How to use Zendesk triggers to auto CC agents on new tickets (and a simpler way)

Getting the right eyes on a ticket is a constant struggle in any busy support team. When a high-priority issue lands in the queue or a specific client needs attention, you have to make sure the right people see it, and fast. Automatically CC'ing agents on new Zendesk Zendesk tickets is a solid way to boost collaboration, make sure escalations get noticed, and keep key people in the loop without you having to do it manually.

But, if you've already tried to set this up, you've probably hit the same wall everyone else does: Zendesk doesn’t have a simple, built-in "add CC" button in its standard triggers. While you can’t automatically add customers this way, you can loop in fellow agents. The catch? It involves getting your hands a little dirty with something called a webhook.

This guide will walk you through two options. First, we’ll tackle the standard, slightly technical method using webhooks and triggers. Then, we’ll look at a more modern, AI-powered approach that not only makes this process easier but also opens up way more powerful automation for your team.

What you'll need

Before we jump in, let’s get your tools lined up. You’ll need a few things to build this workflow in Zendesk:

• Zendesk Admin Access: You need to be an administrator to get into the settings and create API tokens, webhooks, and triggers.

• A Zendesk API Token: This is just a secure key that lets different parts of Zendesk talk to each other. Think of it as a unique password for your webhook.

• A clear idea of your rules: You need to know exactly which tickets should set off the auto CC. Is it based on the customer’s company, certain words in the subject line, or a high priority? Nailing this down first will make building the trigger a lot smoother.

The standard way: How to set up the trigger

Alright, let's roll up our sleeves and get this built. This process uses a webhook to tell Zendesk to update a ticket on your behalf, which is something a normal trigger can't do on its own.

Step 1: Create a Zendesk API key

First thing's first: the webhook needs a secure way to connect to your Zendesk account. That’s what the API token is for.

1. Head to your Admin Center, then go to Apps and integrations > APIs > Zendesk API.

2. Click Add API Token and give it a description you'll recognize later, something like "Auto-CC Webhook Token".

3. Copy the token that pops up on the screen and stash it somewhere safe, like a password manager. Zendesk only shows it to you once.

Step 2: Create a webhook

Now we build the webhook. This is the messenger that will carry instructions from your trigger over to the ticket itself.

1. In the Admin Center, navigate to Apps and integrations > Webhooks and click Create webhook.

2. Select Trigger or automation when it asks how you want to connect.

3. Fill in the details exactly like this:

   • Name: Give it a clear name, like "Update Ticket CCs".

   • Endpoint URL: "https://yoursubdomain.zendesk.com/api/v2/tickets/{{ticket.id}}.json". Make sure to replace "yoursubdomain" with your actual Zendesk subdomain.

   • Request method: "PUT"

   • Request format: "JSON"

   • Authentication: Choose Basic authentication.

   • Username: Type in your admin email address, followed by "/token" (for example, "you@company.com/token").

   • Password: Paste in the API token you created in the first step.

4. Click Create webhook and then Finish setup.

Step 3: Create the trigger

This is the last piece of the puzzle, where you define the logic that tells your webhook when to jump into action.

1. Go to Admin Center > Objects and rules > Triggers > Add trigger.

2. Give it a specific Name, like "Auto CC Agents for Acme Corp Tickets".

3. Under Conditions, set the rules for when this trigger should run. For instance, if you want to CC a manager on all new tickets from a certain client, you could use:

   • "Ticket" | "Is" | "Created"
   • "Organization" | "Is" | "Acme Corp"

4. Under Actions, you'll tell the trigger to call your webhook.

   • Select "Notify active webhook" and pick the "Update Ticket CCs" webhook you just created.

   • In the JSON body field, you’ll add the code that tells Zendesk who to CC. This little snippet tells Zendesk to add two specific emails as CCs.

{  

  "ticket": {  

    "email_ccs": [  

      { "user_email": "manager@example.com", "action": "put"},  

      { "user_email": "specialist@example.com", "action": "put"}  

    ]  

  }  

}  

The challenges of the manual webhook method

If that felt a bit complicated, you're not wrong.

People all over Reddit and the Zendesk community forums talk about what a pain this can be.

Reddit

• It's fiddly and easy to break. A single typo in the JSON code or a misplaced character in the URL can make the whole thing fail without any warning. You won't get a clear error message, just a workflow that mysteriously isn't working.

• It's a pain to scale. Need to set up different CC rules for ten different clients? That means creating and managing ten separate triggers, each with its own custom JSON. It gets out of hand pretty quickly.

• It isn't very smart. This method just adds another person to an email chain. It doesn't give them any context, suggest a reply, or help the agent solve the issue faster. It just adds another notification to an inbox that's probably already full.

• It needs a technical babysitter. Any time a rule needs to be tweaked, you need someone who's comfortable messing with APIs and JSON. This creates a bottleneck and takes control away from the team leads who actually manage the day-to-day support flow.

A simpler, smarter way: Automating workflows with AI

So, what’s the alternative? Instead of just sending more notifications, modern tools focus on smart automation that actually helps get the ticket resolved.

Go beyond notifications with intelligent ticket handling

Let's rethink the goal here. You don't just want to CC someone; you want to make sure the ticket gets handled the right way, right away. This is where a tool like eesel AI changes the game. It connects to your helpdesk and uses AI to handle entire workflows, not just fire off alerts.

• AI Triage: Instead of just CC'ing a manager when a ticket from your top client, "Acme Corp," comes in, eesel AI's AI Triage can do a lot more. It can instantly recognize the company, automatically tag the ticket as "vip", set the priority to "Urgent", and assign it directly to your Tier 2 specialists. That’s a complete action that saves several manual steps.

eesel AI's AI Triage feature automatically tagging and prioritizing a ticket from a VIP client.

• AI Copilot: What if the real reason for CC'ing a senior agent is to get their input on a tricky question? Instead of just adding them to the thread, eesel AI's AI Copilot can draft a perfect, on-brand reply for the junior agent. It bases the draft on how your team has successfully handled similar tickets before, empowering the agent who owns the ticket instead of just creating another task for someone else.

eesel AI's AI Copilot drafting a reply for a password reset request in Zendesk.

Set up in minutes, not hours

The best part? You don't need to be a developer to get this running.

• One-click Integration: Connecting eesel AI to Zendesk is as simple as it sounds. There are no API tokens to generate or JSON to carefully write and debug.

• Intuitive Rules Engine: Building automation rules in eesel AI happens on a visual, user-friendly dashboard. You can easily pick which tickets to automate based on any criteria, then tell the AI exactly what to do, whether that's tagging, replying, escalating, or even looking up order info from another system.

Test with confidence before going live

One of the biggest anxieties with Zendesk triggers is the fear of accidentally breaking something in your live environment. eesel AI gets rid of that worry with a simulation mode. You can test your AI setup on thousands of your past tickets in a safe environment. It will show you exactly how the AI would have tagged, triaged, and responded, giving you a clear picture of how well it will perform before it ever touches a live customer ticket.

Tips and common mistakes to avoid

Whether you stick with the manual method or decide to check out an AI tool, here are a few things to keep in mind.

• Mistake 1: Forgetting to test. Never, ever build new triggers and webhooks directly in your main Zendesk account. Always use your Zendesk sandbox first to make sure everything works like it's supposed to without messing up real tickets.

• Mistake 2: Creating trigger conflicts. Be careful that your new trigger doesn't step on the toes of your existing ones. The order of your triggers in Zendesk really matters, so put more specific triggers (like your new CC rule) before the more general ones.

• Tip 1: Use descriptive names. "Webhook 1" and "Trigger 3" won't mean anything to you in six months. Give your API tokens, webhooks, and triggers clear names so you (and your future self) know exactly what they're for.

• Tip 2: Re-evaluate your actual goal. Before you go down the rabbit hole of building a complex webhook, ask yourself if a simple CC is what you really need. A lot of the time, the underlying goal is faster resolutions, better ticket routing, or more consistent help for your agents. These are the kinds of problems modern AI tools are built to solve much more effectively.

From manual notifications to intelligent automation

Setting up Zendesk triggers to auto CC agents is definitely doable with webhooks. But it's a technical, somewhat fragile, and ultimately limited fix. It solves the immediate problem of getting someone's attention, but it doesn't do much to make your overall support workflow any better.

The real opportunity today is to move past simple notifications and into the world of intelligent automation. You can think of AI as the next evolution of business rules. It can handle the "if this, then that" logic of a trigger, but it also understands context, intent, and past data to take the best action every time. Tools like eesel AI make this kind of advanced automation accessible to any support team, no coding skills needed.

Take your Zendesk automation beyond auto CC triggers

Ready to swap out complex triggers for powerful, easy-to-use AI? eesel AI works seamlessly with Zendesk to automate ticket triage, draft replies, and handle frontline support.

Start your free trial or book a demo to see it in action.