A Zendesk connection lets the Zendesk steps create, update, reply to and find tickets, apply macros, and keep contacts and organisations up to date, and lets the Zendesk triggers start a run when a ticket is created, changed or solved. It needs three things: your Zendesk site address, the email of the agent the connection acts as, and an API token. The address is asked first, because every request goes to it.

Who can do this

  • In Bizomate: workspace Admins and Editors. Viewers see the connection but cannot add or change it.
  • In Zendesk: a Zendesk admin turns on token access and makes the API token. The steps act as the agent whose email you give, so use an agent who can see every group your workflows need — Asha Raghunathan, say. For the instant triggers, that agent must be an admin, because publishing makes a webhook and a Zendesk trigger in your account.
  • Plan: Zendesk is a premium connection, marked ◇. You can add it and test its steps and triggers on any plan; publishing a workflow that uses it needs Starter, Pro or Enterprise.

Before you start

Your Zendesk address — the part before .zendesk.com, such as consulace in consulace.zendesk.com. Use this even if your help centre has its own domain.

Steps

In Zendesk, make the token:

  1. Sign in to Zendesk as an admin and open Admin Centre.
  2. Select Apps and integrations, then APIs, then Zendesk API.
  3. Turn on Token access if it is off.
  4. Select Add API token, give it a description — Bizomate — and copy the token. Zendesk shows it once.
  5. Save.

In Bizomate, add the connection:

  1. Select Connections in the bar at the top, then + Add connection.
  2. Under Support, select Zendesk — marked ◇, and on the Free plan "Stored credential · Paid plans".
  3. In Connection name, type a name — for example Consulace Zendesk.
  4. In Site address, type your account's name — consulace — before the fixed .zendesk.com. Your Zendesk account — asked first, because every request goes to it. Pasting the whole address works too.
  5. In Email, the agent's email — asha@consulace.com. The agent the token acts as. Instant triggers need an admin's.
  6. Paste the token in API token — Admin Centre › Apps and integrations › APIs › Zendesk API: turn on Token access, then Add API token. Stored encrypted; never shown again.
  7. Optional: in This token expires on · optional, an end date if your company gives tokens one — If the service gave the key an end date. The workspace’s admins are reminded 30, 7 and 1 days before.
  8. Leave Test the connection before saving ticked. Bizomate asks Zendesk who the token signs in as before keeping it.
  9. Select Save connection. The button reads Testing while Zendesk is asked.

The toast "Connection added" says what Zendesk answered — for example "“Consulace Zendesk” is ready. Reached Asha Raghunathan (admin) · consulace.zendesk.com."

What happens next

  • The connection appears under Support. Its panel shows Test, Replace token and Revoke — never the token.
  • Test answers with the agent, their Zendesk role and the account — Reached Asha Raghunathan (admin) · consulace.zendesk.com. For an agent who is not an admin, it adds — instant triggers need an admin's token; the steps work., and the connection is kept.
  • Zendesk steps and triggers list it under Connection, and read your groups, agents, organisations, macros and custom fields from your account.

Good to know

  • On the Free plan the window notes: "Zendesk is on paid plans. You can add it and test the steps that use it now; publishing a workflow that uses it asks for a paid plan."
  • An API token is account-wide in Zendesk, but the connection acts as the agent whose email you gave, and sees what that agent can.
  • Deleting the token in Admin Centre ends it at once. Make a new one, open the connection's panel, select Replace token, fill in the fields again and select Replace token. The toast "Token replaced" says "Workflows that use “Consulace Zendesk” use the new key from their next run."
  • Without an admin's token, or on a Zendesk plan without webhooks, use the triggers marked (checked every 5 minutes) — see Start a workflow from Zendesk tickets.
  • Signing in with Zendesk instead of a token is not offered yet.

If something goes wrong

What you see Why What to do
Zendesk refused it — "Zendesk refused: … Check the connection's details on Connections. Nothing was saved." The email or token is wrong, or the token was deleted. Check the email, and copy or make the token again.
Zendesk refused it — "Zendesk did not sign in with that email and API token — it answered as an anonymous visitor. Check both, and that token access is on in Admin Centre › Apps and integrations › Zendesk API. Nothing was saved." Zendesk did not take the email and token, often because Token access is off. Turn on Token access, then check the email and token.
Zendesk refused it — "Site address “…” is not a Zendesk account — it is the part before .zendesk.com. Nothing was saved." Site address holds something that cannot be an account's name. Type the part before .zendesk.com, or paste the whole address.
"Could not reach Zendesk: …" The address is wrong, or Zendesk did not answer. Check the address — the part before .zendesk.com.
"Zendesk did not answer within 30 seconds." Zendesk was slow. Try again.
"Fill in Site address.", "Fill in Email." or "Fill in API token." A box is empty. Fill it in.