Zendesk Integration
Connect your chatbot with Zendesk to seamlessly handle customer support tickets, escalate conversations to human agents, and manage customer inquiries across both AI and human support channels.
What is Zendesk Integration?
The Zendesk integration allows your AI chatbot to work seamlessly with your existing customer support workflow. When the chatbot can't resolve an issue or when a customer specifically requests human assistance, conversations can be automatically escalated to create Zendesk tickets or connect with live agents.
Key Benefits
- Seamless Escalation: Automatically create Zendesk tickets when AI can't resolve issues
- Context Preservation: Chat history and context are automatically attached to tickets
- Unified Experience: Customers can move between AI and human support without losing context
- Reduced Agent Workload: AI handles common questions, agents focus on complex issues
Setting Up Zendesk Integration
Prerequisites
You'll need admin access to your Zendesk account and API access enabled.
Step 1: Configure Zendesk API
- Log into your Zendesk Admin Center
- Navigate to Apps and integrations → APIs → Zendesk API
- Enable Token Access if not already enabled
- Create a new API token:
- Click Add API token
- Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "Chatbot Integration")
- Copy the generated token and store it securely
Step 2: Connect in Your Dashboard
- Go to your chatbot dashboard and navigate to the Integrations tab
- Find Zendesk and click Connect
- Enter your Zendesk configuration:
- Zendesk Subdomain: your-company.zendesk.com
- Email: Your Zendesk admin email
- API Token: The token you created in Step 1
- Click Test Connection to verify the integration
- Save your settings
Step 3: Configure Escalation Rules
Set up when and how conversations should be escalated to Zendesk:
- Keyword Triggers: Words like "speak to agent", "human help", "escalate"
- Confidence Threshold: When AI confidence drops below a certain level
- Topic Categories: Specific topics that should always go to human agents
- Time-based: After multiple back-and-forth exchanges without resolution
Available Features
Automatic Ticket Creation
When escalation is triggered, a new Zendesk ticket is automatically created with:
- • Complete chat conversation history
- • Customer contact information
- • Priority level based on escalation reason
- • Relevant tags and categories
Live Agent Handoff
Connect customers directly with available agents:
- • Real-time availability checking
- • Queue management integration
- • Context sharing with agents
- • Seamless conversation transfer
Customer Information Sync
Automatically sync customer data between platforms:
- • Contact details and preferences
- • Previous ticket history
- • Customer satisfaction scores
- • Custom field mappings
Analytics & Reporting
Track performance across both AI and human support:
- • Escalation rates and reasons
- • Resolution time comparisons
- • Customer satisfaction metrics
- • Agent productivity insights
Best Practices
Training Your AI for Better Escalation
- Regularly review escalated conversations to identify patterns
- Update your knowledge base with common issues that required human intervention
- Fine-tune escalation triggers based on actual support data
- Train your AI to recognize when customers are frustrated and need human help
Optimizing Agent Workflows
- Create standardized templates for common escalation scenarios
- Set up automated routing rules based on ticket categories
- Establish clear SLAs for different types of escalated tickets
- Provide agents with AI conversation summaries for quick context
Measuring Success
- Track first contact resolution rates for AI vs. human interactions
- Monitor customer satisfaction scores across both channels
- Measure the impact on agent productivity and ticket volume
- Analyze escalation patterns to improve AI training
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Connection Failed
If the connection test fails, verify your API token is correct and has the necessary permissions. Ensure your Zendesk subdomain is entered without "https://" or trailing slashes.
Tickets Not Creating
Check that your escalation rules are properly configured and that the API user has ticket creation permissions. Review the integration logs for specific error messages.
Missing Conversation Context
Ensure that conversation history is enabled in your integration settings. Check that the chat transcript is properly formatted for Zendesk ticket creation.
Need Help?
If you're having trouble setting up the Zendesk integration or need assistance with configuration, our support team is here to help.