Setting up the Zendesk for Salesforce integration

The Zendesk for Salesforce integration connects your Salesforce accounts to Zendesk accounts. It allows Zendesk tickets to be viewed in Salesforce from an Account, Contact, Lead, or Opportunity page. You can also create and edit Zendesk tickets, and sync Salesforce accounts to Zendesk organization data.

The Zendesk for Salesforce integration is available for users on:

• Zendesk Support plans: Team, Professional and Enterprise plans, including the Zendesk Suite.
• Salesforce edition: Performance, Unlimited, Enterprise, Developer Edition (or other editions with Salesforce API rights, such as Professional with the API add-on).

You must be a Zendesk Support administrator and Salesforce administrator to set up your integration. The setup process includes a series of tasks:

1. Checking your Salesforce session settings
2. Creating a connected app in Salesforce
3. Setting up user access to Zendesk tickets in Salesforce
4. Choosing your Salesforce integration instance in Zendesk Admin Center
5. Authorizing your connected app with Zendesk

Note: The integration will work in both Salesforce Lightning and Classic. However, this article only provides instructions for Lightning, which is the newer interface recommended by Salesforce.

If you are using the Salesforce for Zendesk app in Zendesk Support, following the procedures described below also sets up the app's connection.

If you need to disconnect your integration, see Disconnecting the integration.

Related information:

• Salesforce integration resources

Checking your Salesforce session settings

The integration requires your Salesforce session settings to be not set to a locked IP address. If your session settings remain locked, your integration will be disconnected once a session expires.

To disable Salesforce sessions being locked to an IP address

1. Log in to your Salesforce account.
2. Click on the cog in the upper right pane, and click Setup.
3. In the left navigation pane under SETTINGS > Security, select Session Settings.
4. Review and ensure the Lock sessions to the IP address from which they originated checkbox is not selected.
   
   

Creating a connected app in Salesforce

You only need to create and set up your connected app when you use the integration for the first time. A connected app allows a Salesforce admin to easily control which Salesforce users have access to Zendesk tickets.

To create a connected app

1. Log in to your Salesforce account.
2. Navigate to setup by clicking the cog in the upper right pane, and click Setup.
3. In the left navigation pane under Platform Tools, select Apps > App Manager.
4. In Lightning Experience App Manager, on the upper right, click New Connected App.
5. Enter the following information:
   • Basic information
     • Connected App Name: zendesk ngsfdc app
     • API Name: zendesk_ngsfdc_app
     • Contact Email: your system admin email
       Note: The Connected App Name and API Name fields must contain the exact names as stated.
   • API (Enable Auth Settings)
     • Enable OAuth settings: Enable checkbox
     • Callback URL: https://yoursubdomain.zendesk.com/api/services/zis/connections/oauth/callback
     • Selected OAuth Scopes:
       • Access and manage your data (API)
       • Access your basic information (id, profile, email, address, phone)
       • Perform requests on your behalf at any time (refresh_token, offline_access)
     • Require Secret for Web Server Flow: Enable checkbox
   • Canvas App Settings
     • Canvas: Enable checkbox
     • Canvas App URL: https://yoursubdomain.zendesk.com/integrations/salesforce/canvas/tickets
     • Access Method: Signed Request (POST)
     • Locations:
       • Visualforce Page
       • Lightning Component
   
   
   
   
6. Click Save, then Continue to create the connected app. You will need to wait up to 10 minutes after saving for your app to be created.

Setting up user access to Zendesk tickets in Salesforce

After your app is created, you need to define which user profiles in Salesforce can view Zendesk tickets. User profiles which are not selected will not be able to view Zendesk tickets.

To select user profiles to view Zendesk tickets

1. In Salesforce, click on the cog () in the upper right pane, and click Setup.
2. In the left navigation pane under Platform Tools, select Apps > App Manager.
3. Navigate to your created connected app listing in the right dropdown menu, click View to open the connected app window.
   
   
4. At the top of the page, click Manage to open the Connected App Detail page, and click Edit Policies.
5. Under OAuth policies > Permitted Users, select Admin approved users are pre-authorized.
6. Click Save to update the connected app.
7. Go back to the newly created connected app view, and click Manage to navigate to the Connected App Detail page.
8. In the Profiles section, click Manage Profiles to open the Application Profile Assignment page.
9. Select the user profiles that will have access to Zendesk Tickets in Salesforce.
10. Click Save to update the connected app.

Choosing your Salesforce integration instance in Zendesk Admin Center

The Admin Center is where you set up and configure your integration including the integration location. It is recommended to test the integration with your Zendesk sandbox account and Salesforce sandbox account first.

Note: You can only connect one Salesforce account to one Zendesk account. So if you test the integration on a sandbox account, you need to disconnect the integration and reconnect to your production account.

To select your integration location

1. Go to your Zendesk Admin Center, and click the Integrations icon () in the left navigation panel.
   
   
2. Click Connect next to the Salesforce integration.
3. Select which Salesforce instance you want to set up the integration.

Next, you need to set up your connect app's permissions in Salesforce, before returning to the integation page to complete your setup.

Authorizing your connected app with Zendesk

The OAuth protocol is used in the Admin Center to authorize and connect your Salesforce connected app with Zendesk Support. This connection should be done within a new incognito (private-browsing) window to ensure that there is only one active Salesforce session.

To authorize your connected app

1. In Salesforce, go to Setup > Apps > App Manager, and in the connected app listing in the right dropdown menu, click View.
2. In the API (enable OAuth Settings) section, copy the app's Consumer Key and Consumer Secret.
   
   
3. Go to your Zendesk Admin Center, and click the Integrations icon in the left navigation panel.
4. Click Connect next to the Salesforce integration.
5. Under Step 3 — Enter OAuth Consumer Key and Secret section, paste the Consumer Key and Consumer Secret.
   
   
6. Click Connect. A confirmation of a successful connection between Zendesk and Salesforce is displayed.

   Congratulations on completing the setup! Next, you can continue with:

   • Setting up a Zendesk ticket view in Salesforce
   • Configuring data sync from Salesforce to Zendesk

Disconnecting the integration

The Zendesk for Salesforce integration can be disconnected in the Admin Center. Once disconnected, your configuration settings are still retained. This eliminates the need to reconfigure the integration if you decide to set it up again.

To disconnect the integration

1. Go to your Zendesk Admin Center, and click the Integrations icon () in the left navigation panel.
2. In Salesforce integration, click Configure.
3. Click Disconnect in the upper right. Confirmation of the disconnection is displayed.