Help Scout to Zendesk migration
DataGrine migrates Help Scout to Zendesk: companies, contacts, conversations with their replies, notes and attachments, tags and knowledge base articles. Every field is mapped in writing and a sample of your own records is signed off before the full run. Run it yourself on the DataGrine platform or have the DataGrine team run it end to end, with 24/7 premium support either way.
What moves
From Help Scout into Zendesk.
- CustomersEnd users
- OrganizationsOrganizations
- ConversationsTickets
- Customer, reply, chat and phone threadsPublic comments
- Note threadsPrivate comments
- Line item threadsContext
- Thread attachmentsComment attachments
- Inline imagesComment attachments
- Mailbox custom fieldsTicket fields
- TagsTags
- Conversation statusesTicket statuses
- Saved repliesMacros
- Docs articlesGuide articles
Why teams make this move
Teams outgrow Help Scout and move to Zendesk for more complex routing, multiple brands and a larger app ecosystem.
Worth planning for
Help Scout custom fields belong to a mailbox, while Zendesk ticket fields belong to the whole account. Fields with the same name in different mailboxes have to be merged or kept apart deliberately, and each mailbox needs a home - a group, a brand or a ticket form.
Decided with you in the written mapping, before anything moves.
How it runs
Self-serve or fully managed. Same steps, same checks.
- 01
Connect and map
Read-only access to your old helpdesk. Every field and value mapped before anything moves.
- 02
Sample run
A sample of your own records lands in the new helpdesk for you to check and sign off.
- 03
Full migration
The full move at the fastest pace both platforms allow, while your team keeps working.
- 04
Delta at cut-over
Anything created or changed since the full run, moved on go-live day.
- 05
Reconcile
Counts checked object by object against the source, and every run can be rolled back.
- Read-only access to the source
- Rollback per run
- 24/7 premium support
Questions
Help Scout to Zendesk, answered.
What does not carry across from Help Scout?
Configuration such as automations, macros and views is not data, so it is set up again in Zendesk. Anything with no equivalent in Zendesk is listed in the written mapping, and you choose what happens to it before anything moves.
Can we run it ourselves?
Yes. Run it self-serve on the DataGrine platform, or let our migration team handle it end to end. Either way you get 24/7 premium support until the migration is signed off.
Does our team have to stop working?
No. We only read from Help Scout, so your team keeps working during the full run, and a delta sync at cut-over moves anything created or changed since.
Can we use the built-in importer instead?
No. Zendesk's help article on migrating data into Zendesk points to bulk import for users and organizations, the API (including the Ticket Import API), Marketplace apps or professional services; there is no built-in Help Scout importer. A migration adds a written mapping, a sample run on your own data, a delta sync at cut-over and rollback.
How fast can data come out of Help Scout?
Help Scout Inbox API: 200 calls a minute on Standard (no reporting endpoints), 400 on Plus and 800 on Pro, no API on Free; write requests count as two, and the limit is shared by all users on the account. Conversations are listed as active only unless status=all is asked for. Runs are paced to stay inside that limit, which is why large accounts move in a full run first and a delta at cut-over.
What needs deciding before the move?
Mailbox-scoped custom fields need a merge-or-separate decision before they become account-wide Zendesk ticket fields. Workflow conditions and actions are not available through Help Scout's API, so every workflow is documented by hand before it is rebuilt. Imported tickets do not count in Zendesk metrics or SLAs, and the first update to an open imported ticket can fire triggers, so both are planned before cut-over.
What does it cost?
It depends on how many records move and whether you run the migration yourself or have the DataGrine team run it. You get a quote once the records in scope are counted, before anything moves.
Other routes
Moving a different pair?
Teams moving from Help Scout often need more advanced routing, SLAs and AI-powered support.
Teams move from Freshdesk to Zendesk when they need a larger ecosystem of apps, more advanced routing or a multi-brand setup.
Teams move from Intercom to Zendesk to standardise on a ticket-first help desk across several brands or business units.
Plan your Help Scout to Zendesk move.
Tell us where you are moving from and to. Run it yourself on the DataGrine platform or let our migration team handle it end to end, with 24/7 support either way.
- A written mapping document before anything moves
- A sample migration you review before the live run
- Delta sync at cut-over and rollback per run
- 24/7 premium support until you sign off