message.comDevelopers
Developers/Tutorials/Migrate from HelpDesk.com

Migrate from HelpDesk.com to message.com

HelpDesk.com (by Text, the same company that ships LiveChat and ChatBot) is a per-agent email-ticket tool. If you also use LiveChat from the same vendor, message.com consolidates both into one unified inbox.

What stays the same

  • Email-driven ticketing. Inbound addresses route to your team.
  • Saved replies, tags, groups. Map cleanly to message.com primitives.
  • Workflow / automations. Re-implement as routing rules and AI tools.

What is different

  • No per-agent escalation.
  • Chat in the same inbox. HelpDesk + LiveChat are separate products; message.com merges them.
  • Native phone. Not in HelpDesk.com's scope.
  • AI included.

1. Export HelpDesk.com data

  1. Generate an API token from HelpDesk.com developer console.
  2. Paginate GET /v1/tickets for ticket history.
  3. Paginate GET /v1/contacts for contacts.
  4. Note your teams; recreate as message.com departments.
  5. Document active saved replies and macros for recreation.

2. Set up message.com

  1. Sign up at app.message.com/register.
  2. Enable tickets as the primary channel; add chat and phone if you plan to consolidate.
  3. Create departments to match your HelpDesk teams.

3. Connect email domain

Two paths:

  • MX move. Point your domain's MX at message.com. See Connect a custom email domain.
  • Forwarding. Set HelpDesk mailbox forwarding to your message.com inbound address.

4. Import contacts

Upload the contacts CSV (or use the API to bulk-upsert). Map:

  • HelpDesk email → email.
  • HelpDesk name → name.
  • HelpDesk contact ID → externalId with helpdesk: prefix.
  • Custom properties → attributes.

5. Install the chat widget (if consolidating LiveChat)

If you also use LiveChat from the same vendor, swap that snippet here. Paste:

HTML
<script>
  (function(d,s,o){
    var j=d.createElement(s);j.async=1;j.src='https://app.message.com/widget.js';
    j.dataset.workspace=o;
    d.head.appendChild(j);
  })(document,'script','YOUR_WORKSPACE_ID');
</script>

For the full LiveChat migration steps, see Migrate from LiveChat.

6. Recreate saved replies and routing

  • Saved replies → Saved replies API.
  • Automations → message.com routing rules.
  • SLA policies → per-department SLA settings.

Cutover checklist

  • Email round-trip tested end to end.
  • Saved replies recreated.
  • Routing mirrored.
  • Chat widget swapped (if consolidating LiveChat).
  • Dual-load (forwarding) for one to two weeks.
  • MX move when team confirms readiness.
  • Cancel HelpDesk.com (and LiveChat if applicable).
  • Archive exported data off-platform.

Common pitfalls

  • Mixed-product workflow. If you currently bounce between HelpDesk and LiveChat for the same customer, the unified-inbox model gives you both in one place. Plan training time for the team.
  • Custom statuses. HelpDesk supports custom statuses. message.com's status state machine is fixed: open, pending, solved, closed, spam. Use tags for finer state.
  • Marketplace apps. HelpDesk marketplace integrations do not transfer. Rebuild as webhooks or AI tools.
  • Reporting parity. The Reports API covers FRT, resolution time, CSAT, and per-agent metrics. Custom HelpDesk reports may need a small data-warehouse job. See Export conversation data.