Slack Connect channels are shared between your workspace and a customer or partner's workspace. In these channels, the Slack for Zendesk Support app exposes ticket creation through an @zendesk mention rather than a slash command or message action because slash commands and app-specific message actions don't run cleanly across workspaces.
This guide walks through the flow end to end: prerequisites, how the mention behaves for internal versus external users, each field in the form, and the limitations that typically send B2B teams looking for a fuller integration. If you need bidirectional sync, thread attachments, custom forms in Slack Connect, or an experience purpose-built for customer Slack channels, ClearFeed's Slack + Zendesk integration covers those flows.
Prerequisites
- The Slack for Zendesk Support app is installed in your Slack workspace and connected to your Zendesk instance by a Zendesk admin.
- The Zendesk app has been added to the Slack Connect channel where the request lives. Both workspaces must accept the app in the shared channel for the mention to trigger the ticket flow.
- The person creating the ticket is an internal agent with a Zendesk agent seat. External users can trigger the flow but cannot see the Assignee field.
Step #1: Mention @zendesk in a Message
In the Slack Connect channel, type your message and include @zendesk in the body. Either an internal responder or an external requester can send the mention; the Zendesk app's response depends on who sent it.
Step #2: Respond to the Integration's Prompt
The Zendesk app replies inline in the thread with a Create a ticket button. Internal users see the standard prompt. External users see the same prompt with your workspace icon attached so it is clear whose Zendesk the ticket will land in.
Step #3: Initiate the Ticket Creation
Click Create a ticket. Slack opens the Create new ticket modal for that user.
Step #4: Fill Out the 'Create New Ticket' Form
The modal exposes four fields; Assignee is hidden for external users.
- Subject. A short, specific summary of the request. This becomes the ticket title in the Zendesk queue.
- Requester. Defaults to the Slack user submitting the ticket and is editable. Typing in the field opens a searchable list of Slack users; selecting someone who doesn't yet exist in Zendesk creates a new Zendesk Support end-user tied to the ticket.
- Assignee (optional; internal users only). Assigns the ticket to a Zendesk group. Type to filter the group list. Individual agent assignment is not available from this form.
- Description. The body of the ticket. Everything typed here is visible to anyone permitted to view the ticket in Zendesk.
Step #5: Submit the Ticket
Click Submit. The Zendesk app creates the ticket in Zendesk Support and posts a confirmation reply to the Slack thread with the ticket number, status, priority, and timestamp. In Slack Connect channels, the Assignee is intentionally omitted from that reply so internal routing details aren't exposed to the external side of the channel.
Limitations of the @zendesk mention in Slack Connect
The native mention is designed for one-off ticket creation across shared workspaces, not for running an ongoing B2B support workflow in Slack Connect. The gaps teams hit most often:
- message textEvery ticket requires an explicit @zendesk mention. No automatic ticketing, no emoji trigger, and no way to convert an existing thread posted without the mention.
- Single message only. Only the text of the message with the mention is captured. Prior thread context, later replies, and reactions stay in Slack.
- No attachments. Files or images shared in the Slack Connect thread are not transferred to the Zendesk ticket.
- No bidirectional sync. Replies posted on the Zendesk ticket are not mirrored back to the Slack Connect thread; replies on the Slack side do not sync into Zendesk.
- No custom forms. The modal exposes Subject, Requester, Assignee, and Description only. Custom Zendesk fields, brand routing, and conditional fields are not surfaced.
- No status updates in the channel. Once submitted, the Slack Connect channel does not receive automatic notifications when the Zendesk ticket status changes.
When to use ClearFeed instead
ClearFeed is designed for B2B support in Slack Connect channels, where every customer has a dedicated shared channel and every message may or may not be a ticket. It layers Zendesk ticketing onto that model the way a support team actually works.
- Ticket creation from any thread. React with a 🎫 emoji, tag the ClearFeed bot on the top-level message, run /cf-file, or turn on automatic ticketing to convert every new thread in a Slack Connect channel into a Zendesk ticket. Thread messages and attachments carry over to the Zendesk ticket.
- Bidirectional message sync across Slack Connect. Replies on the shared thread and replies on the Zendesk ticket are synced both ways, and status changes (including Zendesk custom statuses) are posted back to the shared channel.
- Custom forms in Slack Connect. Import existing Zendesk forms or build new ones with text, drop-down, multi-select, number, date, email, phone, tags, and attachment fields, plus conditional fields and brand routing via Zendesk form-brand mapping.
- Triage channel for responders. Requests from customer Slack Connect channels land in a private triage channel where responders can convert, assign, add internal notes, and edit ticket properties without exposing that activity to the customer side.
- Reverse Zendesk flow. Zendesk tickets that originate outside Slack (email, Help Center, web widget) can be routed into the relevant Slack Connect channel with the same bidirectional sync.
- CSAT sync. ClearFeed can collect CSAT responses in Slack and write them back to the linked Zendesk ticket, supporting 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-point surveys.
- Fewer paid Zendesk seats. Responders can work Zendesk tickets from Slack Connect without a full Zendesk agent seat, and Light Agent public replies can be proxied through ClearFeed so those replies still reach Zendesk.
Want to work from Slack on Zendesk tickets?
Upgrade to ClearFeed for two-way Slack ↔ Zendesk sync in Slack Connect channels, custom forms, triage-channel workflows, and reduced Zendesk agent seats.
