Migrate from Kayako to Salesforce Service Cloud

Kayako Conversations map 1:1 to Salesforce Case records. The Conversation status (open, pending, resolved, closed) maps to Salesforce Case Status with the mapping defined per status value during scoping. The original channel type (email, live chat, WhatsApp, voice) is preserved in a custom field conversation_channel__c (Text) because Salesforce's channel integration is configured separately via Omni-Channel after migration. We preserve message thread order by setting Case.CreatedDate to the first Kayako message timestamp and by inserting the full message history as EmailMessage records (for email channel) or CaseComment records (for other channels). All attachments on Conversation messages migrate as ContentDocument records linked via ContentDocumentLink to the parent Case.

Kayako Agents and Admins map directly to Salesforce User records by email match. We resolve Kayako user_role and team_assignment to Salesforce Role hierarchy and Queue membership. Any Kayako User referenced as a Conversation assignee without a matching Salesforce User goes to a reconciliation queue for the customer's admin to provision before Case import resumes.

Kayako Organizations map to Salesforce Account records. The Organization domain field becomes the Account Website field. Account is created before any Case import so that the AccountId lookup on Case is satisfied at the moment of insert. If Kayako Organizations have multiple associated Users, those Users (mapped as Contacts) are attached to the Account post-creation.

Kayako custom fields carry a system-generated API field key distinct from the display name. API calls referencing the display name will silently fail to populate the field. We discover all custom field keys during the discovery phase, validate each key against the current Kayako API response schema, and map them to Salesforce custom fields (with __c suffix) of equivalent type (Text, Number, Picklist, Date, Checkbox). Custom fields are pre-created in Salesforce before any record migration begins. Any custom fields created after initial scoping are re-verified before production migration.

Kayako KB articles map to Salesforce Knowledge with the article body, summary, and category assignments preserved. Articles are migrated in published status by default; draft articles migrate as Draft Salesforce Knowledge versions pending review. Article attachments require a separate pass through the Kayako file API and are uploaded as Salesforce Files attached to the article version.

Kayako hierarchical KB categories are mapped to Salesforce Topics with parent-child relationships preserved via TopicAssignment records. If the destination org uses a custom KB category object (via Salesforce Knowledge advanced data category groups), we configure the mapping during scoping. Naming conflicts with existing Topics in the destination are resolved by appending a suffix or by using the KB article ID as a disambiguation key.

Kayako tags (string labels applied to Conversations) migrate to Salesforce Labels (Text field) or to a Multi-Select Picklist depending on the tag volume and the customer's intended use. Tags used for routing and filtering are mapped to Multi-Select Picklist on Case. Tags used for reporting labels are mapped to a Text field. The customer chooses the tag strategy during scoping.

Kayako file attachments on Conversation messages require per-conversation API calls to export. We download each attachment, upload it to Salesforce as ContentVersion linked to a ContentDocument record, and attach it to the parent Case via ContentDocumentLink. File size is validated against Salesforce limits (25 MB per file for standard attachments, 2 GB for Salesforce Files). Any attachments exceeding the limit are flagged for the customer's admin with a recommended alternative storage approach.

Kayako SLA definitions (First Response Time, Resolution Time, Business Hours) are configuration objects captured as metadata. We map them to Salesforce Entitlement Processes and Milestones. Each Kayako SLA tier becomes an Entitlement Process in Salesforce with First Response and Resolution Time milestones. Note that Entitlement Processes in Salesforce require the Service Cloud Entitlement feature to be enabled in the destination org.

Kayako automation rules (triggers, conditions, and actions defined in the Kayako automations builder) do not export as structured code via API. We do not migrate them. We deliver a written inventory of every active Kayako automation with its trigger type, conditions, actions, and a recommended Salesforce Flow equivalent. The customer's Salesforce admin or a certified implementation partner rebuilds them post-migration.