- Piece one: install Slack for Zendesk Support
- Piece two: add the app to each channel
- Piece three: build the trigger that posts alerts
- What else the integration can do
- Running several Zendesk accounts or workspaces
- The Slack setting that can break a working install
- Zapier and Teams instead
- My verdict on Zendesk in Slack
- Frequently asked questions
To connect Zendesk to Slack, use Zendesk's own Slack for Zendesk Support integration. In Admin Center open Apps and integrations, then Integrations, view Slack and click Connect workspace. Then add the app to your channels and create a ticket trigger for notifications. Zapier is the connector route for custom alerts.
The most common complaint after connecting Zendesk to Slack is silence. The install works, the app's in Slack, and nothing happens. That's expected: installing the app doesn't send any alerts by itself. You need three pieces in place, and this guide takes them in order.
Piece one: install Slack for Zendesk Support
Slack for Zendesk Support is a Built-by-Zendesk integration. To install it you need administrative privileges in Zendesk Support and permission to install apps in the Slack workspace. It can't be installed on a shared Slack workspace you were invited to as an external user.
- Sign in to Zendesk as an administrator, and to Slack with permission to install apps.
- In Admin Center, click Apps and integrations in the sidebar, then Integrations, then Integrations again. Open the options menu next to Slack and click View.
- Click Connect workspace, check the right Slack workspace shows in the drop-down, then click Allow.
Piece two: add the app to each channel
Tickets can be created from any Slack channel once the app's installed, but the app must be added to each channel that needs notifications and Answer Bot. Use /invite @Zendesk in the channel, which is required for private channels, or add many public channels at once in Admin Center on the Channels tab, using Add app to channels.
Piece three: build the trigger that posts alerts
Notifications come from ticket triggers. In Admin Center go to Objects and rules, Business rules, Triggers, open the Tickets tab and click Add trigger. Set your conditions, then choose the Slack channel and the message content. Only admins can create Slack triggers, and the app must already be in the target channel.
Zendesk recommends putting the Slack workspace and channel in the trigger name and creating a Slack category for these triggers. Do it from the first one: in six months you'll be glad you can see at a glance which trigger feeds which channel.
What else the integration can do
- Ticket event notifications in Slack channels.
- Creating tickets from Slack, for agents to solve in Zendesk Support.
- Internal notes added to existing tickets by Slack users.
- Side conversations in Slack threads, enabled per Slack workspace.
- Answer Bot for Slack and approval requests.
The integration's built for internal use. Slack users can create tickets, and external users in Slack Connect channels can create them with limited options.
Running several Zendesk accounts or workspaces
One or more Zendesk subdomains can connect to multiple Slack workspaces, but each installation adds one connection between one Zendesk account and one Slack workspace. With three Zendesk accounts and one workspace, you run the installation three times. If you use Answer Bot for Slack across several accounts, users see separate Answer Bot responses from each help centre rather than one combined answer.
Two more limits: approval requests work for only one Slack workspace, and organisation-shared channels in Slack Enterprise Grid aren't supported.
The Slack setting that can break a working install
The Zendesk Help Center flags one more trap. If Slack's Approve apps setting is off, installing another instance of the app can break the integration. Before anyone adds a second connection, check that setting with your Slack admin.
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Zapier and Teams instead
Zapier lists templates for this pair, including Slack notifications for new Zendesk tickets and creating Zendesk tickets from new Slack channel messages. For teams on Microsoft Teams, Zendesk for Microsoft Teams lets agents add internal notes and public replies to tickets and get notifications by status, priority or type in any channel or DM. For other help desks entirely, see my Zendesk alternatives and help desk software for small businesses.
My verdict on Zendesk in Slack
Use the native app; you don't need Zapier for ticket alerts. Install it, invite it to one channel, and build a single trigger for something that matters, such as urgent new tickets, named after its workspace and channel. Once that's posting reliably, add more triggers one at a time, each in your Slack category.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need Zapier to connect Zendesk and Slack?
No. Zendesk has its own Slack for Zendesk Support integration, installed from Admin Center.
Who can install it?
A Zendesk administrator who also has permission to install apps in the Slack workspace.
Why am I getting no notifications?
You need a ticket trigger for Slack, and the Zendesk app must be added to the channel.
Can customers create tickets from Slack?
The integration is built for internal use. Slack users can create tickets, and external users in Slack Connect channels can create them with limited options.
Can I connect more than one Zendesk account?
Yes, one connection at a time, running the install for each.
