Migrate from HelpDesk to Zendesk

HelpDesk Tickets migrate to Zendesk Tickets. Subject maps to Zendesk Subject, ticket status (open, pending, resolved, closed) maps to Zendesk Status (Open, Pending, Hold, Solved, Closed), priority maps to Priority (Low, Normal, High, Urgent), and channel (email, form, chat) maps to Zendesk Via. We resolve agent assignments by email match against the Zendesk User table. Custom ticket fields are pre-created in Zendesk before import so field type matching is validated during the discovery phase.

HelpDesk Customer records map to Zendesk End Users (User object). Name, email, phone, and custom properties transfer directly. If HelpDesk customers include a company association stored in a custom field, we create a Zendesk Organization during migration and link it via the User's organization_id. User role in Zendesk is set to End User unless the customer requests agent provisioning.

HelpDesk Agent accounts map to Zendesk Users with the Agent role. Name, email, and role (admin/agent) transfer directly. Availability status maps to Zendesk active/inactive. We resolve agents by email match; any Zendesk Agent without a matching HelpDesk agent is held in a reconciliation queue. Light agents (Zendesk cost-saving option for portal-only access) are available if the customer's HelpDesk agents do not need full admin access.

HelpDesk conversation threads are split into Zendesk public Comments and internal Notes. Customer replies map to Zendesk Comment with author_type = End User and public = true. Agent replies map to Comment with author_type = Agent and public = true. Internal agent notes in HelpDesk map to Zendesk Comment with public = false. Author attribution is preserved by resolving the email address to the Zendesk User ID at migration time. Timestamp ordering is maintained by setting Zendesk created_at to the original HelpDesk conversation timestamp.

HelpDesk tags migrate as Zendesk tag strings on the ticket. Tag associations per ticket transfer directly. In Zendesk, tags are used for filtering in views and triggering automations. We do not migrate HelpDesk tag categories or folder structures; tags arrive as flat label strings in Zendesk.

HelpDesk canned responses map to Zendesk Macros. Title and content body transfer directly. If canned responses are organized into folders in HelpDesk, we document the folder structure and advise the admin on Zendesk macro organization post-migration since Zendesk Macros do not have a native folder hierarchy. Attachments embedded in canned response bodies are re-hosted using the same attachment migration process as ticket attachments.

HelpDesk stores file attachments on their CDN with time-limited URLs that expire after account closure. We copy all attachments to FlitStack-managed storage during the discovery phase before any record migration begins, then upload to Zendesk via the Attachments API and re-link them to the correct Ticket and Comment. If the HelpDesk account is closed before attachment copy completes, files become unrecoverable from the source; we flag this risk during scoping and recommend running attachment copy as step one of migration execution.

HelpDesk custom ticket fields are enumerated from the HelpDesk API during discovery, including field name, field type (text, number, date, dropdown, checkbox, URL), and active values for dropdown fields. We pre-create matching fields in Zendesk before any ticket records import. If HelpDesk field types do not have a direct Zendesk equivalent (for example, a complex nested-object field), we flag the discrepancy and propose a transformation strategy such as storing the value as text or JSON in a Zendesk text field. This step is required because Zendesk tickets cannot be created with references to non-existent custom fields.

HelpDesk SLA policies (first response time and resolution time targets per priority tier) are documented during discovery and mapped to Zendesk SLA Policies. Each HelpDesk SLA tier maps to a Zendesk SLA Policy with matching First Reply Time and Next SLA Reset targets. We deliver a Zendesk SLA configuration guide as part of the migration package. SLA metric overrides, holiday calendars, and escalation actions require manual recreation in Zendesk Admin because they involve business-specific schedule logic that varies by team.

HelpDesk automated inbox rules (ticket routing, assignment, status changes based on conditions) use a proprietary rule engine that does not export as portable configuration. We document every active inbox rule during discovery, including trigger conditions, actions, and condition logic. For each rule, we provide a recommended Zendesk Trigger or Automation equivalent using Zendesk's condition builder and action set. Complex multi-condition chains may require the customer's Zendesk admin to configure manually in Zendesk Admin. This documentation is delivered as part of the migration package and is not executed as code.