Zendesk Helpdesk Integration

The Zendesk Helpdesk integration seamlessly connects your Virtual-Call Cloud PBX with Zendesk, enabling your support team to manage customer interactions more efficiently. This integration bridges telephony and ticketing systems, allowing agents to handle calls directly from Zendesk while maintaining complete call history and customer context.

Overview

Virtual-Call Cloud PBX's Zendesk integration provides a comprehensive suite of tools designed to enhance your support operations:

• Click-to-Call — Initiate calls directly from Zendesk tickets by clicking on phone numbers
• Call Popup — Automatically display customer information when incoming calls arrive, triggered by ticket matching or manual activation
• Call Journal — Automatically log all incoming and outgoing calls to customer tickets with optional recording playback
• Contact Synchronization — Sync customer contacts from Zendesk to your PBX phonebook for quick reference
• Contact Creation — Automatically create contacts in Zendesk for unknown callers
• Automatic Ticket Creation — Generate new support tickets automatically for incoming or outbound calls

Prerequisites

Before setting up the Zendesk Helpdesk integration, ensure you meet the following requirements:

Connect Zendesk Helpdesk

The connection process involves three key steps: registering an OAuth client in Zendesk, configuring the integration in your PBX, and associating user accounts.

Step 1: Register an OAuth Client in Zendesk

First, you need to create an OAuth client in your Zendesk admin center. This client will allow Virtual-Call Cloud PBX to authenticate securely with your Zendesk account.

1. Log in to your Zendesk account as an administrator
2. Navigate to Admin Center (gear icon in the top right)
3. Go to Apps and integrations → APIs → OAuth Clients

4. Click + Create new client
5. Enter a name for your integration (e.g., "Virtual-Call Cloud PBX")
6. Select Confidential as the client type

7. In the Redirect URLs field, paste the redirect URL provided by your Virtual-Call Cloud PBX system (obtained during Step 2 of the PBX configuration)
8. Click Save
9. Copy and securely store the Client ID and Client Secret — you will need these values to configure your PBX

Step 2: Connect Zendesk to the PBX

Now configure the integration on your Virtual-Call Cloud PBX system using the OAuth credentials you obtained.

1. Log in to your Virtual-Call Cloud PBX system as an administrator
2. Navigate to Integrations → Helpdesk

3. Select Zendesk from the available helpdesk options
4. Note the Redirect URL displayed on this page and use it in Step 1 of the Zendesk OAuth client registration
5. Enter your Zendesk account details:
   • Subdomain: Your Zendesk subdomain (the part before .zendesk.com in your URL)
   • Client ID: The OAuth Client ID from Zendesk
   • Client Secret: The OAuth Client Secret from Zendesk
6. Click Save

7. Click the Authorize button to open an authorization browser window
8. Log in with your Zendesk administrator credentials when prompted
9. Review the permissions and click Allow

9. Return to the PBX and verify the connection status shows Connected

Step 3: Associate Zendesk Users with Extensions

To enable features like Call Popup and Click-to-Call, associate Zendesk user accounts with PBX extensions. This allows the system to identify which user is handling a call or ticket.

The system offers two association methods:

• Automatic Association: Extensions are automatically matched to Zendesk users based on email address. If a user's primary email in Zendesk matches an extension's email in the PBX, they are linked automatically.
• Manual Association: Manually select and assign Zendesk users to specific PBX extensions when automatic matching is not suitable.

Configure Integration Features

Once connected, configure the specific features that best support your support team's workflow.

Contact Synchronization

Enable Contact Synchronization to automatically sync customer contacts from Zendesk to your Virtual-Call Cloud PBX phonebook. This allows agents to quickly reference customer information during calls.

Configuration options include:

• Enable Contact Sync: Toggle to activate synchronization from Zendesk to the PBX phonebook
• Always Query CRM: When enabled, the PBX always checks Zendesk for the most current contact information, even if the contact exists locally in the phonebook
• Sync Frequency: Contacts are synchronized based on your configured schedule

Contact Creation

Automatically create new contacts in Zendesk when calls come from numbers not already in your system. This ensures your customer database stays current and comprehensive.

Configure when to automatically create contacts:

• For Inbound Calls: Create contacts when incoming calls arrive from unknown numbers
• For Outbound Calls: Create contacts when agents dial outbound numbers not in the system
• Both Inbound and Outbound: Create contacts for all calls from unknown numbers, regardless of direction

Call Popup

The Call Popup feature displays customer information automatically or on-demand when calls are received. This context helps agents respond to customers more effectively.

Two Call Popup modes are available:

• Automatic Popup: Triggers based on configured events:
  • When a call from a known contact arrives
  • When a related ticket is open for the caller
  • Based on custom event rules
• Manual Popup: Agents click a button to view customer details when handling a call, or right-click a phone number in Zendesk to initiate a call

Call Journal

The Call Journal feature automatically logs all incoming and outgoing calls directly to customer tickets. Each entry includes caller information, call duration, timestamp, and an optional recording.

Enable Call Journal logging with these options:

• Log Incoming Calls: Automatically create journal entries for inbound calls
• Log Outbound Calls: Automatically create journal entries for outbound calls
• Include Call Recording: Attach call recordings to journal entries for quality assurance and compliance purposes
• Custom Variables: Use system variables to populate entry fields automatically, such as caller name, number, duration, and call time

Automatic Ticket Creation

Automatically create support tickets for incoming and outbound calls, ensuring comprehensive documentation of all customer interactions.

Configuration options include:

• Create Tickets for Inbound Calls: Generate a new ticket for each incoming call from an unknown contact
• Create Tickets for Outbound Calls: Generate a new ticket for outbound calls initiated by agents
• Create Tickets for Both: Create tickets for all calls, regardless of direction
• Ticket Template: Select a predefined template to populate ticket fields automatically

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with your Zendesk Helpdesk integration, review these common problems and solutions:

Authorization fails during Step 2

• Verify that the Redirect URL in Zendesk matches exactly (including https://, domain, port, and trailing path)
• Ensure the Zendesk account has administrator permissions
• Check that no firewall rules are blocking the authorization callback
• Clear browser cookies and try again if the issue persists

Call Popup doesn't appear when calls arrive

• Verify that the Virtual-Call UC Client is installed, connected, and running on your workstation
• Confirm that Zendesk user account is manually or automatically associated with your PBX extension
• Check that the Call Popup feature is enabled in the integration settings
• Ensure the browser window or Zendesk tab is visible when the call arrives (some popups require the window to be in focus)

Contacts are not syncing from Zendesk to the PBX

• Verify that Contact Synchronization is enabled in the integration settings
• Check that the integration status shows "Connected"
• Ensure contacts in Zendesk have valid phone numbers in the correct format
• If using "Always Query CRM," ensure adequate network connectivity
• Review PBX phonebook storage limits if synchronization is partial

Call Journal entries are not appearing on tickets

• Confirm that Call Journal logging is enabled for the call direction (inbound/outbound)
• Verify that the calling number matches an existing Zendesk contact or organization
• Check that the agent's Zendesk user account is properly associated with their extension
• Review integration logs for any error messages related to ticket creation

Click-to-Call doesn't work from Zendesk

• Ensure the Virtual-Call UC Client is installed and properly connected
• Verify that the user's extension is properly associated with their Zendesk account
• Check that the user has permission to make outbound calls in the PBX
• Confirm that the phone number format in Zendesk is recognized by the PBX

Integration shows "Not Connected" or "Unauthorized"

• Re-authorize the integration by clicking the "Authorize" button
• Verify that the OAuth Client ID and Client Secret are correct
• Ensure the Zendesk OAuth client has not expired or been deleted
• Check that your Zendesk subscription level still meets the minimum requirements
• If the issue persists, delete the OAuth client in Zendesk and create a new one, then reconfigure the integration

Disable or Disconnect the Integration

If you need to temporarily disable the integration or permanently disconnect from Zendesk, follow these steps:

To disable the integration temporarily:

1. Navigate to Integrations → Helpdesk → Zendesk
2. Toggle the integration status to Disabled
3. All integration features will immediately stop functioning until you re-enable them

To permanently disconnect from Zendesk:

1. Navigate to Integrations → Helpdesk → Zendesk
2. Click Disconnect or Remove Integration
3. Confirm the disconnection prompt
4. The integration configuration will be deleted from your PBX system

To revoke access in Zendesk:

1. Log in to your Zendesk account as an administrator
2. Navigate to Admin Center → Apps and integrations → APIs → OAuth Clients
3. Find the Virtual-Call Cloud PBX OAuth client in the list
4. Click on it and select Delete or Revoke
5. Confirm the action

For additional support, consult your system administrator or contact Virtual-Call Cloud support.

New Authentication Method from Version 84.23.0.24

OAuth2 PKCE Support

Custom CRM/Helpdesk integration templates now support the authentication method Authorization Code Flow with Proof Key for Code Exchange (PKCE). This method uses a challenge-verifier pair instead of a client secret, thereby improving the security of OAuth 2.0 authentication.