Migrate from Seraph to Zoho Desk

Seraph ticket records map to Zoho Desk Ticket. The Seraph schema must be audited via API or export before field mapping is finalized. We create all Zoho Desk custom fields before ticket import using the department-scoped field model, so that any Seraph custom properties on tickets have a destination. Ticket status, priority, and assignee map from Seraph fields to Zoho Desk Status, Priority, and AgentId. Thread history (comments, attachments, internal notes) migrates as Ticket Threads and Ticket Comments in dependency order: Threads must exist before Comments can reference them via the ThreadId field.

Seraph Contact records map to Zoho Desk Contact. Required fields in Zoho Desk are Last Name and ContactExtId; Email is optional but used as a dedupe key. We create Zoho Desk Contacts before Tickets so that ContactId is available as a lookup on Ticket at import time. Any Seraph custom contact fields map to department-scoped custom fields on Contact in Zoho Desk.

If Seraph stores organizational records as a separate Company or Account object, those map to Zoho Desk Account. AccountExtId is required; Account Name is required. We create Accounts before Contacts so that Contact.AccountExtId can be populated for the lookup relationship. If Seraph does not have a separate organizational object, we can derive Accounts from Contact company names during the transform phase, but the discovery audit determines which approach applies.

Seraph Agent or User records map to Zoho Desk Agent. We resolve Seraph agent email addresses to Zoho Desk Users by email match. Agents must be provisioned in Zoho Desk before Ticket import so that OwnerId references are satisfied. We also capture Seraph agent roles and map them to Zoho Desk Agent, Light Agent, or Support Administrator roles based on permission requirements specified in Zoho Desk's field documentation. Teams must be created in Zoho Desk before agents can be assigned to them.

If Seraph has a team or group concept, we map it to Zoho Desk Teams. Zoho Desk's migration documentation notes that Migration Wizard cannot transfer Teams, so we handle team assignment manually during migration: we create the team structure in Zoho Desk first, then assign agents to teams as part of the agent import phase. This ensures agents land in the correct team context before ticket assignment begins.

Zoho Desk organizes agents and tickets by Department, which is a top-level organizational unit. Seraph departments (if they exist) map to Zoho Desk Departments. We configure Zoho Desk departments before agents are imported, as agents are associated with departments at import time. Department-scoped custom fields are created after department configuration so that they are available in the correct scope.

Seraph product or service records map to Zoho Desk Product. Product records are required before ticket import if tickets reference products. We create Zoho Desk Products with Product Name and Product Code populated from Seraph, then link them to tickets via the ProductId field or a custom product field on Ticket.

Seraph ticket attachments map to Zoho Desk Ticket Attachments linked to the parent Ticket. Zoho Desk's Zwitch documentation explicitly states that attachments migrate with the Ticket module selection. We handle attachment migration after the parent ticket record exists, using Zoho Desk's attachment API endpoint with multipart upload handling and file size limits documented in the Zoho Desk API reference.

Seraph comment or reply records map to Zoho Desk Ticket Comments, which are child objects of Ticket Threads. If Seraph structures conversations as threads with replies, we map the top-level thread entry to Ticket Thread and subsequent replies to Ticket Comments. The Zoho Desk Assisted Migration Guide specifies that Threads and Ticket Comments are separate sub-modules under Ticket, so we preserve the parent-child relationship by importing Threads first, then Comments with ThreadId resolved.

Any Seraph custom fields on Ticket, Contact, Account, or Agent map to Zoho Desk Custom Fields scoped to the relevant department. We create the destination custom fields before any data import using the string, decimal, integer, currency, or checkbox field types per Zoho Desk's field type model. Field-level permissions are configured after migration so that sensitive custom fields are restricted to appropriate agent profiles. The Seraph discovery audit determines which custom fields exist and their data types for accurate type mapping.

Seraph ticket tags or labels map either to Zoho Desk Tags (a native tagging feature) or to a multi-select picklist custom field, depending on how the customer intends to use the data post-migration. We recommend multi-select picklist for structured classification and native Tags for informal labeling. The customer chooses during scoping. Tags stored as a multi-checkbox property in Seraph map to a multi-select picklist in Zoho Desk without data loss.

If Seraph tracks engagement history (logged calls, meetings, or tasks separate from ticket thread comments), those map to Zoho Desk Task and Event records linked to the relevant Contact or Account. Task fields (Subject, Status, Priority, Activity Date) migrate from Seraph engagement records. We preserve the original timestamp as ActivityDate so that the activity timeline is ordered correctly in Zoho Desk.