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Setting Up the ServiceAI App in Zendesk

Jeff Farris
  • Updated

The ServiceAI app surfaces inside the Zendesk agent workspace as a sidebar app on the ticket. When a technician opens a ticket, the app shows a top bar with Summary and Related links that open the AI ticket summary and a Related blade (related tickets and KB articles), and a set of Pod Quick Actions — one-click prompt buttons that send context-anchored questions to ServiceAI — all without leaving Zendesk.

The Zendesk app runs every chat turn through the same dynamic-query, search-augmented workflow as ServiceAI's AI Chat, so instead of giving a one-shot answer the app can pull related tickets, look up KB articles, and follow up with tool calls.

Installing the ServiceAI App in Zendesk

Prerequisite: Connect ServiceAI to your Zendesk instance first by following Integrating Zendesk to ServiceAI. The app expects your Zendesk tenant to already be linked to ServiceAI for ticket sync.

The ServiceAI Zendesk app is distributed as a private app package (ZIP) that you upload through the Zendesk Admin Center. CloudRadial provides a pre-built package per ServiceAI region (US and EU). Contact CloudRadial support to obtain the package for your region.

  1. In Zendesk, open the Admin Center from the four-square menu at the top right
  2. Navigate to Apps and integrations > Zendesk Support apps > Manage
  3. Click Upload private app at the top right
  4. Click Choose File and select the serviceai-zendesk-app-[region].zip package supplied by CloudRadial (for example, serviceai-zendesk-app-us.zip for the US region or serviceai-zendesk-app-eu.zip for the EU region)
  5. Click Upload
  6. Review the requested permissions and click Install

The app is now available to every agent in your Zendesk account.

Displaying the App on Tickets

Once installed, the ServiceAI app appears automatically in the right-hand sidebar of every ticket in the Zendesk agent workspace under the name ServiceAI - AI-Powered Ticket Analysis. Agents can expand and collapse the app from the sidebar like any other ticket sidebar app.

The app uses Zendesk's App Framework (ZAF 2.0) to detect the current ticket ID automatically, so there is no per-ticket configuration to do. The first time an agent opens a Zendesk ticket after the app is installed, they will be prompted to sign in to ServiceAI. After that, if the ticket already has a ServiceAI conversation, the app reopens the most recent conversation for that ticket so the technician can pick up where it left off; otherwise, it opens to the launcher view.

The app sizes itself to its content. Its height grows and shrinks with the conversation, between 300 and 900 pixels, instead of staying at a fixed height, so a short chat does not leave a large empty gap. The sign-in screen sizes itself the same way and fills the width of the apps panel.

Pod Quick Actions

When the ServiceAI app loads on a Zendesk ticket, it shows one-click Pod Quick Actions — configurable prompt buttons that send a context-anchored question (for example, Draft 2–3 alternative customer-facing responses) to ServiceAI's AI Chat using the ticket as context. The buttons wrap onto additional rows when they do not all fit, so agents never have to scroll sideways to find one. Configure your pills per-tenant under Settings > AI Behavior > Pod Quick Actions. The same configuration applies across all supported PSA pods (HaloPSA, ConnectWise, Autotask, Zendesk).

For full configuration details, see Configuring Pod Quick Actions in ServiceAI.

App Behavior

  • The top bar has Summary and Related links. Summary opens the AI ticket summary, and Related opens the related tickets and KB articles, linking back to Zendesk and ServiceAI. Both links are hidden while the app is busy loading the ticket or generating a reply.
  • The app runs every chat turn through the same dynamic-query workflow as AI Chat — instead of giving a one-shot answer, it can pull related tickets, look up KB articles, and follow up with tool calls
  • Triage already produces the initial agent summary and proposed response (posted as an internal note in Zendesk). The app is here to help the agent iterate on that draft — it does not redo the work
  • To update the summary after the ticket changes, select Refresh analysis in the app's top bar. ServiceAI re-reads the ticket from Zendesk and posts a fresh technical summary to the chat, saved to the ticket's most recent ServiceAI conversation. Refreshing uses AI credits and never changes anything in Zendesk. The Zendesk app does not show the amber new-notes icon that appears in the ConnectWise and Autotask pods.
  • Light or dark mode follows the user's ServiceAI preference
  • The first time a tech opens the app in a session, they are redirected to ServiceAI to sign in. Microsoft and Google sign-in cannot open inside the Zendesk panel, so the sign-in page hides those buttons. If your organization signs in with Microsoft or Google, select Email me a sign-in code and enter the 6-digit code that ServiceAI emails to you. After that, the app opens straight to the most recent conversation for that ticket if there is one, or to the launcher if not. To start a fresh conversation, click the + button beside the chat input and select New Conversation.
  • Persona is locked to Agent inside the Zendesk app — the persona toggle that AI Chat shows on the home page is hidden in this context

Key Notes for ServiceAI in Tickets

To operate the ServiceAI app in Zendesk, you must:

  • Be signed in with an existing account created in ServiceAI
  • Have that account assigned an Owner, Admin, or Editor role
    • The app will not load or work with the Viewer permission

As the ticket data loads, agents can test the responses of ServiceAI without affecting the ticket directly, allowing them to test AI responses safely. Agents can click on the response generated by AI Chat and paste it into the ticket reply or internal note for quicker responses.

Why Integrate ServiceAI with Zendesk

With the ServiceAI app, your technicians can access AI-powered resolution suggestions directly within the Zendesk ticket interface, eliminating the need to switch between multiple applications or tabs during ticket resolution.

Contextual Intelligence

AI Chat in the app automatically analyzes the current ticket details and provides relevant suggestions based on:

  • Ticket subject and description
  • Historical resolution patterns for similar tickets
  • Available documentation matching the problem context
  • Company-specific knowledge and procedures

Accelerated Resolution Times

By surfacing relevant solutions immediately within the ticket view, technicians can:

  • Reduce research time for common issues
  • Access step-by-step resolution guidance instantly
  • Leverage organizational knowledge without manual searching
  • Maintain consistent service quality across all agents

Improved Agent Performance

New and junior technicians benefit from AI-powered mentoring that provides:

  • Suggested troubleshooting steps based on proven resolution patterns
  • Reference to relevant documentation and procedures
  • Confidence in handling unfamiliar ticket types
  • Consistent application of best practices

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