When using web-based software like Zendesk Talk, issues related to the connection and operating environment can lead to performance problems. While system or network connection issues may not be immediately apparent during regular ticketing, they can become more significant with the added demands of a telephony connection. This article provides a comprehensive list of common troubleshooting steps to help you address these issues effectively.
Before diving into the troubleshooting process, consider the following questions and rule out these common issues:
- Was Talk working previously and did it just stop working? 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 use a laptop managed by your company.
- Can agents using the unified agent status take calls? If you're using unified agent status, ensure agents have appropriate Talk permissions and verify the live dashboard to ensure agents appear online for Talk calls.
This article contains topics for the following common talk issues.
Talk is not working
Issues with Talk are usually related to network issues. In office setups, it's common practice for the network team to block some ports or IP addresses. Have your network team ensure that all the Talk network requirements are met. For more information, see the article: Talk network requirements.
Perform these additional checks:
- Check the Zendesk and Twilio status pages for any outages.
- Check the Agent leg quality issues report in Explore to identify call quality issues on your team and with specific agents.
Voice quality issues
Check all the following when troubleshooting call quality:
-
Verify with your IT team if your Talk account is running through a VPN. If that is the case, ensure that traffic to Talk doesn't run through your company network. Your IT department can split-tunnel this traffic 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. This potentially leads 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. For more information on how to use these results, see the article: How do I use the Twilio network test to troubleshoot Talk agent calls?
- Plug in a hard-wired ethernet cable to your router. Wi-fi works, but an ethernet connection tends to provide a more stable connection. This is because other wireless devices can interfere with the signal and make it unstable.
- Test Talk functions within a different web browser to make sure the issue isn't browser-related.
- Plug in your headset to the computer with a 3.5 mm connection instead of using Bluetooth. A USB connection is also better than Bluetooth. Other wireless devices and signals can degrade audio performance. To eliminate the possibility that your 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 audio driver software as it is not supported and can cause issues when using Talk. Occasionally browsers, such as Chrome, won’t synchronize fast enough in such a situation.
- Ensure that you have a stable internet connection. If your web browser passed the Twilio and you're still having issues, your connection may be unstable. You might still be dropping some network packets or have a connection that works for a while and slows down occasionally. The IT or network team of your company has software that they can run over time to see how stable your internet connection is. Do this yourself if you feel comfortable and your company's IT department allows it.
To see how stable your internet connection is
- If you are at home, reboot your router.
-
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. See the image below for a short example of the test results:
- In addition to www.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
Use one of the following values for the region: au1, br1, de1, ie1, jp1, sg1, us1.
Ensure that the ping time in ms
, or milliseconds, is adequate and not going up and down wildly in terms of speed. In most cases, you want zero packet loss. If you're seeing as much as 1% packet loss in 15 minutes this might be enough to affect your connection. Talk with your IT department or contact your internet service provider to help.
Dropped calls
If calls drop after two minutes, check with your admin. You may be using a trial account. 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. If you don't have a greeting set in the appropriate locations for the IVR menu, the system hangs up on you. If you have a greeting set up, occasionally a corrupt audio file can also cause a similar behavior. Re-record the audio file and upload it again to make sure that this is not the problem.
EC# error
See the example of an <ex#></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 Zendesk Customer Support with a screenshot of your firewall and router settings showing these open ports.
For more information on what to include in a ticket about Talk, see the article: How can I share example calls for troubleshooting a Talk issue?
Call status issues
If you refresh your page, this can change your agent status to unavailable in Talk. An agent needs to manually reset their Talk agent state to become available. Do not refresh your page in your browser when you wish to be available to receive calls.
If you are unable to determine the cause of your quality issues, and your issue is specific to call routing, see the article: Why are phone calls not routing to agents?
28 comments
Jennifer Swick
None of these steps worked
1
Dave Dyson
0
Jennifer Swick
I tried them but they didn't work and then I guess he gave up
0
Dave Dyson
0
Rishab
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 ?
0
Dion
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
0
Richard Murillo
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?
0
Richard Murillo
I have attempted to call my personal phone. When I answer my cell phone, the call drops.
0
Neil Weldon
Richard Murillo I have created a support ticket for you. That's the best way forward to support you in resolving your issues.
0
Jakub
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.
0
Dane
Jakub,
Due to the nature of your concern, it will be better if you contact support directly to help you with troubleshooting.
0
gab bz
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.
0
Audrey Ann Cipriano
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!
0
Sarah Urban
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.
0
Gabriel
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!
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Afan M
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
0
Dainne Kiara Lucena-Laxamana
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.
0
Paige
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
0
Dainne Kiara Lucena-Laxamana
Hi Paige!
I've created a ticket on your behalf so can troubleshoot this. Please keep an eye out for our email.
0
Ally Elliott
We're having the same issues as Paige. Was a solution found?
0
Meredith
Hello - my team is experiencing this:
Issue: call notification will work which prompts the agent to accept the call, only to realize they cannot hear the customer, nor can the customer hear the agent. The ticket recording will have the voice of the customer and not the agent.
When it occurs: at any point. It would be working during their shift, and then the next call will have the issue
HELP: why does this occur and how do we fix this without having to clear the web browser cache and restart the computer?
Thank you for your help!
0
Allen
Issues with Talk are usually related to network issues. A very common trend particularly in remote or office connections. I suggest for you to check with your Network administrator or IT Team if your network settings is all set up for Talk. Please refer to our docs listed for more details on setting these up to allow calls
https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408831417498-Talk-network-requirements
https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408823796890-Setting-up-your-browser-or-phone-for-calls
https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408842860186-Configuring-your-firewall-for-use-with-Zendesk
If the issue still persist, please feel free to open a ticket via messaging channel from your Zendesk instance.
Regards,
0
PAUL STRAUSS
We've had reports of sporadic issues where the dialer stops working, and the only solution is to close the browser and restart. Is this a known issue? Are there any other suggestions for how to prevent it from happening, as it is disruptive to our agents workflow when it happens.
0
Sejal Patel
none of these steps work!!!…
0
David Clinton
I cannot find anything related to dropped calls in Sell exactly at the 5 minute mark?
0
David Clinton
Hello,
* Tried the contact us, it takes me to a recording, no option to speak to anyone
*I tried the text feature, no one has reached out after 3 days
*Calls are dropping after exactly 5 minutes, we don't know why
*No support articals related to this issue
*Asked for my Account Rep, no one knows who this is
*We are losing valuble time as a start-up, because we cannot stay on the line past 5 minutes.
– Permissions are accurate
– Paid licences
– Internet speeds have been verified
– We didn't have this issue 2 weeks ago
_ We have made thousands of calls prior to this with no issues
I'm begging for support, so we can run our business.
Thanks,
Dave
702-956-1869
David.clinton@roadflex.com
0
Christine
As basic troubleshooting, you can ask the affected users to try to Clear your browser's cache & cookies. When you use a browser, like Chrome, it saves some information from websites in its cache and cookies. Clearing them fixes certain problems, like loading or formatting issues on sites.
You can also run the Twilio network test to ensure ports are open, speed is adequate, and that you're connecting to the right endpoint. Since issues with Talk are usually related to network issues, we highly recommend performing the steps suggested here: How can I troubleshoot Talk issues? to isolate the problem.
If you continue to experience the issue after performing the recommended troubleshooting steps, kindly raise a support ticket with us and provide ticket/call samples so we can look into the issue more.
Thanks,
Christine
0
Nicole Nease
We just enabled Talk. It is taking almost a full minute from the time the greeting ends until the phone rings in Zendesk. Why does it take so long to show up/ring in Zendesk? Is there a way to fix it?
Nicole
0