How to use Zendesk macros to start side conversations

Side conversations in Zendesk are a practical way to loop in colleagues, vendors, or other teams without cluttering the main ticket thread. But if your agents are creating the same side conversations over and over, there's a better way. Zendesk macros can automate this process, pre-filling recipients, subjects, and messages so your team can focus on solving problems instead of repetitive data entry.

This guide walks you through setting up macros that start side conversations via email, Slack, and child tickets. You'll learn the prerequisites, how to configure each type, and get ready-to-use templates you can adapt for your own workflows.

What you'll need to get started

Before you can create side conversation macros, a few things need to be in place.

Plan requirements

Side conversations require Zendesk Suite Professional, Enterprise, or Enterprise Plus. You'll also need the Collaboration add-on for Support. If you are not sure which plan you are on, check with your Zendesk admin.

Permissions

Anyone with agent access can create personal macros for their own use. To create shared macros that the whole team can access, you'll need administrator privileges.

Feature activation

Side conversations must be enabled in your Zendesk instance. Head to Admin Center > Workspaces > Agent tools > Side conversations and toggle on the channels you want to use (email, Slack, Microsoft Teams, or child tickets).

Integrations (optional)

If you plan to use Slack or Microsoft Teams side conversations, make sure those integrations are already configured in your Zendesk instance.

For teams looking to extend their Zendesk capabilities further, our Zendesk integration connects your helpdesk with AI-powered automation that works alongside your macros.

Understanding side conversation macro actions

When you add a side conversation action to a macro, you have three channel options. Each serves a different purpose, so choosing the right one matters.

Side conversation via email

Email side conversations work best when you need to contact people outside your organization or those who don't use your internal Slack workspace. Think vendors, shipping partners, or customers who need to be looped in.

Key details to know:

• You can pre-populate the "To" field with specific email addresses
• CC and BCC fields cannot be pre-filled in macros (this is a known limitation)
• Email side conversations support up to 100 recipients, with a maximum of 48 being non-agents
• Unlike regular Zendesk emails, side conversations don't use your email templates

Side conversation via Slack

Slack side conversations are ideal for quick internal collaboration. When your engineering team needs a heads-up or your billing department needs to weigh in, Slack gets faster responses than email.

Key details to know:

• You can pre-configure a specific Slack channel
• If you enter a partial channel name, Zendesk shows matching channels when the macro runs
• Replies in the Slack thread automatically sync back to the ticket
• Only one channel per side conversation

Side conversation via child ticket

Child tickets create formal, trackable handoffs to other teams. They're subordinate tickets linked to the parent ticket, making them perfect for escalations that need their own workflow.

Key details to know:

• You can pre-select a group to assign the child ticket to
• Agents can only select groups they have access to
• Child ticket replies sync back to the parent ticket's side conversation
• Public comments on the child ticket become part of the side conversation

Creating your first side conversation macro

Let's walk through building a macro that starts a side conversation. The process is similar regardless of which channel you choose.

Step 1: Navigate to macro settings

Go to Admin Center > Workspaces > Agent tools > Macros. This is where all macro management happens in Zendesk.

Step 2: Create a new macro

Click Create macro at the top right. Give it a clear, descriptive name that tells agents exactly what it does. Something like "Escalate to Engineering - Email" or "Request Billing Review - Child Ticket" works well.

Step 3: Add the side conversation action

In the Actions section, click the dropdown and select your channel:

• Side conversation via email
• Side conversation via Slack
• Side conversation via child ticket

Step 4: Configure the message

Fill in the fields that appear:

To (email) / Channel (Slack) / Group (child ticket): Enter the recipient, channel name, or group you want to target. You can use placeholders here too.

Subject: Write a clear subject line. For email and child tickets, this is required.

Message: Compose your template message. This is where placeholders become powerful (more on that in the next section).

Step 5: Save and test

Click Create to save your macro. Before rolling it out to your team, test it on a sample ticket to make sure everything populates correctly.

Important: When an agent applies a macro with a side conversation action, the side conversation opens immediately but isn't sent until they add any missing recipients and click Send. If the macro also changes ticket fields, those changes won't save until the agent submits the ticket.

Using placeholders for dynamic content

Placeholders make your macros intelligent by pulling in live ticket data. Instead of static text, you can include information that updates automatically for each ticket.

Essential placeholders for side conversations

Real-world example: Engineering escalation

Here's a message template that combines multiple placeholders for a bug report escalation:

Hi Engineering Team,

We need your help investigating an issue reported by {{ticket.requester.name}}.

**Ticket:** #{{ticket.id}} - {{ticket.url}}
**Issue Summary:**
{{ticket.description}}

Can you take a look and let us know if this is a known issue or something new?

Thanks,
{{current_user.name}}

When an agent applies this macro, it automatically fills in the customer's name, ticket details, and the agent's name. No copy-pasting is required.

Limitations to keep in mind

• Images: You cannot attach images through macro side conversations
• Signatures: Markdown formatting in agent signatures doesn't render in side conversation emails
• CC/BCC: As noted earlier, macros cannot pre-populate CC or BCC fields (though agents can add them manually after they apply the macro)

Ready-to-use macro templates

Here are four templates you can adapt for common scenarios. Copy the structure, customize the details for your organization, and start saving time.

Template 1: Engineering escalation via email

Macro name: Escalate to Engineering - Bug Report

To: engineering@yourcompany.com

Subject: Bug investigation needed - Ticket #{{ticket.id}}

Message:

Hi Engineering,

We're escalating a potential bug reported by {{ticket.requester.name}} ({{ticket.requester.email}}).

**Ticket:** {{ticket.url}}
**Description:**
{{ticket.description}}

Please review and advise on next steps.

Thanks,
{{current_user.name}}

Template 2: Quick Slack ping for urgent issues

Macro name: Urgent - Alert #support Channel

Channel: #support

Message:

🚨 Urgent ticket needs attention

**Ticket:** #{{ticket.id}} - {{ticket.url}}
**Customer:** {{ticket.requester.name}}
**Issue:** {{ticket.description}}

Can someone from the team take a look ASAP?

Template 3: Billing team handoff via child ticket

Macro name: Escalate to Billing Team

Group: Billing

Subject: Billing review required - {{ticket.requester.name}}

Message:

Hi Billing Team,

This ticket requires billing expertise.

**Customer:** {{ticket.requester.name}} ({{ticket.requester.email}})
**Ticket:** {{ticket.url}}
**Details:**
{{ticket.description}}

Please review and handle directly with the customer.

Template 4: Vendor inquiry with full context

Macro name: Contact Shipping Vendor

To: support@vendor.com

Subject: Order inquiry - Ticket #{{ticket.id}}

Message:

Hi Support Team,

We're following up on behalf of our mutual customer, {{ticket.requester.name}}.

**Ticket Reference:** {{ticket.url}}
**Customer Email:** {{ticket.requester.email}}
**Issue:**
{{ticket.description}}

Could you please provide an update on this order?

Best regards,
{{current_user.name}}
Customer Support Team

Best practices for side conversation macros

A few habits will make your macros more effective and easier to maintain.

Naming conventions

Use clear, consistent names that tell agents exactly what the macro does:

• "Escalate to [Team] - [Channel]"
• "Request [Action] - [Team]"
• "Notify [Channel] - [Scenario]"

Group related macros with consistent prefixes so they appear together in the macro list.

Organization tips

• Create shared macros for workflows the whole team uses
• Let agents create personal macros for their own preferences
• Document which macro to use when (a simple internal wiki page helps)
• Review macros quarterly to remove outdated ones

Performance considerations

• Test macros on sample tickets before rolling out
• Remember that ticket field changes in macros require submitting the ticket to save
• Side conversations aren't actually sent until the agent clicks Send (even though they open immediately)
• Train agents to check that all placeholders populated correctly before sending

For teams ready to take automation even further, our customer support automation solutions can handle routine inquiries while your macros manage the escalations.

Taking automation further with eesel AI

Macros are a solid foundation for workflow efficiency, but they still require manual application. Every time an agent recognizes a scenario and clicks the macro, that is a decision point that takes time and mental energy.

This is where AI automation can complement your Zendesk setup. While macros standardize your team's manual actions, an AI agent can handle entire categories of tickets autonomously.

Here's how the two work together:

• Macros help agents work faster on tickets that need human judgment
• AI agents resolve routine tickets completely without human involvement
• Combined approach lets your team focus on complex issues while automation handles the rest

Our AI agent integrates directly with Zendesk and can be trained on your existing help center articles, past tickets, and macros. It learns your tone and processes, then handles frontline support while escalating only what truly needs a human touch.

The setup is straightforward: connect your Zendesk account, point the AI at your knowledge sources, and let it learn from your historical tickets. You can run it in simulation mode first to see how it would have handled past conversations, then activate it when you're confident in its performance.

Start streamlining your side conversations today

Macros that start side conversations are a simple way to save your team time and ensure consistent communication. By automating the repetitive parts of escalation and collaboration, you free up mental bandwidth for actually solving customer problems.

Your next steps:

1. Audit your team's common side conversation patterns
2. Create macros for the scenarios that happen most frequently
3. Train your team on when to use each macro
4. Track how much time you're saving (you'll be surprised)

Once you have got your macros dialed in, consider what else you could automate. The combination of smart macros for complex cases and AI for routine tickets creates a support operation that scales without proportionally increasing headcount.

Want to explore how AI could complement your Zendesk workflows? Visit eesel.ai to learn more, or check out our blog for more support automation tips.