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As businesses grow, so do their customer support needs. Switching help desk platforms is a significant step toward enhancing efficiency, but it often comes with the challenge of preserving existing data. Migrating from Freshdesk to Zoho Desk doesn’t have to be a complex task if approached with the right strategy. From customer details and ticket histories to agent interactions and knowledge base articles, ensuring a smooth transition is critical for maintaining operational continuity and data integrity.
With Zoho Desk's powerful Zwitch migration tool, businesses can seamlessly transfer their Freshdesk data into Zoho Desk without losing a single byte of valuable information. This blog will walk you through the step-by-step process, supported data formats, and best practices to ensure a hassle-free migration experience. Whether you’re a growing business or looking for more robust support software, this guide has you covered.
As customer support requirements evolve, businesses need a help desk solution that scales with their growth. Zoho Desk, a robust and cloud-based customer support software, provides advanced features that help streamline ticket management, improve agent productivity, and enhance the overall customer experience. By migrating from Freshdesk to Zoho Desk, businesses can leverage:
Transitioning to Zoho Desk ensures your support team has everything they need to deliver an exceptional experience without losing access to historical data.
Migrating data from Freshdesk to Zoho Desk involves several key steps to ensure data integrity and operational continuity. The process includes:
To initiate the migration, the Primary Contact or Support Administrator must provide access credentials, validate the exported data, and authorize the migration process.
Zoho Desk ensures that all critical customer support data is transferred without discrepancies. The following modules can be migrated from Freshdesk to Zoho Desk:
Additionally, Zoho Desk supports the migration of custom fields, ensuring that all unique data is preserved seamlessly.
Log in to Freshdesk
Use your admin credentials to log in to your Freshdesk account.
Go to Admin > Account > Account Details.
Under the Export Data section, choose the specific modules you want to export:
Tickets: Includes all ticket details like threads, attachments, and status.
Contacts: Customer contact details.
Companies: Organizational accounts.
Solutions: Knowledge Base articles.
Select the Date Range: Specify the range of tickets or contacts to export if required.
Click Update to save your preferences.
Click Export to initiate the export process.
Freshdesk will generate an XML file containing the selected data.
Navigate to Admin > Account Exports to view your export history.
Download the XML file for your records.
Save the file and zip it into a single file. (Zoho Desk accepts zip files up to 2GB in size.)
Use the credentials for your Zoho Desk account as the Primary Contact or Support Administrator.
Go to Setup from the top-right corner of your Zoho Desk portal.
Under Data Administration, select Zwitch.
Click on New Migration to start a new data migration process.
From the dropdown list, select Freshdesk as the source help desk software.
Provide the URL of your Freshdesk portal. For example:
https://yourcompanyname.freshdesk.com
Input the email address and password associated with your Freshdesk admin account.
These credentials are securely used to verify access and ensure data migration.
Ensure the Freshdesk data export file is:
In the XML format.
Zipped into a single file.
Does not exceed 2GB per file. (You can upload up to 5 such files.)
In the Import Data From section:
Click Upload.
Select the zipped file from your local system.
Zoho Desk allows you to migrate specific modules. In the Modules that will receive the data section:
Check the modules you want to migrate from Freshdesk to Zoho Desk:
Agents: Support agents and their roles.
Accounts: Organizational accounts.
Contacts: Customer contacts.
Tickets: Ticket details, status, and conversations.
Threads: Ticket conversations, including public and private notes.
Ticket Comments: Comments associated with tickets.
Attachments: Files attached to tickets and threads.
Knowledge Base Root Categories: Main categories for KB articles.
Knowledge Base Sections: Sub-categories for articles.
Articles: Individual Knowledge Base articles.
Review and confirm your selection.
If you have specific requests or instructions for the migration team, add them in the Additional Info section.
Example: "Exclude closed tickets older than 3 years" or "Preserve agent-specific notes under comments."
1. Authenticate Data Transfer
After submitting the migration details:
You will be redirected to the Zwitch Migration Authentication page.
2. Select Your Zoho Desk Portal
If you manage multiple portals in Zoho Desk:
Select the portal where the Freshdesk data should be migrated.
3. Submit and Confirm
Click Submit to authorize the data migration.
1. Receive Confirmation Email
Zoho Desk will send an email to the Primary Contact with the migration details.
2. Review Migration Status
Go to Setup > Data Administration > Zwitch to monitor the migration progress.
You will see the following statuses:
3. Waiting for Authentication: Awaiting confirmation.
Submitted: Data has been successfully submitted for migration.
In Progress: Migration is currently underway.
Completed: Migration has been successfully completed.
After the migration is completed:
1. Verify the Migrated Data
Cross-check key modules like:
Tickets
Contacts
Attachments
Knowledge Base
2. Confirm Data Accuracy
Ensure that all ticket IDs, notes, attachments, and Knowledge Base articles have been successfully migrated without discrepancies.
3. Reassign Agents (if needed)
Verify agent assignments for tickets to ensure continuity in workflows.
4. Train Your Support Team
Familiarize agents with Zoho Desk’s new interface and features.
5. Configure Automation Rules
Set up workflows, SLA rules, and automation to optimize ticket management.
Zoho Desk maintains an audit log of all migration activities:
Navigate to Setup > Data Administration > Zwitch.
In the Migration History section, view the following details:
File Names: List of uploaded files.
Status: Waiting for Authentication, Submitted, In Progress, or Completed.
Migration Timeline: Track start and end times for each migration.
