Migrate from LiveChat to Zoho Desk

Each LiveChat Chat becomes a Zoho Desk Ticket. The chat message thread maps to Zoho Ticket Comments, with the original agent and requester names preserved as comment author metadata. Chat timestamps migrate as the Ticket Created Time where Zoho Desk allows; the Zoho-assisted migration limitation is that Created At dates show the migration completion time rather than the original timestamp. We flag this and recommend exporting Zoho's generated error log post-migration to identify any tickets affected.

LiveChat Agents map 1:1 to Zoho Desk Agents. We preserve display name, email address, and role (agent, admin). Agent email is the dedupe key in Zoho Desk. Zoho Desk requires agents to be associated with a Department; we resolve the LiveChat Group membership and map it to the closest Zoho Desk Department during import. Inactive agents migrate as inactive Zoho Desk users.

LiveChat Requesters (customers initiating conversations) map to Zoho Desk Contacts. Email, name, phone, and any custom requester-level properties migrate. Zoho Desk Contacts can optionally be linked to an Account; if the LiveChat account has company data attached to the requester, we create the Account record first and link the Contact via AccountExtId.

LiveChat tags applied at the chat level migrate to Zoho Desk Tags on the Ticket. Tag character limits and character set restrictions are handled with normalization. Tags used for conversation categorization map directly; tags with non-alphanumeric characters are stripped to Zoho Desk's supported format.

LiveChat custom fields attached to chats migrate to Zoho Desk Ticket custom fields scoped to the destination department. The primary complexity is widget-level field overlap: if the same custom field name exists in multiple widgets with different internal IDs, we detect duplicates during discovery and consolidate into a single Zoho Desk field definition to avoid schema proliferation. Custom field type mapping (text, number, dropdown, checkbox) is preserved per the Zoho Desk field type list.

LiveChat canned responses migrate to Zoho Desk Macros as templates. The message body migrates, but variable syntax differs: LiveChat uses {{ticket.from.name}} style placeholders; Zoho uses {{contact.lastName}} equivalents. We document the variable mapping for each migrated macro and flag any that require manual adjustment in Zoho's macro editor. Executable canned response rules (conditional display) do not migrate as automation; they are documented for the admin to rebuild in Zoho's Blueprint.

LiveChat CSAT scores attached to chats migrate to Zoho Desk's Customer Satisfaction Rating field on the Ticket. LiveChat uses a 1-5 numerical score or thumbs up/down; Zoho Desk uses a configurable CSAT rating (typically 1-5 stars or a thumbs rating). We map the score directly where possible and flag any mismatch in rating model for admin configuration post-migration.

LiveChat Groups (agent team assignments) map to Zoho Desk Departments. Agent group memberships are resolved and assigned to the corresponding Zoho Department during the agent import phase. Zoho Desk's department-level features (SLAs, shift schedules, ticket assignment rules) are configured separately from the data migration; we deliver a department structure recommendation as part of the migration scope.

If LiveChat chats reference products or if the account uses the Products feature, we migrate Product records to Zoho Desk Products. The product name, SKU, and description map directly. Products in Zoho Desk are used for ticket subject classification and reporting rather than e-commerce.

LiveChat Help Center articles migrate to Zoho Desk Help Center articles. Article titles, body HTML, categories, and publication status transfer. Complex nested category structures may require simplification in Zoho Desk; we flag nested structures over three levels for admin review. Article attachment handling in Zoho Desk's assisted migration tool does not include KB attachments; we handle these as separate file migrations with URL reference mapping.

LiveChat automated rules (chat event triggers with message forwarding, tag application, or assignment actions) do not migrate as executable automation. We document each LiveChat automated rule in text with its trigger condition, filter logic, and actions, and deliver a recommended Zoho Desk Blueprint or Workflow Rule equivalent. The customer's admin rebuilds these in Zoho's rule builder post-migration.

LiveChat integrations (Slack, Salesforce, Shopify, and other connectors) are configuration-bound and have no portable data format. We audit the integration list during discovery and deliver a written inventory of every active integration with its destination, credentials type, and trigger/action scope. The customer reconfigures integrations in Zoho Desk or builds Zoho-delegated connectors post-migration.

LiveChat chat widgets represent distinct conversation channels that may correspond to business lines, products, or teams. We map each widget to a Zoho Desk Department with its own email channel address, chat channel configuration, and department-specific custom fields. Widget-level visitor routing settings are documented for recreation in Zoho's department routing rules.