How to Migrate from Zendesk to Jira?

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Migrating from one support platform to another can feel like navigating through uncharted waters. Many organizations currently using Zendesk find themselves drawn to Jira for its powerful integration with development workflows, robust configuration options, and native connection to the Atlassian ecosystem. Yet, the leap from Zendesk to Jira isn’t always straightforward. Data integrity challenges, workflow disparities, and alignment issues between teams are common hurdles.

In this case study, we’ll examine how Van der Sluis, a leading mechanical and installation services provider, streamlined their ticketing process using Getint’s integration tool. The lessons learned here can help you understand the key pain points of a Zendesk-to-Jira migration and guide you in planning a smoother transition for your own organization.

Main Pain Points Identified During Migration

1. Data Fragmentation and Siloed Workflows:
   Van der Sluis faced the complexity of operating in dual environments. Their customer support team worked exclusively in Zendesk, while engineering and DevOps operated in Jira. This siloed approach hindered internal collaboration, caused confusion around ticket ownership, and complicated cross-functional processes.

2. Loss of Historical Data and Context:
   When migrating systems, preserving historical tickets, attachments, and communication threads is critical. Van der Sluis needed a method to accurately carry over this history from Zendesk to Jira so that teams wouldn’t lose valuable insights into recurring issues, customer preferences, or previously attempted solutions.

3. Inconsistent Prioritization and Workflow Differences:
   Zendesk and Jira differ in how they categorize, prioritize, and structure support requests. Van der Sluis struggled to maintain consistent classification and reporting structures when moving from one platform’s workflow to the other.

4. Limited Time and Resources for Manual Work:
   Manual migration can be time-consuming, prone to human error, and disruptive to daily operations. Van der Sluis needed a solution that automated the process, ensured data accuracy, and minimized downtime for their support and engineering teams.

How Getint Helped Smooth the Transition

• Automated, Reliable Data Transfers:
  Instead of manually exporting and importing tickets, attachments, and user data, Van der Sluis leveraged Getint to automate these tasks. This ensured data accuracy and continuity, significantly reducing the room for human error.

• Custom Field Mapping for Seamless Workflows:
  Differences in field structures and ticket classification were resolved by mapping Zendesk fields directly to Jira’s schema. Getint enabled customizable workflows that allowed Van der Sluis to align priorities, ticket statuses, and issue types seamlessly—no guesswork required.

• Preserving Ticket History and Context:
  Getint ensured that all ticket comments, user details, and historical communication logs were retained. As a result, Van der Sluis’s teams had complete visibility into past interactions, making it easier to provide informed and personalized support to customers.

• Time and Cost Savings:
  By automating much of the migration process, Van der Sluis avoided costly manual labor and potential downtime. The streamlined approach freed up their team to focus on what mattered most: delivering exceptional service and maintaining smooth operational workflows.

Key Takeaways for the Atlassian Community

1. Plan Your Data and Field Mapping Early:
   Clearly define what fields need to move where before you begin migration. Planning ahead ensures fewer surprises and reduces rework later.

2. Preserve Historical Context:
   Don’t sacrifice valuable historical data. Make sure your migration plan includes a strategy for retaining all ticket histories, attachments, and notes—this information can be critical for troubleshooting and trend analysis down the line.

3. Automate and Validate Before Going Live:
   Consider using a tool like Getint to automate the bulk of the heavy lifting. Run a pilot migration on a small subset of data first to validate your approach and minimize surprises when you cut over entirely.

4. Cross-Team Alignment is Key:
   Engage all stakeholders—customer support, engineering, DevOps—early in the process. Their insights can help you design workflows and classification structures that meet everyone’s needs, ensuring long-term success.

Conclusion

Van der Sluis’s successful migration from Zendesk to Jira underscores the importance of preparation, automation, and collaboration. By employing an effective integration tool like Getint, they navigated complex workflows, preserved historical data, and emerged with a unified ticketing system that better served both their support teams and their customers.