Connecting Zendesk as an external knowledge source

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<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">You can connect a second Zendesk account to your primary Zendesk account to make its content availablewherever external content is used.</p>
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<p id="docs-ai-summary-toggle">Summary: <span id="up-triangle">◀</span><span id="down-triangle">▼</span></p>
<p id="docs-ai-summary-content">You can connect a second account as an external knowledge source to sync published help center articles, including restricted content with an API token and email, and optionally limit syncs by locale. As a Knowledge admin, you can manage viewer permissions, check sync status, manually resync content, and remove the connection when you no longer need it.</p>
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<div class="body">

<p class="p">You can connect a second Zendesk account to your primary Zendesk account to make its
content available <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9822956298010#topic_cwq_c2s_ygc" target="_blank">wherever external content is used</a>. </p>
<p class="p">When you set up your Zendesk connection, you specify your Zendesk URL for the Zendesk
knowledge base that you want to connect and optionally specify an API token, email, and
locale. If you specify an API token with email, you can sync non-public content. If you
select a locale, you can restrict your sync to articles for that locale only. </p>
<p class="p">If you don't specify an API token with email and locale, then each connection contains
the publically available content in the all locales for that subdomain. All published
articles that meet this criteria are synced to the connection. If you want to sync
content from another Zendesk subdomain, you'll need to <a class="xref" href="#topic_ftg_xjt_wgc">add a new connection</a> for that subdomain.</p>
<p class="p">You must be a Knowledge admin to set up and manage external content connections. </p>
<div class="p">This article contains the following topics:<ul class="ul" id="topic_c3s_fft_wgc__ul_kbk_dsh_xgc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_ftg_xjt_wgc">Setting up a Zendesk connection</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_t1w_vps_ygc">Adding or removing content from your Zendesk connection</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_xm5_zpf_k3c">Managing Zendesk content connected to your Zendesk account</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">Related articles</strong>:<ul class="ul" id="topic_c3s_fft_wgc__ul_npx_2r1_xgc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9822956298010" target="_blank">About connecting external content to Zendesk
for use across knowledge experiences</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408831783962" target="_blank">Knowledge product limits for your help
center</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">Setting up a Zendesk connection</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You can set up a Zendesk connection to connect and sync content from the knowledge
base of another Zendesk account. After you connect a Zendesk knowledge base, you can
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9822956298010#topic_opg_phs_ygc" target="_blank">configure workflows to use this external
content</a>.</p>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To set up a Zendesk connection</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc__ol_ik3_ckt_wgc">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9041943683354#topic_b5q_nwn_s2c" target="_blank">Knowledge admin</a>, click <strong class="ph b">Manage articles</strong>
(<img class="image" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc__d8e24" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/guide_icon_manage_articles.png">) in the sidebar.</span></li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">External content &gt; Connections</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Under the Available sources section, click <strong class="ph b">Connect</strong> on the Zendesk
source card.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc__image_y2y_pz5_z3c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-zd-connector-card.png" width="250"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Continue</strong>.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc__image_s2p_bcl_y3c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-cnctr-zdesk-connectmodal.png" width="300"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">In <strong class="ph b">Zendesk URL</strong>, enter the URL for your Zendesk account.<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc__image_qbb_t3q_xjc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-cnctr-zd-auth-option.png" width="600"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">If you want to sync non-public articles that are only visible to logged-in
users, then in the <strong class="ph b">Access restricted articles</strong> area, click <strong class="ph b">Turn
on</strong> and configure the following:<ul class="ul" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc__ul_ijh_j2x_ljc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Email</strong>: Enter the email address associated with your Zendesk
account. This information is combined with the API token to access
and sync your internal content.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">API token</strong>: Enter an API token if you want to sync non-public
articles to your Zendesk account. If you leave this field blank,
then only content visible to anonymous users will be synced. </li>
</ul>
<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc__image_n5l_sdx_ljc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-cnctr-sz-restrictedartaccess.png" width="550"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">
<p class="p">Click <strong class="ph b">Continue</strong>.</p>
</li>
<li class="li">
<p class="p">In <strong class="ph b">Locales (optional)</strong>, select a locale for articles that you want
to sync. If you leave this field blank, then articles associated with all
locales will be synced.</p>
<p class="p"><img class="image" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc__image_f5c_why_xjc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-zd-locale-modal.png" width="450"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">
<p class="p">Click <strong class="ph b">Sync</strong>.</p>
<p class="p">Zendesk is added to your Connections page and your site begins
syncing.</p>
<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_ftg_xjt_wgc__image_ptk_j1b_2jc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-zd-syncing.png" width="800"></p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_t1w_vps_ygc">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Adding or removing content from your Zendesk connection</h2>
<div class="body">
<div class="p">To add or remove content from a Zendesk connection, you can add or delete the content
from the connected Zendesk knowledge base, then either wait for an automatic sync,
or <a class="xref" href="#topic_x2c_xlb_xgc">manually resync your site</a>.
The new content item will be reflected in the Items number for the Zendesk
connection on your Connections page.<div class="note" id="topic_t1w_vps_ygc__note_w52_v1b_2jc">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Syncs (manual or
automatic) can take up to 24 hours to complete.</div>
</div>
<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_t1w_vps_ygc__image_s2x_xt2_kjc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-zd-syncing.png" width="800"></p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested1" id="topic_xm5_zpf_k3c">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title4">Managing Zendesk content connected to your Zendesk account</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Once you've created a Zendesk connection, you can view information about the
connection, set viewer permissions for content, and manually resync or remove the
connection. </p>
<div class="p">This section contains the following topics:<ul class="ul" id="topic_xm5_zpf_k3c__ul_srg_2lb_xgc">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_cvp_glb_xgc">Viewing Zendesk connection details</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_z5f_xts_ygc">Managing viewer permissions for Zendesk content</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_x2c_xlb_xgc">Manually resyncing Zendesk content</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_c5b_bmb_xgc">Removing a Zendesk connection</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" class="topic nested2" id="topic_cvp_glb_xgc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title5">Viewing Zendesk connection details</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You can use the information panel to view information about the Zendesk
connection, when it was created and by whom, and when it was last synced. </p>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To view Zendesk connection details</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_cvp_glb_xgc__ol_gbz_kwb_xgc">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9041943683354#topic_b5q_nwn_s2c" target="_blank">Knowledge admin</a>, click <strong class="ph b">Manage articles</strong>
(<img class="image" id="topic_cvp_glb_xgc__d8e24" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/guide_icon_manage_articles.png">) in the sidebar.</span></li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">External content &gt; Connections</strong>.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_cvp_glb_xgc__image_ibz_kwb_xgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/guide-confcnct-extcontent-connect.png" width="225"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">Click the options menu (<img class="image" id="topic_cvp_glb_xgc__image_jbz_kwb_xgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/uc_options_icon.png">) on the row for the connection you want to
manage, then select <strong class="ph b">Manage</strong>.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_cvp_glb_xgc__image_kbz_kwb_xgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-zd-manage.png" width="800"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">View details about the connection:<ul class="ul" id="topic_cvp_glb_xgc__ul_qbb_gyb_xgc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Created</strong>: When the connection was created</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Connected by</strong>: Name of the Knowledge admin who created the
connection</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Items</strong>: Number of pages synced for that connection</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Status</strong>: Sync status</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Last synced</strong>: When the last sync occurred. Syncs are
automatically performed every 24 hours, though they can also be
<a class="xref" href="#topic_x2c_xlb_xgc">triggered
manually</a>
</li>
</ul>
<p class="p"></p>
<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_cvp_glb_xgc__image_adk_syb_xgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-doc360-mng-panelview.png" width="325"></p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title6" class="topic nested2" id="topic_z5f_xts_ygc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title6">Managing viewer permissions for Zendesk content</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">You can set the viewer permissions for who can view connected Zendesk
content in your Zendesk workflows.</p>
<div class="p" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">To manage viewer permissions for Zendesk content</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_z5f_xts_ygc__ol_csl_zts_ygc">
<li class="li"><span class="ph">In <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9041943683354#topic_b5q_nwn_s2c" target="_blank">Knowledge admin</a>, click <strong class="ph b">Manage articles</strong>
(<img class="image" id="topic_z5f_xts_ygc__d8e24" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/guide_icon_manage_articles.png">) in the sidebar.</span></li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">External content &gt; Connections</strong>.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_z5f_xts_ygc__image_inn_15s_ygc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/guide-confcnct-extcontent-connect.png" width="225"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">Click the options menu (<img class="image" id="topic_z5f_xts_ygc__image_jnn_15s_ygc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/uc_options_icon.png">) on the row for the connection you want to
manage, then select <strong class="ph b">Manage</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Under <strong class="ph b">Viewing permissions</strong>, select one of the following options to
determine which <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408837707290" target="_blank">user segments</a> can view content
from this space:<ul class="ul" id="topic_z5f_xts_ygc__ul_kng_tct_pbc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Only visible to selected user segments</strong>: Select up to 10
user segments from any of the following (an Enterprise plan is
required to select multiple user segments):<ul class="ul" id="topic_z5f_xts_ygc__ul_lng_tct_pbc">
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Signed-in users</strong>: Includes internal and external
users who create an account and sign in to your help
center. </li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Agents and admins</strong>: Includes team members only, so
that you can create content that is internal-only. <div class="note" id="topic_z5f_xts_ygc__note_mng_tct_pbc">
<span class="notetitle">Note:</span> Light agents are included in
this segment. For a list of light agent permissions,
see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408846501402" target="_blank">Understanding and
setting light agent
permissions</a>.</div>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Custom user segment</strong>: Allows you to restrict
viewing access to specific users based on tags,
organizations, or groups by applying user segments. See
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408837707290" target="_blank">Creating user
segments to restrict access</a>.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Visible to everyone</strong>: Includes anyone who visits your help
center and does not require sign in.</li>
</ul>
<p class="p"></p>
<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_z5f_xts_ygc__image_dks_y5l_y3c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-norton-viewingpermissions-0416.png" width="400"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">Click <strong class="ph b">Save</strong>.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title7" class="topic nested2" id="topic_x2c_xlb_xgc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title7">Manually resyncing Zendesk content</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">When you connect Zendesk as an external content source, a sync process runs every
24 hours to update new or changed content within the top level pages and their
subpages that you connected. </p>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To manually resync Zendesk content</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_x2c_xlb_xgc__ol_lxk_5d5_wgc">
<li class="li">On the Connections page, click the options menu (<img class="image" id="topic_x2c_xlb_xgc__image_z13_4lb_q3c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/uc_options_icon.png">) for the connection you want to
sync.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_x2c_xlb_xgc__image_p4z_4l5_wgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-zd-syncagain.png" width="800"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">Select <strong class="ph b">Sync again</strong>.<p class="p">The Zendesk connection syncs immediately,
and the Last synced column is updated with the most recent sync
time.</p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title8" class="topic nested2" id="topic_c5b_bmb_xgc">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title8">Removing a Zendesk connection</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">You can remove the connection to the second Zendesk account if you no longer want
to sync its content. If you remove a connection, all content within that
connection will be removed. </p>
<p class="p">When you remove a connection, the related content is no longer available <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/9822956298010" target="_blank">wherever external content is used</a>. </p>
<div class="p">
<strong class="ph b">To remove a Zendesk account</strong><ol class="ol" id="topic_c5b_bmb_xgc__ol_avd_g25_wgc">
<li class="li">On the Connections page, click the options menu (<img class="image" id="topic_c5b_bmb_xgc__image_ugj_qlb_q3c" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/uc_options_icon.png">) for the connection you want to
remove.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_c5b_bmb_xgc__image_jz1_zl5_wgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-zd-Remove.png" width="800"></p>
</li>
<li class="li">Select<strong class="ph b"> Remove connection</strong>.</li>
<li class="li">Review the message, then click <strong class="ph b">Remove</strong>.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_c5b_bmb_xgc__image_fcm_czg_xgc" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/knw-zd-removeconn-conf.png" width="450"></p>
The connection is removed from the Connection list, and is no
longer available as an external content source.</li>
</ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
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