A practical guide to Zendesk automation

• Self-service portal: Offer a comprehensive knowledge base, FAQs, and community forums where customers can find answers to their questions without contacting support.

• Automated ticket routing: Use triggers and automations to route tickets to the right agent or department based on keywords, issue type, or customer segment.

• AI-powered chatbots: Deploy chatbots to handle common queries, gather initial information, and escalate complex issues to human agents.

These tools empower customers to resolve issues independently, freeing up your support team to focus on more complex, high-value interactions.

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Asset Suggestion: A flowchart or diagram showing the journey of a customer support ticket from self-service options to automated routing and finally to an agent.

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Improve agent efficiency

Agent efficiency isn’t just about working faster; it’s about working smarter. Zendesk automation helps agents by taking over repetitive tasks, providing them with the context they need, and streamlining their workflows. This allows them to focus on what they do best: building relationships and solving complex customer problems.

• Macros: Create predefined responses or actions for common support requests. With a single click, agents can apply a standardized solution, saving time and ensuring consistency.

• Contextual workspaces: Dynamically display relevant customer information, order history, and past interactions right within the ticket interface. This eliminates the need for agents to switch between multiple systems to find information.

• Third-party integrations: Connect Zendesk with other business-critical tools like Salesforce, Jira, or Slack. This allows for seamless data flow and automated actions across different platforms (e.g., creating a Jira issue from a Zendesk ticket).

By automating these aspects of the agent experience, you not only boost productivity but also improve agent satisfaction and reduce burnout.

Scale support operations

As your business grows, so does the volume of support requests. Scaling your support team linearly is expensive and often unsustainable. Zendesk automation provides the tools to handle increased volume without a proportional increase in headcount.

• Automated workflows: Build complex, multi-step workflows that can handle tasks like following up on customer satisfaction surveys, sending reminders for pending tickets, or managing SLA breaches.

• Proactive support: Use triggers to identify potential issues before they escalate. For example, you can automatically create a ticket for a customer who has repeatedly visited a specific help center article but hasn’t found a solution.

• Data-driven insights: Leverage Zendesk Explore to create dashboards and reports that track key automation metrics. This helps you identify bottlenecks, measure the impact of your automations, and continuously optimize your support processes.

Automation allows you to build a resilient and scalable support infrastructure that can adapt to the changing needs of your business.

Getting started with Zendesk automation

Now that you understand the "why," let’s get into the "how." Zendesk’s automation capabilities are built around three core features: triggers, automations, and macros.

Triggers: Event-based actions

Triggers are the workhorses of Zendesk automation. They are event-based rules that run immediately after a ticket is created or updated. If a ticket’s conditions match the trigger’s criteria, the trigger fires and performs a specific set of actions.

How they work:

• Condition-based: Triggers are based on "if-then" logic. For example, if a ticket is created with the word "urgent" in the subject line, then set its priority to "High" and notify the support manager.

• Immediate action: Triggers execute as soon as the ticket event occurs, making them ideal for time-sensitive tasks like initial ticket routing, priority setting, and sending auto-responses.

Example use case:

Imagine a customer submits a ticket through your "Contact Us" form and selects "Billing Inquiry" from a dropdown menu. You can set up a trigger that:

1. Checks if the "Form" field is "Billing Inquiry."

2. If it is, the trigger automatically assigns the ticket to the "Billing" group.

3. It then sends an email notification to the customer confirming receipt and letting them know the billing team will be in touch.

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Asset Suggestion: A screenshot of the Zendesk Triggers setup page, highlighting the "Conditions" and "Actions" sections for the billing inquiry example.

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Automations: Time-based actions

While triggers are event-based, automations are time-based. They run on a regular schedule (typically once an hour) and process all tickets that meet their specific criteria. They are perfect for handling tasks that don’t require immediate action.

How they work:

• Time-dependent: Automations are based on time-based conditions. For example, if a ticket has been pending for 48 hours, then send a reminder email to the assigned agent.

• Scheduled execution: Automations run periodically, sweeping through your tickets to perform maintenance and cleanup tasks.

Example use case:

Let’s say a customer hasn’t responded to an agent’s query for three days. You can create an automation that:

1. Checks for tickets with a status of "Pending" where the last update was more than 72 hours ago.

2. If a ticket meets these criteria, the automation sends a follow-up email to the customer.

3. You can even add another condition to close the ticket automatically if there’s no response within another 48 hours.

Macros: One-click solutions

Macros are predefined sets of actions that agents can apply to a ticket with a single click. They are a massive time-saver for repetitive tasks and ensure a consistent support experience.

How they work:

• Manual application: Unlike triggers and automations, macros are applied manually by agents.

• Pre-canned responses and actions: A macro can insert a standard response, update ticket fields (like status or priority), and add tags all at once.

Example use case:

A common support request might be a password reset. An agent can use a "Password Reset" macro that:

1. Inserts a pre-written response with instructions on how to reset a password.

2. Adds the tag "password_reset" for tracking purposes.

3. Sets the ticket status to "Solved."

What used to be a multi-step process is now completed in a single click, allowing the agent to move on to the next customer.

Best practices for implementing Zendesk automation

To get the most out of Zendesk automation, it’s not enough to just turn it on. You need a thoughtful strategy. Here are some best practices to follow:

Start small and iterate

Don’t try to automate everything at once. Begin by identifying the most common and repetitive tasks your team handles. These are your "quick wins." Create simple automations for these tasks, gather feedback from your team, and then gradually build more complex workflows.

Keep it human

Automation should enhance, not replace, the human element of customer support. Use automation to handle the mundane so your agents can focus on empathy, problem-solving, and building relationships. Always provide an easy way for customers to reach a human agent if they need one.

Test everything

Before you roll out a new trigger or automation, test it thoroughly in a sandboxed environment. An incorrectly configured automation can cause chaos, such as creating infinite ticket loops or sending the wrong messages to customers.

Document your automations

As you build out your automation library, document what each trigger, automation, and macro does. This makes it easier to troubleshoot issues, onboard new team members, and ensure that your automations are aligned with your business goals.

Use eesel AI to connect Zendesk to your company knowledge

Your support team relies on more than just Zendesk. They need information from Confluence, Google Docs, Notion, and other internal knowledge bases to solve customer issues. This is where eesel AI comes in.

eesel AI is a knowledge assistant that integrates seamlessly with your existing tools. It allows your agents to ask questions in natural language and get instant, accurate answers sourced from all your company’s documents.

Here’s how eesel AI can supercharge your Zendesk automation:

• Faster resolutions: When an agent receives a complex ticket, they can use eesel AI directly within Zendesk to find the right information without switching tabs.

• Consistent answers: eesel AI ensures that every agent is providing consistent, up-to-date information, reducing errors and improving customer satisfaction.

• Improved self-service: You can even integrate eesel AI into your help center, allowing customers to ask questions and get answers from your entire knowledge base, further reducing ticket volume.

By connecting Zendesk with the rest of your company’s knowledge through eesel AI, you create a truly intelligent and efficient support ecosystem.

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Asset Suggestion: A short GIF or video showing the eesel AI interface within Zendesk, where an agent asks a question and gets an instant answer with source documents.

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Elevating your support with intelligent automation

Zendesk automation is more than just a set of features; it’s a strategic approach to customer service. By automating routine tasks, you empower your customers with self-service options, increase agent efficiency, and build a scalable support operation that can grow with your business.

Start by implementing the basics, triggers, automations, and macros, and then enhance your capabilities with powerful tools like eesel AI to connect your entire knowledge ecosystem. The result is a smarter, faster, and more human-centric support experience that will delight your customers and set you apart from the competition.

FAQs

What is Zendesk automation?

Zendesk automation refers to the process of using Zendesk’s built-in features (like triggers, automations, and macros) and third-party integrations to streamline support workflows, reduce manual tasks, and improve overall efficiency. It helps manage ticket routing, send automated responses, and handle time-based actions without agent intervention.

Can you automate ticket assignment in Zendesk?

Yes, you can easily automate ticket assignment using triggers. You can create rules that automatically assign tickets to specific agents or groups based on criteria such as the channel the ticket came from, keywords in the subject or description, or custom ticket fields.

What are some examples of tasks you can automate in Zendesk?

• Ticket Routing: Automatically assign tickets to the correct department (e.g., Sales, Billing, Technical Support).

• Notifications: Send automated email confirmations to customers when a ticket is received, and notify agents when a new ticket is assigned to them.

• Status Updates: Change a ticket’s status to "Pending" after an agent replies, and automatically solve it if the customer doesn’t respond within a set time.

• Prioritization: Set a ticket’s priority to "High" if it contains words like "urgent" or "critical."

• SLA Management: Notify managers when a ticket is about to breach its Service Level Agreement (SLA).

How does Zendesk integrate with other tools for automation?

Zendesk has a vast marketplace of apps and integrations that allow it to connect with hundreds of other business tools like Salesforce, Jira, Slack, and Shopify. These integrations enable you to create powerful cross-platform automations. For example, you can automatically create a new issue in Jira when a bug report ticket is created in Zendesk, or you can send a notification to a Slack channel for every urgent new ticket.