Question
How can I troubleshoot call issues with Zendesk Talk?
Answer
All web-based software can experience performance issues relating to the connections and environment in which it operates. Existing system or network connection issues may not be as noticeable during normal ticketing, but these issues can be much more pronounced with the additional demands of a telephony connection such as Zendesk Talk.
To help you deal with such issues, we have compiled a list of common troubleshooting steps to try first. This article includes:
- Questions to think about before troubleshooting
- Troubleshooting problems with voice quality (delays, static, echoes, dropped calls)
- Additional Talk problems you may run into
- Outbound call drops after two minutes.
- Calls drop every time you call into one of your numbers.
- Receiving an EC# error
- Zendesk Talk resetting to offline status
Questions to think about before troubleshooting
- Was Talk working previously and did it just stop working? Double-check if your company's IT team made recent changes to your network or laptop, installed new software or add-ons.
- Is the issue happening to other agents or just to you? If the issue only happens to you, take a look at your local settings and network. If you and others are all having issues, check with your IT team and networking team first, especially if you connect with a company-issued laptop.
Talk is not working
Resolve common wide-spread call issues.
Issues with Talk are usually related to network issues. A very common trend particularly in office connections is the blocking of ports or IP addresses. Have your network team ensuring that all the Talk network requirements are met. For more information, see this article: Talk network requirements.
There are other things to keep in mind:
- Check the Zendesk and Twilio status pages for any outages.
- Check the Agent leg quality issues report in Explore. The report assists you in determining the call quality of your team overall and specific agents. This way you can identify individuals who have Talk issues.
Troubleshooting problems with voice quality
Troubleshooting calls, delays, static, echoes, and dropped calls.
Consider the following when troubleshooting calls:
- Verify with your IT team if your Talk account is running through a VPN. If that is the case, ensure that traffic to Talk is not running through your company network. Your IT department can split-tunnel this or remove the Zendesk IP addresses from the VPN.
Note: Talk doesn't work with MPLS or VPN due to a service that runs in the background called GLL. This service decides on the best network path to run the call through. If you use a VPN or MPLS, the system doesn't give the true location of your agents and as such cannot route the call efficiently, potentially leading to latency and other call quality issues. - Run the Twilio network test to ensure ports are open, speed is adequate, and that you're connecting to the right endpoint. Review the results with the help of this article: How do I use the Twilio network test to troubleshoot Talk agent calls?
- Plugin in a hard-wired ethernet cable to your router. Wi-fi works, but the ethernet connection tends to provide a more stable connection as other wireless devices can interfere with the signal making it unstable.
- Try a different browser to make sure the issue isn't browser-related.
- Plugin your headset to the computer with a 3.5 mm connection instead of using Bluetooth. USB is also better than Bluetooth. Other wireless devices and signals can degrade performance. To eliminate that the headset is the cause of the issue, connect your speakers to the computer, and make a test call.
- If you use gaming headsets, disable their special driver software. Occasionally browsers like Chrome don’t synchronize fast enough.
- Ensure a stable internet connection. If you passed the Twilio network test, but you're still having issues, your connection may be, in fact, unstable. You might still be dropping some packets or your connection works for a while and slows down. The IT or network team of your company has software that they can run over time to see how stable your internet connection is. You can also do this yourself if you feel comfortable and your IT department allows it.
1. If you are at home, reboot your router.
2. Run a ping test and verify if your connection is stable and not dropping packets over a 10-15 minute test especially when you have problems. Find below a short example of the test results. - In addition to zendesk.com, try the Twilio client endpoints as well with a ping test:
chunderw-vpc-gll.twilio.com
chunderw-gll.twilio.com
chunderw-vpc-gll-{region}.twilio.com
Where region is one of the following: au1, br1, de1, ie1, jp1, sg1, us1
Ensure that the ms (milliseconds) ping time is adequate and not jumping all over the place in terms of speed. In most cases, you want ZERO packet loss. If you're even seeing 1% packet loss in 15 min this might be enough to affect your connection. Talk with your IT department or contact your ISP to help.
Calls drop frequently
Resolve issues with outbound call dropping after two minutes or every time.
If calls drop after two minutes, check with your administrator as you may be in a trial. Talk trial accounts limit the call to two minutes.
If calls drop every time you call into one of your numbers and you have an IVR setup, create a custom greeting otherwise the system hangs up on you. If you have a greeting setup, occasionally a corrupt file can also cause similar behavior. Re-record and upload this file to fix this issue.
Receiving an EC# error
Understand and resolve this error message.
See the example of an EX# error below:
EC# errors are often caused by your network or router configuration. They represent an issue with Talk not having an adequate network connection. This can occur anywhere along with the network, but often they are the result of local network limitations, or from a computer that does not meet the minimum requirements to make the connection. Review the Talk network requirements. Ensure all ports are open. Also, verify the troubleshooting steps above.
If you are still experiencing EC# errors, contact the Zendesk support team and provide a screenshot of your firewall and router settings showing these open ports.
Zendesk Talk resetting to offline status
Resolve the call status issue.
Refreshing your page changes the status of your agent to unavailable in Talk. The agent needs to manually reset themselves to become available. Do not refresh your page in your browser when you wish to be available for calls.
If you are still unable to determine the cause of your quality issues, contact the Zendesk support team providing the information listed below.
- A screenshot of the information at Support Details from an agent who is experiencing quality issues.
- A ticket example where call quality was an issue.
For information about Talk billing, see the article: Zendesk Talk billing FAQ.
20 Comments
None of these steps worked
I tried them but they didn't work and then I guess he gave up
the scenario is, one of my customer called with the number 04*******93 and i saved the number with name Blake, but when another student calls i still get the same number as a caller but the person is different. How can i fix it ?
You may need to check if the number is also associated with another user's profile or if it is a duplicate account. If the number is associated with another profile then remove that number, however, if this is a duplicate account then you may merge it with the correct profile so that they will be identified correctly the next time that they call.
Please see this article for more information: Why are some users not correctly identified when they call in?
Regards,
Dion
Hello, when we are attempting to make outbound phone calls we do not hearing the ringing sound in our head sets and the call drops after a few seconds. Anyway to help?
I have attempted to call my personal phone. When I answer my cell phone, the call drops.
Richard Murillo I have created a support ticket for you. That's the best way forward to support you in resolving your issues.
Hello, the talk widget randomly disappears for me when using ZD. What I mean by that is that the widget icon in zendesk vanishes and I can't change my status from online to offline and vice versa. I don't have admin permissions so I can't change my status through this interface: admin/channels/talk_and_email/talk
Sometimes the widget disappears during the call, at this very moment the call is dropped. The same happens on a number of browsers, so far tried Chrome, Brave, Firefox, Safari. Clearing cookies/cache or disabling add-ons doesn't resolve the issue. Re-logging to ZD helps temporarily, but then the issue recurs.
This doesn't happen to any other team members, our ZD admin says that the talk permissions are set correctly. Perhaps the issue is related to my ZD user account but not sure how to address that.
A workaround I found is to open another instance of ZD in the same browser and keep both open. The widget disappears in one of those instances only. But, this solution doesn't work each time. Sometimes, the widget disappears from all of the instances, even if I keep opening new ones (more than 2).
Would be great if someone helped troubleshoot this issue. Thanks.
Jakub,
Due to the nature of your concern, it will be better if you contact support directly to help you with troubleshooting.
Hi. So I've been trying zendesk on my new laptop for work and every time a customer is calling, my line is always cutting out. My customer can not understand me because it keeps on breaking up. I have tried the Twilio network test and the laptop passed all of it. I also checked my internet connection and it is above 100 mpbs. Can you help me with this? I don't know what else to do. I bought this laptop for work and now it seems that I can not use it.
I really hope someone would answer me.
gab bz Hi! I'm sorry you're experiencing this! Let me raise a ticket for you so we can investigate this further. You should receive an email shortly!
Hello - I am having the same issue as Jakub reported. Does anyone know the solution to the Talk icon not appearing in Zendesk Support? We can not change to be available. All our settings and permissions appear to be correct in Admin. Thank you.
Usually when customers can’t see their Phone icon is because their role is settled as an Administrator in Talk. Talk roles work a bit differently than the other products. Admins can manage all Talk settings, but they are excluded from making and receiving calls (this role is more focused on managing permissions). In order to be an Admin and have the ability to make and receive calls, your role needs to be set as "Team Leader". All are described here, along with the instructions on how to change the role: https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408882966170-Giving-agents-access-to-Talk
If this doesn't help, please feel free to reach out to the support team via this: https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408843597850
I hope this helps!
Hello Zendesk support,
I am not able to use many of the features like Views option, Home option, transfer calls, call back, new ticket tab not opening when accepting calls etc. I am using Zendesk from India and my ISP is Jio. ISP says the website is whitelisted and has no issues from their end.
I am really struggling with my office work and need support. When using a vpn everything works fine.
Had a chat with chat support using VPN but wasn't able to provide a solution and asked to check with ISP.
Also chat support option doesn't work without vpn.
Need Solution ASAP
Hi Afan M
I went ahead & created a ticket on your behalf to continue looking into this issue. Please keep an eye out for our email so we can continue the troubleshooting on your setup.
Hi Zendesk Support,
A number of my team members have been having missed calls. They've reported that the phone does not even ring, but the phone icon will pop up, showing a missed call. We've tried the twilio test and other troubleshooting recommendations but haven't had any luck. Some agents have 7/8 missed calls a day
Hi Paige!
I've created a ticket on your behalf so can troubleshoot this. Please keep an eye out for our email.
We're having the same issues as Paige. Was a solution found?
Please sign in to leave a comment.