Creating custom layouts to improve agent workflow

What's my plan?

Quick Look: Admin Center > Workspaces > Agent tools > Layouts

Enterprise plans can have multiple layouts active at the same time for different types of tickets. Professional plans can have only one active layout. See Plan requirements for custom layouts.

Ticket layouts control the look and feel of the ticket interface. Zendesk comes with a default ticket layout that you can use immediately out-of-the-box. You can also use layout builder to create your own custom layouts to use with tickets. With custom layouts, you can optimize the ticket interface to maximize your agents’ efficiency. For more information, see About custom layouts.

You must have the Zendesk Agent Workspace activated and be an admin to create custom layouts.

This article describes how to create custom layouts for your tickets. Topics include:

• Creating a new layout
• Adding and removing components in a layout
• Resizing and moving components in a layout
• Stacking components in a layout
• Undoing and redoing layout changes
• Managing components in the context panel

Related articles

• About custom layouts with layout builder
• Viewing and managing custom layouts
• Configuring the conversation flow and composer location in tickets

Creating a new layout

You can create a new layout by using a layout template or editing an existing layout. You must be an admin to create custom layouts.

To create a new layout

1. In Admin Center, click Workspaces in the sidebar, then select Agent tools > Layouts.

   A list of layouts appears.

   

2. Click Create layout.

   A new layout appears in layout builder with a default set of components.

3. Enter a Name and Description for your layout.
4. If you want to make this new layout the default layout, click Set as default layout.

   This will apply the custom layout for all your agents. Otherwise, leave it unchecked.

   

5. Click Customize layout.

   To customize your layout, you can:

   • Add or remove components. See Adding and removing components in a layout.
   • Resize and move components. See Resizing and moving components in a layout.
   • Stack components. See Stacking components in a layout.
   • Move components to the context panel. See Managing components in the context panel.
6. When you're finished, click Preview to see how your layout looks with real ticket data.
7. When you're done creating your layout, Save your changes.

   If you want to set a custom layout for a specific brand, group of agents, set of ticket forms, and so on, you can assign it to a contextual workspace.

Adding and removing components in a layout

As you create your new layout, you can choose which components to include. Components can include system components and optional components.

• System components: Components that are integral to the ticket layout and cannot be removed, but they can be moved to the context panel. This includes the conversation thread, customer context, and ticket fields.
• Optional components: Components you can include in a layout, but are not required. This includes Zendesk apps, such as Knowledge and side conversations, or third-party applications. You can include these optional components anywhere in the layout, inside or outside of the context panel.

  You can use layout builder to remove third-party apps. To remove Zendesk apps, you need to turn them off using context panel configuration settings in Admin Center, which will remove them from all layouts in your account.

When you open the layout builder, the Components area on the right side of your screen represents all the components available for you to create custom layouts .

To add components to a layout

1. Open a layout for editing.
2. Refer to the Components area of layout builder.

   This area shows components you can add to the layout.

   

3. Select the component you want to add, then drag and drop it into the layout.

   You can drag the component into an empty section of the layout to add it, or you can drag it over an existing component to replace it.

   You can also click the Add icon (+) next to the component to add it.

4. After you add the component, you can make changes to the component by rearranging it within the layout, resizing it, or making other updates.

   See Resizing and moving components in a layout.

5. When you’re finished, Preview the layout and Save your changes.

To remove a component

To free up room in your layout, you can resize or remove components. You cannot remove system components from a ticket layout, but you can move them into the context panel.

1. Open a layout for editing.
2. In the layout canvas, select the component you want to remove, then click the remove component icon ().

   

   You can also select the component, then drag to the bottom of the layout to remove it.

   

3. Confirm the deletion, then Save your changes.

Resizing and moving components in a layout

After you’ve added components to your layout, you can fine-tune the layout by making adjustments.

To adjust components in a layout

1. Open a layout for editing.
2. Select a component in the canvas area of the layout.

   A list of actions you can take on the component appears on the right side of the layout builder. See Component actions.

   

3. Click an action to change your component, including moving it, resizing it, or replacing it.

   You can also hover your mouse pointer over a component, then drag a resize handle () to resize it.

4. When you’ve finished editing components, Save your changes.

Component actions

When you select a component, these are the actions you can take:

Icon	Description	Actions
	Move left	Move the component to the left.
	Move right	Move the component to the right.
	Move down	Move the component down. Available for stacked components.
	Move up	Move the component up. Available for stacked components.
	Increase width	Increase the component width.
	Decrease width	Decrease the component width.
	Increase height	Increase the component height.
	Decrease height	Decrease the component height.
	Replace component	Select the component you want to replace, then select a new component from the Replace component drop-down.
	Move to context panel	You cannot remove system components but you can move them to the context panel.
	Remove component	Remove the component.

Stacking components in a layout

You can save layout space by stacking one component under another. You can have two components in a stack.

To stack a component

1. Open a layout for editing.
2. Select the component you want to stack.
3. Drag the component below or above another component in the layout until a blue target icon ( ) appears.
4. Release the component.

   The components are stacked one under the other

   

   When a component is stacked, you can select the component and use the up or down arrows to increase or decrease the component height. You can also use the double up or down arrows to reorder components in the stack.

   

5. Save your changes.

To unstack a component

1. Open a layout for editing.
2. Select a component in a stack.
3. Drag the component to the left or right of the stack until a blue target icon () appears.
4. Release the component.
5. Save your changes.

Undoing and redoing layout changes

As you are creating your layout, you can undo a change you made. For example, if you removed or swapped a component by mistake. You can undo and redo multiple changes, up until the point where you first started editing the layout. After you save the layout, the undo and redo stack is cleared until you make another change.

To undo a change

• Click the undo icon at the top of the layout.

  

To redo a change

• Click the redo icon at the top of the layout.

  

Managing components in the context panel

When you create a layout, in addition to managing components in the main ticket workspace, you can also use layout builder to manage components in the context panel. For example, you can move an application out of the context panel and into the main ticket workspace to make it easier for agents to access. Alternatively, you can move components into the context panel or remove them completely.

Note: To completely remove standard Zendesk components (Knowledge, Side conversations, Intelligence, and All Apps), you must configure context panel settings in Admin Center. See Configuring the context panel and Configuring intelligence.

To manage components in the context panel

1. In Admin Center, click Workspaces in the sidebar, then select Agent tools > Layouts.

   A list of layouts appears.

2. Click the options menu icon () next to the layout you want to edit, then select Edit from the options menu.

   The layout opens in layout builder.

   
3. Click Customize layout.
4. In the Components area of the layout builder, click Manage context panel.

   Layout details for the context panel appear.

   
5. Make any of the following layout changes:
   • To add a component to the context panel, click + Add component, then select a component from the drop-down menu.
   • To move a component out of the context panel and into the main layout, click the Move to layout icon ()
   • To move a component out of the main layout and into the context panel, select the component in the main layout, then click the Move to context panelicon ().
   • To select which component appears when you first open the context panel, select a component from the Default selection menu.
   • The All components list determines the order components appear in the context panel sidebar. To reorder the components, position your cursor over the grabber at the end of the component you want to reorder, then drag the component to another position within the component list.
   • To completely remove a component, select the component and click the remove icon ().
6. Save your changes.