How to migrate from Talkdesk to VICIdial

Talkdesk is a polished SaaS dialer, but its per-seat pricing climbs fast and you have no control over the underlying infrastructure. When you decide to move to VICIdial, the main work is not the dialer itself - it is getting your data out of Talkdesk cleanly and into VICIdial's schema. This post covers the export, the mapping, and the cutover.

What to export from Talkdesk

Talkdesk stores three categories of data you need to bring with you. First, your contact records - the Lead list you have been dialing. Export these as CSV from the Talkdesk Contacts or Audiences screen. Every row should include the phone number, first name, last name, any custom fields, and the original Lead source so you can track where each record came from after the move.

Second, your Disposition values. Talkdesk uses its own call outcome labels. Make a spreadsheet that maps each Talkdesk disposition to its VICIdial equivalent status code. VICIdial ships with a fixed set of statuses (NI, DNC, B, CALLBK, etc.) and you can add custom ones. Work through this mapping before you touch any import tool.

Third, call recordings. Talkdesk lets you bulk-download recordings as a ZIP from the Recordings section. Download them before you cancel the account - once your subscription lapses, access is typically revoked within 30 days.

Mapping the data into VICIdial

VICIdial's lead import expects a CSV where columns match field names in vicidial_list. The required minimum is phone_number. Everything else is optional but useful: first_name, last_name, address1, city, state, postal_code, and any custom fields you have defined. The Lead loader tool inside VICIdial admin handles the actual import - you pick a Lead list (a numbered container), map your CSV columns to VICIdial fields, and run the load.

If you have already worked those contacts in Talkdesk and some were marked as DNC, do not mix them back into a live list. Export your Talkdesk DNC contacts separately and load them into VICIdial's internal DNC table before you start dialing. See moving your DNC list to VICIdial for the exact steps.

Migration flow

flowchart TD
  A[Export Talkdesk contacts CSV] --> B[Export DNC contacts separately]
  B --> C[Map dispositions to VICIdial statuses]
  C --> D[Provision VICIdial server]
  D --> E[Load DNC into internal DNC table]
  E --> F[Load leads into lead list via lead-loader]
  F --> G[Configure campaign and agents]
  G --> H[Parallel run 1-3 days]
  H --> I[Full cutover - cancel Talkdesk]

Agent script and phone number setup

Talkdesk's script builder stores call scripts inside the platform. VICIdial has its own Agent script field on each campaign. You will need to rebuild your scripts manually - copy the text out of Talkdesk, paste it into the VICIdial campaign script editor, and adjust any dynamic field references to use VICIdial's substitution tokens ({FULLNAME}, {PHONE_NUMBER}, etc.).

For outbound caller ID, your Carrier will provision DID (direct inward dialing) numbers on your new SIP trunk. If you are porting numbers from Talkdesk's carrier, start the port request early - porting typically takes 3-10 business days, not hours. Use temporary DIDs on the new system while the port completes so you are not waiting on the port to start dialing.

Cutover day

Run a parallel session for one to three days before you cut over. Keep Talkdesk running but dial new leads only on VICIdial. This lets your agents learn the interface without the pressure of a hard deadline, and it confirms your Carrier routes are working end-to-end. Once you are satisfied the new system is stable, pause Talkdesk campaigns and shift all agents to VICIdial. The full process is covered in the VICIdial migration guide.

If you want to skip the installation work entirely, VICIfast managed plans provision a fully configured VICIdial server in under 40 seconds. You bring your carrier and your lead data; the server arrives ready to configure.