Migrate from LiveHelpNow to Zoho Desk

LiveHelpNow chat conversations migrate as Zoho Desk Ticket Threads. Each conversation's message content, operator name, customer identity, and timestamps map to Thread entries on the corresponding Zoho Desk ticket. The original LiveHelpNow conversation ID is preserved in a custom field lhn_conversation_id__c on the Thread record. We maintain a cross-reference table mapping LiveHelpNow conversation IDs to Zoho Desk Thread IDs because conversation continuity matters for customers with long-running support threads.

LiveHelpNow tickets map directly to Zoho Desk tickets. Status (Open, Pending, Resolved, Closed) maps to Zoho Desk Status values; priority maps to Priority. The original LiveHelpNow ticket ID is preserved in a custom field lhn_ticket_id__c on the Zoho Desk ticket for audit continuity and cross-referencing. We resolve the assigned agent by email against the Zoho Desk Agents table during migration.

LiveHelpNow KB articles migrate to Zoho Desk Knowledge Base articles within the selected department. Article title, body content, category assignment, and tags transfer. Note that Zoho Desk's Zwitch and standard import tools do not migrate KB attachments; we export attachments separately and flag every article with a linked file so the customer's admin can re-attach them post-migration. LiveHelpNow article IDs do not persist; we generate a cross-reference table mapping old IDs to new IDs.

LiveHelpNow knowledge base category hierarchy migrates to Zoho Desk's article category structure. The full folder tree replicates so that article navigation in the customer-facing portal remains consistent. Category ordering is preserved as a sort field on each migrated article.

LiveHelpNow agent profiles (name, email, role, queue assignments) map to Zoho Desk agents. We match by email address during import. Agents without a matching Zoho Desk account go to a reconciliation queue for the customer's admin to provision before the ticket migration phase begins. Role and group membership maps to Zoho Desk Roles and Departments.

LiveHelpNow canned responses migrate to Zoho Desk Macros. The folder structure (shared vs agent-owned) replicates in Zoho Desk's macro organization. Macro content (subject, body with placeholder variables) transfers as-is. Note that LiveHelpNow's conditional canned response logic (dynamic insertion based on ticket context) does not transfer as automation; we document the conditional logic as a text note on the macro for the customer's admin to rebuild as a Zoho Desk Workflow Rule if needed.

LiveHelpNow custom fields on tickets are extracted and mapped to Zoho Desk custom fields in the Ticket module. We create the destination fields before migration, matching field type (text, number, date, dropdown, checkbox) where possible. Multi-select picklist fields on LiveHelpNow map to Zoho Desk multi-select picklists. Custom fields that have no direct Zoho Desk equivalent are created as text fields with a naming convention noting the original LiveHelpNow field type.

Tags on LiveHelpNow tickets and KB articles migrate as Zoho Desk tags. The flat tag naming convention on LiveHelpNow maps directly to Zoho Desk's tag model. Note that Zoho Desk tag behavior (inheritance, auto-suggest, tag-based routing) differs from LiveHelpNow; we document the tag list as a reference so the customer's admin can configure equivalent tag-based automation rules in Zoho Desk Workflows.

LiveHelpNow post-chat and post-ticket survey responses (the answer data) export as records linked to the corresponding ticket. The survey design, trigger rules, and routing logic are platform-specific configuration and do not migrate. We deliver a written inventory of every LiveHelpNow survey with its questions, trigger conditions, and routing actions for the customer's admin to rebuild using Zoho Desk's survey module or an integrated third-party survey tool.

LiveHelpNow workforce management data (scheduling windows, availability rules, queue routing configs) exists as platform configuration rather than transactional data. We export agent workload summary data (tickets handled, average handle time, availability percentages) as a CSV reporting artifact that the customer's admin can import into Zoho Desk Reports or a BI tool for post-migration historical reference. Active scheduling configs do not transfer because Zoho Desk's scheduling and agent availability features work differently and are destination-specific.

Facebook, Twitter, and other social channel messages from LiveHelpNow surface as ticket-linked conversations. We migrate the message content and link it to the corresponding Zoho Desk ticket as a Thread entry with the channel noted in a custom field. Social-specific metadata (Facebook reaction counts, Twitter retweet counts) does not have a Zoho Desk equivalent and is noted in the migration report as a data artifact the customer may want to capture separately.

LiveHelpNow contacts (customer identities associated with tickets and conversations) migrate to Zoho Desk Contacts. Name, email, phone, and any custom fields map directly. The Contact is provisioned before its associated tickets so that the Contact lookup on the ticket is satisfied at insert time. LiveHelpNow contact IDs are preserved in a custom field lhn_contact_id__c on the Zoho Desk Contact.

If LiveHelpNow holds company-level account data linked to contacts and tickets, we migrate it to Zoho Desk Accounts. Account name, phone, website, and address fields transfer directly. Account is provisioned before related Contacts so the Account-Contact lookup relationship is satisfied at insert time. Companies that exist only as ticket-linked organizations without a formal account record in LiveHelpNow are created as Accounts during migration to satisfy Zoho Desk's data model requirements.