Zendesk Connector
Introduction
Zendesk provides a cloud-based customer service program that includes ticketing, self-service options, and customer support features. Use Domo’s Zendesk connector to compile reports about tickets, users, and so on. You can pull data based on preexisting queries or write your own customized search queries. To learn more about the Zendesk API, visit their page (https://developer.zendesk.com/rest_api/docs/core/introduction).
The Zendesk connector is a "Cloud App" connector, meaning it retrieves data stored in the cloud. In the Data Center, you can access the connector page for this and other Cloud App connectors by clicking Cloud App in the toolbar at the top of the window.
For information about the Zendesk Chat connector, see Zendesk Chat Connector.
You connect to your Zendesk account in the Data Center. This topic discusses the fields and menus that are specific to the Zendesk connector user interface. General information for adding DataSets, setting update schedules, and editing DataSet information is discussed in Adding a DataSet Using a Data Connector.
Primary Use Cases |
With Zendesk data in Domo, you can analyze your ticket metrics to ensure timely and quality resolution. Custom fields are also allowed, which enables you to optimize your business even more. |
Primary Metrics |
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Primary Company Roles |
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Average Implementation Time |
4-8 hours for basic implementations based on the limited scope of Zendesk's platform, the type of data available, and the connector's ease of use. |
Ease of Use (on a 1-to-10 scale with 1 being easiest) |
4 |
Best Practices
Be aware that Zendesk's API is rate-limited. See more details under troubleshooting section.
To get started quickly, use a predefined Zendesk report ("Tickets," "Users," or "Tickets with Users"), a "General Query" (ticket status, dates, etc.), write a custom "Specific Query," or do a Search (e.g., tags:vip type:user created<2015-05-01 would return VIP tickets created before May 1, 2015).
Prerequisites
To connect to your Zendesk account and create a DataSet, you must have the following:
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The username for your Zendesk account
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The API token OR password for your Zendesk account
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The Zendesk URL for your company
To use a password, enable API authentication using an agent's email address and password. This may already be enabled for sign-in to the Zendesk Support mobile apps.
Zendesk recommends that you use API tokens to keep your agents' passwords safe. API tokens are managed in the Zendesk Support Admin interface at Admin > Channels > API. The page lets you view, add, or delete tokens. More than one token can be active at the same time. Deleting a token deactivates it permanently.
Connecting to Your Zendesk Account
This section enumerates the options in the Credentials and Details panes in the Zendesk Connector page. The components of the other panes in this page, Scheduling and Name & Describe Your DataSet, are universal across most connector types and are discussed in greater length in Adding a DataSet Using a Data Connector.
Credentials Pane
This pane contains fields for entering credentials to connect to your Zendesk account. The following table describes what is needed for each field:
Field |
Description |
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Username |
Enter the username you use to log into your Zendesk account. |
Authenticate By |
Specify whether you want to use your Zendesk API token or password to authenticate. |
API Token or Password |
Enter your Zendesk API token or password. This must match what you have selected in the Authenticate By menu. For example, if you selected API Token for Authenticate By, you must enter your API token in this field, not your password. |
Zendesk URL |
Enter the URL for your company's Zendesk instance. |
Once you have entered valid Zendesk credentials, you can use the same account any time you go to create a new Zendesk DataSet. You can manage connector accounts in the Accounts tab in the Data Center. For more information about this tab, see Managing User Accounts for Connectors.
Details Pane
This pane contains a primary Report menu, along with various other menus which may or may not appear depending on the report type you select.
Menu |
Description |
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Report (Core API) |
Select the Zendesk Core API report you want to run. The following reports are available:
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Report (Talk API) |
Select the Zendesk Talk API report you want to run. The following reports are available:
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From Days |
Enter the number of past days for your report. For example, if you entered |
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To Days |
Enter the number of past days that should not appear in your report. For example, if you entered |
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Search Query |
Select the desired search query type. Open Tickets and Closed Tickets are premade queries you can use to return the number of open and closed tickets for your Zendesk instance. The Custom option lets you specify your own Zendesk search query. For example, the query For more information about entering Zendesk queries, see https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/203663226-Zendesk-search-reference. |
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Query Field |
Enter your Zendesk search query. For more information about queries, see the previous item in this table. |
Other Panes
For information about the remaining sections of the connector interface, including how to configure scheduling, retry, and update options, see Adding a DataSet Using a Data Connector.
Troubleshooting
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Zendesk's API is rate limited. Zendesk allows only a certain number of requests per minute depending on the customer's plan and the endpoint. If your Zendesk connection in Domo seems slow, consider upgrading your plan to get higher rate limits.
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Essential plan = 10 requests per minute (RPM)
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Team plan = 200 RPM
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Professional = 400 RPM
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Enterprise = 700 RPM
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High Volume Add-on = 2,500 RPM
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If you get a 429 error, this indicates that the rate limit has been exceeded.
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You can compare your API activity in the last 24 hours against your rate limit using Zendesk's "Tracking API activity against your rate limit" article at https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us...our_rate_limit.
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If your connection is unsuccessful, check that your API token is active. API tokens are managed in the Zendesk Support Admin interface at Admin > Channels > API. The page lets you view, add, or delete tokens. More than one token can be active at the same time.