Migrate Your Email Support

Converge Team

• Updated March 12, 2026

Part of the Zendesk Chat migration guide

How to migrate your email support workflows, templates, and history from Zendesk Chat without losing data.

Migrating Email Support from Zendesk Chat

Zendesk Chat is a live chat product — it does not handle email. If you're using Zendesk Suite (which bundles Chat with Support), email is handled through the ticketing system, not through Chat. Your email migration depends on which Zendesk products you're actually using.

If You're on Zendesk Chat Only (No Email)

The standalone Zendesk Chat product doesn't include email support. If you've been using Chat only, you don't have email to migrate — but adding email as a channel is an opportunity. When you set up your new platform, you can connect your support email (Gmail via service account or custom domain email) to get chat and email in one unified inbox, something Zendesk Chat alone couldn't offer.

If You're on Zendesk Suite (Chat + Email)

Zendesk Suite handles email by creating tickets from incoming messages sent to your support address (e.g., [email protected]). This works via email forwarding — you forward your support email to your Zendesk address ([email protected]). To migrate, you simply change where emails are forwarded. Update the forwarding rule in your email provider to point to your new platform's inbound address instead of Zendesk's.

DNS Records to Update

If you configured SPF and DKIM DNS records for Zendesk's outbound email (TXT records referencing zendesk.com or mail.zendesk.com), remove those after confirming your new platform handles email correctly. Add your new platform's required DNS records for outbound email authentication. DNS propagation can take up to 48 hours, so plan accordingly.

Migrate Email Templates

If you use Zendesk macros for common email responses (shipping updates, password resets, refund confirmations), copy the text content from Admin Center > Workspaces > Agent tools > Macros. Recreate them as Quick Replies in your new platform. Note that Zendesk uses {{ticket.requester.name}} placeholder syntax that will need to be mapped to your new platform's variable format.

Open Tickets

Resolve or close outstanding email tickets in Zendesk before switching. Open tickets won't transfer to your new platform. Alternatively, keep Zendesk active for 1-2 weeks to handle remaining email conversations while routing new emails to your new platform. This parallel operation minimizes the risk of dropped customer conversations during the transition.

Tip: Document all support email addresses connected to Zendesk (check Admin Center > Channels > Email) before making changes. Note which addresses route to which departments or groups, so you can replicate the routing logic in your new platform.