Will the original assignees, message authors and created dates be preserved when we migrate to Help Scout?
Yes. Created-time metadata is carried across, and so are assignees and message authors who have a user account in Help Scout. Where Help Scout cannot store one of them natively, it is kept as embedded metadata on the migrated record.
If Help Scout can't natively support an old record type, what are my options?
We handle it case by case. While mapping your data, we identify every record type without a direct counterpart in Help Scout, review sample records from it and propose how it can be represented, based on what Help Scout supports: map it to the closest native object, create a custom field or object, fold it into the parent record as text or a note, attach it as a file, or keep it in a read-only archive. You choose the approach, we write the migration scripts to place the data there, so it comes across in the form you choose instead of being left behind, and you see how it looks in a sample migration before we run the full set.
What happens to tickets assigned to agents who have left the team or don't have an account in Help Scout?
They still come across. Before the migration runs, you decide where they go: to a fallback owner you choose, or left unassigned where Help Scout allows it. Either way, each ticket can get a tag with the original agent's name, for example Assigned_to_Jane, so your team can still see and filter who handled it and reassign them later.
Will all our ticket tags carry over to Help Scout, and can migrated tickets be marked so we can tell them apart?
The tags on the tickets being migrated carry over. Tags come across as part of each migrated ticket, so a tag that isn't on any migrated ticket isn't created in Help Scout, and you can also limit the migration to a list of tags you choose in the migration checklist. Each migration is a custom script, so we can stamp every imported ticket with a tag such as "migrated", or, where Help Scout has custom ticket fields, a field value you choose, so they are easy to filter, and if you ask for a change after reviewing migrated tickets, we re-sync those tickets with the update. The sample migration shows exactly how your tags appear before the full run.
Will migrating to Help Scout send emails or notifications to customers, our team or anyone else?
No. Before the sample or full migration starts, we confirm with you that nothing in Help Scout will send messages about the migrated data: we import with notifications switched off wherever Help Scout allows it, and pause any automation that could send them or give it a condition that skips migrated records. We only proceed once you have confirmed it. If you want anyone told about the move, that message is sent separately, once the migrated data has been checked.
Will you migrate our knowledge base articles to Help Scout as well as our tickets?
Yes. Knowledge base articles can be part of the same migration as your tickets, and move into your Help Scout knowledge base.
Can we migrate only the contacts who have tickets to Help Scout, not our whole contact list?
Yes. We pull your tickets first, collect the distinct requesters from them, and migrate only those contact records. Contacts with no ticket history are not added to Help Scout.
Can you migrate data that Help Scout can't take in through an API?
In many cases, yes. Where something can't be written through an API, we recreate it through the application itself where the interface allows it, and where that work is repetitive we script and automate it. We tell you up front which items are handled this way, because recreating them through the interface can add time to the schedule.
How do you check that our tickets in Help Scout match the originals?
We run verification checks that compare each migrated ticket in Help Scout with its original in your current help desk. They cover message content, HTML rendering, inline images and attachment checksums.
Will our full ticket conversations come across to Help Scout, or only notes on each ticket?
We migrate the full conversation on each ticket, not a summary saved as notes. Where your current help desk's API doesn't expose part of the history, our engineers retrieve it from your current help desk directly and work out a route to load it into Help Scout. You check the result in a sample migration before the full run begins.
What happens if Help Scout requires fields our current data doesn't have?
We check Help Scout for required fields your current data cannot fill and bring each one to you before those records are migrated. Together we agree how each one is handled, such as a mapping from an existing field, a default value, or, where Help Scout lets that field be made optional, setting it to not required for the migration so you can make it required again once the migration is complete. The migration then runs with that rule applied, so no records are rejected or left behind.
Do internal notes and system-generated notes migrate to Help Scout, or only customer-facing replies?
Internal notes can come across, and so can system-generated notes where your current help desk's API makes them available. During scoping you choose which notes to include, so Help Scout holds the history your team will actually use.
Will our custom ticket fields map to the right fields in Help Scout?
Yes. Before anything runs, we map each of your custom fields to its destination field in Help Scout and confirm the mapping with you. You then review a sample migration so you can check that the values land where you expect, and we make any mapping changes before the full migration.
Can you migrate hundreds of thousands of tickets and contacts to Help Scout?
Yes. Every migration is a custom script built for your project, so volume is something we plan for, not a limit on what can move. At large volumes, run time is set mainly by how fast your current help desk's and Help Scout's APIs accept requests, and we plan the full run around that. Before the full run, we test the mapping and throughput with a sample migration.
Will links between our records still work after we migrate to Help Scout?
Yes. We move your data in two passes. The first pass creates every record in Help Scout and stores its new ID. The second pass goes back and points each reference at the new record, so links between records lead to the right place.
Can you combine data from several support tools into one Help Scout account?
Yes. Each tool's data is extracted separately and written into the same Help Scout account. How records from the different tools fit together is settled in the data mapping before the build. The sample migration includes data from every source, so you can check the combined result before the full run.
Can you fix tickets that are linked to the wrong company as they move to Help Scout?
Yes, where Help Scout lets a company be set on each ticket. Each migration runs as custom scripts against the source and destination APIs, so we can set the correct company on each ticket as it is written to Help Scout. We agree the assignment rules with you first. The corrected links show up in the sample migration, so you can check them before the full run.
Will our ticket formatting, including HTML content, carry over to Help Scout?
Yes. The migration script converts ticket content, including HTML, into the format Help Scout expects, and our verification checks compare migrated tickets with the originals, including how the HTML renders. The sample migration lets you compare migrated tickets side by side with the originals before the full run, and if anything renders differently, such as HTML appearing as raw text, we adjust the script and re-run the samples until you sign off.
Will the migration create duplicate tags or custom fields in Help Scout?
It shouldn't. We map your data onto the tags and custom fields that already exist in Help Scout rather than creating duplicates alongside them, and we can write the scripts so they leave your existing custom field setup unchanged. If any duplicate tags do turn up after a run, we merge them.
What data will be migrated to Help Scout, and how will each type of record map?
It depends on your current platform and the scope you choose, but it is usually the core records and everything attached to them. Before anything runs, we send you a migration checklist showing where each type of record lands in Help Scout, including anything that won't move, and you confirm the scope.
Are attachments migrated to Help Scout, and how do you make sure none are missed?
Yes. Attachments are downloaded from your current platform and uploaded to Help Scout as real files on the same records, wherever Help Scout accepts files on that type of record and within its file size limit, not left as links back to the old system. To make sure none are missed, your Migration Validation Report checks attachment integrity by checksum alongside the record-count comparison, and we can also run an attachment count check against your source and share the results. You can review attachments in the sample migration before the full run.
Do we need to create our custom fields in Help Scout before the migration, or do you create them?
Usually we create them as part of the migration. Where Help Scout has no API for creating fields, we set them up through its interface, using admin access you grant us. On some platforms we ask your team to create certain fields and tell us which source field maps to each one, and we confirm which applies to Help Scout during scoping.
What happens to custom fields that have no matching field in Help Scout?
You choose how each one is kept. We can create a matching custom field in Help Scout, map it onto the closest existing field, or write its values onto each migrated record as an internal note laid out as readable field-and-value pairs, so the information stays visible without cluttering your new setup. Every field without a match is listed in the migration checklist, and we agree the approach with you before the sample migration.
Can you migrate our data into Help Scout if another team already uses it, and merge it with the records already there?
Yes. Before creating anything, we check each incoming record, such as a company or contact, against the records already in Help Scout, using a matching rule we agree with you, such as an email address or an ID. Where a match is found, the migrated data is attached to the existing record. Records with no match are either created as new records or set aside on a list for your team to review, whichever you prefer, and if you already keep a mapping between the two systems' names or IDs, we can apply it in the migration scripts. We also map your data into the fields the other team already uses rather than adding duplicate fields alongside them.
Will inline images still display after we migrate to Help Scout, or will their links break?
They keep displaying once they are re-hosted, and we plan for that. Where inline images are stored by your current platform, we can download them, upload them to Help Scout and point each image link at its new location, so it no longer depends on your old account. Images embedded directly in email bodies can still be served from your old account, so before you shut it down we can identify the affected records and re-import them with their images re-hosted, and our verification checks on the sample migration include inline images.
Can you set the same value on a field for every record you migrate to Help Scout, such as labelling every contact's phone as 'Mobile'?
Yes, as long as Help Scout lets that field be set through its API. Each migration is a custom script, so we can apply a fixed value to a field on every migrated record. We first test that Help Scout accepts the value, confirm with you, and then apply it across the board, including on records that have already been migrated.
What happens if some of our field values are longer than Help Scout allows?
We handle it in the migration scripts. Fields where Help Scout's limit is shorter than your data are identified while we map your data, the handling for each one is agreed with you before the migration runs, and you can check the result in the sample migration before the full run.
Can you migrate our workflows and automations into Help Scout, or only our data?
Both can be in scope. Your records are the core of the migration, and workflows, rules and automations can be added: we recreate them in Help Scout using its own conditions and actions, since automations don't copy across platforms as they are. Where Help Scout's API can't create them, they are set up through its interface instead, and we agree during scoping exactly which ones we rebuild and which your team or implementation partner will handle.
Do you migrate our users, or do we need to create them in Help Scout before the migration?
Usually your team creates them, but we can do it for you. We recommend setting up your users in Help Scout before the full migration, so every record can be attributed and assigned to the right person; the sample migration uses a default user, so it doesn't need them. If you'd rather we create the accounts, send us the list of users and their roles and we provision them for you, where Help Scout allows it.
Will the migration delete or overwrite any data that's already in Help Scout?
No. The migration adds your records alongside what is already in Help Scout, and nothing there is deleted without your confirmation. Where an incoming record matches an existing one, we link to the existing record rather than creating a second copy, and corrections to migrated records are made as updates wherever possible rather than by deleting and recreating them.
What happens if Help Scout rejects some of our records during the migration?
We log each rejected record, fix the cause and push it again. Common causes, such as a required field your data doesn't fill or a value in a format Help Scout doesn't accept, are agreed with you and handled in the migration scripts, and the scripts can be re-run safely without creating duplicates. When the migration finishes, you get a list of every migrated record and of anything left out, with the reason.
Will the data we migrate count toward Help Scout's plan limits or storage charges?
It depends on your Help Scout plan. Migrated records arrive as regular records in Help Scout, so whether they count toward its record or storage limits is set by Help Scout's pricing, and its own team or your implementation partner can confirm how your plan treats them. If limits are a concern, you can reduce what moves, for example by migrating only the last one or two years of history.
Are deleted tickets included when we migrate to Help Scout?
Only if you want them. You decide during scoping whether deleted and spam tickets are included, and we apply that choice to every run, including the final delta sync. Some platforms keep deleted tickets as scrubbed records with no remaining content; we flag any we find and migrate them only if you ask.
Do you migrate live chat, SMS and messaging conversations, such as WhatsApp, into Help Scout, and do they keep their original channel?
Yes. Chat conversations and messages from channels such as WhatsApp or Instagram are migrated as tickets alongside your email history, where your current platform makes them available through its API or an export. Help Scout may not let imported tickets keep every original channel: some platforms take most imported tickets in through a general API channel instead. So we keep the original channel wherever Help Scout allows it, and can tag each ticket with its original one, such as chat, SMS or WhatsApp, so your team can still find and filter them. If an export leaves out the message content for some channels, we tell you and agree another way to retrieve it.
If our exported tickets have no status, what status will they get in Help Scout?
We set them to closed by default, unless you choose another status. Without a status to map from, migrated tickets are treated as history and kept out of your team's live queues. If you want some of them open, tell us which ones and we set those as open, and if you change your mind after the migration, we can update their statuses in bulk.
Will our tickets end up with duplicate comments after we migrate to Help Scout?
Not normally, and we check for it. Our verification checks compare each migrated ticket with its original, including the message content, and each delta round is checked against what earlier rounds already migrated. If a ticket is found with duplicated comments, we can delete and reimport it, and it keeps its original creation time and conversation timestamps.
Will tickets that have no customer email address still be migrated to Help Scout?
Yes, if you want them. Some help desks need an email address or telephone number to create the customer a ticket belongs to, so we flag every ticket whose requester has neither, including where your current platform's privacy settings hide the email from its API, and send you the list. You can then give us the right email for each requester, or have the tickets migrated with placeholder email addresses, and we migrate them that way. Before flagging a ticket, we also look for its contact elsewhere in the ticket's data.
If our spam tickets are migrated to Help Scout, will they still be marked as spam?
Yes, they can be. If you choose to include spam tickets, we mark them, for example with a spam tag, alongside a migration tag if you use one, so they stay easy to find and filter in Help Scout, and we include some in the sample so you can check them. If you'd rather leave spam behind, we agree a filter during scoping and it isn't imported.
Can you migrate our customer satisfaction (CSAT) survey responses into Help Scout?
Yes, where Help Scout can store them. Where it accepts satisfaction ratings, we migrate them with their tickets, which can need an extra permission on the new account's connection. Where it has no native place for historical ratings, we bring the scores across another way, such as a custom field or a tag on each ticket, agreed with you during scoping.
Can the activity history on each ticket, such as status changes and assignments, be migrated to Help Scout?
Usually not as a native timeline. Event history such as status changes and assignment timestamps stays with your old account and generally isn't something a help desk accepts on import, so it is left out of the migration. Each ticket still arrives with its full conversation, status and assignee, and with its original timestamps where Help Scout accepts them, and parts of the history that matter to you can be kept another way, such as a tag with the ticket's original status or an internal note.
Can you migrate tickets that belong to private or restricted categories into Help Scout?
Yes, once the migration's connection can reach them. If a category or group is private or restricted in your current help desk or in Help Scout, the account we connect with may not be able to read or create tickets in it, so we flag every ticket this affects. You can then lift the restriction or give the connection the access it needs, such as an admin-level account, and we migrate the remaining tickets, or tell us to leave them out.
If we have social media messages, such as Facebook and Instagram comments, will they keep the right author and show where they came from when we migrate to Help Scout?
Yes, as far as your current platform records it. Each message is attributed to the author your current platform's API reports, and messages from your team show under the right agent as long as that agent's account exists in Help Scout before the tickets are migrated; otherwise they fall back to the default agent. We also carry over the message source in as much detail as the API provides, for example telling comments on Instagram posts apart from comments on Instagram ads.
Can you migrate email threads that never became tickets from our email account, such as Gmail, into Help Scout?
Yes. Once your email account, such as Gmail, is connected, we can pull selected email threads directly from it, for example for a date range you choose, and migrate them into Help Scout as tickets. We share the list of threads with you to confirm before anything moves. Because they were never tickets, some details can look different from tickets migrated from your help desk.
Will tickets that have no messages or comments still be migrated to Help Scout?
Yes, if you want them. Some help desks can't create a ticket without at least one message, so we flag every ticket that has none and send you the list rather than skipping them silently. We first check whether the content is stored elsewhere in your current platform, such as a ticket description we can use as the first message. Otherwise we can migrate the ticket with a placeholder message, or leave it out if you prefer.
What happens to a conversation that mixes email and chat messages if Help Scout keeps those channels separate?
We agree the approach with you during scoping. One option is to split the conversation into a ticket for each channel, each carrying the same subject, tags and other details, so the two are easy to find together on the same customer. If you'd rather have a single thread, we confirm during scoping whether Help Scout can hold it that way, and you check the result in the sample migration.
Will a customer with several email addresses or telephone numbers end up as duplicate contacts in Help Scout?
Not if we agree the merges with you first. We identify records that share an email address or telephone number and propose merges in the migration checklist, where you confirm each one and choose which address stays primary. Each merged set becomes one contact holding all of that customer's tickets and, where Help Scout allows it, all of their email addresses. We don't merge on a guess, so records you don't confirm stay as they are.
If we use a chatbot, do you migrate it and its conversation flows into Help Scout, or only the conversations it handled?
We migrate the conversations it handled, not the chatbot itself. Every chat conversation the bot took part in comes across with your ticket history, while the chatbot's own setup isn't migrated as data and is set up again in Help Scout where it offers one. Workflows and automation rules are a separate item, and the ones you have today can be recreated in Help Scout as agreed during scoping.
Will our customers be able to see their migrated conversations in Help Scout, for example in a customer portal?
It depends on Help Scout. Migrated tickets are attached to each customer's contact record like any other ticket, so where Help Scout has a portal that shows customers their own tickets, the migrated ones can appear there, while internal notes stay private to your agents. Some portals only show tickets or replies set up in a particular way, so we confirm during scoping how imported tickets show to customers in Help Scout and check it in the sample migration.
Can our agents reply to customers from migrated tickets in Help Scout?
Yes, where Help Scout treats migrated tickets as regular tickets and your support email is connected to it. An agent's reply from a migrated ticket then goes out to the customer, and the customer's next reply continues on that same ticket. Some help desks keep imported tickets read-only, so we confirm this for Help Scout and test it on your account before your team relies on it.
Will the information that integrations show in our tickets be migrated to Help Scout?
Not if that information lives in the integration rather than in your help desk. This information is often drawn live by the integration, and where your current platform doesn't store that data or return it through its API, it can't be migrated with the tickets. The tickets and their conversations migrate as normal, and your team reconnects each integration to Help Scout after cutover.
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