Moving Beyond Zendesk Sell: What Your CRM Strategy Should Look Like Now

If you are using Zendesk Sell to manage leads, deals, and daily sales activity, you will already have seen the announcement: Zendesk is retiring Sell on August 31, 2027. It’s a significant shift, especially for teams that have built their sales process around the platform. It is also a good moment to pause, reassess what you need from your CRM, and consider what the right long-term solution looks like.

This guide breaks things down in a simple, practical way.

Why Zendesk Is Retiring Sell

Zendesk is refocusing on its core strengths: customer service, support, and AI-driven engagement. Competing in the sales CRM space no longer aligns with that strategy, so the company is choosing to concentrate on service excellence rather than expand across the entire CRM ecosystem.

What Happens Between Now and August 2027

Key points to be aware of:

• Sell remains available until August 31, 2027
• All Sell data must be exported before retirement
• Core objects such as leads, contacts, deals, tasks, and notes can be exported
• Emails, call logs, and activity history cannot be fully exported

This last point is important. If your team relies on email threads, call records, or activity tracking, you will need to plan early to avoid losing context.

Choosing Your Next CRM

Zendesk has proposed a preferred transition path, but most organisations will review a broader set of options based on factors such as:

• Size and complexity
• Industry
• Sales process maturity
• Integration and automation requirements
• AI readiness
• Budget and growth plans

There are several strong CRM platforms available. The “best” choice depends on your business model.

For organisations seeking a scalable, customisable, enterprise-grade platform with powerful AI and automation, Salesforce Sales Cloud is often the strongest long-term option.

Why Salesforce Sales Cloud Stands Out

Salesforce offers:

• Deep customisation and scalability
• Advanced AI (Einstein, Agentforce, predictive analytics)
• Robust process automation
• A wide integration ecosystem
• Enterprise-grade security and compliance
• Seamless alignment with Service, Marketing, and Data Cloud

That said, Salesforce is not the only valid choice. Persistent works across multiple CRM ecosystems to help clients select a platform that genuinely fits their organisation.

Migration Is Not Plug-and-Play

Transitioning from Zendesk Sell is a complex process that demands careful consideration:

• Data fields rarely map perfectly
• Workflows, triggers, and automations must be rebuilt
• Integrations need to be reconnected or re-engineered
• Teams will require training and adoption support

Working with an experienced migration partner reduces risk and helps maintain business continuity during the transition.

Where Persistent Systems Fits In

Persistent acts as an engineering-led CRM transformation partner, supporting Salesforce and non-Salesforce CRM migrations.

If Salesforce is your chosen destination, we bring deep experience as a Salesforce Summit Partner with established frameworks for large-scale CRM transformation.

a) Salesforce Migration Expertise

Our migration approach includes:

• Comprehensive assessment: Review existing Zendesk Sell configuration, data, workflows, and integrations
• Data migration and cleansing: Accurate mapping of leads, contacts, deals, and notes
• Workflow and automation rebuild: Recreate or optimise automations in Salesforce
• Integration enablement: Ensure third-party systems operate effectively after migration
• Training and change management: Support user adoption and minimise disruption

b) Beyond Migration – Digital Transformation

Persistent doesn’t just move data; it helps clients modernise their sales stack:

• AI-driven forecasting and analytics
• Integrate sales, service, and marketing journeys
• Custom Salesforce applications for specific needs.

The aim is to help you move from Sell to Salesforce without losing momentum.

Use This Moment to Rethink Your Sales Engine

Zendesk retiring Sell is more than a transition deadline It is an opportunity to reflect on questions such as:

• Are your current sales processes optimised?
• What capabilities do you need that Sell could not provide?
• How can AI reduce manual effort or improve forecasting accuracy?
• Should sales, service, and marketing be more tightly integrated?

A modern CRM — especially Salesforce — creates opportunities for a  more intelligent, efficient, and connected sales operation.

Ready to figure out your best move? Here’s how to get started:

1. Book Your Free Zendesk Data Export Audit
   We’ll show you exactly which of your Zendesk data sets could be at risk—and what you can do now to protect them before 2027.
2. Join a Migration Planning Workshop
   Sit down with our experts to look at your current setup, understand your readiness, and map out a business case that actually fits your team and budget.
3. Get Your Personalised ROI/TCO Breakdown
   Want to know what the move would really cost—or save—you? We’ll build a custom 3-year TCO and ROI model based on your real data.

Let us help you build the right CRM foundation for the future.

Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with our CRM specialists.