Understanding and installing the Slack for Zendesk Support integration

With the Built by Zendesk integration Slack for Zendesk Support, ticket submissions and status changes appear as notifications in specified Slack channels. You can also create new tickets directly from Slack, and comment on tickets from their Slack notifications.

This post covers the following subjects:

• About the integration
• Comparing the integrations
• Limitations and requirements
• Installing the integration
• Configuring and editing the integration
• Migrating from the Slack-built integration to the Zendesk-built integration

Related articles:

• Using the Slack for Zendesk Support integration
• Slack for Zendesk Support FAQ

About the integration

Slack for Zendesk Support is a Built by Zendesk integration that allows you to interact with Zendesk Support tickets in your Slack channels. This Zendesk-built integration is intended to replace the Slack-built version of the integration.

The following list describes the new Slack for Zendesk integration features, and how they compare to the previous Slack-built integration:

• Ticket event notifications in Slack: Slack users can see information about Zendesk Support ticket events in specified Slack channels. High-level ticket information is displayed (subject, description, priority, assignee, requester, and creation time). Ticket notifications can be filtered based on event type; and based on groups Support groups. See Viewing ticket notifications in Slack for more information.
• Channel configuration: Slack admins can map Zendesk Support groups to Slack channels. This allows tickets to be routed to the right channel. Additionally, it is possible to choose the specific ticket event types to appear in Slack, reducing noise and letting admins prevent sensitive data from being posted in Slack. See Configuring and editing the integration, below, for more information.
• Creating new tickets directly from Slack: This feature is designed to cater to an internal use case where Slack users want to raise a new Support ticket directly from Slack, which they can do using a slash command. See Creating new Support tickets for more information.

Comparing the Built by Zendesk and Built by Slack integrations

The new integration features a number of improvements over the older integration, including:

• Installation. The new integration improves on the installation flow by only requiring a single authentication to Zendesk Support, rather than once per Slack channel as the older one requires.

  It also requires the creation of only one trigger in Support (done automatically), as rather than one trigger per Slack channel. This trigger cannot be modified by users.

• Configuration. The new integration adds the ability to route ticket notifications based on the Support group they are assigned to, ensuring the notifications are relevant to the specific channel.

• Functionality. The Zendesk-built integration aims to offer feature parity with the existing integration. Both integrations can post ticket events to Slack but have other differences:

  • Ticket notifications can be filtered based on event type, similar to the older integration. The new integration offers routing and filtering based on groups, which was previously not possible.
  • The new integration lets users create tickets directly from Slack.
  • The new integration only allows connecting a Slack workspace to only a single Zendesk Support account.

Limitations and requirements

The Slack for Zendesk Support integration currently has the following limitations and requirements:

• The new integration only allows connecting a Slack workspace to a single Zendesk Support account.
• Slack Enterprise Grid is not supported. If the Slack for Zendesk Support app is installed, it will only work in one workspace.
• Ticket events are captured using a Zendesk Support trigger. This trigger is created automatically and cannot be modified by users.
• To install and configure the integration, you must have administrative privileges in Zendesk Support, and permission to install apps in the Slack workspace.

Installing the integration

Note: To install the integration, you must have administrative privileges in Zendesk Support, and have permission to install apps in the Slack workspace.

To install the Slack for Zendesk integration

1. Log in to your company Slack workspace.
2. Go to the Slack Zendesk Integrations page: http://slack.zendesk-integrations.com/slack/install.
3. Click Continue.
4. On the Install page, select the channel rules you want to apply.
   Note: We recommend you select All Public Channels, which simplifies the post-installation configuration process. You can select specific channels at that time.

   

5. Click Install.
6. Enter your Zendesk subdomain, accept the terms and conditions, and click Next.

   Once the installation is complete, you'll be redirected to Slack, and can begin the configuration process.

Configuring and editing the integration

This section includes instructions for the following tasks:

• Configuring the initial installation
• Adding the app to additional channels
• Editing a channel's app settings
• Changing the subdomain
• Leaving feedback about the installation

To configure the Slack for Zendesk Support integration

1. In your Slack account, view the direct message from the integration, and click Get started.

   

2. Using the Choose an option drop-down menu, select a channel to configure - you can scroll through the Channels list, or type a channel name to filter your options - then click Done.

   

   Only channels that the Zendesk app has been invited to will appear in this drop-down. To invite additional channels, see Adding the app to additional channels.

3. Using the Please choose a type drop-down menu, select the types of notifications you want to receive in this channel. You can select multiple notifications. When you’ve selected your notifications, click Done.

   

4. Using the next Choose an option drop-down menu, select the support group(s) that have permission to post notifications in the channel. Support groups are used to categorize tickets, and restrict agent access based on group membership. By mapping groups to channels, administrators can ensure only relevant ticket events are posted to channels, and can exclude groups that have tickets with sensitive data.

   If you do not choose a specific group, all groups will have access.

5. Click Done.

From the Zendesk app’s direct message stream, you can add the app to another channel, edit existing settings, change the subdomain associated with the app, and provide feedback to Zendesk about the app.

To add the app to another channel

1. In Slack, click Zendesk in the Apps section to start a direct message with the app.
2. Click Add channel.
3. Follow steps 2-6 in To configure the Slack for Zendesk Support integration, above.

To edit a channel’s app settings

1. In Slack, click Zendesk in the Apps section to start a direct message with the app.
2. Click Edit existing settings.
3. Follow steps 2-6 in To configure the Slack for Zendesk Support integration, above.

You may need to change the subdomain associated with the integration, if, for instance, you are renaming your Zendesk Support subdomain, or moving the integration from a sandbox to a production instance.

To change your subdomain

1. In Slack, click Zendesk in the Apps section to start a direct message with the app.
2. Click Change subdomain.
3. Enter the new subdomain, read and confirm the Zendesk terms and conditions, then click Next.

Zendesk is collecting feedback about the new integration. Your comments and suggestions are welcome.

To comment on the new integration

1. In Slack, click Zendesk in the Apps section to start a direct message with the app.
2. Click Provide feedback.
3. Use the feedback form to enter your comments, and answer any or all of the integration-related questions.
4. Click Submit.

Migrating from the Slack-built integration to the Zendesk-built integration

Both integrations can run side by side, allowing users to test the new integration and to copy the channel configurations from the Slack-built one. This needs to be done manually, one channel at at time.

Once a channel has been configured in the new integration, it should be removed from the old integration to avoid duplicating the notifications in Slack.