Pylon to Kayako Migration

MIGRATION OVERVIEW

Why teams migrate from Pylon to Kayako

The core problem

Migrating from Pylon to Kayako requires a fully custom API-based ETL pipeline, as no native migration tool or import wizard exists between these two platforms. Pylon's data model is account-centric and built around Slack-threaded conversational Issues, while Kayako's model is conversation-centric, storing support records as structured Cases with standardized user profiles, SLAs, and multi-channel metadata. The fundamental transformation challenge is converting Pylon's unstructured Slack Block Kit JSON and Slack Markdown message bodies into valid HTML for Kayako ingestion, and resolving Pylon's Slack-ID-based contact records into email-addressed Kayako Users. Additional custom work is required to handle data entities with no Kayako equivalent, including Feature Requests, Account Intelligence data, and snoozed Issue states.

Why this matters for your migration

KEY CHALLENGES

What makes this migration complex

These are the architectural mismatches and technical hurdles specific to a Pylon to Kayako migration.

Most Critical

Pylon API Rate Limiting

The Pylon issues list endpoint is capped at 10 requests per minute with a mandatory 30-day time range parameter, requiring chunked extraction across your full history window and making message extraction the dominant pipeline runtime constraint.

Blocks all downstream imports if mapped wrong

Slack Markup Transformation

Pylon returns message bodies as Slack Block Kit JSON or raw Slack Markdown, which must be fully translated to HTML via a custom middleware layer before loading into Kayako, as raw Slack markup renders as unreadable literal characters in the Kayako interface.

Contact Email Resolution

Pylon contacts are uniquely identified by Slack user IDs, while Kayako requires a valid email address as the unique user identifier, meaning any contacts lacking an email must be resolved through CRM data or the Slack API prior to import.

Undisclosed Kayako Rate Limits

Kayako Cloud does not publicly document its API rate limits, returning HTTP 429 with a Retry-After header when exceeded, requiring implementation of dynamic exponential backoff rather than fixed sleep intervals in the ETL pipeline.

Time-Limited Attachment URLs

Pylon attachment URLs are pre-signed and time-limited, requiring immediate download to a local staging environment during extraction rather than deferred retrieval, or attachments will become inaccessible before they can be loaded into Kayako.

No-Equivalent Data Entities

Pylon-native objects including Feature Requests, Account Intelligence health scores, CRM sync status, and snoozed Issue wake times have no direct Kayako equivalents and require pre-migration archival or lossy workarounds such as custom fields and Pending status automation.

MIGRATION RISK ASSESSMENT

Every migration risk, already solved

Migration between platforms is full of edge cases. Our engineers have identified every risk from Pylon to Kayako and built proven solutions for each one.

High complexity

Messages / Replies

Every message body must be transformed from Slack Block Kit JSON or Slack Markdown to valid HTML, and per-issue message extraction at 20 req/min means 10,000 issues require a minimum of 8.3 hours of pipeline runtime before any retries or pagination overhead.

Solved
Contacts / Users

Pylon contacts identified only by Slack user IDs cannot be imported into Kayako without a valid email address, and unresolved contacts will block conversation creation for any issues they are associated with.

Solved
Attachments

Pre-signed, time-limited Pylon attachment URLs expire after generation, meaning any deferral of the download step during extraction will result in permanently orphaned attachments that cannot be recovered post-migration.

Solved
Feature Requests

Kayako has no native feature request object, so all feature request data including title, status, vote counts, and linked issues must be exported to CSV and stored as reference data in Kayako custom fields, resulting in a permanent loss of structured tracking capability.

Solved

Custom engineering

Issues / Conversations

Core ticket objects map conceptually from Pylon Issues to Kayako Cases, but Pylon's Slack-threaded structure and the 10 req/min extraction rate limit make large-volume migration slow and require careful chronological ordering during load.

Handled
Accounts / Organizations

Pylon Account metadata including health scores, CRM sync fields, and partner account hierarchies has no Kayako Organization equivalent and must be mapped to custom fields or archived externally to avoid permanent data loss.

Handled
Custom Fields

Kayako enforces three distinct custom field scopes — conversation, user, and organization — which Pylon does not distinguish, requiring all fields to be manually pre-created in Kayako Admin with correct scope assignment before the import pipeline runs.

Handled
Knowledge Base Articles

Kayako Help Center enforces a Category → Section → Article hierarchy that does not exist in Pylon, requiring the target category and section structure to be designed and pre-created before articles can be imported.

Handled

Clean transfer

Tags

Tags map directly between both platforms at the conversation level with no structural transformation required, making this one of the lowest-risk entities in the migration.

Clean
Agents / Users

Agent records map directly but must be created in Kayako with correct role assignments before conversations can be assigned to them, making sequencing a prerequisite rather than a technical risk.

Clean

What Our Customers Say

Real migration stories

Direct Review

“Overall a great experience. We had to go back a few times to get everything just right, which was totally expected. The transition was smooth, and there was no data loss.”

Direct Review

“One of the easiest migrations I've ever been through. The team took care of everything — all our data, customer interactions and macros. The process was clear, straightforward and we felt supported all the way. An absolutely seamless experience for our support team and our customers.”

Direct Review

“Fantastic at both guiding us through the process and helping us fix things as they come up and dial them in.”

Reviewed on G2

“The ease of the process and that ClonePartner was informing me what was going on at every step. If you're on the fence, do it. ClonePartner are great!”

Direct Review

“They were SO helpful. We had a few hiccups because our migration was in the middle of the process, but they were really flexible and did multiple delta migrations for us. We were able to map a lot of our old ticket data so it's usable for comparisons in the future.”

See all customer stories →

CUSTOM MIGRATION

Fully customizable engineer-led migration

Tailor your migration from Pylon to Kayako exactly to your needs with our flexible customization options. Our experts will configure the perfect migration plan for your business.

Migration Filters

Data Types

ZERO DOWNTIME

Your timeline. Our engineers.

A dedicated engineer runs your migration, planned around your schedule and your data.

No babysitting a wizard. Avoid debugging errors yourself.

Looking for a more detailed migration timeline?

Contact our team

Speed

The migration timeline depends on both our turnaround time and yours.

We can complete a migration in under a day when the accounts are connected and the sample migration is approved promptly.

Background Sync

We also support migrating the newest records first, so you can go live faster while the rest of the data is synced in the background.

Data Volume Impact

Larger data volumes may require longer migration windows.

Continuous Operation

Weekend migrations minimize disruption to your customer service operations.

MIGRATION TIMELINE

Your Pylon to Kayako migration, step by step

See how long your migration will take from start to finish. Drag the slider to estimate based on your data volume.

How many records are you migrating?

<10K 50K 100K 250K 500K 1M 2M 5M 10M+

Checklist ~3 days

Sample 1 day

Review ~2 days

Full 2 days

Delta 1 day

Your team ClonePartner

Estimated total

~9 business days

Migration Checklist

1 day · ClonePartner ~2 days · Your team

We prepare the optimal data mapping as a shareable spreadsheet. Your team reviews, approves, and adds any customizations.

Sample Migration

1 day · ClonePartner

We run a test migration with a representative sample of your data to verify mapping accuracy and identify any potential issues before the full run.

Review & Approve

~2 days · Your team

Your team reviews the sample migration results, confirms data accuracy and mapping, and gives the go-ahead for the full migration.

Full Migration

2 days · ClonePartner

We execute the complete migration of all your data to your new Kayako, with real-time progress tracking and comprehensive logging.

Delta Migration

1 day · ClonePartner

We capture and transfer any new data that was added or updated during the main migration to ensure no data is lost. This final sync keeps everything current.

Pros and cons of different migration options

Choosing the right approach is key because migrating from Pylon to Kayako isn't just about moving data – it's about protecting customer relationships.

Feature / Criteria	ClonePartner	Automated Tools	CSV Import	In-house migration
Custom Scripting for complex data	✓ Engineers build & maintain	✗ No	⚠ Manual	✓ Yes – but costly
Sandbox & Pilot Migrations	✓ Full sandbox + pilot plans	⚠ Limited	✗ No	⚠ Often Informal
Manual validation & reconciliation	✓ Automated + manual QA	✗ No	✓ Yes (Manual)	✓ Heavy manual effort
Backup & rollback plan	✓ Robust procedures	✗ No	✗ No	⚠ Often incomplete
Handles automation and integrations	✓ Full support	⚠ Partial	✗ No	⚠ Possible but fragmented
Post-migration engineer support	✓ Dedicated engineers	✗ No	✗ No	⚠ Limited SLA
Adaptable to API changes	✓ Proactive adaptation	✗ No	⚠ Manual fixes	⚠ Slower response
Turnaround / SLA predictability	✓ Predictable SLAs	⚠ Fast but brittle	⚠ Slow and manual	⚠ Often slower
Data Security & Compliance	✓ High – enterprise grade	⚠ Medium (depends)	⚠ Low (manual)	⚠ Hidden gaps common
Pricing predictability	✓ Transparent & fixed	⚠ Low (per-job)	⚠ Low (manual hours)	⚠ High/variable OPEX
End-to-end project management	✓ Full E2E delivery & PM	✗ No	✗ No	⚠ Often partial
Business impact & opportunity cost	✓ No diversion of staff	✗ No	✗ No	⚠ Diverts engineering

What does an Engineer-led migration mean anyway?

Speed & Accuracy: Our Blended Method

We blend automation (smart scripts, bulk APIs) with human expertise for speed without risk. Our engineers manually check every mapping, validation, and exception.

You get:

Speed of automation for bulk record migration
Precision of engineers verifying integrity and business logic
Pilot migrations and sandbox testing to catch issues early
Real-time validation reports and rollback readiness

Result: 50x faster migrations than manual imports — with near-zero error rates.

Handling the Tricky Tech and API Details

The Pylon and Kayako APIs each behave differently, which is where our engineers shine. We build custom logic to handle the data quirks where generic tools typically break.

We handcraft API logic for:

Field mapping and transformation
Pagination, rate-limit handling, and throttling
Preserving conversation threads, attachments, and internal notes
Syncing custom fields, SLAs, and macros without breaking structure

Our scripts: Natively retry failed calls, re-queue large attachments, and ensure data parity.

No Guesswork

We don't just promise smooth migrations—we measure and prove them. Every client receives a Migration Validation Report with all metrics.

Typical results across projects:

100% record-count parity between your Pylon data and Kayako
Zero downtime during staged cutovers
99.9% attachment integrity (verified via checksum)
Full automation and preservation of all business rules

Our standard: Includes full SLA preservation and 30 days of engineer-assigned support post go-live.

We Adapt to Your Setup (Not the Other Way Around)

No two teams configure Pylon or Kayako exactly the same way—with unique automations and data. We customize every migration script to fit your exact workflow, tags, and triggers.

Our engineers adapt for:

Custom fields, ticket forms, and workflows
Multi-brand or multi-language setups
Historical imports and partial (date-based) migrations
Integration re-mapping for CRMs, chat, or feedback tools

The promise: If your data doesn't fit a standard template, we build one just for you.

Enterprise-Grade Security & Compliance

Your customer data is precious. Our migration process maintains the highest standards of security and regulatory compliance.

SOC 2 Type II

Independently audited compliance with rigorous security standards

ISO 27001

Certified information security management system

GDPR

Full compliance with EU data protection regulations

HIPAA

Certified for handling protected health information

AES-256 Encryption

Bank-grade encryption for all stored credentials

Latest TLS

Secure transfer protocol for all data in transit

Role-Based Access

We follow role-based access control for every migration project

Scheduled Deletion

Automatic data purging after migration completion

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about migrating from Pylon to Kayako. Can't find what you're looking for? Talk to our team.

Can I migrate from Pylon to Kayako without coding?

No. There is no native migration path, CSV import tool, or middleware connector between Pylon and Kayako. You need a custom API-based ETL pipeline or a managed migration service. Middleware tools like Zapier cannot handle Pylon's nested Issue → Message → Thread structure.

How long does a Pylon to Kayako migration take?

Expect 5–12 business days end-to-end. Pipeline runtime for 20,000 issues is roughly 2–4 days due to Pylon's 10 requests/minute rate limit on issue exports. Add time for custom field mapping, validation, knowledge base migration, delta syncs, and automation rebuilds.

Are Pylon issue timestamps preserved in Kayako?

Not guaranteed. Kayako Cloud's conversation creation API may overwrite created_at timestamps with the current server time. Test with a small batch first. If timestamps are lost, store original dates in a custom conversation field as a fallback.

What Pylon data cannot be migrated to Kayako?

Feature Requests, Account Intelligence (health scores, highlights), AI Agent configurations, Slack/Teams channel bindings, snooze metadata, Custom Apps, and Pylon webhooks/triggers have no Kayako equivalent. Archive this data separately before migration.

Should I migrate to Kayako Cloud or Kayako Classic?

Kayako Cloud for most teams — it has active development, a JSON API, OAuth 2.0, and a modern Help Center. Kayako Classic is the self-hosted legacy product with no API rate limits and full database access, but it's end-of-active-development. Choose Classic only if you have hard on-premise requirements.

How long does the Pylon to Kayako migration take?

Most migrations complete within 1–5 business days, depending on data volume and complexity. We provide a detailed timeline after the initial assessment and can often complete small migrations in under 24 hours.

Will my team lose access to Pylon during the migration?

No. Your source system remains fully operational throughout the entire migration. We run the migration in the background with zero downtime to your current operations.

Will there be downtime when migrating from Pylon to Kayako?

No. Our migration process is designed for zero downtime. We use a staged approach with background sync and a fast cutover, ensuring no disruption to your live business operations.

How do I validate that everything migrated correctly?

Every client receives a Migration Validation Report with comprehensive metrics including record-count parity, attachment integrity verification via checksum, and full audit logs. We also offer unlimited sample migrations so you can verify before committing.

Do I need professional help for this migration?

While simple migrations can sometimes be handled in-house, professional help ensures zero data loss, proper field mapping, and preservation of relationships between records. Our engineer-led approach catches edge cases that automated tools miss.

Does ClonePartner provide guidance before committing?

Yes. We provide a free consultation and assessment. We'll review your data structure, discuss your requirements, and provide a detailed migration plan and fixed-price quote before you commit to anything.

Still have questions?

Book a free 30-minute consultation with our migration engineers. We'll walk you through the exact approach for your Pylon→Kayako migration.

Contact our team

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Kayako Migration?

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Attention to Detail

We meticulously handle every aspect of your migration, ensuring no data is lost during transfer and mapping every field correctly between platforms.

Custom Solutions

Every business is unique. We tailor your migration strategy to match your specific requirements, workflows, and data structures.

Security & Compliance

Your customer data is handled with enterprise-grade security protocols, ensuring compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, and industry standards.

Migrate from Pylon to Kayako with precision & ease

Why teams migrate from Pylon to Kayako