How to Connect Chatonbo to Zendesk
Escalate AI chatbot conversations to Zendesk support tickets automatically. Let the bot handle routine questions while your agents focus on complex issues.
Why Connect Chatonbo to Zendesk?
Not every customer question can be answered by AI. When a visitor needs human help, the conversation should flow seamlessly to your support team with full context — not force the customer to repeat themselves.
Seamless Escalation
Conversations move from AI to human agents without friction. The visitor stays in the chat while a Zendesk ticket is created behind the scenes.
AI Handles the Easy Questions
Your chatbot answers FAQs, collects lead information, and resolves common issues 24/7 — freeing your Zendesk agents for complex problems.
Full Conversation Context
Every Zendesk ticket includes the complete chat transcript, visitor name, email, phone, page URL, and any data the bot collected.
Reduce Support Costs
Teams using Chatonbo with Zendesk report handling 40-60% of incoming questions with AI, significantly reducing ticket volume and agent workload across the United States, Europe, and globally.
Prerequisites
- A Chatonbo account on the Pro plan ($19/month) or higher
- A Zendesk account with API access enabled
- At least one Chatonbo bot created and active
- Admin access to your Zendesk instance to generate an API token
Step-by-Step Setup
Go to your bot settings and open Integrations
Log in to your Chatonbo dashboard, select the bot you want to connect, and navigate to Settings > Integrations. This is where all your third-party connections live.
Find the Zendesk integration and click Connect
In the integrations list, locate the Zendesk card. Click the "Connect" button to begin the setup process. The integration is available on Pro, Business, and Enterprise plans.
Enter your Zendesk subdomain and API token
Provide your Zendesk subdomain (e.g., yourcompany.zendesk.com) and an API token generated from your Zendesk Admin Center under Apps and integrations > APIs > Zendesk API. Use a dedicated API token for Chatonbo so you can revoke it independently if needed.
Configure escalation triggers
Define when a conversation should be escalated to a Zendesk ticket. You can set triggers for when the bot cannot answer a question, when a visitor explicitly requests a human agent, or when specific keywords appear in the conversation (e.g., "cancel", "refund", "speak to someone").
Map conversation data to Zendesk ticket fields
Choose which data from the Chatonbo conversation maps to your Zendesk ticket fields. By default, the visitor's name and email become the requester, the conversation summary becomes the ticket subject, and the full transcript is added as the first comment. You can also map custom fields like company name, phone number, or page URL.
Test the integration by triggering an escalation
Open your chatbot widget and start a test conversation. Trigger one of your escalation conditions — for example, type "I want to speak to a human." Verify that a new ticket appears in your Zendesk dashboard with the correct data, conversation history, and requester information.
What the Zendesk Ticket Looks Like
When a conversation is escalated, Chatonbo creates a Zendesk ticket that includes everything your agents need to pick up where the bot left off.
Bot: Hi! How can I help you today?
Visitor: I have a question about enterprise pricing
Bot: Our Enterprise plan includes unlimited bots, conversations, and storage. For custom pricing, I can connect you with our team.
Visitor: Yes, I'd like to speak to someone
Bot: I'm connecting you with a support agent now. They'll have the full context of our conversation.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of the Integration
Auto-Tagging
Configure Chatonbo to add tags based on conversation topics. Use these tags in Zendesk to route tickets to specialized teams — billing questions go to finance, technical issues go to engineering.
Priority Rules
Set up Zendesk triggers that automatically assign priority based on Chatonbo tags. For example, escalations containing "urgent" or "downtime" can be marked as high priority.
SLA Tracking
Because Chatonbo tickets include accurate timestamps, your Zendesk SLA policies can track response time from the moment the visitor first asked for help — not from when the ticket was created.
Multi-Language Support
Chatonbo supports 14 languages. The conversation transcript in the Zendesk ticket preserves the original language, so agents serving customers in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Israel, and other regions can respond appropriately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Zendesk integration work on the Free plan?
No. The Zendesk integration requires a Chatonbo Pro plan ($19/month) or higher. The Free plan includes core chatbot features but does not include third-party integrations.
Can I route tickets to a specific Zendesk group or assignee?
Yes. In the integration settings, you can specify a default Zendesk group and assignee for new tickets. You can also set up routing rules based on the conversation topic or the page where the chat originated.
What happens if Zendesk is temporarily unavailable?
Chatonbo will retry failed ticket creation up to 3 times with exponential backoff. If all retries fail, the escalation data is stored and you will be notified in your Chatonbo dashboard so no conversation is lost.
Can I customize which conversations create tickets?
Absolutely. You have full control over escalation triggers. You can escalate only when the bot cannot answer, when the visitor asks for a human, when specific keywords are detected, or any combination of these conditions. Conversations that don't match your triggers will not create tickets.
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