Zendesk to HubSpot Migration: Quick and Easy Method

Zendesk is an all-in-one customer service software that automates business in handling and responding to customer support queries. It offers ticket management tools, live chat, help center articles, and other tools to communicate better between businesses and their customers.

If you are considering switching from Zendesk to HubSpot, you are not alone. Businesses are increasingly moving to platforms that offer more all-in-one capabilities, and HubSpot is leading the way.

Zendesk migration to HubSpot is the process of moving your customer support records, processes, and service activities across platforms, leaving Zendesk, a mature support application, for HubSpot Service Hub, a set of powerful service tools. This action can simplify your processes, enhance customer support, and make your support work in harmony with marketing and sales.

This post will guide you through all you need to know about the migration of Zendesk to HubSpot. No matter where you are on the startup/expanding company scale, this guide will help you approach your migration efficiently, though timelines may vary depending on data complexity.

Why Migrate from Zendesk to HubSpot?

Switching to a HubSpot platform when using Zendesk might seem like a giant undertaking, yet in most cases, it can lead to a more consistent service, enhanced customer visibility, and decreased complexity of operations. The following are the major factors why many companies today are moving to the switch:

1. All-in-One Platform

HubSpot is a modular platform that unifies marketing, sales, and customer service within a single CRM ecosystem.

2. Unified Customer Data

HubSpot allows your customer information to reside at a single location. This provides an overarching definition of the customer journey, including initial browsing on the website, through to customer care interactions.

3. Ease of Use

The interface of HubSpot is more intuitive and easier to use, even among teams that are not very technical in nature.

4. Powerful Automation

The automation platforms available in HubSpot help to send follow-ups, assign tickets, and monitor activities promptly.

5. Integrated Knowledge Base and Chatbots

HubSpot enables intelligent self-service by offering knowledge base integrations and AI-driven chatbots.

6. Scalability

HubSpot scales with your company, and you can access complex features and integrations when you expand.

Key Differences Between Zendesk and HubSpot

It is necessary to know the difference between Zendesk and HubSpot Service Hub in regard to features, service capabilities, and general philosophy before migrating to HubSpot. Although the two platforms facilitate management of customer service, their fundamental value and design motives differ in their core features and long-term benefits. So what are the major differences?

Zendesk is particularly effective for high-volume support teams, advanced ticket routing, SLA enforcement, and multi-brand management.

HubSpot, on the other hand, is designed for businesses that want to bring customer service, marketing, and sales into one seamless system. It allows teams to work together more effectively, share insights, and create a unified customer experience, from first contact to long-term support.

If you are looking to scale your operations and offer personalized, connected service across your entire customer journey, HubSpot offers far more flexibility and long-term value.

Step-by-Step Zendesk to HubSpot Migration Method

Migrating from Zendesk to HubSpot can be broken down into manageable stages. Here is a step-by-step plan to help you get started.

Step 1: Prepare for Migration

Start with preparation to ensure a smooth transition.

• Audit your Zendesk data: Identify what needs to be migrated, tickets, contacts, knowledge base articles, workflows, etc.

• Clean up your data: Remove inactive contacts, duplicate tickets, and irrelevant workflows.

• Involve stakeholders: Loop in support, marketing, and IT teams for feedback and smooth execution.

• Set migration goals: Define what success looks like post-migration (e.g., faster ticket resolution, improved CSAT scores).

Step 2: Export Data from Zendesk

Zendesk allows you to export your key service data manually or using third-party tools. Make sure that you back up your exported data in multiple formats to avoid data loss.

• Tickets: Export using Zendesk’s API or pre-built export options.

• Users/Contacts: Export a CSV file containing all users.

• Organizations: Export organization data linked to contacts.

• Knowledge Base: Use Zendesk Guide’s API or third-party tools to extract articles.

Step 3: Format and Map Your Data

Before importing into HubSpot, format your Zendesk data to align with HubSpot's structure.

• Match fields: Ensure that custom fields in Zendesk have corresponding fields in HubSpot.

• Set up ticket pipelines: Create service pipelines in HubSpot that mirror your Zendesk workflows.

• Assign tags or categories: This helps in filtering and organizing data once it is imported.

Step 4: Import Data into HubSpot

Use HubSpot’s Import Tool or a data migration service.

• Contacts, companies, and tickets can be imported directly via CSV.

• Use the HubSpot API for custom imports if you have complex data structures.

• Expect to recreate layouts, images, and links manually, as formatting often does not transfer cleanly between platforms.

Tools to consider:

• Trujay

• Import2

• HubSpot’s migration assistance (available in paid tiers)

Step 5: Rebuild Workflows and Automations

Zendesk workflows will not automatically transfer, so you will need to recreate them. Use HubSpot’s Workflows feature under Service Hub to automate your support process again.

• Ticket assignment rules

• Email notifications

• Customer satisfaction surveys

• Auto-responses and chatbot triggers

Step 6: Test Everything

After importing and setting up, test each component.

• Submit test tickets

• Check automation triggers

• Verify user permissions

• Ensure the knowledge base articles appear correctly

• Review dashboards and reporting accuracy

Step 7: Go Live

Once everything checks out in testing:

• Announce the migration to internal teams

• Provide quick training sessions for the support staff

• Notify customers (if necessary) about changes in the support experience

• Begin handling real queries via HubSpot

Post-Migration Best Practices

After the switch, here are a few tips to ensure long-term success with HubSpot Service Hub:

1. Train Your Team

Provide practical training as a way to familiarize your customer service team with both the interface and features of HubSpot.

2. Optimize Your Knowledge Base

Use HubSpot SEO tools to keep your help articles updated and optimized to be found in the search. Induce customers to use self-service mechanisms.

3. Monitor Key Metrics

Monitor the number of tickets, the speed of responding, ticket resolving, and CSAT scores at the HubSpot reporting dashboard.

4. Use Feedback Surveys

Use HubSpot to conduct customer satisfaction (CSAT) or Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys to obtain usable information.

5. Keep Data Clean

It is important to conduct regular audits of your tickets, contact records, and workflows to ensure data hygiene.

6. Stay Updated on Features

New tools are launched by HubSpot on a regular basis. Be updated and help to improve your support experience all the time.

Common Migration Challenges and How to Solve Them

Every migration comes with hurdles, but with some planning, most issues can be tackled head-on.

1. Data Incompatibility

2. Workflow Differences

3. Knowledge Base Formatting

4. User Resistance

5. Integration Gaps

Maximize the Benefits of HubSpot Service

Once you have successfully migrated to HubSpot, take full advantage of its features to elevate your service experience.

1. Use the Conversations Inbox

HubSpot’s Conversations Inbox brings all customer communication, emails, live chat, and even Facebook Messenger into one central place. This means your team does not have to jump between different platforms to respond to customers. Everyone sees the same conversation history, which reduces confusion and speeds up response times. You can also assign messages to specific team members.

2. Automate Customer Journeys

Automation is one of HubSpot’s biggest strengths. With Workflows, you can set up intelligent customer journeys that run on autopilot. These automations save time and ensure no customer falls through the cracks.

For example:

• Automatically assign tickets to the right agent based on topic or priority.

• Send follow-up emails after a ticket is closed to request feedback.

• Trigger escalation if an issue remains unresolved for too long.

3. Leverage the CRM for Personalised Support

Every interaction in HubSpot is linked to a contact’s CRM record. This gives your support team full visibility into a customer’s history, including past purchases, previous tickets, marketing emails that they have received, and even website activity. With this information, agents can tailor their responses, offer relevant solutions, and build stronger relationships.

4. Align Sales and Service Teams

One of the major advantages of HubSpot is its unified platform. Sales and service teams can share information effortlessly. If a support agent needs context on a customer’s sales history, it is right there in the CRM. Likewise, sales reps can see if a customer is dealing with ongoing issues. This alignment leads to better conversations, fewer silos, and a smoother overall customer experience. Everyone is on the same page, working toward the same goal.

5. Deploy Chatbots and Live Chat for Real-Time Help

Modern customers expect instant support, and HubSpot delivers. It's built-in live chat and chatbot tools allow you to provide real-time assistance directly on your website. You can:

• Use bots to answer FAQs, book meetings, or gather information before connecting to a live agent.

• Route chats to the right person based on availability or issue type.

• Offer chat support during peak hours to reduce ticket volume.

6. Improve Self-Service with a Knowledge Base Section

Customers often prefer to solve problems on their own. HubSpot’s Knowledge Base feature lets you create a searchable library of help articles, tutorials, and FAQs. You can:

• Reduce ticket volume by deflecting common questions.

• Use SEO tools to help customers find answers via Google.

• Track which articles get the most views and improve them over time.

7. Run Detailed Reports to Drive Improvement

HubSpot’s reporting tools help you keep a close eye on performance. You can create dashboards that show:

• Average ticket response and resolution time

• Customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores

• Most common support issues

• Team productivity and workload

Conclusion

The Zendesk to HubSpot transition can seem scary, but as long as one has the right strategy, it can be smooth and faster. With the necessary insights into the main differences, settings of your information, and adherence to a logical migration process, your company can reveal the full potential of HubSpot Service Hub.

HubSpot provides broader automation across departments, native CRM integration, and unified customer visibility, helping transform your support team into a more connected operation. Remain in best practice, proactively handle challenges, and you will not only survive but thrive in your new service context.