A guide to Zendesk automation to add product metadata from custom fields

We’ve all been there. A new ticket pops up, but it’s missing all the important details. Your agent has to start from square one, asking basic questions like, "What's your order ID?" or "Which product SKU are you talking about?" This back-and-forth isn't just a headache for the customer; it’s a massive time-waster for your team.

What if you could skip that whole dance? By automatically pulling product metadata, like order numbers, subscription levels, or the exact product page a customer was on, directly into your Zendesk tickets, you can give your agents the context they need right from the start. This one change can help you solve problems way faster and keep your customers happy.

This guide will walk you through setting up Zendesk automation to add product metadata from custom fields. We'll start with the native Zendesk methods, which are useful but can get technical pretty quickly. Then, we’ll show you a much simpler, AI-powered way to get it done yourself in minutes.

What are custom fields and product metadata?

Before we jump in, let’s make sure we’re on the same page. Custom fields are just extra fields you can add to your tickets to grab information that isn't covered by Zendesk's default options like "Subject" or "Priority." Think of them as custom data buckets for your support process. If you’re new to this, Zendesk has a helpful guide on adding custom ticket fields to your tickets and forms.

Product metadata is the actual info that goes into those buckets. It's all the context about a customer's account or what they were doing that helps your agents see the full picture. This could be anything from the items in their shopping cart and the product page they were viewing, to their account type or most recent order ID.

Why is this so important? When this data is filled in automatically, your agents can stop playing detective and get straight to solving the real problem. It’s the difference between a fast, smooth fix and a slow, frustrating conversation.

The native approach to Zendesk automation

Zendesk gives you a few built-in tools to automate this process. They can get the job done, but there’s usually a catch: you'll probably need a developer to help you out. Let's look at the two main ways to do it.

Method 1: Using the messaging metadata API

If you use the Zendesk web widget or mobile SDKs, you can use the messaging metadata API to send information from your website or app straight into a conversation.

The process involves getting a developer to write a snippet of JavaScript that grabs the info from the user's session. For instance, to pull an order ID from a webpage and send it to a custom field, the code would look something like this:

"zE('messenger:set', 'conversationFields', [{ id: '123456789', value: 'ORDER-9876'}]);"

This method works, but it has some real drawbacks:

• You need a developer. This isn't something a support manager can set up on a Tuesday afternoon. You’ll have to get in the engineering team’s queue, which could mean waiting weeks for what seems like a simple change.

• It’s limited to what's on the page. The API can only grab information that's already available on the webpage or in the app. It can't pull data from your internal database, CRM, or a different knowledge base.

• The data is static and visible. Once the conversation starts, that metadata is locked in. You can't update it with new information mid-conversation, and you can't use it for internal notes that you wouldn't want the customer to see.

graph TD  

    A[User on Website/App] -->|Session data like Order ID| B(JavaScript Snippet);
    B -->|zE('messenger:set', ...)| C{Messaging Metadata API};
    C -->|Pushes data to custom field| D[Zendesk Ticket];

Method 2: Using webhooks and triggers

But what if you need to pull data that isn't on the webpage, like copying a customer's "Account Type" from their user profile onto a new ticket? This is a super common request, and as you can see on forums like Stack Overflow, it’s not as straightforward as you’d hope.

Zendesk's standard triggers don't let you use placeholders to copy data from a user field to a ticket field. You can't just set up a rule that says, "When a ticket is created, take the info from "user_field_A" and put it in "ticket_field_B"."

The official workarounds get pretty technical, fast:

• Webhooks: You can create a trigger that sends a request to an external service. This service (which you might have to build and host) would then use the Zendesk API to find the user's info and update the ticket with the right metadata.

• Zendesk Integration Services (ZIS): This is Zendesk's more advanced, serverless platform for building custom integrations. It's very powerful, but it also requires serious technical know-how to use properly.

Once again, these approaches come with their own set of headaches:

• They're complicated. Both webhooks and ZIS are firmly in developer territory. They require a good handle on APIs, server-side code, and maybe even building and maintaining a small application.

• It takes a long time to implement. What looks like a simple workflow can easily turn into a mini-project that pulls time and resources away from your main business goals.

• They can be brittle. Custom API calls can break or create "race conditions" where updates get mixed up, leading to messy data if everything isn't managed perfectly.

Challenges of the native Zendesk approach

If you've read this far, you’ve probably spotted a theme. While Zendesk gives you ways to automate, they often lead to the same old problems. Let's recap the main challenges:

• You're always waiting on a developer. Support teams often find themselves stuck in line, waiting for engineering resources to build, update, or fix these automations. This slows everyone down and makes it hard to adapt quickly.

• It takes forever to get anything done. A great idea to make things more efficient can turn into a project that takes weeks or even months, pushing back the very improvements you were trying to make.

• Your data is stuck in silos. Native Zendesk tools have a hard time pulling context from anywhere besides Zendesk or your website. What if the product details you need are in a Confluence page, a technical spec sheet in Google Docs, or your Shopify store? You're usually out of luck.

• Deploying feels like a guessing game. How do you test if your custom webhook is going to work for thousands of different tickets before you push it live? With the native tools, there’s no easy way to check, so you often have to just roll it out and hope for the best.

A better way: No-code automation with eesel AI

The good news is that there’s a much simpler way to do all of this, and then some. Modern AI platforms are built to solve these exact problems, giving you the power of automation without the technical headaches.

Go live in minutes with a setup you can do yourself

Instead of waiting for developers, you can set up a tool like eesel AI completely on your own. With a one-click Zendesk integration, you can connect your help desk in minutes without touching any APIs. The AI immediately starts learning from your past tickets, help center articles, and macros to understand your business from day one.

Connect all your knowledge sources instantly

Remember that data silo problem? eesel AI solves it by connecting to over 100 sources, not just Zendesk.

Picture this: a customer asks about a recent purchase. Your AI agent can automatically look up their order details in Shopify, find the product’s tech specs in a Google Doc, check the shipping policies in Confluence, and add all of that context to the Zendesk ticket before a human agent even lays eyes on it. That level of insight is something you just can't get with Zendesk's native tools alone.

Use a powerful workflow engine with custom actions

That tricky workflow from Stack Overflow, copying a user field to a ticket field, becomes dead simple with a no-code workflow engine. With eesel AI, you can create a custom AI Action with instructions in plain English, like: "When a new ticket is created, find the customer's Order ID in Shopify and update the 'Order ID' custom field in Zendesk."

This puts the power of automation right where it belongs: with the support team. You can build, test, and launch complex workflows that trigger API calls, update ticket fields, and tag conversations, all without writing a line of code.

Test and deploy with confidence

One of the biggest fears with custom code is that you might accidentally break something. eesel AI gets rid of that worry with a powerful simulation mode. Before you turn on any automation, you can run it against thousands of your past tickets in a safe, test environment.

You'll get a clear preview of how the AI would have responded, which fields it would have updated, and which tickets it would have tagged. This gives you an accurate forecast of its performance and lets you tweak things until they're perfect, long before it ever touches a live customer ticket.

Stop coding and start automating your Zendesk metadata

While Zendesk’s built-in tools can handle some automation, they often require a developer, take a long time to set up, and are difficult to maintain. It's a classic case of having the tools but not the time or resources to use them well.

Modern AI platforms like eesel AI flip that around. They offer a self-serve, no-code solution that’s not only easier but also much more powerful. By connecting all your knowledge sources and giving you full control over your workflows, you can finally build the smart, context-rich support system you’ve been wanting.

Ready to automate your Zendesk workflows?

Don't let a lack of developer resources stop you from giving your team the context they need. See for yourself how easy it is to connect your tools, build custom automations, and get rid of repetitive tasks. Try eesel AI for free or book a demo to see it in action.