Switch from Zoho

Zoho out, Tonic Desk in — your data comes with you

Tonic Desk reads Zoho's CSV exports and maps the fields automatically. Different names for the same things — Accounts become Companies, Potentials become Deals — but your data arrives intact and ready to use.

Most teams finish in under 15 minutes

What transfers

Contact records with all standard fields (name, email, phone, mobile, job title, department)
Account records imported as companies
Deals (Potentials) with stage, amount, and closing date
Account-to-contact associations
Custom fields that have matching fields configured in Tonic Desk
Record ownership resolved by matching email addresses

Step by step

1. Export your contacts from Zoho

In Zoho CRM, go to the Contacts module. Click the Actions dropdown (the gear or three-dot icon) and select Export. Choose CSV as the format. Zoho will generate a file with all contact records and their field values.

2. Export your accounts

Navigate to the Accounts module. Click Actions > Export and save the CSV. In Zoho, "Accounts" are companies — Tonic Desk calls them the same thing most CRMs do: Companies.

3. Export your deals (Potentials)

Go to the Deals module (called "Potentials" in older Zoho versions). Export to CSV. Include deal name, amount, stage, closing date, and related account or contact fields.

4. Upload to Tonic Desk

Open Settings > Import in Tonic Desk. Upload accounts first — these become your company records. Then upload contacts, then deals. Tonic Desk maps Zoho's field names automatically and shows you a preview before anything is committed.

5. Confirm the import

Review a handful of records across contacts, companies, and deals. Check that Account_Name linked correctly to company records, departments came through, and deal stages match. Approve the import once you are satisfied.

Field mapping reference

Source Field	Tonic Desk Field	Notes
First_Name	first_name	Direct match
Last_Name	last_name	Direct match
Email	email	Direct match
Phone	phone	Direct match
Mobile	mobile	Direct match
Title	job_title	Direct match
Account_Name	company	Auto-linked to matching company record
Department	department	Direct match

What doesn't transfer (and workarounds)

Blueprints — Zoho's guided-process definitions are platform-specific. Workaround: document your active blueprints and recreate the validation rules and stage transitions using Tonic Desk's deal pipeline settings and automation rules.
Macros — One-click action sequences do not export. Workaround: identify the macros your team uses daily and rebuild them as Tonic Desk automation rules or keyboard shortcuts.
SalesSignals — Real-time notification data from email, chat, and social channels stays in Zoho. Workaround: connect your email and communication tools directly to Tonic Desk to get equivalent notifications.
Custom modules — Zoho's custom module structures do not transfer. Workaround: if you rely on custom modules, recreate them as custom objects in Tonic Desk or flatten the data into custom fields on standard objects.

Tips for a smooth switch

Zoho uses "Accounts" where most CRMs say "Companies" and "Potentials" where they say "Deals." Keep this in mind when mapping fields — Tonic Desk handles the translation automatically, but it helps to know what is happening under the hood.
Export accounts before contacts. Tonic Desk links contacts to companies by matching the Account_Name field, so company records need to exist first.
If you use Zoho's "Related List" to track multiple contacts per account, export contacts with the Account_Name column included so the association is preserved.
Clean up unused custom fields in Zoho before exporting. Migrating empty fields just adds clutter to your new CRM.
If you have been using Zoho for several years, run a quick duplicate check before exporting. Deduplicating at the source saves time on the other side.

What happens to Zoho's "Accounts" during import?

Zoho Accounts are imported as Companies in Tonic Desk. The Account_Name field becomes the company name, and all associated contacts are linked automatically based on the Account_Name reference in the contact records.

Are Zoho "Potentials" the same as Tonic Desk deals?

Yes. Zoho's Potentials (renamed to Deals in newer Zoho versions) map directly to Tonic Desk deals. Stage names, amounts, and closing dates all transfer. If you use custom stage names, set up matching stages in Tonic Desk before importing.

Can I transfer Zoho tags to Tonic Desk?

Zoho tags are included in the CSV export as a comma-separated column. Tonic Desk can import these as tags if you map the column to the tags field during the import preview step.

What if I have custom modules in Zoho?

Custom module data can be exported from Zoho as CSV files. In Tonic Desk, you can import this data as custom objects or flatten the information into custom fields on contacts, companies, or deals — whichever makes the most sense for your workflow.