Helpdesk Migration Guide (2026): Move Without Losing Data

Switching helpdesk platforms feels like moving houses while hosting a dinner party. Your team needs to keep answering tickets, but you're also trying to pack everything and set up the new place. Do it wrong and you lose customer history, break workflows, and frustrate your team.

This guide covers the full migration process — from planning to post-launch validation — based on real platform moves (Zendesk to Freshdesk, Intercom to Zendesk, and others).

Migration Overview: What You're Actually Moving

A helpdesk migration isn't just copying tickets. You're transferring:

Critical data:

• Tickets and ticket history
• Customer/profiles and contact information
• Knowledge base articles
• Macros and canned responses
• Automation rules and workflows
• Agent accounts and permissions
• Custom fields and tags

Often forgotten:

• File attachments on tickets
• Internal notes and @mentions
• Satisfaction ratings and CSAT history
• Reporting data and dashboards
• Integration configurations

Most platforms can export data. The challenge is mapping that data correctly to your new platform's structure.

Phase 1: Planning (2-3 weeks before)

Audit Your Current Setup

Before touching anything, document what you have:

1. Count your assets:

• Total tickets (open and closed)
• Knowledge base articles
• Active automations
• Macros/canned responses
• Custom fields
• Agent accounts

1. Identify customizations:

• Which fields are custom vs. standard?
• What integrations are actively used?
• Which reports does leadership actually check?

1. Clean house:

• Delete duplicate macros
• Archive old KB articles
• Close zombie tickets (abandoned, no response in 90+ days)

Cleaning now saves migration time and prevents garbage from following you.

Choose Your Migration Strategy

Option A: Big Bang (all at once)

• Migrate everything over a weekend
• Team switches Monday morning
• Risk: Higher, but done faster
• Best for: Teams under 10 agents, simple setups

Option B: Phased (gradual)

• Migrate one department at a time
• Run both platforms in parallel
• Risk: Lower, but takes longer
• Best for: Enterprise teams, complex workflows

Option C: Greenfield (start fresh)

• Move agents only, no ticket history
• Keep old platform as read-only archive
• Risk: Minimal, but lose historical data
• Best for: Teams with messy data, fresh starts

Most 10-50 agent teams choose Big Bang. It's scary but cleaner than running parallel systems.

Map Data Between Platforms

Each platform structures data differently. Create a mapping document:

Spend time here. A misaligned field mapping causes data corruption that's hard to fix later.

Phase 2: Preparation (1 week before)

Set Up the New Platform

1. Configure basic settings:

• Business hours
• Email channels
• SLA policies
• Branding (logo, colors)

1. Create agent accounts:

• Add all agents
• Set roles and permissions
• Send login credentials

1. Build knowledge base:

• Export articles from old platform
• Import or manually recreate
• Update internal links

1. Set up basic automations:

• Auto-assignment rules
• Priority routing
• Notification triggers

Don't aim for perfection. Get 80% working and refine post-launch.

Prepare Your Team

Announce the change:

• Why you're migrating
• Timeline and expectations
• Training schedule

Schedule training sessions:

• 1-hour overview for all agents
• 2-hour deep dive for power users
• Optional Q&A sessions

Create quick-reference guides:

• "How to find tickets"
• "How to use macros"
• "New vs. old: what's different"

Prepare Customers (if needed)

If your support email or portal URL changes:

1. Email announcement: 1 week before, day before, and day of
2. Update website: Change contact page, footer links
3. Set up redirects: Old portal URLs should forward to new
4. Auto-responder: Brief message explaining any temporary delays

Most migrations keep the same support email, making this simpler.

Phase 3: Data Migration (migration weekend)

Export from Source Platform

Zendesk:

• Tickets: Admin → Manage → Reports → Export
• KB: Guide admin → Export
• Users: Admin → Manage → People → Export

Freshdesk:

• Tickets: Admin → Data Export
• Solutions: Admin → Solutions → Export
• Contacts: Admin → Contacts → Export

Intercom:

• Limited native export; use API or third-party tools
• Consider tools like Import2 or Help Desk Migration

Pro tip: Run a test export 1 week before. Check the file format and spot any missing fields early.

Import to Target Platform

Most platforms offer import wizards:

Freshdesk import from Zendesk:

• Admin → Data Import → Zendesk
• Upload ticket export file
• Map fields
• Review sample import
• Run full import

Zendesk import:

• More manual; often requires CSV formatting
• Consider third-party migration tools for complex moves

Common import issues:

• Date format mismatches (use ISO 8601)
• Special characters in ticket bodies
• File attachments exceeding size limits
• Custom field type mismatches

Verify Data Integrity

After import, spot-check these:

• [ ] Recent tickets imported correctly
• [ ] Ticket status matches (Open → Open, not Open → Closed)
• [ ] Customer profiles include all fields
• [ ] Attachments accessible
• [ ] Knowledge base articles formatted properly
• [ ] Agent assignments correct

Check 20-30 tickets across different time periods. If samples look good, the bulk probably is too.

Phase 4: Launch (go-live day)

Morning Checklist

Before agents start:

• [ ] Test ticket creation (email and portal)
• [ ] Verify agent login works
• [ ] Check automations trigger correctly
• [ ] Confirm email routing lands in new platform
• [ ] Test knowledge base search

Brief team meeting (15 minutes):

• Remind everyone where things moved
• Share Slack/Teams channel for migration issues
• Set expectation: first day will feel slower

Monitor Closely

First 48 hours are critical. Watch for:

• Emails not creating tickets
• Automations misfiring
• Agents locked out
• Customers hitting old portal

Assign one person as "migration quarterback" — they handle issues and escalate fast.

Handle Edge Cases

Tickets created in old platform post-migration:

• Forward to new platform manually
• Update email routing to point to new system
• Check within 2 hours of launch

Agents finding missing features:

• Document workarounds
• Prioritize fixes for week 1
• Some things may stay different (platforms aren't identical)

Phase 5: Post-Migration (first month)

Week 1: Stabilization

• Fix critical issues immediately
• Gather agent feedback daily
• Adjust workflows based on reality

Week 2-3: Optimization

• Build missing reports
• Refine automations
• Train on advanced features

Week 4: Review

• Compare metrics to pre-migration
• Survey agent satisfaction
• Document lessons learned

Common Migration Mistakes

Not Testing First

Always run a trial migration with a subset of data. Find field mapping issues before go-live.

Migrating Everything

You don't need 5-year-old closed tickets in your active workspace. Migrate 2 years of history and archive the rest.

Ignoring Integrations

Your Slack, Salesforce, or Shopify integration probably broke. Plan reconnect time.

No Rollback Plan

If migration fails catastrophically, can you revert? Keep old platform active (but hidden) for 1 week.

Forgetting Reporting

Leadership will ask "how did metrics change?" Export pre-migration reports so you have baseline data.

Migration Timeline Summary

Migration Tools That Help

Import2: Automated migration between major platforms. Good for complex moves.

Help Desk Migration: Specialized service with human support. Expensive but thorough.

Native import wizards: Free but require more manual work. Best for simple setups.

The Bottom Line

Helpdesk migration is manageable if you plan properly. The key phases: audit what you have, clean before moving, test the migration, monitor closely after launch.

Most failed migrations suffer from rushing the planning phase. Spend 2-3 weeks preparing, and the actual move becomes straightforward.

• How to choose helpdesk software — Pick the right platform before migrating
• Zendesk review — Enterprise helpdesk option
• Freshdesk review — Budget-friendly alternative

Related Articles

• How to Choose Helpdesk Software — Selection framework
• Best Helpdesk for Small Business — Top picks

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does migration take?

Simple migrations (under 10 agents, clean data): 1-2 weeks total. Complex enterprise moves: 1-3 months.

Can I migrate ticket attachments?

Yes, but file size limits vary by platform. Large exports may need special handling.

Will customers notice the migration?

If you keep the same support email, usually not. Portal URL changes require customer communication.

Should I hire a consultant?

For teams under 20 with simple setups, probably not. For 50+ agents or complex workflows, yes.

What if migration fails?

Keep old platform accessible (read-only) for 1 week post-launch. Worst case, you can revert while fixing issues.

How do I migrate from Intercom?

Intercom has limited export options. Use their API or services like Import2. Expect some data loss (conversations may import as tickets without full threading).

Should I migrate open or closed tickets?

Migrate both, but prioritize open tickets. Closed tickets provide history but aren't urgent. Many teams migrate 90 days of closed tickets and archive older data.

What about custom integrations and webhooks?

Custom integrations rarely transfer automatically. Document all API connections before migration. Test each integration after go-live. Budget 1-2 days for webhook reconfiguration.

Can I migrate gradually by channel?

Yes. Some teams migrate email first, then chat, then phone. This reduces risk but extends the transition period. Running parallel systems creates confusion — weigh the trade-offs carefully.

How do I handle macros and canned responses?

Most platforms can import these, but formatting varies. Expect to spend 2-4 hours reformatting and reorganizing. Use this as an opportunity to clean up outdated responses.