Running a business efficiently means using the right tools to keep things moving smoothly, from handling customer questions to managing team communication. Two of the best platforms for this are Slack and Zendesk. Slack is great for keeping your team in sync, and Zendesk helps you manage customer support. When used together, they can really boost your team's efficiency and response time.

Let's dive into how combining Slack and Zendesk can benefit your business and highlight their key features.

Does Slack Integrate with Zendesk?

Yes, the Zendesk Slack app connects the two platforms well. Just install the app into your Slack workspace and add it to the channels you want to use with Zendesk. With this built-in connection, you can make tickets, add internal comments, and get updates on new tickets or important changes to Zendesk tickets right in Slack. The Zendesk app is free with any Zendesk subscription.

You can also try more advanced ways to connect Slack and Zendesk, like ClearFeed, Zapier, or Unito. These tools come with extra features, such as two-way syncing between Slack and Zendesk, advanced forms for using Zendesk, and help for a hybrid support system where you can handle simple stuff in Slack and only file important issues in Zendesk via a triage.

How to Integrate Slack Channels into Zendesk?

The simplest way to bring Slack and Zendesk together is to use the free Zendesk Slack app. You need to install the Zendesk Slack app into the Slack workspace where you want to make tickets. If you want to make tickets from any channel, you just need to invite the Zendesk app to that channel. Once all of this is set up, you can start making tickets like this:

Method 1: Using a Zendesk slash command.

Method 2: Using Slack Actions on an existing message.

Method 3: By tagging the Zendesk bot in a Slack message.

Customers won't be able to utilize the two methods mentioned in a Slack Connect channel. This is because they don't have access to the command functionality and menu actions of the Zendesk app. These features are exclusive to the organization that installed the Zendesk app and are hence only accessible to its agents. However, there's a workaround. Both agents and customers can file tickets by simply tagging the Zendesk bot. This simple method ensures everyone can file tickets without command or menu access.

Step 1: Post a Slack message on the channel that contains @zendesk.

Step 2: Click the Create ticket button on the message posted back by the Zendesk bot.

Step 3: Fill in the ticket details in the dialog box that will now open up, and hit the Submit button.‍

What Are the Benefits of Connecting Slack to Zendesk?

Linking your Slack channels with Zendesk significantly benefits your team and your customers, as you can notify Slack from Zendesk tickets. Here are four main advantages:

1. It's Handy: It allows your customers and employees to create support tickets from Slack. They do not need to switch back and forth between email or other platforms. A chat that starts in Slack can be turned into a ticket without hassle. That makes Slack and the ticketing system even more valuable.
2. Acts as a Record: Each conversation on Slack can be made into a ticket. That way, you can document all talks from start to end. It’s helpful because these tickets often come in handy for future reference and act as an internal source of information.
3. Supports Follow-ups: If a customer raises an issue using your ticketing system and wants to check on the resolution progress through Slack, they can do that easily. Your customer service staff can quickly share updates on their issue in Slack. Plus, any additional chats in Slack related to the ticket can be added to keep all communication on record for the agents to see.
4. Saves Time for Support Teams: Your customer support teams can view open tickets within Slack, add internal comments, and receive notifications about important updates by setting up triggers. This convenience saves them time and makes the support process smoother.

What Are the Most Important Features for a Slack-Zendesk Integration?

A great Slack and Zendesk integration should provide essential functions like creating tickets from Slack and enable important functionality like Zendesk forms and fields within Slack while providing a seamless conversational way of interacting with Zendesk - that is natural to Slack users. Here are some of the top features users should look for when integrating these two tools:

• Make it possible to create tickets from Slack channels easily.
• Allows conversion of existing Slack threads to tickets.
• Allows linking Slack conversations to existing tickets and returning ticket status updates to Slack conversations.
• Allows live synchronization of Slack threads and Zendesk tickets.
• Allows users to perform actions like close/re-open/escalate tickets from within Slack.
• It makes it possible to configure forms and fields for opening/closing/editing tickets from within Slack.
• Provide an option to detect customer requests and convert them into tickets automatically.
• Allows external users on Slack Connect channels to create tickets and perform other actions.
• Allows agents to post internal comments on tickets from within Slack.

Bonus Read: How to Find the Right Slack-Zendesk Integration

What Are the Best Tools to Integrate Slack with Zendesk?

There are many tools in the market that connect Slack and Zendesk. Four top tools businesses can use to connect Slack to Zendesk are

• ClearFeed
• Zendesk Slack app
• Zapier

1. ClearFeed

ClearFeed is one of the top four ways to connect Slack channels to Zendesk in 2024. Customer support, IT, and engineering teams can make the most of ClearFeed for tracking, prioritizing, and resolving customer requests received over Slack. Your teams can work from your ticketing system or Slack to communicate with the customer.

Features

1. Converting Slack Threads into Tickets: Transform your existing Slack threads into support tickets effortlessly. Our AI-driven mechanism creates a ticket title and directly uploads all thread messages, including any attached images, into the ticket.
2. Setting Up Bi-Directional Sync: You can synchronize seamlessly between a Slack thread and its corresponding ticket. Whenever a new reply is posted on the Slack thread or a public comment on the ticket, it gets automatically mirrored to its counterpart. This efficient two-way sync allows customers to interact smoothly with customer support agents using Zendesk directly through Slack.
3. Ticket Management from Slack: Our system empowers customers to manage their tickets directly within Slack. They can escalate, edit, or close their tickets, providing them with heightened control and convenience.
4. Configurable Fields for Ticket Operations: Our offering allows you to customize fields for creating and closing tickets, letting you specify default values for mandatory fields. This makes ticket management more streamlined and tailored to your specific needs.

Bonus Read: Learn More About ClearFeed’s Slack-Zendesk Integration

Limitations

• There is no way to leave internal comments on tickets from Slack using ClearFeed.
• Creating a ticket without using an existing Slack message as a starting point is impossible.

How to Integrate Slack Channels into Zendesk Using ClearFeed?

To effectively use ClearFeed for ticket management, users must follow these steps:

1. Users must register for a ClearFeed account to start the ticketing process.
2. Users can install the ClearFeed app on their Slack workspace after signing up, ensuring seamless integration between Slack and Zendesk.
3. To enable flawless communication, users must authorize ClearFeed to connect with their Zendesk account.
4. The ClearFeed app should be invited to each channel where tickets must be filed. This ensures the app can document all relevant dialogues and generate tickets accordingly.

With the setup complete, users can create tickets using two straightforward methods:

Method 1: Using an emoji on a message posted on Slack

1. Send a message on the Slack channel. Post as many replies to the message as desired, including attachments.
2. Apply the ticket emoji on the first message. The customer and the customer service team can do this.

A ticket will be generated, and the ticket number, title, latest status, and other fields will be displayed on the thread. All thread messages and their attachments are automatically uploaded into the ticket. Two-way syncing between the thread and the Zendesk ticket will automatically happen therefrom.

Method 2: Using Slack Actions on a Slack Message

1. Click on the three dots/More Actions icon beside the message. Select ‘ClearFeed’ from the list displayed.
2. Select the ‘File Zendesk ticket’ option from the ClearFeed dialogue box.
3. Review the ticket details auto-populated in the dialog box (and edit them if required). 
4. Click on the ‘Create’ button to complete the ticket creation.

Method 2 is available only to customer service agents and allows agents to create tickets privately (and share ticket updates automatically on the thread as a configurable option). This method also gives agents much control over which messages from a Slack thread are auto-populated into the ticket.

2. ‍Zendesk’s Slack App

As discussed above, Zendesk provides a free Slack app to connect Slack and Zendesk. A big advantage of using Zendesk’s native connector is that no other third-party vendor is involved. No security reviews, no budget approvals!

Features

• Tickets can be created from Slack messages by agents and customers.
• Ticket ID and status updates are notified back to customers.
• A two-way conversation between agents and customers on Slack can be created using side conversations from within Zendesk.
• Internal comments can be left on tickets from within Slack by replying to ticket notifications and applying the ‘Add as internal note’ Slack action from the Slack actions menu.

Limitations

• Attachments and Slack thread replies are not uploaded automatically into Zendesk.
• There’s no synchronization by default between the Slack thread and the created Zendesk ticket. Side conversations create a new thread.
• There is no support for configuring required fields or specifying default values.

‍The specifics of how to use the free Zendesk app to create tickets and perform other actions have been covered in this section.

4. Zapier and Unito

Workflow automation tools like Zapier and Unito can be great for bringing Slack and Zendesk together! They can help automate processes by triggering workflows when new messages arrive in Slack, which then creates tickets in Zendesk and the other way around. However, there are a few things to keep in mind regarding their features:

1. Thread Conversion and Attachments: Unfortunately, these tools can’t automatically turn entire conversation threads into tickets, and uploading attachments from Slack directly into tickets isn’t possible either.
2. Ticket Status Updates: There’s currently no way to send updates back to Slack that show the ticket's status or any important details.
3. Synchronization Options: Zapier operates with a one-way workflow, meaning you can’t sync information back and forth between Zendesk tickets and Slack threads. On the other hand, Unito claims to offer two-way synchronization, but it lacks the documentation and real-world examples to show how it works.
4. User Interaction: As automation tools, they don’t come with interactive screens or dialogs for users to manage their tickets easily. While you can customize them to fit your needs, the lack of built-in user engagement can be a drawback.
5. Custom Fields and Comments: Additionally, there’s no option for adding custom fields or default values, and users can’t post internal comments directly through Slack.

The Bottom Line

Good communication and top-notch customer service are super important for any business. By joining Zendesk and Slack, businesses can make these areas smoother, work faster, and make their customers happier. By bringing together valuable information and promoting teamwork, businesses can discover many chances to do better than their rivals and impress their customers.

Using the helpful advice and tricks for making the most of bringing Zendesk and Slack together, you're ready to see what wonders this combination can do! You can change the way your teams and your customers communicate. Pretty incredible, right? And if you want to learn more about how ClearFeed can help you with Slack-Zendesk integration, book a demo here.

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