Migrate from HelpDesk to HubSpot Service Hub

HelpDesk Tickets map directly to HubSpot Service Hub Tickets. We extract subject, description, status, priority, type, source channel, created_at, updated_at, and closed_at timestamps. HubSpot Ticket pipelines (up to 5 on Starter, customizable on Professional and Enterprise) are created to match HelpDesk inbox or ticket type groupings before migration. The HubSpot Ticket ID is cross-referenced back to the HelpDesk ticket_id in a custom property for reconciliation.

HelpDesk Customer profiles (name, email, phone, company, custom properties) map to HubSpot Contact records. The HelpDesk customer_id is stored in a custom HubSpot property hd_customer_id__c for lookup during conversation and ticket association. If HelpDesk has a company field on the customer, we create a corresponding HubSpot Company record and link it via the Contact's associations API before or during ticket import.

HelpDesk company associations on customers map to HubSpot Company records. The HelpDesk company domain becomes the Company Website field. We create Companies before Contacts so that the Company-Contact association is satisfied at Contact import time. If a HelpDesk customer has no company, the Contact migrates without a Company association and is linked to tickets directly.

HelpDesk agent accounts (name, email, role, availability) map to HubSpot User records. We resolve agents by email match against the HubSpot destination account's User table. Any HelpDesk agent without a matching HubSpot User enters a reconciliation queue for the customer's admin to provision before ticket import continues. Agent-to-ticket assignments migrate as Ticket owner assignments in HubSpot.

HelpDesk conversation threads (customer replies and agent responses with timestamps and author attribution) are preserved by appending each message to the HubSpot Ticket body in chronological order, or as internal notes if the HelpDesk conversation was agent-internal. We preserve the author name, message timestamp, and message body. Note: HubSpot does not expose a conversation-thread API object; messages are stored as part of the ticket record, which limits thread navigation compared to HelpDesk's dedicated conversation view. We flag this with the customer before migration so agents are prepared for the difference in conversation UX.

HelpDesk tags applied to tickets migrate as ticket tags in HubSpot. Tag associations are preserved so that HubSpot tag-based filtering and reporting work post-migration. HelpDesk tag strings are transferred directly without transformation.

HelpDesk canned responses (reusable message templates organized in folders) map to HubSpot Snippets. We transfer the template body, the folder structure if HelpDesk organizes canned responses into categories, and any placeholder variables. The customer rebuilds snippet triggers and shortcuts in HubSpot Snippets as part of post-migration configuration.

HelpDesk stores attachments on their CDN at time-limited URLs that become invalid after account closure. We copy every attachment from HelpDesk's export to FlitStack-managed storage as the first migration step, then upload to HubSpot's file manager and link each file to the corresponding Ticket record via the HubSpot Files API. This prevents orphaned attachments and broken links in migrated tickets. Attachments are processed in batches of 50 to manage bandwidth and avoid HelpDesk API timeouts.

HelpDesk custom fields on tickets are enumerated during discovery via the HelpDesk API field listing endpoint. We create matching custom properties in HubSpot Service Hub (as ticket properties) before any ticket records are imported. Field types are mapped: text to single-line text, dropdown to single-select, multi-checkbox to multi-select, date to date picker. If a HelpDesk field type has no HubSpot equivalent, we flag the discrepancy and discuss transformation options such as concatenating multiple values into a text field or storing as a JSON-formatted string.

HelpDesk SLA policies define response and resolution time targets per inbox or ticket type. SLA rules use a proprietary rule engine that does not export as portable configuration. We enumerate all active SLA policies during discovery, capture their triggers, conditions, and time targets, and deliver an SLA rebuild guide that maps each HelpDesk SLA condition to the equivalent HubSpot Professional or Enterprise SLA policy. Rebuilding SLAs in HubSpot requires Service Hub Professional ($90/seat) or Enterprise ($150/seat). We confirm the customer's destination HubSpot tier during scoping.

HelpDesk automated inbox rules (ticket routing, auto-assignment, field updates based on conditions) are platform-specific and do not export in portable format. We document every active inbox rule during discovery, capture its trigger conditions and actions, and deliver a routing and automation rebuild guide mapping each HelpDesk rule to an equivalent HubSpot Workflow. Complex rule chains with multiple nested conditions may require manual recreation as HubSpot Workflows with multiple branches. Workflow rebuild is outside standard migration scope and is handled by the customer's admin or a separate automation rebuild engagement.

HelpDesk's built-in customer portal allows end users to submit tickets and track status without agent intervention. HubSpot Service Hub Professional and Enterprise include a Customer Portal feature for self-service ticket submission and status tracking. We document the HelpDesk portal configuration (portal name, branding, ticket submission fields) for the customer's admin to reconfigure in HubSpot's portal builder. Portal submissions migrate as Tickets in HubSpot. The HelpDesk portal URL is documented for redirect configuration post-migration.