Removal of legacy Salesforce integration managed package

Announced on	Development ends	Removal
July 22, 2019	September 16, 2019	January 30, 2020

This article covers the following topics:

• What does this mean?
• Why is Zendesk removing this?
• Am I affected?
• Will I have access to the new integration?
• What happens if I don’t migrate before the removal date?
• Frequently asked questions
• Who should I contact if I need help or have questions?
• Timeline

What does this mean?

Starting January 30, 2020, the legacy Salesforce Integration managed package with Zendesk Support will no longer be available.

From the end of the development date, the legacy integration will no longer be in active development. We will no longer make feature enhancements or guarantee bug fixes, but consider them on a case by case basis. We will continue to support major security fixes and upgrades until the removal date.

After the removal date, the legacy Salesforce Integration will be no longer accessible and functional.

Why is Zendesk removing this?

In November 2019, we will release a new Salesforce Integration built on Zendesk that does not use the Salesforce managed package and the Force.com platform. 

Salesforce charges significant fees to ISVs like Zendesk to offer integrations, even for customers who already pay to have access to Salesforce APIs. We believe it's important to avoid passing these costs onto customers or limit the development of our integrations. We do not charge our Independent Service Vendors (ISV) to build these integrations or our customers to use them.

At Zendesk, we are committed to the openness of our platform and ability to integrate any business system through our open APIs. As part of our platform vision, we're exploring ways to make Zendesk built integrations more open, flexible and consistent. 

Our new offering will be a superior experience with integrating Support and Salesforce by building on Zendesk's infrastructure using Salesforce's public APIs, that a majority of our joint customers already pay Salesforce to access. The new integration will provide a number of benefits, including a redesigned Zendesk Support UI, new admin experience in Zendesk Admin Center, full support for Salesforce Lightning and seamless and automated upgrade process. 

The new integration is now in Early Access Program (EAP). Learn more about the EAP and sign up. This is the first iteration of our new offering which we will continue to develop in upcoming months. 

We are currently working on ways to make the transition onto the new integration or another solution as seamless as possible. You can expect to hear from our team in September 2019 with recommendations on the best path forward for your use case. 

Am I affected?

Your Salesforce Admins can check whether you have the integration installed by going to your Salesforce Account: Setup () > enter Installed Packages in the Quick Find box, select Installed Packages. On this page, if you see Zendesk for Salesforce, it means you have the integration installed and you are affected.

Will I have access to the new integration?

The new integration is being built on Zendesk's infrastructure using Salesforce's public APIs, meaning it will only be available for customers using Salesforce editions with API rights. You must be on Salesforce Performance, Unlimited, Enterprise, Developer (or other edition with API rights such as Professional). We are currently working on ways to make the transition onto the new integration as seamless as possible. 

If you are on Salesforce Professional or below and do not have access to Salesforce APIs, you will not have access to the new integration. We are currently working on alternative solutions so you can integrate Zendesk Support with Salesforce. 

You can find out which Salesforce Edition you’re on here. 

Zendesk will reach out to your teams in September 2019 with recommendations on the best path forward for your use case. In the meantime, view the overall timeline here to ensure your teams are aware and properly plan for this transition. 

What happens if I don’t migrate before the removal date?

On the removal date, the legacy Salesforce Integration will be unavailable, unaccessible and any associated data will be lost. Therefore, we highly encourage your teams to evaluate the new integration and plan for this transition or an alternative solution with minimal disruption to your business.

Frequently asked questions

Q. How do I tell what Salesforce Edition I’m on?

Your System Admin can check this by going to your Salesforce Account > Setup ()> Company Information > look for Organization Edition.

Q. How do I tell if I have the Salesforce API rights required to access the new integration?

Your System Admin can check this by going to your Salesforce Account > Setup () > Users > Profile > System Administrator >  search for API Enabled. 

Q. Does this affect customers using the Salesforce for Zendesk app in Support available on the Zendesk Marketplace?

If you are on a Salesforce Edition with API rights, you will be able to continue using the Salesforce for Zendesk app in Support.

If you are on a Salesforce Edition without API rights, you can continue using the app in Support until January 30, 2020. After this date, you will no longer have access to the app and we will provide you an alternative solution for you to continue using this app. 

Q. When will the new integration be available?

The new integration will be available in November 2019.

Q. What is the migration process?

Your options for migration are in the articles below, depending on whether or not you have Salesforce API rights. 

Salesforce API rights (edition Performance, Unlimited, Enterprise, Developer or Professional with API add-on):
Salesforce migration: Migrating the legacy Salesforce integration to the new Salesforce integration

No Salesforce API rights (edition Professional or below)
Salesforce migration: Migrating the legacy Salesforce integration to third party solutions

Q. What advantages does new Salesforce Integration offer over the existing legacy integration managed package?

Our new offering will be a more feature-rich integration built on Zendesk's infrastructure using Salesforce's public APIs that the vast majority of our joint customers already pay Salesforce to access. The new integration will provide a number of benefits, including:

• A redesigned and beautifully simple Zendesk Support UI
• A new admin experience to configure and manage the integration in Zendesk Admin Center
• Full support for Salesforce Lightning
• Seamless and automated updates

Who should I contact if I need help or have questions?

Please contact [e-mail] with any additional questions.

Timeline of events

16 July 2019 - Early Access Program (EAP) open for new Salesforce Integration built on Zendesk

Click here for more details and to sign up for the EAP.  

22 July 2019 - Announce removal of legacy Salesforce integration managed package

Announcement sent about the removal of the legacy Salesforce Integration.

30 August 2019 - Legacy Salesforce Integration managed package will no longer be available to customers

The legacy Salesforce Integration will no longer be available to new customers. Customers currently using the legacy integration will be able to continue using this until the removal date. 

16 September 2019 - End development for legacy Salesforce Integration managed package

The legacy Salesforce Integration will no longer be in active development; bugs and issues fixes are not guaranteed and will be considered on a case by case basis. 

7 October 2019 - Announce migration options for existing customers

We will notify you with recommendations on the best path forward for your use case whether it’s on the new integration built on Zendesk or an alternative solution.

November 2019 - Announce General Availability of new Salesforce Integration built on Zendesk

New and existing customers using Salesforce editions with access to Salesforce public APIs will be able to access the new Salesforce Integration.

30 January 2020 - Legacy Salesforce integration managed package will be deprecated

The legacy Salesforce Integration will be unavailable, unaccessible and any associated data will be lost.