Intercom to Zendesk migration
DataGrine migrates Intercom 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 Intercom into Zendesk.
- ContactsEnd users
- CompaniesOrganizations
- Conversations and ticketsTickets
- RepliesPublic comments
- NotesPrivate comments
- Assignment, state and other eventsContext
- Very long conversationsTickets
- AttachmentsComment attachments
- Conversation and ticket attributesTicket fields
- TagsTags
- Ticket statesTicket statuses
- Teams and teammatesGroups and agents
- Help Center articlesGuide articles
Why teams make this move
Teams move from Intercom to Zendesk to standardise on a ticket-first help desk across several brands or business units.
Worth planning for
An Intercom conversation is a stream of parts - replies, internal notes, assignments, state changes. Zendesk keeps comments, so only the replies and notes become the thread, and the events in between are kept as context rather than replayed as messages.
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
Intercom to Zendesk, answered.
What does not carry across from Intercom?
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 Intercom, 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 CSV import for users and organizations, the API (including the Ticket Import API), Marketplace apps or professional services; there is no built-in Intercom 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 Intercom?
Intercom REST API: 10,000 calls a minute per app and 25,000 per workspace by default, spread over 10-second windows; the same limits apply on every plan as documented. 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?
Intercom has no status, group or form on many conversations, so Zendesk defaults have to be decided in the mapping before anything moves. Zendesk metrics and SLAs do not apply to imported tickets, so historical reporting has to be archived separately. The first update to an imported ticket can fire triggers and notifications, so triggers need reviewing 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.
Further reading: How to export conversations, tickets, contacts and articles from Intercom
Other routes
Moving a different pair?
Cost consolidation or an IT-led standardisation onto the Freshworks stack.
Teams move from Freshdesk to Zendesk when they need a larger ecosystem of apps, more advanced routing or a multi-brand setup.
Teams outgrow Help Scout and move to Zendesk for more complex routing, multiple brands and a larger app ecosystem.
Plan your Intercom 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