Zendesk to Salesforce Service Cloud migration
DataGrine migrates Zendesk to Salesforce Service Cloud: companies, contacts, tickets 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 Zendesk into Salesforce Service Cloud.
- UsersContacts
- OrganizationsAccounts
- TicketsCases
- Public commentsEmail messages or published case comments
- Private commentsPrivate case comments
- AttachmentsFiles
- Inline imagesFiles
- Custom ticket fieldsCustom case fields
- TagsCase field
- Ticket statusesCase status
- Guide articlesSalesforce Knowledge
Why teams make this move
Companies that run sales on Salesforce move support from Zendesk to Service Cloud so cases sit on the same accounts and contacts as the rest of the customer record.
Worth planning for
Salesforce keeps a case’s history as separate email messages, case comments and files, and sets the created date itself unless audit fields are enabled for the import. Each Zendesk ticket has to be split into those records in time order, with private comments kept unpublished, and the org prepared before the first case moves.
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
Zendesk to Salesforce Service Cloud, answered.
What does not carry across from Zendesk?
Configuration such as automations, macros and views is not data, so it is set up again in Salesforce Service Cloud. Anything with no equivalent in Salesforce Service Cloud 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 Zendesk, 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 helpdesk importer. Salesforce Data Loader is a client application for bulk import or export that works with every object type, so cases, contacts and accounts can be loaded from files, but each case's emails, comments and files have to be prepared and linked to it separately. 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 Zendesk?
Zendesk Support API: 200 requests a minute on Team, 400 on Professional, 700 on Enterprise and 2,500 on Enterprise Plus or with the High Volume add-on; incremental export endpoints are limited to 10 requests a minute (30 with High Volume). 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?
Original created dates need Salesforce's permission to set audit fields enabled for the import, otherwise every case is dated the day it moves. Email history needs Email-to-Case or Enhanced Email on the org before EmailMessage records can be written. The 24-hour Salesforce API allocation is shared by every integration on the org, so the write is paced around it.
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 move for Fin and the Messenger, then discover four years of ticket history has to come with them.
Teams consolidate from Zendesk onto Freshdesk to bring support onto the wider Freshworks stack, usually at a renewal.
Teams that already run sales and marketing in HubSpot move support out of Zendesk so tickets, contacts and deals sit in one CRM.
Plan your Zendesk to Salesforce Service Cloud 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