How to migrate to Intercom from Zendesk: A step-by-step guide (2025)

So, you’re thinking about making the switch from Zendesk to Intercom. You’re not alone. Lots of teams are drawn to Intercom for its modern feel, slick user experience, and the promise of better automation. But let's be honest, the idea of a platform migration can feel like a massive project, filled with technical hurdles and potential headaches.

Here’s the thing: moving your data isn't just about ticking off a technical task. It's a chance to completely rethink and upgrade how you support your customers. This guide will walk you through the entire process, step-by-step. We'll cover how to get your data moved over smoothly and, more importantly, how to power up your new Intercom setup with smart AI to get the most out of it from day one.

What you'll need before you migrate to Intercom from Zendesk

A little prep work upfront can save you a world of pain later. Before you dive in, make sure you have a few things sorted out.

• Admin access: You're going to need full administrator privileges for both your Zendesk and Intercom accounts to connect them and move data around. No getting around this one.

• A data migration plan: Do you really need that support ticket from 2014? Probably not. You need to decide what’s essential to move (like recent tickets and all your users) and what can be archived or left behind. Not all historical data is worth keeping.

• A knowledge base strategy: Think about how you want to organize your articles and collections in Intercom. This is a great opportunity to do some spring cleaning and tidy up your help content.

• An automation strategy: This is a big one. A huge reason for switching platforms is to improve your workflows. Start thinking now about what you want to automate. This is how you’ll get a real return on your investment in a new tool.

How to migrate to Intercom from Zendesk in 5 steps

Breaking the migration down into five manageable phases makes the whole thing feel a lot less intimidating. Let’s walk through it, from planning your data map to optimizing your new setup.

Step 1: Plan your data mapping and scope

Don't skip this step. Seriously. Rushing through the planning phase is the fastest way to end up with missing data or a messy Intercom workspace that no one on your team wants to use.

First, you need to think about data mapping. Zendesk and Intercom don't structure data in the exact same way. Zendesk has tickets, users, and organizations. Intercom has conversations, tickets, contacts, and companies. As migration experts at Vision Point Systems note, the fields don't always line up one-to-one, so you need a clear plan for where everything from Zendesk will live in Intercom.

Next, decide what you're actually going to migrate.

• Users/Contacts & Companies: It’s usually best to bring all of these over. You want a complete, historical record of every customer in your new system.

• Knowledge Base Articles: Your help center content is valuable and, thankfully, pretty straightforward to move. This is a must-do.

• Tickets/Conversations: This is where it gets a bit tricky. Migrating your entire ticket history can be complicated and might just clutter your new workspace. A good rule of thumb is to move only the last one or two years of tickets. This keeps things clean and relevant. The founder of Assignr mentioned that his team cleaned up their old Zendesk instance first to avoid bringing over conversations that were more than a decade old.

Step 2: Migrate your knowledge base articles

Let's start with an easy win: your knowledge base. This is often the simplest part of the entire migration.

Intercom has a built-in Zendesk importer that does most of the heavy lifting for you. It automatically pulls your published articles and even tries to keep your collection structure intact.

A screenshot of the Intercom knowledge base interface, relevant for users looking to migrate their help articles from Zendesk.

Here’s a quick rundown of the process:

1. In your Intercom workspace, head over to the Knowledge section.

2. Find Sources and select the Zendesk importer.

3. You'll need to enter your Zendesk subdomain and authenticate your account.

4. Choose the 'Import content' option and let the tool work its magic.

Step 3: Transfer your tickets, users, and companies

Alright, now for the trickier part. Moving ticket histories, user data, and company profiles calls for a more robust solution than the simple article import. The sheer volume and complexity of this data mean you have a few options to consider.

1. Intercom's native importer: Intercom provides its own tool for importing tickets, users, and organizations. For businesses with a fairly standard Zendesk setup, this is a great place to start. It’s integrated, free, and relatively easy to use, though it might have its limits if your data is very large or highly customized.

2. Third-party migration services: If you want a more hands-off approach, dedicated services like Help Desk Migration or ClonePartner specialize in this stuff. They manage the whole mapping and transfer process for a fee. It’s a fantastic middle ground, offering speed and expert support with minimal disruption. Most can get the job done in under a week with no downtime.

3. Custom scripts using APIs: For those with truly unique needs and deep technical resources, writing your own migration script using the Zendesk and Intercom APIs is an option. This gives you complete control over every detail. However, as partners like Vision Point Systems point out, it requires a lot of developer time and is by far the most expensive and time-consuming route.

Here’s a quick comparison to help you decide:

Step 4: Configure your new Intercom workspace

Once your data has safely landed in its new home, it's time to get everything set up and ready for your team.

Here’s a quick checklist of what to tackle first:

• Set up your team inboxes and create rules for how conversations get assigned.

• Customize the Intercom Messenger so it matches your company's branding.

• Give your imported articles a final read-through and publish your new Help Center.

• Invite your teammates to the platform and block off some time for training.

• Forward your main support email address to your new Intercom inbox so you can start managing everything in one place.

A view of the Intercom workspace showing a ticket and customer details, which teams will configure after they migrate to Intercom from Zendesk.

Step 5: Level up your support with modern AI

You’ve moved your data. You’ve configured your workspace. The technical part is done, but the upgrade is just getting started. This is the perfect moment to plug in a powerful AI that can put all that newly migrated data to work.

While Intercom has its own AI features, connecting a more flexible tool like eesel AI gives you far more control and a faster path to seeing results. It’s designed to work with the tools you already use, not lock you into a single ecosystem.

Here’s why it’s a great fit for your new Intercom setup:

• Go live in minutes: Forget about lengthy sales calls and mandatory demos. eesel AI offers a true one-click integration with Intercom. You can genuinely set it up and configure everything yourself in a single afternoon.

• Train on all your knowledge: This is where it gets really useful. eesel AI doesn't just read your new Intercom articles. It can learn from your entire migrated ticket history from Zendesk, giving it a deep understanding of your customers' past issues and your team's best answers right from the start. You can also connect it to other knowledge sources like Confluence or Google Docs for truly comprehensive support.

• Test with confidence: Worried about letting an AI loose on your customers? eesel AI's simulation mode lets you test its performance on your historical tickets before you go live. You can see exactly how it would have responded to past queries, get a clear forecast of your potential resolution rate, and tweak its behavior in a completely risk-free environment.

• You won't get penalized for being efficient: Some AI tools charge you for every ticket they resolve. This creates unpredictable costs and punishes you when your automation works well. eesel AI has simple, transparent pricing based on usage, so your bill won't suddenly skyrocket just because you’re deflecting more questions.

The eesel AI simulation feature, showing how teams can test AI performance on historical tickets after they migrate to Intercom from Zendesk.

Common mistakes to avoid

A little foresight can save you a lot of trouble. Here are a few common pitfalls to watch out for as you make the move.

• Mistake 1: Bringing the mess with you. It’s tempting to just move everything over, but that’s how you start life in your new platform with a messy house. Take the time to archive old, irrelevant tickets and merge any duplicate user profiles in Zendesk before you start the migration.

• Mistake 2: Leaving your team in the dark. Switching helpdesks is a big deal for your support agents. Keep them in the loop throughout the process, explain why you're making the change, and make sure they have plenty of training and time to get comfortable with Intercom.

• Mistake 3: Stopping at the finish line. The biggest mistake is treating the migration as the end of the project. The real value isn't just having a new platform; it's in the powerful automation you can build on top of it. Don't wait weeks or months to start exploring AI. A tool like eesel AI can be configured and simulated in just a few hours, giving you an immediate return on your migration investment.

After you migrate to Intercom from Zendesk, it's just the beginning

Migrating from Zendesk to Intercom is more than just a change of scenery. It’s your chance to build a smarter, faster, and more efficient support operation. A successful move comes down to a good plan, the right tools for the data transfer, and a clear strategy for what you'll do next.

Remember, moving your data is just the first part. The second, more important part is putting that data to work with a smart AI engine that can truly transform your customer experience.

Ready to see what your new Intercom workspace can really do? You can connect eesel AI in minutes and simulate its performance on your newly migrated tickets. Start your free trial today.