Migrate from UserHorn to Zendesk

UserHorn ticket records map to Zendesk Ticket. The mapping requires a discovery phase to identify the source field names and data types for Subject, Description, Status, Priority, and Assignee. We use the Zendesk Tickets API endpoint with batch processing to create records in dependency order. Zendesk's ticket ID is auto-generated; the original UserHorn ticket ID is preserved in a custom field source_id__c for audit traceability.

UserHorn end-user records map to Zendesk User with role=end-user. Email address is the dedupe key. We resolve the User record creation before any Ticket import because Zendesk requires a valid requester_id on ticket creation. If UserHorn stores users without email (e.g., anonymous submitter records), we flag these for the customer's admin to review before migration.

UserHorn agent or staff records map to Zendesk User with role=agent. We match by email against the destination Zendesk account's user table. Agents without matching Zendesk users go to a reconciliation queue; the admin provisions the accounts before migration resumes. Agent group assignments in UserHorn map to Zendesk Groups, which we create before user migration.

If UserHorn supports an Organization or Company object, it maps to Zendesk Organization. Organization is created before end-user migration so that the organization_id field can be assigned on User records. We use the Zendesk Organizations API with name as the dedupe key.

File attachments on tickets (images, PDFs, documents) migrate via the Zendesk Attachments API. We validate file sizes against the Zendesk account tier limit (7 MB per attachment on most tiers, 20 MB on Enterprise with Large File Storage enabled). Inline images embedded in ticket descriptions or comments are extracted and re-uploaded as separate attachment records linked to the parent ticket. Files exceeding size limits are flagged for the admin to review and re-attach manually post-migration.

Ticket comments and reply threads migrate to Zendesk Ticket Comments. Author attribution maps to the Zendesk User record resolved during user migration. Public vs. private comment visibility is preserved through the Zendesk public flag. We process comments in chronological order to maintain thread integrity.

UserHorn ticket tags migrate to Zendesk Tags. Tags are created implicitly during ticket import if they do not already exist in the destination account. We do not migrate tag-based automation rules (if UserHorn supports them) because tags on the Zendesk side are labels only, not trigger conditions. The customer receives a written inventory of any tag-to-automation dependencies for manual rebuild.

UserHorn custom fields (discovered during the schema mapping phase) map to Zendesk custom ticket fields. We create the Zendesk custom field definition first with the correct field type (dropdown, text, checkbox, date, etc.), then map source values during ticket import. Dropdown fields in Zendesk create tags for reporting; we validate that the source values map cleanly to Zendesk picklist options before migration begins.

If UserHorn stores CSAT or satisfaction ratings on resolved tickets, these migrate to Zendesk's Satisfaction Rating object linked to the ticket. Zendesk supports thumbs up/down or star ratings depending on the account configuration. We create the satisfaction rating configuration in Zendesk before importing the historical ratings.

If UserHorn records time spent on tickets, these migrate to Zendesk Ticket Time Entries. Zendesk stores time entries as a separate object linked to the ticket with attributes for start time, end time, and description. We validate the time entry format during the discovery phase and map any custom time-tracking fields to standard Zendesk time entry attributes.

If UserHorn includes a knowledge base or help center with published articles, these migrate to Zendesk Guide articles. The section and category hierarchy is preserved. We use the Zendesk Help Center API to create sections first, then articles with section_id assigned. Article attachments migrate using the same attachment logic as ticket attachments. Multilingual articles require the Zendesk Enterprise Linguistic add-on; we flag any multilingual content for the admin to configure before import.

UserHorn agent groups map to Zendesk Groups. Groups must exist in Zendesk before agents can be assigned to them during user migration. We create groups in the same hierarchy as the source if UserHorn supports nested groups; Zendesk does not support nested groups, so parent groups become top-level Zendesk groups with child groups merged into a flat list for the admin to reorganize post-migration.