If you signed up before Aug 9, 2021, please click Previous plans to view your applicable plans.

Integrating Slack and Freshdesk not only enables agents to be aware of the tickets assigned to their group without leaving their Slack workspace but also collaborate with other members on Slack who can help with resolving the issue quickly. With the latest version of the Slack app, agents can now:

  • Create tickets from messages, shortcuts (⚡️) and also the global search bar
  • Receive notifications on new tickets and ticket updates in the respective Slack channels
  • Invite other teammates to a ticket notification thread to discuss and collaborate. Conversations in the notification thread get synced back to Freshdesk so context is preserved for future reference
  • View a list of your most recent open and pending tickets assigned to them on your home tab



Click here to add the Freshdesk app to your Slack workspace 


A quick guide to configuring the Slack - Freshdesk Integration :


Steps to follow for admins :


Note: To install the Freshdesk app in your Slack workspace, the user must have administrative privileges in Freshdesk and should be on a Freshdesk plan that provides API access. The app should first be installed on Slack by the Freshdesk admin, followed by the Freshdesk agents.


  • Login to your Slack workspace
  • Go to the app directory by clicking on Apps on the left pane
  • Search for the “Freshdesk” app and click on Add 
  • From the page that opens, click on Add to Slack to initiate the installation of the app



  • Click on Allow under the request for permission to enable the integration
  • Then go to Settings from your app home page and click on Proceed to link your Freshdesk domain to Slack
  • Enter your Freshdesk domain (eg: company.freshdesk.com) and a valid Freshdesk API key before clicking on OK (steps to find your API key)
  • After successful installation, you can click on Settings from the app homepage to connect the Freshdesk groups to respective Slack Channels



  • From here, you can map Freshdesk groups to respective channels by clicking Connect, in order to post ticket notifications to the relevant channels. Both public and private channels can be mapped to the corresponding Freshdesk group. However, you will only be able to map the private channels that you are a part of.

    Note: This step adds the Freshdesk Bot to the Slack channel. The bot can read and write only to these channels where it is added.


Note: You cannot map multiple Slack channels to one Freshdesk group

  • You can selectively choose to push tickets of a certain priority to Slack instead of sending all the tickets from a group


Steps to follow for agents :


Once the app has been installed by the admin, other agents can connect their respective Freshdesk accounts to Slack by doing the following:


  • Go to Apps and click on the Freshdesk app
  • The registered Freshdesk domain will be visible on the homepage for agents
  • Click on Settings and enter your own Freshdesk API key to complete the configuration


Note: Slack members without admin access on Freshdesk will not be able to configure the group-channel mapping


A quick guide to collaborating on Freshdesk tickets within Slack

  • Once a Slack channel has been mapped to a Freshdesk group, it will start receiving notifications when the tickets are assigned to a group on Freshdesk. Members can then refer to the details and work on the ticket right within that channel


  • Freshdesk agents who are part of the Slack channel will be able to collaborate with other Slack members who don’t need to be agents on Freshdesk
  • To start collaborating with a team member on Slack, the agent has to click on the Collaborate button displayed below the ticket details



Note: Only Freshdesk agents can invite other Slack members to collaborate on the tickets


  • Replies to the ticket thread in the Slack channel will be added as a private note on Freshdesk. This private note will also consist of the Slack channel URL using which you can navigate to the relevant thread on Slack



  • Likewise, a reply to the ticket or a private note added within Freshdesk will send a notification message to the relevant Slack channel. This notification will consist of the ticket reply and the ticket URL
  • Ticket notes and replies from Freshdesk to Slack are restricted to 250 characters for now




Updating a ticket


  • A Freshdesk agent will be able to perform quick actions on the ticket fields, right within the relevant Slack channel
  • To perform quick actions, the agent has to click on the Update button. Once the update ticket window opens, the agents can perform quick actions such as editing agent, group, status, and priority ticket fields in one go.



  • You can paste a Freshdesk ticket URL in the channel or the thread message pane to quickly post a ticket. The ticket will get unfurled with all the ticket information and options to edit the ticket.



Note: A member who is not a Freshdesk agent will not be able to update the ticket


  • Any update to the ticket will be sent as a notification to the relevant Slack channel



Note: It can take up to 5 minutes for the ticket updates to reflect in the respective channel


Creating a ticket


  • Both a Freshdesk agent and a Slack member who is not an agent on Freshdesk, can create tickets directly from the Slack interface
  • To convert a message on a Slack channel into a Freshdesk ticket, hover over the message and click on the icon that appears. Click on Create ticket from the drop-down. You will notice that the description of the ticket will be the Slack message that you are trying to convert





  • You can create a ticket from scratch in two ways:
    • Click on the Shortcuts icon in the message input field and click on Create ticket



  • Use the universal search bar to search for the create ticket action 



  • When an agent creates a ticket, all the mandatory fields are shown to the agent. However, when a requester creates a ticket, only subject and description fields are shown.




A quick guide to managing tickets on Slack


  • A Freshdesk agent can access and manage all his/her tickets in open/pending status right from the Slack interface.
  • To do that, the agent has to go to Apps > Freshdesk > Home on Slack
  • On the homepage, the agent will be able to see all the open/pending tickets under his/her name on Freshdesk
  • From here the agents will be able to add collaborators, reply to tickets, add public/private notes to the ticket and also update the ticket fields.




A quick guide to updating/deleting group-channel mapping


  • Navigate to the homepage of the Freshdesk app and click on Settings
  • New group-channel mapping can be provided using the Connect button
  • You can delete existing mappings by clicking on the Disconnect button displayed next to the channel mapping that you are looking to delete
  • Only Slack members who are admins on Freshdesk can setup/update/delete the group-channel mapping


How to Uninstall the app :

    

The app will be uninstalled from the workspace if any one of the users uninstall/remove the app from slack. To uninstall the app from the Slack workspace, follow the below steps: 


  • Navigate to the home tab and move to the About section.
  • Click on the Settings button
  • Find and click on the Remove application option present at the bottom.


Note: Anyone can remove the app from the Slack workspace provided that they are not restricted by the Slack admin



FAQs


Can I set filters to automatically send only specific tickets into Slack?

A: You can only filter based on priority of the ticket while you are mapping a Freshdesk group to a channel inside Slack.


Can I customize what a Freshdesk agent can do with a ticket on Slack?

A: Yes. For example, if you have disabled edit ticket properties access while assigning the roles and scope on Freshdesk for agents, your agents who are members on Slack will not be able to update the ticket properties


Is there a restriction to the number of team members with whom I can collaborate on Slack?

A: No, there is no limit to how many Slack members you can collaborate with on a ticket.


Can I link two or more related tickets right within Slack?

A: No, it is not possible to link tickets at the moment


What happens when a member on Slack who has collaborated on Freshdesk tickets, is deactivated?

A: The contribution of the deactivated member to the conversation will still be available under his/her name


What happens when a Slack channel mapped to a Freshdesk group gets archived?

A: You would still receive tickets to the archived channel if the channel is mapped to a Freshdesk group that actively gets tickets on Freshdesk. To stop receiving tickets on archived channels, you need to disconnect the mapping using the Freshdesk app settings within Slack


Which Freshdesk plan should I be on to be able to use the Slack app?

A: You can use the app on all plans providing API access


Will inline images and attachments also get synced?

A: Inline images and attachments are currently sent as links as part of ticket replies and private notes


Why should customers choose the new app over the old app?

A: While the existing app can send you notifications for custom events, the newer app allows agents to perform quick ticket actions, sync team conversations back and forth, and even show them a dashboard of their tickets, giving them a lot more control from Slack.

 

If the use case is to just push notifications based on specific custom events, then we’d recommend the existing app till parity. However, if users would like to have a lot more control inside Slack, then having the newer app lets them perform quick ticket actions, sync team conversations back and forth, and even show their agents a dashboard of their tickets.


Can the old and the new app exist simultaneously?

A: Yes. The two apps can exist in the same workspace but then, you’ll receive two different types of notifications for the same ticket. One on which you can perform actions and the other is just a notification. So, please recommend against it.

 

What’ll happen to the old app? 

A: We will continue to support the app for existing users for some time; we do not have an ETA at the moment. Users will be able to make changes to their configurations as well. However, all new users will be able to discover and install the new app only. All new features will be added to the new app. We’ll work on the deprecation plan and make sure to notify all existing users well in advance.