sales-zendesk

What this skill does

# Zendesk Platform Help

## Step 1 — Gather context

If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.

1. **What area of Zendesk do you need help with?**
   - A) Ticketing — triggers, automations, macros, views, ticket fields, SLAs
   - B) Help Center / Guide — knowledge base articles, community forums, AI search
   - C) AI Agents — automated resolution, copilot, generative replies
   - D) Chat — live chat widget, proactive messaging, routing
   - E) Talk (Voice) — IVR, call recording, voicemail, routing
   - F) Sell (CRM) — pipeline, leads, deals, sales automation
   - G) Messaging — WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, SMS omnichannel
   - H) Explore (Analytics) — dashboards, custom reports, SLA tracking
   - I) Marketplace & Integrations — Salesforce, HubSpot, Shopify, Jira, Slack
   - J) API & Development — REST API, webhooks, apps, ZIS
   - K) Admin — pricing, plans, add-ons, billing, user management
   - L) Something else — describe it

2. **What's your role?**
   - A) Support agent / team lead
   - B) Support manager / director
   - C) Admin / IT
   - D) Developer / RevOps
   - E) Founder / small team
   - F) Other

3. **What plan are you on?** (Support Team $19 / Suite Team $55 / Suite Growth $89 / Suite Professional $115 / Suite Enterprise $169)

**Skip-ahead rule**: if the user's prompt already contains enough context, skip to Step 2.

## Step 2 — Route or answer directly

| Problem domain | Route to |
|---|---|
| Choosing between Zendesk vs Freshdesk vs Intercom | `/sales-helpdesk-selection {question}` |
| Contact center / CCaaS selection | `/sales-ccaas-selection {question}` |
| Live chat strategy across tools | `/sales-live-chat {question}` |
| Chatbot flow design (non-Zendesk) | `/sales-chatbot {question}` |
| CRM comparison / selection | `/sales-crm-selection {question}` |
| Email deliverability | `/sales-deliverability {question}` |
| Sales coaching / call review | `/sales-coaching {question}` |

When routing to another skill, provide the exact command: "This is a {problem domain} question — run: `/sales-{skill} {user's original question}`"

## Step 3 — Zendesk platform reference

**Read `references/platform-guide.md`** for the full platform reference — modules, pricing, integrations, data model, workflows.

Answer the user's question using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.

## Step 4 — Actionable guidance

You no longer need the platform guide — focus on the user's specific situation.

- **Ticket routing issues**: Check trigger conditions, order (triggers fire top-to-bottom), and automation vs trigger distinction (automations are time-based, triggers are event-based)
- **SLA problems**: Verify business hours schedule, check if SLA policies are applied in the correct order (first match wins), confirm the metric type (first reply vs next reply vs periodic update)
- **AI agent tuning**: Review conversation logs for misclassification patterns, adjust intents, add training phrases, check if the right knowledge sources are connected
- **Cost optimization**: Map features to actual plan needs — many teams overpay for Enterprise when Professional covers their needs. Evaluate whether AI/QA/WFM add-ons are delivering ROI
- **API integration**: Use API tokens for server-side, OAuth for client-side apps. Mind rate limits (200-2500 req/min by plan). Use incremental exports for bulk data, not list endpoints

If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in `references/learnings.md`, append it there.

## Gotchas

> *Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and add-on pricing that may be outdated.*

1. **Real costs are 2-3x advertised** — base plan prices don't include Advanced AI ($50/agent), Copilot ($50/agent), QA ($35/agent), or WFM ($25/agent). A team on Suite Pro at $115/agent can easily reach $225/agent with add-ons.
2. **AI features are mostly add-ons** — generative replies and AI copilot require separate purchases on most plans. Don't assume "AI" in marketing means AI is included in your plan.
3. **Triggers vs automations confusion** — triggers fire on ticket create/update (event-based), automations fire on time conditions (hourly scan). Mixing them up causes routing bugs.
4. **Zendesk's own support is slow** — widely reported across G2, Trustpilot, and community forums. Budget for self-service via their docs and community rather than relying on support tickets.
5. **Integration sync can pause silently** — Salesforce and HubSpot syncs can stop without admin notification. Monitor sync health proactively.
6. **Reporting is plan-gated** — real-time dashboards require Professional+. Custom Explore reports have limited customization on lower plans.
7. **API rate limits vary dramatically by plan** — Team gets 200 req/min, Enterprise gets 700, Enterprise Plus gets 2500. Hitting limits returns 429 with Retry-After header.
8. **256 API token limit** — accounts can maintain up to 256 active tokens. Must delete one to create a new one at capacity.

## Related skills

- `/sales-helpdesk-selection` — Comparing help desk platforms (Zendesk vs Freshdesk vs Intercom vs Help Scout)
- `/sales-ccaas-selection` — CCaaS platform comparison and selection
- `/sales-live-chat` — Live chat strategy across tools
- `/sales-chatbot` — Chatbot marketing and conversational automation
- `/sales-customer-feedback` — Customer feedback, NPS, CSAT, VoC
- `/sales-customer-success` — Customer success strategy
- `/sales-integration` — Connect Zendesk to CRM, e-commerce, and other tools
- `/sales-do` — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do`

## Examples

### Example 1: Ticket routing broken
**User says**: "Tickets from our enterprise customers keep going to the wrong team — they should go to our dedicated enterprise queue but they're landing in general support"
**Skill does**: Walks through trigger conditions (check organization tags, custom fields, or email domain), trigger ordering (first-match wins), and tests with a sample ticket to trace the routing path.

### Example 2: AI agent giving bad answers
**User says**: "Our AI agent keeps suggesting irrelevant help center articles when customers ask about billing"
**Skill does**: Reviews connected knowledge sources, checks intent training phrases, examines conversation logs for misclassification patterns, and recommends adding negative examples to improve classification.

### Example 3: Costs spiraling
**User says**: "We're on Suite Enterprise and our Zendesk bill is $5000/month for 20 agents — can we reduce this?"
**Skill does**: Audits which add-ons are active (AI, QA, WFM), checks if Enterprise features are actually used (custom roles, sandbox, 300 help centers), and recommends downgrading to Professional if advanced features aren't needed.

## Troubleshooting

### SLA badges not showing or breach timers wrong
**Symptom**: SLA indicators missing from tickets, or timers count through non-business hours
**Cause**: Business hours schedule misconfigured, SLA policy order wrong (first match wins), or metric type mismatch (first reply vs next reply)
**Solution**: 1) Check Admin > Business rules > SLAs — verify the policy matches the right conditions. 2) Check Admin > Business rules > Schedules — verify timezone and business hours. 3) SLA policies apply first-match, so put more specific policies above general ones.

### API rate limit errors (429)
**Symptom**: API calls returning 429 Too Many Requests
**Cause**: Exceeding plan-based rate limits (Team: 200/min, Pro: 400/min, Enterprise: 700/min)
**Solution**: 1) Check `X-Rate-Limit` and `Retry-After` response headers. 2) Use incremental exports for bulk data instead of list endpoints. 3) Implement exponential backoff. 4) Consider the High Volume Add-on (2500/min, requires 10+ agent seats).

### Salesforce sync not updating
**Symptom**: Ticket data not appearing in