In today's customer-centric world, businesses must deliver exceptional support experiences. With 88% of customer service professionals noting rising customer expectations, companies can no longer afford disconnected systems or generic service solutions. If your team currently uses Zendesk but is considering a move to HubSpot Service Hub, this guide will help you navigate the transition seamlessly—ensuring no downtime, data loss, or service interruptions.
As a certified HubSpot agency, we specialise in helping businesses migrate their customer support operations from Zendesk to HubSpot Service Hub. Our structured approach ensures a smooth transition, improving customer retention, service efficiency, and operational synergy across your marketing, sales, and service teams.
Zendesk is a strong customer support tool, but HubSpot Service Hub offers a fully integrated front-office platform that connects customer service with marketing and sales. Here’s why companies are making the switch:
Unified Data & Collaboration: Unlike Zendesk, which primarily focuses on customer support, HubSpot integrates marketing, sales, and service data in one place, enabling teams to collaborate more effectively.
Customer Success Tools: HubSpot offers features such as Customer Success Workspaces, AI-powered Health Scores, Playbooks, and automated meeting scheduling.
Advanced Reporting & Feedback: With built-in CSAT, NPS, and CES surveys, you can continuously measure and improve customer satisfaction.
Customizable Help Desk: HubSpot’s new help desk unifies all support tickets and customer interactions while enabling automation and proactive service.
Lower Total Cost of Ownership: HubSpot removes the need for complex third-party integrations, reducing maintenance and long-term costs.
Example in Action: A growing eCommerce company switched to HubSpot Service Hub and reduced their incoming support tickets by 20% while improving cross-team collaboration. By integrating their customer feedback surveys into marketing workflows, they identified upsell opportunities and increased their average order value.
We’ve refined the migration process into five core steps to ensure a smooth transition from Zendesk to HubSpot Service Hub.
Before diving into migration, it’s crucial to develop a clear roadmap.
Create a Migration Timeline: Avoid migrating during peak business periods. Consider maintaining one Zendesk license post-migration for fallback access.
Plan Integrations: HubSpot’s App Marketplace offers native integrations for Jira, Pendo, and Segment.
Audit & Clean Your Data: Remove outdated or redundant data to avoid clutter in your new system.
Define Key Metrics & SLAs: Set up Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for response times and resolution benchmarks.
Example: A SaaS company migrating from Zendesk mapped out their entire customer support workflow, allowing them to set up automation in HubSpot that reduced response times by 30%.
Once planning is complete, the next step is setting up HubSpot and migrating historical data.
Set Up Ticket Pipelines & Statuses: Customize workflows to match existing Zendesk structures.
Import Data Carefully: Migrate contacts, companies, tickets, and historical activity (emails, tasks, and calls) using HubSpot’s API or third-party migration tools like SyncMatters or Import2.
Test the System: Conduct a sample migration with 10% of data before a full migration.
Migrating to HubSpot is an opportunity to improve workflows.
Define Intake Channels: Set up team emails, chat, forms, and WhatsApp within HubSpot.
Automate Ticket Routing: Use predefined rules to ensure the right team members handle incoming requests.
Configure SLAs: Set up due soon and overdue time-based triggers for different ticket priorities.
Example: A logistics company leveraged HubSpot’s automation to categorize incoming tickets by priority, reducing escalations by 25%.
Enhancing self-service options can reduce ticket volumes and improve customer satisfaction.
Build a Customer Portal: Allow customers to view open tickets, track responses, and access resolutions.
Migrate & Optimize the Knowledge Base: Restructure content for better searchability and user experience.
Set Up Feedback Loops: Deploy customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys to measure service improvements.
Assign Roles & Train Teams: Conduct team training sessions and provide ongoing support.
Run a Pilot Phase: Launch with a select group of service reps to gather feedback before full rollout.
Monitor & Optimize: Track key performance indicators (KPIs) and continuously improve workflows.
Example: A fintech firm ran a two-week pilot before full deployment, identifying process gaps that saved them from future issues post-launch.
As a certified HubSpot solutions partner, we ensure a seamless Zendesk to HubSpot migration with:
Bespoke Migration Strategies: We tailor each migration plan to suit your business needs.
Minimal Disruptions: Our structured approach ensures zero downtime.
End-to-End Support: From planning to post-migration optimization, we’re with you every step of the way.
Ongoing Optimization: We help fine-tune workflows and automation to maximise HubSpot’s capabilities.
Migrating to HubSpot Service Hub isn’t just about switching platforms—it’s about enhancing your customer experience. Contact us today for a consultation and take the first step toward a more connected and proactive customer service operation.
Ready to switch from Zendesk to HubSpot Service Hub? Schedule a free consultation with our HubSpot experts today and let’s build a migration plan tailored to your needs.