Zendesk Integration

Integrating TrustWorks with Zendesk allows your organization to streamline the handling of privacy requests while enhancing customer support operations. By involving the Customer Support team in privacy request workflows, both Privacy and Support teams benefit from improved collaboration and efficiency.

With this integration, the Support team becomes a single point of contact for all customer interactions—including privacy-related inquiries—while continuing to work in Zendesk. Meanwhile, the Privacy team retains full visibility and control over privacy requests managed through TrustWorks.

How It Works

Generate a Zendesk API Token

Before setting up the integration, you’ll need to generate an API token in Zendesk. This token allows TrustWorks to securely access your Zendesk account. Follow Zendesk’s instructions to generate the token.

Configure Zendesk Integration in TrustWorks

To connect Zendesk with TrustWorks:

2. Select the Zendesk integration option.

Fill in the required fields:
- Zendesk Subdomain: Your Zendesk account’s subdomain.
- Email: The email of the user who generated the Zendesk API token.
- API Token: The token generated in Zendesk.
Click Test Connection to verify the setup.

If the connection is successful, click Save to finalize the integration.

Once saved, TrustWorks will automatically create the necessary Zendesk resources:

Trigger: Defines when and how tickets are sent to TrustWorks. You can customize the trigger conditions, such as ticket status or tags.

When a ticket is created in Zendesk, the Tags field is used to define the Data Request Type of the data subject request. The email entered in the Requester field will be used as the Subject Email.

To ensure the workflow functions correctly, the Zendesk trigger payload should include the subject_type field, which represents the Category of Individual ID in TrustWorks. For example, the payload can be updated to include "subject_type": "2" to indicate a Customer.

Please note that the ID value may differ between organisations—always refer to your TrustWorks configuration to use the correct subject_type ID.

Webhook: Sends matching tickets to TrustWorks. This webhook is initially inactive—the Zendesk admin must activate it after setup.

Streamline Privacy Request Handling with Workflows

Workflows allow you to automate privacy request handling according to your organisation’s specific needs. To integrate Zendesk into your Privacy Request workflows, go to the Workflow Builder and select the "Zendesk" trigger from the right-hand panel. Connect this trigger to the Start node.

When a ticket is created in Zendesk, the assigned tags will determine which workflow is triggered within TrustWorks. To ensure proper routing, it's essential that the Data Subject Request (DSR) type options in Zendesk match those configured in your TrustWorks workflow.

In the example below, the TrustWorks workflow is set to trigger when the Data Request Type is "Access" and the Subject Type is "Customer".

When a ticket is created in Zendesk, the Tags field is used to define the Data Request Type of the data subject request. Additionally, the email entered in the Requester field will be used as the Subject Email for the data subject request.

Conclusion

Integrating TrustWorks with Zendesk provides a powerful tool for streamlining privacy requests and enhancing customer support. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily set up the integration and automate privacy request handling. This integration empowers both Privacy and Customer Support teams to work more efficiently and collaboratively, ultimately improving the customer experience.