Understanding, installing, and configuring the Slack for Zendesk Support integration

The Slack for Zendesk Support is a Built by Zendesk integration that connects a single Zendesk subdomain to a Slack workspace. It allows you to interact with Zendesk Support tickets in your Slack channels.

The integration includes the following features:

• 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, 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 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.
• Creating and assigning a requester: When an unrecognized user creates a Zendesk Support ticket in Slack, a new Zendesk Support end-user is created and assigned to them. Similarly, when an agent creates a ticket on behalf of someone else, they can select a requester from a list of existing Slack users, or choose to create a new end-user for them.
• Side conversations: With the Slack for Zendesk Support integration agents can use side conversations in a ticket to initiate and participate in Slack threads. See Using Slack in side conversations for more information.
• Answer Bot for Slack: This integration is included in the Slack for Zendesk Support integration, and utilises Answer Bot to listen on selected Slack channels. It resolves questions by providing article suggestions from your Guide knowledge base.

This article covers the following topics:

• Installing the integration
• Configuring the integration
  • To add the app to a Slack Channel
  • To add notifications to a Slack channel
  • To edit a Slack Channel's app settings
  • To remove the app from a Slack channel
  • To change your Zendesk subdomain
  • To provide feedback on the integration

Related articles:

• Using the Slack for Zendesk Support integration
• Using the Answer Bot for Slack integration
• Using Slack in side conversations

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 Allow.

   

4. Enter your Zendesk subdomain, accept the terms and conditions, and click Next.

   

5. Once the installation is complete, click Open Slack and you'll be redirected to Slack where you can configure the integration.

   

Note: If your Slack Approve apps permission setting is off, you can potentially break the integration when another instance is installed. We recommend turning on the Approve apps setting in Slack, or advising your Slack users to not reinstall the integration.

Configuring the integration

Once the integration is installed tickets can be created from any Slack channel, but the app needs to be invited to each channel that requires notifications and Answer Bot.

From the Zendesk app’s direct message stream, you can add the app to channels, edit existing settings, change the subdomain associated with the app, and provide feedback to Zendesk about the app. Only Slack admins can configure channel notifications.

To add the app to a Slack channel

1. In Slack, browse to a channel to which you want to invite the Zendesk integration to.
2. In the message bar, enter /invite @Zendesk, and then press return.

   You can now configure notifications and Answer Bot settings for the channel.

Notifications can be configured to display messages in a Slack channel when a change is made in Zendesk matching configured criteria.

Note: It may take 10-15 minutes for a channel to appear in the Slack for Zendesk Support app.

To add notifications to a Slack channel

1. In the channel's message bar, enter /zendesk settings, and then press return.

   

2. In Ticket notifications, click Add channel.
3. Using the drop-down list, select a channel you want notifications posted in.

   If you're configuring the integration from within a channel, that channel is selected by default, and you can scroll through the Channels list, or type a channel name to filter your options. Only channels that the Zendesk app has been invited to appears in the drop-down options. To add additional channels, see To add the app to a Slack channel

   

4. Click Next.
5. Using the Please choose a type list 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 Next.

   

6. Using the next Choose an option list 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.

   

   Note: By default, no groups are selected. You must select at least one group so they can post to the channel and for updates to be posted in the channel. You can select All to give all groups permission to post.
7. Click Done.

To edit a Slack channel’s app settings

1. In Slack, click the channel name in the sidebar.
2. In the message bar, enter /zendesk settings, and then press return.

   You can edit notifications and Answer Bot settings for the channel.

To remove the app from a Slack channel

1. In Slack, browse to a channel from which you want to remove the Zendesk integration.
2. In the message bar, enter /remove @Zendesk, and then press return.
3. On the confirmation window, click Remove.

   Once removed, Zendesk will no longer be able to post notifications, provide side conversations or support Answer Bot in that channel.

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 Zendesk 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 integration. Your comments and suggestions are welcome.

To provide feedback on the 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.