Zendesk#

The Zendesk integration creates a structured ticket in your Zendesk instance whenever a customer submits a Resolve claim. Photos, affected items, order context, and the customer's resolution preference are attached automatically.

What you need#

Before you start, gather:

Zendesk admin access — to create an API token.
Your Zendesk subdomain — the label in front of .zendesk.com, e.g. yourbrand in https://yourbrand.zendesk.com. You enter just the subdomain in the portal; Karla appends .zendesk.com.
An agent email address — the Zendesk user Karla will authenticate as. Must belong to an agent or admin with permission to create tickets.
A Zendesk API token — used together with the agent email for Basic authentication.

Karla uses Basic authentication with the combination {email}/token:{api_token}. This is Zendesk's standard API auth pattern — not your account password.

Steps#

1. Enable API token access in Zendesk#

In Zendesk, open Admin Center and navigate to Apps and integrations → Zendesk API.

On the Settings tab, make sure Token Access is enabled.

2. Create an API token#

Still under Zendesk API, open the API tokens tab and click Add API token.

Name it something recognizable — e.g. Karla Resolve Integration — and copy the token immediately. Zendesk only shows it once.

Treat the API token like a password. Do not share it in email or chat — enter it only in the Karla portal.

3. Note your Zendesk subdomain#

Your subdomain is the label in front of .zendesk.com:

yourbrand        (from https://yourbrand.zendesk.com)

Enter only the subdomain (yourbrand) in the portal — not the full URL. Karla appends .zendesk.com and uses it to route API calls to the correct account.

4. Connect Zendesk in the Karla portal#

In the Karla portal, navigate to Settings → Integrations and select Zendesk.

Enter your credentials under API Configuration:

Field	Value
Account Email	The agent email address Karla will authenticate as
API Token	The token you created in step 2

Save the credentials, then under Integration Settings enter your Subdomain (yourbrand) and save it. Karla validates against your Zendesk instance using Basic authentication before storing.

Once a subdomain is saved, toggle the integration on. New Resolve claims will create tickets in Zendesk automatically.

If you do not see Zendesk under Settings → Integrations, contact your account manager — the integration may need to be enabled for your shop first.

5. Optional settings#

A few extra settings live alongside the connection, all optional:

Notify customer — on by default. When on, the customer is copied on the claim ticket; turn it off to keep tickets internal. (Your own Zendesk autoreply triggers are separate and unaffected.)
Brand ID — for Zendesk instances serving multiple brands, the numeric brand new tickets are assigned to. Leave empty to use your default brand.
Carrier affidavit — saving a postal sender address (plus optional type of goods and main carrier) attaches a carrier affidavit PDF to investigation (not-received) tickets, ready for carrier disputes. Clearing the sender address removes it.
Ticket templates — customize the subject, body, tags, and attachments per claim reason. See Helpdesk integrations → Ticket templates.

What Karla creates in Zendesk#

When a customer submits a Resolve claim, Karla opens a Zendesk ticket with:

Subject and description mapped from the claim reason and customer notes.
Requester set to the customer email from the order.
Custom fields and tags reflecting the Resolve flow type, resolution preference, and shipment phase (configured per shop).
Attachments — claim photos and signatures uploaded as ticket attachments.
Order and shipment context in the ticket body — order number, carrier, tracking number, affected line items.

Your agents see a complete ticket without looking up the order elsewhere.

Troubleshooting#

Authentication failed after saving

Confirm the email belongs to an active agent or admin in Zendesk.
Confirm the API token was copied in full — no leading or trailing spaces.
Confirm Token Access is enabled in Zendesk Admin Center.
Use the {email}/token:{api_token} format — the literal word token between the email and the API token is required by Zendesk.

Tickets not appearing

Confirm the integration toggle is enabled in the Karla portal.
Confirm Resolve is enabled and customers are submitting claims through an active Resolve flow.
Check that the agent email has permission to create tickets in Zendesk.

Wrong Zendesk instance

Double-check the Subdomain field is just the label (yourbrand) — no https://, no .zendesk.com, no trailing path.

Where to next#

Helpdesk integrations overview — other connection options.
Gorgias — native Gorgias integration setup.
Dixa — native Dixa integration setup.
Webhooks — push claim events to a custom endpoint instead.
Data processing — the full claim payload shape.
Integration and automation — auto-refunds, routing rules, and custom transformations.