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Zendesk

Connect your Zendesk Support instance to import help center articles, support tickets, and customer interactions into your Twig AI knowledge base.

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Overview

Property
Details

Type

Dynamic

Refresh

Scheduled (Daily, Weekly, Monthly)

Tier

2 (Professional & Enterprise)

Authentication

API Token

Content Types

Help Center Articles, Tickets

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When to Use Zendesk Connector

The Zendesk connector is ideal for:

  • Customer Support Knowledge - Help center articles and FAQs

  • Support Ticket Insights - Historical support conversations

  • Self-Service Automation - Deflect tickets with AI-powered answers

  • Agent Assistance - Help support agents find relevant information

  • Knowledge Base Migration - Import existing Zendesk content

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What Gets Imported

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Help Center Articles

  • Article title and body content

  • Article categories and sections

  • Article labels and metadata

  • Published articles only

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Support Tickets (Optional)

  • Ticket subject and description

  • Ticket comments and responses

  • Ticket tags and custom fields

  • Resolution notes

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Prerequisites

Before setting up the connector, ensure you have:

  • Zendesk Support account (Professional or Enterprise plan)

  • Admin access to Zendesk

  • API access enabled in Zendesk

  • Knowledge base with published articles

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How to Set Up Zendesk Connector

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Step 1: Gather Zendesk Information

You'll need:

  1. Zendesk Subdomain - Your Zendesk URL prefix

  2. Admin Email - Your Zendesk admin email address

  3. API Token - Generated in Zendesk settings

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Step 2: Generate Zendesk API Token

  1. Log in to your Zendesk account as an admin

  2. Click the Admin icon (gear) in the left sidebar

  3. Navigate to Apps and integrations → APIs → Zendesk API

  4. Click the Settings tab

  5. Ensure Token Access is enabled

  6. Click Add API Token under "Active API Tokens"

  7. Enter a description: "Twig AI Integration"

  8. Click Create

  9. Copy the token immediately (it won't be shown again)

  10. Click Save

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Step 3: Find Your Zendesk Subdomain

Your Zendesk subdomain is the prefix in your Zendesk URL:

Example:

  • URL: https://acme-corp.zendesk.com

  • Subdomain: acme-corp

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Step 4: Configure in Twig AI

  1. Log in to your Twig AI account

  2. Click Data in the main navigation menu

  3. Click Add Data Source or the + button

  4. Choose Zendesk from the list of connectors

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Step 5: Enter Connection Details

Fill in the following fields:

  • Name (required): Descriptive name for this connection

    • Example: "Zendesk Help Center", "Support Knowledge Base"

  • Description (optional): Additional context

    • Example: "Customer support articles and FAQs"

  • Zendesk Subdomain (required): Your subdomain (without .zendesk.com)

    • Example: acme-corp

  • Admin Email (required): Your Zendesk admin email

  • API Token (required): The API token you generated

    • Example: A1b2C3d4E5f6G7h8I9j0...

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Step 6: Configure Parameters (JSON)

Optional advanced configuration:

Available Parameters:

Parameter
Type
Description
Default

importArticles

Boolean

Import help center articles

true

importTickets

Boolean

Import support tickets

false

ticketStatus

Array

Ticket statuses to import

["solved"]

articleLocale

String

Article language locale

"en-us"

lookBackDays

Number

Days of history to import

365

categories

Array

Specific category IDs to import

All

sections

Array

Specific section IDs to import

All

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Step 7: Test Connection

  1. Click Test Config or Test Connection

  2. Twig will verify:

    • Subdomain is valid

    • API credentials are correct

    • API permissions are sufficient

    • Help center is accessible

  3. Wait for "Connection Successful" message

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Step 8: Set Refresh Schedule

Choose how often to sync:

  • Never - Manual sync only

  • Daily - Sync new/updated content daily

  • Weekly - Sync weekly (recommended for most)

  • Monthly - Sync monthly (for stable content)

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Step 9: Add Tags (Optional)

Add organizational tags:

  • Examples: "zendesk", "support", "help-center", "customer-facing"

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Step 10: Save and Sync

  1. Click Save or Create

  2. Initial sync begins automatically

  3. Monitor progress in the data sources list

  4. Check process logs for any errors

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Configuration Examples

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Example 1: Help Center Only

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Example 2: Help Center + Recent Tickets

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Example 3: Specific Categories

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Best Practices

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1. Start with Help Center Only

Begin by importing only published articles:

Add tickets later if needed after validating article imports.

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2. Use Appropriate Refresh Frequency

  • Daily: If you publish new articles frequently

  • Weekly: For moderately active help centers (recommended)

  • Monthly: For stable, infrequently updated content

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3. Filter by Category

Import only relevant categories:

To find category IDs:

  1. Go to your Zendesk Guide admin

  2. Click on a category

  3. Look at the URL: https://yourcompany.zendesk.com/hc/admin/categories/123456

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4. Limit Ticket Import

If importing tickets:

Caution: Large ticket volumes can impact processing time and storage.

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5. Multi-Language Support

For multi-language help centers, create separate data sources:

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Understanding Sync Behavior

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Initial Sync

  • Imports all published articles

  • Imports tickets based on lookBackDays

  • May take several minutes for large knowledge bases

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Incremental Syncs

  • Imports only new/updated articles since last sync

  • Imports new tickets matching criteria

  • Faster than initial sync

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What Gets Updated

  • Article content changes

  • Article title/metadata updates

  • New articles published

  • New tickets solved/closed

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What Doesn't Get Synced

  • Deleted articles (remain in Twig until manually removed)

  • Unpublished articles

  • Draft articles

  • Archived tickets (unless specifically configured)

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Security & Permissions

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Required Zendesk Permissions

The API token must have access to:

  • Read articles in Guide

  • Read categories and sections

  • Read tickets (if importing tickets)

  • Read users (for ticket author information)

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Recommended: Service Account

Create a dedicated Zendesk admin account:

  • Email: [email protected]

  • Role: Admin (for full API access)

  • Purpose: Twig AI Integration only

Benefits:

  • Easy to track API usage

  • Can be disabled without affecting other integrations

  • Clear audit trail

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API Token Security

  • Store tokens securely (Twig encrypts them automatically)

  • Rotate tokens periodically (every 6-12 months)

  • Use descriptive token names

  • Revoke unused tokens

  • Monitor API usage in Zendesk

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Monitoring & Maintenance

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Check Sync Status

Regularly verify:

  • Last sync completed successfully

  • Record count matches expectations

  • No errors in process logs

  • New articles appearing in AI responses

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Common Metrics

  • Articles Synced: Total help center articles

  • Tickets Synced: Total support tickets (if enabled)

  • Last Sync Date: When was the last successful sync

  • Sync Duration: Time taken for last sync

  • Error Count: Number of failed imports

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Troubleshooting

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Connection Failed

Problem: Test connection fails

Solutions:

  • Verify subdomain is correct (without .zendesk.com)

  • Check API token is copied correctly

  • Ensure email matches a Zendesk admin account

  • Verify API access is enabled in Zendesk

  • Check API token hasn't expired or been revoked

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No Articles Imported

Problem: Sync completes but no articles appear

Solutions:

  • Verify help center has published articles

  • Check articleLocale matches your content

  • Ensure categories aren't restricted by parameters

  • Look for errors in process logs

  • Verify API permissions include Guide access

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Partial Sync

Problem: Some articles missing

Solutions:

  • Check if missing articles are published

  • Verify locale matches article language

  • Review category/section filters

  • Check for articles with special characters

  • Review Zendesk API rate limits

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Sync Taking Too Long

Problem: Sync runs for extended period

Solutions:

  • Reduce lookBackDays for ticket imports

  • Disable ticket import if not needed

  • Filter by specific categories

  • Check Zendesk API response times

  • Consider splitting into multiple data sources

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Outdated Content

Problem: Updates in Zendesk not appearing

Solutions:

  • Check last sync date

  • Verify refresh frequency is appropriate

  • Manually trigger refresh if needed

  • Review process logs for sync failures

  • Check API token is still valid

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Advanced Configuration

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Filtering by Labels

While not directly supported via parameters, you can:

  1. Create separate categories in Zendesk for different topics

  2. Import specific categories via parameters

  3. Use tags in Twig to organize content

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Excluding Specific Content

To exclude certain articles:

  1. Unpublish them in Zendesk (they won't sync), or

  2. Move them to a separate category

  3. Don't include that category in import parameters

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Multi-Brand Support

If you have multiple Zendesk brands:

  1. Create separate data sources for each brand

  2. Use different API tokens if needed

  3. Name sources clearly: "Zendesk Brand A", "Zendesk Brand B"

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Ticket Privacy

Important: Be cautious when importing tickets:

  • Tickets may contain sensitive customer information

  • Personal data (PII) should be handled carefully

  • Consider data retention policies

  • Review privacy compliance requirements

Recommendations:

  • Import only solved/closed tickets

  • Use short lookback periods

  • Filter by specific ticket tags

  • Create agents with restricted access to ticket data

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Integration with AI Agents

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Creating Zendesk-Specific Agents

  1. Create an AI agent for customer support

  2. Restrict data sources to Zendesk content

  3. Configure tone for customer-facing responses

  4. Add sample prompts from common questions

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Deflecting Support Tickets

Use Zendesk content to:

  • Answer common questions before ticket creation

  • Suggest relevant articles in ticket forms

  • Provide instant answers in chat widgets

  • Reduce support volume

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Agent Assistance

Help support agents by:

  • Providing instant article lookup

  • Suggesting responses from solved tickets

  • Finding relevant documentation quickly

  • Improving response consistency

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Next Steps

After connecting Zendesk:

  1. Test the knowledge with support questions

  2. Create support-focused agents

  3. Monitor which articles AI references most

  4. Identify gaps in help center coverage

  5. Iterate on article content based on AI usage

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Related Connectors

  • Slack - Import support channel discussions

  • Confluence - Internal knowledge base

  • Website - Public documentation sites

  • Files - Supplementary support documents

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Support

For Zendesk-specific issues:

  • Check Zendesk API documentation: https://developer.zendesk.com/api-reference/

  • Review Zendesk API status: https://status.zendesk.com/

  • Contact Zendesk support for API access issues

For Twig integration issues:

  • Review process logs in Twig

  • Contact Twig support with error details

  • Share specific article or ticket IDs that failed to import

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