Zendesk is a software platform that allows businesses of any size to keep close track incoming information. The system allows team members to respond to quickly and in a standardized way. The system is a framework that can help keep focus on customer experience. Let’s take a look at some of the most powerful features that make an immediate impact in how your respond to incoming messages.
You will need the Team level of Zendesk to use Triggers and Integrations.
The Macros
The Marcos is a very powerful feature. The Macros allows users to do all of the following with one click:
- Write a templated e-mail
- Change the status of a ticket (Open, closed, pending)
- Add tags
- Initiate Triggers
Set Global Agent Signiture
Here is the guide.
Settings > Agents > Signature
Interaction Timeline - Left Panel
You can find the intercation timeline wich shows all of the intercations you have had with a certain client.
You can also click on the name and see all of the interactions with that customer
Apps Panel - Right Panel
100s of third-party apps and you can be added, you can even develop your own.
You can import articles directly from guide into your replies.
Admin - Getting Started
A couple places to start:
Gear Icon > Email >
People > Groups >
Create a group
SET UP AN AUTO RESPONDER
Trigger > Add Trigger
Name group
Received at
Assign to a group
Action > Email User, text user, or another action
Macros:
Actions, make an email, enter in fields. Set priority. Add tags
Automates are like triggers, but they are time based. So you can:
Close tickets after 30 days, for example
SLA – Policies, such as all tickets need to be resolved within 1 hour, Tickets closed within 48 hours?
Next SLA Breach (can be displayed on the main feed)
Messages can be seperated by different keywords.
What’s App Integration
Tracking Daily Requests and Updates
Zendesk will track any communications you have with your customers via email or social media
Send Templated E-mails
So many similar emails come in, you will want to set up some automated templates. Here are a coupe guides to get this set up.
- Macros – Pre-canned responses for support to efficiently answer FAQ’s.
- Triggers and Automation resources – Ensure proper ticket routing and efficiency.
Tracking Sales Leads
I am hoping we can set up some sales lead questions and tracking swith Macros, Triggers, and Automation. We will see and I will update.
Tracking Job Applicants
Zendeskcan help you in managing the communication with applicants. You can also integrate Zendesk with an HR tool to track progress. You can find all of the Zendesk integrations, here.
Adding Inline Internal Notes
As of April 2019 this is on the development board for Zendesk, but it is not clear if this will be officially implemented. There is a documented workaround found here. It uses URL Targets to set up a custom action in triggers and automation, called Notify Target. You will be able to write a message that is shown each time an email matches the conditions you set up.
I had to put my username as: email@mydomain.com/token
I had to put my API key in the password field to get it to work.
More About Triggers
More About Automations
Guide - Knowledge Base
You can build a knowledge base via Zendesk. Here are a few guides.
You can open up CSS, HTML, and JavaScript. So you can customize your support articles with any web look you like.
At the bottom, if your customers still do not have their questions answered, they can submit a ticket.
Knowledge Base Accessibility
User segments – You apply user segments to a knowledge base article or a topic in your community to define viewing access, which means that some articles would be visible only internally and some externally.
Knowledge Capture App
The Knowledge Capture App is perhaps the one thing that is keeping me from just making a subdomain and using Echo Knowledge Base in wordpress. I am not a fan of the cost for the Guide Knowledge base, nearly $180 for the year. But it is handy to have everything in one system and I have found that I have already made an help article I probably would not have taken the time to write if I had to login to a seperate WordPress page.
Social Media
Zendesk allows replies and engagement with Social Media posts. You can integrate with Facebook and Twitter and answer all requests directly from Facebook. Here are the guides.
Workflow From CRM emails
Automation can be set up to automatically send emails to customers if they don’t respond within X number of hours.
Visits ended – send feedback survey & send thank you postcard from ClickSend – Zendesk would not able to help with that but we integrate with marketing tools.
Invoice paid with tip – automatically send an email with “Thanks for the tip!” – Zendesk would not able to help with that but we integrate with marketing tools.
Integrations
ClickSend
Integrate Zendesk with ClickSend using Zaipier. This guide shows how to send SMS. I am hoping we can set up a Zendesk trigger to send post cards and snail mailed job applications.
Calendly
You can send a calendly link via Zendesk or integrate with Zoom to enable users to schedule and launch Zoom meetings without leaving Zendesk.
3CX
You would need a subscription of Zendesk Talk Partner and 3CX Pro enterprise edition to be able to do that. You can find more information, here. Zendesk Talk Partner costs $12 per month.
Some Info About Zendesk Talk
More About Workflows
Chat
The customer can ask questions right on the website. Zendesk Chat
- Getting started with Chat
- Launch Chat Tasks
- How Fossil, Allbirds, and Spartan Race utilize Chat


iFrame Integration - Zendesk
Use this tool to see if the page can display as iFrame
How to set up iFrame & Text Apps zendesk help article
Demos
There is not a recorded version of their demo. You but you can sign up for a live webiner here. You can find here small demos on the key features of Zendesk.
Troubleshooting
SPF Error for e-mail – SPF support article
Dealing With Your Emails Landing In Spam
Here are a couple articles that can help:
I guess there is the possibility of using Nextcloud for calendar and contacts too. I may look at only keeping core files in Nextcloud and only release larger video files when needed.
Support
If you are having trouble with technical aspects of the system you can reach out to the support team via phone at 888-670-4887 or email at support@zendesk.com.
Their sales team has been fantastic too.
Training
Training Classes – I would recommend taking a look at this Virtual learning class or at this on-demand one