What's my plan?
Add-on Zendesk for Contact Center

Verified AI summary ◀▼

To install the AWS CloudFormation stack for your Contact Center, ensure you have Amazon Connect and Contact Center instances ready. In the AWS Management Console, select Kinesis Stream, then install the stack using the provided template URL. Once installation is complete, notify the team to activate the stack and link it to Amazon Connect. Finally, install the app and link it to your instance.

To link Connect and Contact Center, use a CloudFormation stack provided by Zendesk. The stack is a pre-defined set of AWS resources and configurations that sets set up everything you need for the integration. This includes linking Connect with other AWS services such as Amazon Cognito for user management, Amazon Kinesis for streaming contact data, AWS Lambda functions for any custom logic, as well as establishing trust between Connect and the Contact Center app.

Before you start, make sure you have the following:
  • Access to the Contact Center Admin app, with permission to access the relevant instance.
  • Someone with access to the AWS Console will need to perform part of the process, Depending on the customer’s ability to share access, this could be a Zendesk employee or a member of the customer team.

This article contains the following topics:

  • Deploying the CloudFormation stack
  • Performing post-stack steps

Deploying the CloudFormation stack

There are three scenarios in which a CloudFormation stack must be installed:

  • A new Contact Center instance that has never had a CloudFormation stack installed.
  • An existing Contact Center instance that has had a CloudFormation stack installed via the legacy (non-admin app) method.
  • An existing Contact Center instance that has had a CloudFormation stack installed via the current (admin app) method.

The deployment process is similar for each of the above scenarios, with the differences being how automated the process is and how much manual review or updates might be required.

To deploy the CloudFormation stack

  1. In the account admin console, for the newly created account, click Create stack.

  2. Provide the required details for the CloudFormation template.
    • Stack name: A name for the CloudFormation stack. You can choose something such as: <Account name> + “CF” + “07-30-2025”. We recommend including a date in the stack name to help you remember when the stack was installed.
    • Stack region: This is the region in which you will deploy your CloudFormation stack.
    • Amazon Connect instance ARN: Enter the ARN (Amazon Resource Name, a unique identifier for AWS resources) of the Connect instance you created. You can find this in the AWS console on the Amazon Connect service, on the instance details page. Look for the Instance ARN (it typically looks like arn:aws:connect:region:account-id:instance/xxxxxxxx-xxxx-....). Copy this value from AWS and paste it into this field in the admin console. For more information, see the AWS documentation.
    • For new installations, configure the following:
      • Click New setup.
      • For the domain prefix, enter the URL domain of your Connect account.
      • Access your Connect account by navigating to the Account overview section from the Access URL which will have the following form: https://YOUR_DOMAIN_PART.my.connect.aws.
      • Copy the <YOUR_DOMAIN_PART> section and use it to fill in the domain profile section.
  3. For existing installations, configure the following:
    • Select Use an existing user pool and app client.
    • Enter the User pool ID and App Client ID that are being used in AWS.
  4. Configure the following:
    • Dashboard and analytics: Select Enabled.

      This is turned on by default and will remain turned on unless you turn it off. This turns on data flowing into the Contact Center dashboards app, which is a separate free app available from the Zendesk Marketplace.

    • Resource tags: These are optional.
  5. After filling in the necessary fields, click Launch stack.
    In the pop-up page, you have two options:
    • Automated launch: After creating the CloudFormation stack, you will be automatically redirected to the AWS CloudFormation console with the template ready to deploy. This is convenient if you or someone on your team has access to the customer’s AWS account with sufficient permissions.
    • Manual template copy: If you don't have direct access to the AWS account, click Copy instructions to clipboard to export the CloudFormation template (usually as a JSON or YAML file or a link). This link or export can then be used by the relevant team with AWS access to implement the CloudFormation stack.

  6. A new browser tab opens on the AWS CloudFormation Quick create stack page with the template already loaded. The stack name and parameters are filled in with the values you provided.
  7. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and, in the Capabilities and transforms section, check and mark all the acknowledgments.
  8. Click Create stack.

    Once initiated, CloudFormation will start creating resources. In the AWS CloudFormation console, you can watch the progress. It will list events such as “CREATE_IN_PROGRESS” for various components. This process can take a few minutes. The stack is doing a lot in the background: setting up IAM roles and policies, Lambda functions, Kinesis data streams, Amazon Cognito user pool and groups, Connect settings, and more . Typically, this completes without intervention. The status will change to CREATE_COMPLETE when the process completes.

    While it runs, do not close the stack page.

    Tip: You can refresh your web browser to see updates, but we recommend waiting for the stack to complete. If the stack fails, it will roll back (you’ll see a status such as ROLLBACK_COMPLETE). If you have any problems, see Troubleshooting Contact Center.

  9. When the CloudFormation stack shows CREATE_COMPLETE, the integration is complete. The CloudFormation template automated the previously manual steps. At this point, the following is in place:
    • An Amazon Cognito user pool (and associated identity pool, if applicable) specifically for this Contact Center instance’s users.
    • An LMAdmin user group in Cognito (created by the stack) that will be used to designate admin users in Contact Center.
    • AWS Lambda functions or other services for features such as transcription, bots, and others, connected between Connect and Contact Center (the exact resources depend on the template scope).
    • IAM Roles/Permissions that allow Zendesk’s platform to access the Connect instance (within the limits needed) and vice versa, without exposing unnecessary access.
    • Connect might need configuration adjustments using the API, for example, attaching Amazon Lex bots or setting up flow modules if the product requires, though these are optional, or configured later.

Now, the Connect account, the Contact Center account, and the CloudFormation resources are in place and connected.

Performing post-stack steps

Once the stack begins deployment, it will show in the Still deploying state. While in this state, you can click Check status to check the status of the stack deployment. When it's fully deployed, it will display Ready to activate.

After the stack is complete, the Zendesk admin portal will now show that the new stack for the account is ready to be activated. Generally, once the AWS setup is complete, the Contact Center platform is ready to go live with that Connect instance.
  • Once you are ready to link the new stack, click Activate.

Powered by Zendesk