Zendesk Implementation Training 1

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT | Recorded: 2024-02-14 | Verify against current system state

Abstract¶

Zendesk implementation training session with vendor team (Fernando, Pablo from Cernis). Covers bulk user import via CSV files and API, ticket migration including historical data with attachments, Postman collection runner for API automation, and strategies for keeping Zendesk user data synchronized with external databases. Also discusses SAML SSO integration details for user provisioning.

Key Procedures¶

• Prepare CSV file with UTF-8 encoding for user import
• Configure required fields: name, email, external_id
• Set administrator privileges for bulk import access
• Enable Zendesk API token access in Admin Center
• Create and secure API token for Postman authentication
• Use Postman collection runner to iterate through CSV data
• Upload attachments via separate API to get attachment tokens
• Associate attachment tokens with ticket comments
• Use bulk import tickets API for historical data with past created_at dates
• Map external_id field for user synchronization between systems

Notable Statements¶

• 0:02:50 "The CSV file is limited to 2000 rows, one header row and up to 1999 rows"
• 0:03:23 "The import CSV file has a limit of 200 columns"
• 0:07:49 "Through the SSO integration using SAML, we are passing the person ID through the external ID field"
• 0:08:09 "I did not pass membership type... this is a one time push. So that data does not get updated on a regular basis"
• 0:15:02 "The token will be shown just one time, so make sure that you are pretty sure"
• 0:20:01 "Every action that you want to do in Zendesk has an API called in the background. It's an API-first platform"
• 0:21:03 "When you upload an attachment, it will give you back an attachment token, which is a temporary unique identifier"
• 0:22:04 "The create ticket endpoint... has a field called created at, which is... a read only field"
• 0:22:23 "The import bulk import ticket... allows us to set any timestamp for the created at field"
• 0:23:53 "The bulk import tickets has the feature to archive automatically when created"
• 0:24:05 "Tickets will not pass through the normal life cycle... they will not fire any triggers"
• 0:28:03 "You can actually work with external ID... to have any ID outside Zendesk related, for example, a database ID"
• 0:31:43 "Attachments are included in a ticket as an uploads attribute inside the comments"

Systems & Configurations¶

Systems Mentioned¶

• Zendesk (Admin Center, API, Guide)
• Postman (collection runner, API testing)
• SpiceWorks (legacy ticketing system)
• Aptify (contact logs as potential import source)
• SAML SSO integration

Specific Configurations¶

Credentials/Access Mentioned¶

• Administrator privileges required for bulk import
• API token access must be enabled in Admin Center
• Token shown only once - must be saved securely

Vendor Contacts Mentioned¶

• Fernando (Cernis/Zendesk implementation team)
• Pablo (Cernis developer)

Errors & Troubleshooting¶

• Issue: Facebook/Twitter contact import not supported
• Cause: Platform limitation
• Resolution: Use Zendesk REST API for these contact types

• Timestamp: 0:04:01

• Issue: Missing data during bulk import

• Cause: Invalid or missing required fields
• Resolution: Zendesk emails result file with errors
• Timestamp: 0:30:14

Transcript Gaps & Quality Notes¶

• Training session with vendor team - multiple speakers
• Screen sharing demonstrations not captured in audio
• References to documentation sent via chat not included
• Recording covers Day 1 of multi-day training series
• SpiceWorks migration discussed as potential future use case