Feature removal is not a process that should go by customers unnoticed. Zendesk understands that we have a duty to actively inform our customers and ensure that a proper upgrade process is in place before we begin to remove features and functionality. Because of this concern, Zendesk will actively notify our customers through the channels listed below.
Knowledge Base documentation
Every feature that is being removed is announced in Announcements. The removal announcement will include the general announcement, important milestone dates in the removal of the feature, what each phase of the deprecation will include and how it impacts you, and finally how you can migrate or upgrade to a new feature, if one exists.
We will also maintain a master list of all features with a pending removal date, as well as the features that have been removed in the past. This article will link to the removal announcement for each feature on the list with a pending removal date.
Messaging in Zendesk
As soon as a feature removal has been publicly announced, your Zendesk instance will reflect this in two ways:
- In-product message: An alert will be shown to all admins on any accounts that are affected by the removal. It may be difficult to determine exactly who is affected, in which case Zendesk will err on the side of caution by hitting anyone who might be affected.
- System alerts: Small yellow warning bar alerts will be displayed within any product that has a removal date. This alert will be permanent and cannot be removed. It will be displayed to both agents and admins (but never end-users). It will link to articles explaining the removal process.
Email communication
Zendesk will also use transactional email to communicate feature removals. Transactional emails are email communication sent out by Zendesk to all owners and administrators listed in Zendesk. These emails are reserved for important communication, such as breaking changes or other announcements that need immediate attention.
An example of this would be when we send out notifications of breaking API changes with a custom themed email. We’ll keep emailing customers up until the removal date or until you take the action to switch to the new feature. The content of these emails will include similar information as, and link to, the feature removal announcement.
Person-to-person communication
Finally, we do understand that some of our customers have a very large instance of Zendesk, and switching to a new process isn't a one person job. For any account that has an assigned Account Manager or Success Manager, you might receive a personalized communication from your account team in addition to the email and in-product notifications.
This personalized communication may include emails with specific instructions from a trusted source, a phone call to help scope your upgrade process, or a custom engagement with our services team to ensure that all of your essential processes are preserved when you make the switch.