How can I solve general performance issues in my Zendesk account?

Question

How can I troubleshoot general performance issues at Zendesk such as slow loading speed, timeouts, or page refresh errors?

Answer

There are several troubleshooting steps you can execute on your own to try to resolve performance issues. The guide below enumerates some of those steps and some tips prior to reaching out to Zendesk for further help.

Check for a service incident

Start by checking the Zendesk Status page to see if there are any active service disruptions. The page lists all the ongoing incidents and scheduled maintenance so you can monitor their status and progress. For more information on how to read the status page, see the article: Monitoring your account status with the Zendesk Status page.

Basic troubleshooting

Follow these initial steps to improve your system's performance right away:

• Ensure that your browser and system are up to date and match the Zendesk Support system requirements.
• Clear the cache and cookies on your browser as described in this article.
• Restart your computer, restart your browser, and close any background programs or extra tabs and windows.

Tip: Keep your browser tabs and windows to a minimum. A large number of Zendesk tabs or windows open at once cause slowness and interference between tabs.

Narrow down the scope of the issue

Scope the issue by answering the questions below.

• Does the issue affect just you, a few agents, or everyone on your team?
• Does the issue impact multiple agents are all agents working in the same location? Are all agents on the same network?
• How long has this issue been occurring? When did the issue start?
• Is this the first time this issue has happened? If it occurred previously, when did it occur and how frequently?
• Does switching to an incognito or private browsing mode help resolve the issue?

The answers to these questions may provide you with the cause of the issue. For example, if the issue doesn't happen in the incognito mode of your browser, then it's likely that clearing the cache and cookies solves the problem.

Check your hardware, software, and network

If the issue affects one or multiple users on your Zendesk account, and the previous steps didn't help, try the below tools to troubleshoot further.

• Disable any browser extensions and test again.
• Connect your device to a mobile hotspot or another network to check if the issue comes from the network. For more network troubleshooting, see this article: Why is Zendesk slow and laggy when I work from home?
• Ensure that an app on your account isn't causing the issue.
• If the issue affects only users on the same network, reach out to your IT team or Internet Service Provider.

If you still are unable to find a resolution, generate a HAR file and share it with your IT team.

When all else fails

In the case that everything else fails, collect the information below and contact Zendesk Customer Support.

• Retrieve a screenshot from supportdetails.com from the computer and browser that you use to access your Zendesk account.
  
• Run a traceroute as described in these articles:
  
  • Guide from Microsoft's Help Center: How to Use TRACERT to Troubleshoot TCP/IP Problems in Windows
  • Guide from the external website Hostgator: How Do I Run a Traceroute on a Mac?
• Consider granting Zendesk temporary access to your account.
• Provide detailed information on the below.
  • Describe the issue and what you expect should happen if the system were working correctly.
  • Let the agent know the information you gathered in the step "Narrow down the scope of the issue".
  • Enumerate what troubleshooting you’ve done already.