Zendesk Integration Guide for DSR Automation

Overview

This guide explains how to configure and use the native Zendesk integration in TrustWorks to automate Access and Erasure Data Subject Requests. The integration removes the need for Generic API steps and handles Zendesk specifics such as ticket comments retrieval and user deletion prerequisites.

What the integration allows to do

• Access DSRs
  • Retrieve a Zendesk user and user profile by email.
  • Retrieve the user’s tickets.
  • Retrieve comments for the user’s tickets.
• Erasure DSRs
  • Close open tickets for the user so deletion is permitted by Zendesk.
  • Delete the user (soft delete).
  • Optional: Permanently delete the user via Zendesk’s Deleted Users endpoint.
  • Optional: Permanently delete tickets if your policy requires it.

Legal and policy note: Customers must configure access and erasure behavior in line with their data retention and regulatory obligations. The examples in this guide are illustrative and must be adapted to each environment.

Table of Contents

1. Prerequisites
2. Set up the Zendesk integration
3. Create and link the Zendesk asset
4. Build the DSR workflow
5. Testing and validation
6. Video Walkthrough
7. Operational Notes
8. Troubleshooting
9. Support
10. Summary

Prerequisites

• TrustWorks admin access.
• Zendesk admin user with API enabled and an API token.
• Your Zendesk subdomain, admin email, and API token.
• A test Zendesk user email you can use for validation (ideally with at least one open ticket and one comment).

Set up the Zendesk integration

1. In TrustWorks, go to Settings → Integrations.
2. Click New Integration and select Zendesk.
3. Complete the fields:
   • Integration name: e.g., Zendesk Prod .
   • Authentication method: API Key.
   • Subdomain: e.g., yourcompany (TrustWorks will resolve yourcompany.zendesk.com ).
   • Admin email: Zendesk admin email that owns the token.
   • API key: Paste the Zendesk API token (in the original format, not in base64).
4. Click Test connection. If successful, click Save.

Tip: Ensure the Zendesk user for the token has adequate permissions to read users, tickets, and comments, and to update or delete where required.

Create and link the Zendesk asset

1. Go to Assets → New (or open an existing Zendesk asset)
2. Choose Application → Third Party → Zendesk
3. Assign an owner (e.g. Privacy Team)
4. In Automation, select your Zendesk integration and enable it
5. Save

Linking the asset to the integration is required so workflow actions can call Zendesk with the right credentials and context.

Build the DSR workflow

You can add Zendesk automation into an existing DSR workflow or create a new one.

1. Go to Workflows → New Workflow
2. Select Data Subject Request as the type
3. Choose the trigger (e.g. when a DSR is created)

Access Request Example

• Add an ‘Access Data’ action
• Select your Zendesk asset
• Choose what to retrieve: User profile, Tickets, Comments

Erasure Request Example

• Add an ‘Erase Data’ action
• Select your Zendesk asset
• Choose what to delete:
  • Close open tickets (required before deletion)
  • Delete user (soft delete)
  • Optionally: permanently delete user and/or tickets

Important: If you choose to keep tickets for retention, select Close open tickets and Delete user, but do not enable permanent ticket deletion. In Zendesk, closed tickets remain accessible for audit and will show “Permanently deleted user” as the requester.

Testing and validation

Follow these steps to validate end-to-end:

1. Ensure the workflow toggle is set to Active and click Save.
2. Create a test DSR with your Zendesk test email by going to Subject Requests → New. Choose Access or Erasure to match your workflow configuration.
3. Monitor execution
   • Open the DSR and go to Execution Details.
   • Use Flow or List view.
   • Click the eye icon on each action to view raw requests and responses where applicable.

4. Verify in Zendesk
   • Access: verify the user, tickets, and comments exist and match exported data.
   • Erasure: verify the user is deleted. If you preserved tickets, ensure they are closed and the requester shows as “Permanently deleted user.” If you chose permanent ticket deletion, verify tickets are no longer present.

🎥 Video Walkthrough

Prefer a step-by-step demo? Watch this short video where our Solutions Engineer Moumen walks through setting up the integration, linking a Zendesk asset, and building both Access and Erasure workflows in TrustWorks:

Operational notes

• Closing vs deleting tickets: Some customers close tickets instead of deleting them to keep an audit trail. Deleting tickets removes content and may affect retention policies. Choose the option that aligns with your legal and business requirements.
• Deletion order: Zendesk will not delete a user with open or solved tickets. Tickets must be closed first. TrustWorks sequences the actions accordingly when both are selected.
• Permanent deletion: Use permanent user deletion only after the user has been soft-deleted. Use permanent ticket deletion only if your policy requires it.

Troubleshooting

If an action shows a failure, open Execution Details, click the eye icon on the action, and review the returned message for the precise cause.

Support

If you encounter issues or need implementation support:

• Contact TrustWork’s support team: support@trustworks.io
• Zendesk API Docs: developer.zendesk.com

Summary

By integrating TrustWorks with Zendesk, your organization can:

• Automate access and erasure requests for customer data
• Reduce the manual workload on support and compliance teams
• Maintain a defensible audit trail for regulators and internal stakeholders
• Deliver faster, more consistent responses to end-user privacy requests