Integrate your Zendesk software to natively reply to Blueprint messages. After setting up the integration, any message replies in Blueprint will automatically create a support ticket in Zendesk. Previous message history and customer details will be displayed and any support agent replies handled in Zendesk for that ticket will be sent using Blueprint as the SMS sending platform.
Setup Docs
Firstly you will need to download some integration files here.
How to Setup in Zendesk and Blueprint
- Head to the Settings > Manage > Upload private app
- Call the app a name (we recommend 'Blueprint'), select 'Choose File'.
- Select the zip file (after downloading here) and click 'upload'.
- You will see a message about creating new apps and some terms and conditions. Select the 'upload' button.
- After the app has downloaded, select 'Install'.
- Once installed, in the left hand panel, select the option 'Channel Integrations' and click on the Blueprint app. Select the 'Accounts' tab and select 'Blueprint' from the Active accounts.
- Log in to Blueprint and head to the Integrations Hub. Select the Zendesk option.
- Select 'Activate' to generate a 'Public ID' number.
- Copy the 'Public ID'. If you need to regenerate or delete the ID, tick the box below (this can be ignored at this stage.)
- Select the Support Session Duration (in hours) - See below in the 'Notes' for more info.
- Head back into Zendesk and paste the 'Public ID' into the 'Integration code' box in. Select 'Link to Blueprint'. Your Zendesk will now be integrated.
How does this work?
When an inbound message is received into Blueprint, a ticket will automatically be created in Zendesk. This may be a reply to an automated message sent by Blueprint or a contact simply messaging your brand number. If a message is not support related however (e.g. a 'skip' response message to an upcoming charge message), no Zendesk ticket would be created.
- The ticket subject line will be the first few lines of message content. The 'Requester' name will automatically be displayed (based on Shopify data) and the time of the last message will show under 'Requester updated'.
- A reply can then be written and sent and the message thread will then display above the original message. You can see that the message was received 'via Blueprint' and when sending the message, the display 'Reply on Blueprint' displays.
- After the message is sent, the reply from Zendesk will then also display in Blueprint.
Notes
- Customer replies will stay in the same message thread (so that previous communication can easily be seen) dependant on what time frame is set in the Support Session Duration (see above). If a further response from the same customer is made within X hours of the previous response (72 hours as standard), the ticket will remain in the same thread. If a response is made beyond the detailed timeframe, a new ticket will be created in Zendesk and any previous messages in the thread will not be shown.
- Any attempted text formatting (such as bold, italics and underlining) would not be replicated in the outbound message from Blueprint as these formats are unavailable in SMS.
- Images can be attached to messages and will be sent in the form of MMS messages (only available to US merchants).
- If an inbound message does not create an alert in Blueprint (such as some smartlinks), this will also not create a ticket in Zendesk. This is useful as it will limit the amount of alerts to only those that need an immediate reply.
- Messages replies can be sent through either platform and will be visible in both. Any messages sent through Zendesk will display as having been sent by the 'bot'.
- Closing a ticket in Zendesk will not trigger any further messages to a customer.