open, pending, resolved, closed, and any custom statuses) map to Gorgias ticket status values. We enumerate all distinct status values in HelpDesk 3 during the audit, map each to a Gorgias status (creating new values if no direct equivalent exists), and deliver a status mapping sheet. Custom statuses that lack a direct Gorgias equivalent are flagged for the customer's admin to configure post-migration.

HelpDesk 3 does not publish a dedicated macro object, but ticket templates and canned response structures stored as custom ticket fields or article attachments are documented during the audit. We create equivalent Gorgias Macros based on this documentation. Complex macros with conditional logic, placeholders referencing HelpDesk 3 variables, or integrations to external tools are flagged as requiring post-migration manual rebuild because they cannot be extracted as executable code.

HelpDesk 3's billing module (invoices, payment records tied to client accounts) has no direct Gorgias equivalent because Gorgias does not include a billing or invoicing module. We do not migrate billing records as a standalone object. Invoice numbers and payment amounts linked to HelpDesk 3 customer profiles are extracted as structured data and delivered as a CSV with the customer migration, or documented as a text note on the Gorgias Customer record for the customer's finance team to reconcile in their billing system of record.