Migration Guide for E-commerce Teams
Converge Team
Part of the Zendesk Chat migration guide
How e-commerce support teams can migrate from Zendesk Chat while maintaining customer service quality.
E-commerce Migration from Zendesk Chat
E-commerce teams use Zendesk Chat primarily for pre-sale and post-sale live chat on their storefronts. The chat widget sits on product pages, cart pages, and checkout flows to answer buying questions in real-time. Migrating means swapping the widget and potentially gaining channels (WhatsApp, Instagram DMs) that drive more e-commerce conversations than web chat alone.
Replacing the Widget on Your Store
Remove the Zendesk Chat widget from your e-commerce platform. On Shopify: uninstall the Zendesk Chat app from your Shopify admin, or remove the script tag from your theme's theme.liquid file. On WooCommerce: deactivate the Zendesk Chat plugin. On BigCommerce: remove the script from your footer scripts. Then install your new platform's widget — most offer Shopify apps, WooCommerce plugins, or simple script tags that work on any platform. A chat widget with built-in lead capture and FAQ adds pre-sale value that Zendesk Chat's basic widget doesn't provide.
Migrating Proactive Chat Triggers
Zendesk Chat triggers let you auto-pop the chat widget based on visitor behavior — for example, "if visitor is on checkout page for 60 seconds, show chat." Document your trigger conditions before migrating: which pages trigger proactive chat, what time delays you use, and what messages appear. Recreate these as auto-reply rules or widget popup messages on your new platform. Some triggers may map to the new widget's popup message feature (a greeting that shows after a delay on specified pages).
Expanding Beyond Web Chat
Zendesk Chat limits you to website conversations. E-commerce customers increasingly reach out via WhatsApp (especially in Asia, Europe, and Latin America), Instagram DMs (for product inquiries from social browsing), and Messenger (from Facebook Shop integrations). Adding these channels when you switch platforms means more touchpoints with potential buyers without managing separate tools. A customer who sees your product on Instagram and DMs a question gets answered in the same inbox as website chat visitors.
Timing the Switch
Never swap your chat widget during peak sales periods. Avoid Black Friday, Cyber Monday, holiday seasons, and major promotions. Plan the migration during your quietest week — typically late January, mid-February, or early September. The widget swap itself takes 10-15 minutes, but give your team a week of parallel operation to get comfortable with the new interface before your next busy period.
E-commerce Specific Templates
Export your Zendesk Chat shortcuts that handle common e-commerce queries: "What's the shipping time?", "Can I return this?", "Where's my order?", "Do you have this in stock?". Recreate these as Quick Replies on your new platform immediately — they're the responses your agents use most frequently and looking for them is the first thing they'll do after switching.
Tip: If you use Zendesk Chat's visitor tracking to see what products customers are browsing before chatting, check whether your new widget offers equivalent visitor tracking or page view events. This context helps agents provide relevant product recommendations during live conversations.
Need the full migration guide?
This page covers migration guide for e-commerce teams specifically. For the complete step-by-step migration process:
Read the complete Zendesk Chat migration guideReady to try Converge?
$49/month flat. Up to 15 agents. 7-day free trial, no credit card required.
Start Free Trial