Switching guide
Switch from Help Scout to Flatdesk
Paste an App ID and App secret and Flatdesk copies your Help Scout history over: tickets with their messages and attachments, customers, tags and macros. Nothing changes in Help Scout, and every original record is kept. Then forward your support email when you're ready.
The switch in six steps
- 1
Start the free trial
Sign up with no card. You get every feature for 14 days, so you can run Flatdesk next to Help Scout without paying for both.
- 2
Connect Help Scout
The import screen asks for an App ID and App secret. The token is stored encrypted while the import runs and deleted when it ends.
- 3
Let it copy your history
Agents, tags, macros, customers, then tickets with their messages and attachments. Large imports pick up where they left off if they're interrupted.
- 4
Read the report
Anything that didn't fit is listed with its original record, and you can download the report as CSV. Every original record is also kept as a JSONL archive.
- 5
Try the AI on your own tickets
The AI test drive drafts answers to your 50 most recent answered tickets beside the replies your team sent. Nothing is sent to customers and it doesn't use your AI allowance.
- 6
Forward your support email and add the chat widget
Add a forwarding rule from your support address to the Flatdesk address (Gmail, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 steps are in the setup screen), and add the website chat widget with one script tag. Keeping a copy in the old mailbox is fine; Flatdesk ignores duplicates.
Get your Help Scout credentials
- 1.In Help Scout, click your avatar, then Your Profile, then My Apps.
- 2.Click Create My App. Any name and redirect URL work.
- 3.Copy the App ID and App Secret into Flatdesk. Use an account that can see every inbox.
What comes over
- Agents, tags, saved replies as macros, and customers
- Conversations with their messages, notes and attachments, as tickets
- Custom fields, status and assignee
- Every original record, kept in a downloadable archive
What you set up again
- Help Scout's API shares workflow names but not their conditions or actions, so workflows are listed for reference only. Rebuild the ones you still need as triggers
- Inboxes aren't separate in Flatdesk yet; each ticket keeps its inbox as a field
- Docs articles aren't imported yet
Check the fit before you move
Flatdesk handles email and website chat. If you answer customers by phone, SMS or social channels in Help Scout, those stay there. It also has no app marketplace yet. The small teams page lists what it leaves out, and the security page lists what isn't in place yet.
Questions
Will importing change anything in Help Scout?
No. The import only reads from Help Scout, so your tickets, settings and users there stay as they are and you can keep using it side by side.
Can I run the import more than once?
Yes. Records are matched by their original ID, so running it again updates them instead of creating duplicates. A common pattern is to import during the trial, then import again just before you switch email over.
Can I keep Help Scout during the trial?
Yes. The import only reads, so Help Scout is untouched and you can run both side by side for the 14-day trial. Run the import again before you cut over: records are matched by their original ID, so it updates instead of duplicating.
How much does Flatdesk cost after the import?
$49 per agent per month, or $39 billed yearly, with 100 AI answers per agent included and a cap that's on by default. Every seat gets every feature, and viewers who only read tickets aren't billed.
Can I get my data back out of Flatdesk?
Yes. Settings has one .zip download with every ticket, message, customer, macro, help article, the audit log and every attachment as its original file.