Integrate Zendesk Chat with Pendo

Last updated: August 25, 2023 17:00

You can embed Zendesk's live chat into your Pendo Resource Center to provide real-time assistance alongside your contextual guidance and product walkthroughs. When a visitor selects the Zendesk Chat module in the Resource Center, the Zendesk Chat window opens and the Resource Center is hidden. This starts a chat with a support agent. When the visitor is connected to a support agent, they can have their entire conversation in the in-app chat module.

This is one of three integrations with Zendesk that deploy the Zendesk web widget from the Pendo Resource Center:

The Zendesk Chat integration launches the web widget live chat feature.
The Zendesk Help Center integration launches the web widget help center feature.
The Zendesk messaging integration supersedes both Zendesk Chat and Zendesk Help Center.

You can either deploy Zendesk Chat and Zendesk Help Center independently, or deploy Zendesk messaging, which allows you to embed messaging into your help center.

How it works

The Zendesk Chat integration removes the native activation badge created by the Zendesk chat snippet and activates live chat within the Pendo Resource Center. The Resource Center can be activated from a Pendo badge or a target element in your application.

The Resource Center only supports one chat integration and will only load the first module listed.

If deploying Zendesk Chat alongside Zendesk Help Center, you can use Pendo segments in their respective Resource Center modules to control which visitors can access these Zendesk features.

Prerequisites

You must have an active Zendesk Chat integration for your Pendo subscription. Contact your Pendo customer success or sales representative to add the integration to your Pendo subscription. You must also have admin permissions to both your Pendo and Zendesk accounts, and a published Resource Center in Pendo.

Additionally, the Zendesk snippet must be installed below the Pendo install script in the page header. Installing the Zendesk snippet without publishing the Zendesk Chat module in the Resource Center will load the Zendesk Chat launch badge over your UI.

Install

Zendesk Chat installation is a two-step process. The chat module must be added to the Resource Center and the Zendesk Chat snippet must be installed on any page where the chat module is used.

If the Zendesk snippet is installed and the Resource Center module isn't published, the Zendesk snippet loads Zendesk's launch button over your UI. If the chat module is in the published Resource Center, it doesn't show up in the Resource Center until it detects the installed chat snippet in your application. This install order acts a fail-safe to only show the chat module when it's functional.

Step 1. Add the Zendesk Chat Module to the Resource Center

The Zendesk Chat integration needs to be added to the subscription before the Chat module can be added to the Resource Center. The Chat module must be added to the Resource Center and published before the snippet is installed in your application to avoid Zendesk displaying their launch badge until the Resource Center module is added.

Navigate to Settings > Integrations.
Find the Zendesk Chat integration in Live Chat integrations and select Edit Integration.
Edit the Resource Center module details.
Select Save to Staging to make the integration available in the Resource Center.
Navigate to Guides > Resource Center.
Select Add Module and add the Zendesk Chat module.
Select Add Modules to save the new module to your draft Resource Center.
Select Push to Staging to promote your Resource Center to staging. As a best practice, you should review the new Resource Center and test the chat integration in your staging environment.
Select Push to Production to promote your Resource Center from staging to your production environment. The Zendesk Chat module is now available in your Resource Center.

Additionally, to change the order of your Resource Center modules or make any other changes, select Manage in My App. You can also apply a segment. The Help Center module is hidden for anyone outside of the segment. The default is Everyone.

Step 2. Install the Zendesk Chat snippet

Zendesk has installation instructions for installing the Chat snippet. The process is similar to installing Pendo through the install script. The snippet needs to be added to the <head> of any page that you want to use Zendesk Chat. The Chat module in the Resource Center doesn't load unless the snippet is present on the page.

The Zendesk Chat snippet must be installed below the the Pendo install script in the <head>. If the Zendesk snippet loads before Pendo, Zendesk loads their own chat launch button instead of using the Resource Center module.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use this chat integration if I'm using Zopim?

Zopim is Zendesk's legacy chat widget. This integration doesn't support Zopim. If you want to use this chat integration, you must upgrade your Zendesk Legacy Chat account to use their enhanced experience. Zendesk has articles about the upgrade process.

Can I set up user identification with the Zendesk Chat integration?

The Chat integration uses the native Zendesk web widget API. Anything supported by the native API, including the ability to set up user identification, applies to the Chat integration. While user identification for chat cannot be controlled or set in Pendo, they can be controlled through Zendesk and your widget implementation. For additional instructions on setting up user identification, see Zendesk's Knowledge Base or Developer documentation: Zendesk Web Widget API Docs.

Does the Zendesk Chat integration support Zendesk's multi-brand option?

The Chat integration uses the native Zendesk integration. Anything supported by the native integration, including the multi-brand option, applies to the Chat integration. While you can't control multi-brand settings in Pendo, they can be controlled through Zendesk. Additional instructions for setting up multiple brands can be found in Zendesk's Knowledge Base.