Zendesk Connector

Connect Zendesk so Applied can create tickets, sync ticket context, and support guided handoff workflows in Zendesk.

Use this Connector when Zendesk is your help desk and Applied should keep customer conversations aligned with Zendesk tickets.

Common use cases

• Create Zendesk tickets during Applied escalations.
• Add public or internal comments to Zendesk tickets.
• Sync Zendesk ticket messages into Applied.
• Look up Zendesk users and organizations.
• Resolve or reopen Applied conversations based on Zendesk ticket activity.

Before you begin

Before connecting Zendesk, make sure:

• You know the Zendesk subdomain.
• You have an administrator who can create API tokens.
• You know the Zendesk agent email Applied should authenticate as.
• The agent account can access the ticket and user records Applied needs.
• You have a test ticket available for validation.

Zendesk API tokens are not OAuth access tokens. They are account-level tokens used with a verified Zendesk user’s email address.

Get a Zendesk API token

Zendesk API tokens are created in Admin Center.

1. In Zendesk, open Admin Center.
2. Go to Apps and integrations > APIs > API tokens.
3. Make sure token access is enabled.
4. Click Add API token.
5. Add a description, such as Applied Labs.
6. Save and copy the token.

Copy the token immediately. Zendesk shows only a truncated version after the window is closed.

Configure Zendesk access

Applied authenticates with Basic auth using:

<agent-email>/token:<api-token>

Use a verified Zendesk user whose role can access the Tickets, Users, and Organizations APIs needed by your workflows. If the connected user cannot see a ticket in Zendesk, Applied should not be expected to see it through the API.

Connect Zendesk in Applied

1. Open Connectors.
2. Click New.
3. Choose Zendesk.
4. Enter the Zendesk subdomain.
5. Enter the token service email.
6. Paste the Zendesk API token into the API token field.
7. Create the connection.

The subdomain is the value before .zendesk.com in your Zendesk URL.

Validate the connection

After setup:

1. Look up or create a test Zendesk ticket.
2. Confirm the requester, comments, and ticket status match Zendesk.
3. Create a test Applied escalation and confirm the Zendesk ticket is created.
4. If webhooks are configured, update the Zendesk ticket and confirm Applied receives the event.

Common issues

Zendesk says credentials are invalid

Confirm API token access is enabled, the token is active, and the email belongs to a verified Zendesk user.

Applied cannot access a ticket

Review the Zendesk role and ticket access for the token service email.

The wrong Zendesk account is connected

Check the subdomain entered in Applied. It should be only the subdomain, not the full Zendesk URL.

Provider docs

• Managing Zendesk API tokens 
• Zendesk API authentication 
• Zendesk Tickets API 

Next steps

• Ticketing Connectors
• Managing Escalations
• Automated Workflows