How do I connect my helpdesk to Klaviyo's Customer Agent? Zendesk, Gorgias and Klaviyo Helpdesk compared
Install your helpdesk from Integrations in Klaviyo, then choose it as the handoff destination in Customer Agent > Settings. Klaviyo supports Klaviyo Helpdesk, Zendesk and Gorgias. Most problems come from a mismatch between two settings, covered in the troubleshooting section.
What the connection does
When Customer Agent can't resolve a conversation, either because an escalation rule fired or the shopper asked for a person, it hands the conversation to your team. The handoff follows the method you choose per channel:
-
Send a ticket to your helpdesk. Customer Agent creates a ticket and continues to manage the shopper experience, depending on which helpdesk you use.
-
Don't hand off. The agent shows a custom message instead. Use this if you don't have a helpdesk integration but still want to give shoppers a clear next step.
How each helpdesk behaves
| Helpdesk | What happens on a web chat handoff |
|---|---|
| Klaviyo Helpdesk | The conversation lands in Inbox and an available agent picks it up. Outside business hours, the shopper sees your auto-response or office hours message. |
| Zendesk | A Zendesk ticket is created. Web chat stays available to the shopper while the ticket is open, and your replies are delivered into the Klaviyo web chat. |
| Gorgias | A Gorgias web chat ticket is created. The shopper stays in web chat and your team's replies from Gorgias appear in the Klaviyo web chat. |
For email, SMS and WhatsApp, a ticket is created in your helpdesk. On SMS and WhatsApp the agent tells the shopper that a human will follow up. Each helpdesk receives the conversation transcript and timestamps.
You can use different destinations per channel. For example, web chat handoffs can go to Klaviyo Helpdesk while SMS handoffs go to Zendesk.
Set up Zendesk
-
In Klaviyo, open the Integrations tab.
-
Click Explore apps, search for Zendesk, open the card and click Install.
-
Enter your Zendesk URL and click Connect to Zendesk.
-
Log in to Zendesk if prompted, review the permissions and approve them.
-
Under Tickets, choose whether to sync Opened and Resolved ticket metrics from all brands or specific brands.
-
Optional: check Sync SMS conversations and Sync WhatsApp conversations if you want to reply to those messages from Zendesk. These require syncing ticket information.
-
To use Customer Agent handoff, click Manage setting and choose Zendesk as the handoff destination.
-
Click Complete setup.
Set up Gorgias
-
In Klaviyo, open the Integrations tab, click Explore apps, search for Gorgias and click Install.
-
Enter your Gorgias helpdesk URL and click Connect to Gorgias.
-
Log in if prompted and click Authorize.
-
Choose whether to sync all new Gorgias tickets to Klaviyo or only tickets with certain tags. If you manage more than one brand in one Gorgias account, syncing one brand per Klaviyo account avoids duplicate profiles.
-
Optional: sync SMS conversations, WhatsApp conversations and reviews, and sync customer profile information from Klaviyo to Gorgias.
-
To use Customer Agent handoff, click Manage setting and choose Gorgias as the handoff destination.
-
Click Complete setup.
Configure handoff in Customer Agent
-
Go to Customer Agent > Settings.
-
Open the Handoff section for the channel you want to change. Web chat, email, SMS and WhatsApp are configured separately.
-
Choose Send a ticket to your helpdesk and select your helpdesk, or choose Don't hand off and write the message shoppers will see.
-
Test by escalating a sample conversation in the test sidebar.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Handoff emails aren't reaching your helpdesk | The helpdesk integration isn't connected, or the connection expired | Open the integration in Klaviyo and reconnect it. Test again in the test sidebar. |
| Web chat handoff doesn't reach a person | The shopper isn't signed in, or no agents are available in the helpdesk | Make sure shoppers can sign in or provide an email before handoff. Check staffing for the relevant queue. |
| A Gorgias or Zendesk web chat handoff drops to email | The helpdesk selected for Customer Agent web chat handoff doesn't match the one selected under Customer Hub > Extensions | Set both to the same helpdesk, then retest. |
Good to know
-
Web chat handoffs require an authenticated customer account.
-
Gorgias web chat can't be embedded inside Customer Hub. The "Get help" button on order details pages is the only way to connect shoppers from Customer Hub to Gorgias.
-
Changing handoff settings applies to new handoffs only.
Sources: