Migrate from UserEcho to Zendesk

Discovery and extraction planning

We audit the UserEcho account across all four modules (EchoDesk, EchoSmart, EchoForum, EchoChat) and confirm the active plan tier to identify any data that requires a paid-plan feature to access. We count tickets, KB articles, forum topics, chat sessions, users (agents vs. end users), tags, categories, and attachment volumes. Since UserEcho lacks a native bulk export, we map the available API routes and UI scraping targets for each module and estimate extraction time based on record counts. We also confirm the destination Zendesk edition (Suite Team through Enterprise), whether Guide and Gather are in scope, and whether Zendesk Talk activation is required for chat session migration.

Zendesk environment preparation

Before extraction begins, we configure the destination Zendesk account. This includes activating Zendesk Guide if the KB module is in scope, provisioning the required agent seats, creating custom ticket fields that map to UserEcho custom field types (dropdown, text, checkbox), setting up Zendesk Gather sections that mirror the EchoForum category hierarchy, and creating the userecho_vote_score__c custom field on Gather posts. We also configure Zendesk Views with category-based filters if ticket categories are in scope. If Zendesk Talk is required for EchoChat, we activate it and configure the Talk settings before chat session import.

UserEcho data extraction

We extract data from UserEcho using the available API routes and UI endpoints. EchoDesk tickets are extracted with full reply thread histories, assignee IDs, status metadata, and custom field values. EchoSmart articles are extracted with content body, category assignments, publication status, and attachment references. EchoForum topics are extracted with vote scores, status labels, nested comment threads, and category assignments. EchoChat sessions are extracted with transcript text, timestamps, and agent/visitor identifiers. Agent and end-user profiles are extracted separately with role flags to ensure correct segregation during import. Attachment files are downloaded individually and stored with their original filenames and MIME types.

Data transformation and mapping

We transform the extracted data against the mapping schema designed in step two. EchoDesk tickets become Zendesk Tickets with replies reconstructed as comments. EchoForum topics become Zendesk Gather posts with vote scores in the custom field. EchoSmart articles become Zendesk Guide articles under their corresponding sections. EchoChat sessions are converted to either Talk conversations or Support tickets depending on the scoping decision. Agent profiles are mapped to Zendesk users with the Agent role; end-user profiles are mapped to Zendesk end users. Tags are applied to their respective objects. Any records with missing required fields (e.g., tickets with no assignee and no requester) are flagged in a reconciliation report for the customer's admin to resolve before import.

Sandbox migration and validation

We run a full migration into a Zendesk Sandbox or a parallel production trial environment using representative data volumes. The customer's support operations lead reconciles record counts (tickets in, articles in, forum posts in, users in), spot-checks 25-50 random records against the UserEcho source, and validates that conversation thread ordering, attachment filenames, and assignee assignments are correct. Any mapping corrections are documented and applied before the production migration begins. This step is critical given UserEcho's non-standard extraction process; validation in a non-production environment prevents data integrity issues in the live account.

Production migration and cutover

We run production migration in record-dependency order: users (agents provisioned by admin), articles (Guide sections and articles), forum posts (Gather sections and posts with vote scores), tickets (with assignee and requester resolved), chat sessions (Talk or Ticket), and attachments (uploaded to Zendesk document store and linked to the respective records). Each phase emits a row-count reconciliation report. We freeze UserEcho writes during cutover, run a final delta migration of any records modified during the migration window, then redirect incoming support channels to Zendesk. We deliver a written inventory of all UserEcho automations, macros, and forum status labels that require manual rebuild in Zendesk Admin.