From our side, we plan to build a custom integration to handle sending and receiving messages from our internal system channels, allowing agents to manage them through Zendesk. As this will follow a messaging-based model, We have some questions:
Best answer by marco_zerbini
Hi,
Great questions. Both scenarios are supported natively in Zendesk. Here's how each one works:
**1. Automated response when a customer initiates a chat**
Yes, this is handled through Messaging Triggers (Admin Center > Objects and rules > Business rules > Messaging triggers). You can create a trigger that fires when a conversation is created and immediately sends an automated message back to the customer through the same channel, for example a welcome message or an acknowledgement that someone will be with them shortly. You can also scope triggers to specific channels, which will be relevant since you're building a custom integration.
📄 Official docs: https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6058753945242-Creating-messaging-triggers
---
**2. Automated follow-up if the end user doesn't respond within X minutes/hours**
Here you have two tools depending on the timeframe you need:
For short inactivity windows (minutes), Zendesk has a built-in inactivity reminder system for messaging. By default it defines a ticket as inactive after 10 minutes with no reply from the end user, but admins can customise this. You can configure it to send reminder messages automatically and update the ticket status to Pending or Solved after defined inactivity periods.
📄 Official docs: https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7043034053658-Automatically-releasing-agent-capacity-for-inactive-messaging-conversations
For longer follow-up windows (hours or days), Automations are the right tool (Admin Center > Objects and rules > Business rules > Automations). The standard pattern is: when an agent replies and is waiting on the customer, set the ticket to Pending status. Then create an automation that checks "Status is Pending AND Hours since status pending is greater than X" and sends a follow-up message or public comment. To make sure the automation only fires once per ticket, add a tag condition (e.g. "Tags contains none of: follow_up_sent") and have the automation apply that tag as part of its action.
📄 Official docs: https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408831235738-Workflow-How-to-solve-a-ticket-automatically-after-a-certain-amount-of-time
These two approaches can be combined: inactivity reminders handle the short-term real-time nudges, automations handle the longer async follow-up cycle.
Hope this helps with your integration planning!
Hi,
Great questions. Both scenarios are supported natively in Zendesk. Here's how each one works:
**1. Automated response when a customer initiates a chat**
Yes, this is handled through Messaging Triggers (Admin Center > Objects and rules > Business rules > Messaging triggers). You can create a trigger that fires when a conversation is created and immediately sends an automated message back to the customer through the same channel, for example a welcome message or an acknowledgement that someone will be with them shortly. You can also scope triggers to specific channels, which will be relevant since you're building a custom integration.
📄 Official docs: https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/6058753945242-Creating-messaging-triggers
---
**2. Automated follow-up if the end user doesn't respond within X minutes/hours**
Here you have two tools depending on the timeframe you need:
For short inactivity windows (minutes), Zendesk has a built-in inactivity reminder system for messaging. By default it defines a ticket as inactive after 10 minutes with no reply from the end user, but admins can customise this. You can configure it to send reminder messages automatically and update the ticket status to Pending or Solved after defined inactivity periods.
📄 Official docs: https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7043034053658-Automatically-releasing-agent-capacity-for-inactive-messaging-conversations
For longer follow-up windows (hours or days), Automations are the right tool (Admin Center > Objects and rules > Business rules > Automations). The standard pattern is: when an agent replies and is waiting on the customer, set the ticket to Pending status. Then create an automation that checks "Status is Pending AND Hours since status pending is greater than X" and sends a follow-up message or public comment. To make sure the automation only fires once per ticket, add a tag condition (e.g. "Tags contains none of: follow_up_sent") and have the automation apply that tag as part of its action.
📄 Official docs: https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408831235738-Workflow-How-to-solve-a-ticket-automatically-after-a-certain-amount-of-time
These two approaches can be combined: inactivity reminders handle the short-term real-time nudges, automations handle the longer async follow-up cycle.
Hope this helps with your integration planning!
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