Using the Gmail connector to convert email messages to tickets automatically

Automatically convert Gmail emails into tickets by connecting your Gmail account. This feature checks for new emails every minute, sending ticket notifications from your Gmail. Be aware of Google's sending limits and set up SPF or DKIM for email authorization. You can manage multiple Gmail connections, import recent emails, and disconnect or reconnect accounts as needed.






Important: Enabling this functionality leverages Google API
Services. Zendesk’s use and transfer to any other app of information
received through the Google API Services connecting Zendesk Support
to your Gmail accounts will adhere to Google's Limited Use
Requirements described in the Google API Services: User
Data Policy.

You can import email from one or more Gmail inboxes and automatically convert
email messages to tickets. Zendesk Support will check for new email in your
Gmail inbox every minute. Only new, unread email messages in the inbox will
be converted into tickets.
When Send email via Gmail is turned on, ticket notifications will be sent
from your Gmail using Google mail servers instead of Zendesk mail servers.
You need to set up SPF or DKIM to
authorize Zendesk Support to send email on your behalf (in the event that
traffic needs to be sent from Zendesk servers for any reason). Notifications
will be in your Sent folder in your Gmail. It's important to note that if
you use the Send email via Gmail feature, you can't use real
attachments (attachments in emails instead of links). If you have attachments turned on, email
notifications with real attachments are sent from Zendesk mail servers
instead.
You can connect to multiple Gmail accounts. When you do, each Gmail address is
automatically added as a support address. You don't need to add it manually.
When you set up the connection, you can choose to create tickets from the
last 300 emails or not create any tickets. When you add a new Gmail address,
Zendesk will import unread emails from the inbox that arrived within the
last hour.
Before you connect to your Gmail account, make sure you sign in to the Gmail
account you want to connect to. If you sign in to a different Gmail account
in the same browser as your instance of Zendesk Support, you will connect to
the wrong account.
This article includes these topics:

About Google sending limits
Connecting to your Gmail account
Managing Gmail connections



About Google sending limits

Google limits daily sending to 500 messages for Gmail or 2000 for Google Apps. Unless you're a
small business with low traffic, we recommend Google Apps for this
integration. Check Google's support site for additional
information.
If you approach the limit, based on the number of email notifications sent through your Gmail,
you will receive a warning, and notifications will temporarily be
sent from Zendesk mail servers instead of Google mail servers. If
you continue to have this issue, you should consider deselecting the
Send email via Gmail option and setting up forwarding
and an SPF record to send notifications from Zendesk mail servers.
Deselecting this option will make the Zendesk verification code you
need to set up SPF visible. See Forwarding incoming email from your existing email address to Zendesk Support.



Connecting to your Gmail account

You can link one or more Gmail accounts. When you do, all new, unread email messages in the inbox
are imported and converted to tickets. If you want to connect to
multiple accounts, repeat these steps.

To connect to your Gmail account
In Admin Center, click
Channels in the sidebar, then select Talk and email > Email.
Click Manage support addresses.
Click Add address, then click Connect external
address.
If you have multiple brands, select the brand for which
you're connecting your Gmail account.
Select Gmail connector.
You have the option to Create tickets from last 300
emails. When selected, the 300 most recent
emails in your account are imported as tickets,
regardless of whether they've been read. Zendesk
suppresses ticket triggers at creation for those 300
tickets. If you don't want to import
pre-existing emails as tickets, deselect Create
tickets from last 300 emails. Unread emails
that arrived in the inbox within the last hour
will be imported.

Click Next.
If requested, sign in to your Gmail account, then click
Continue.
Follow the on-screen prompts to connect to your Gmail
account. Be sure to select Read, compose, and
send emails from your Gmail
account.
Your Zendesk Support is
connected to your Gmail account. Zendesk Support
will check for new email in your Gmail inbox every
minute and convert email messages to tickets.
Ticket notifications will be sent from your Gmail
account. The Zendesk label is
added to all emails that have been imported as
tickets.






Managing Gmail connections

You can disconnect a Gmail inbox at any time if you want to stop
importing email from that inbox.

Note: If you want to disconnect the inbox tied to your default
Support address, you
need to create a new default Support address before continuing.
To disconnect a Gmail account


In Admin Center, click
Channels in the sidebar, then select Talk and email > Email.
Click Manage support addresses.
Locate the Gmail account. Any support address connected
to a Gmail account indicates that it has the
connection type of Gmail connector.
Click the options menu ( ) next to the support
address, then click Disconnect.
Confirm you want to delete the connection by clicking
Delete address.


If your Gmail account entry displays a warning saying it has been
disconnected, you can reestablish the connection. In this case, if
you reconnect, any emails that have already been imported will
not be imported again as duplicate tickets.
To reconnect a disconnected Gmail account


In Admin Center, click
Channels in the sidebar, then select Talk and email > Email.
Click Manage support addresses.
Locate the Gmail account. Any support address connected
to a Gmail account indicates that it has the
connection type of Gmail connector.
Click the options menu ( ) next to the support
address, then click Reconnect. If the Gmail
account has disappeared from the Support addresses
list, reconnect it using the instructions in Connecting to your Gmail account.



Once re-authorized, you should continue to receive all emails sent to
that Gmail account.