ZZetra

Sunshine

Connect Sunshine Conversations so your agent can hand customers to a live person in Zendesk.

Overview

Sunshine Conversations is Zendesk's live-chat platform. Connect it and your agent can hand a customer to a live person in Zendesk in real time. Your team replies from the Zendesk Agent Workspace, and the customer sees the replies in the same chat window on your site.

What you can do

Let the agent handle routine questions, and hand the customer to a live Zendesk agent the moment the issue needs a person.

Before you start

  • A Zetra account with an agent. If you haven't built one yet, create a free account and follow the Quick start.
  • A Zendesk account with Messaging and the Agent Workspace turned on (Zendesk Suite Professional or above).
  • Zendesk connected in Zetra first. The Sunshine card stays locked ("Connect Zendesk first") until it is.
  • A Standard plan or above. See pricing.

How to connect Sunshine

  1. Create an API key in Zendesk

    1. Sign in to Zendesk as an admin and open the Admin Center.
    2. Go to Apps and integrations → APIs → Conversations API.
    3. Click Create API key, name it "Zetra" and click Next.
    4. Copy the App ID, Key ID and Secret key. The secret is shown only once.

  2. Connect Sunshine in Zetra

    Open your agent, click Integrations and then Connect on the Sunshine card. Paste the App ID, Key ID and Secret key and click Submit. Zetra uses the subdomain of your connected Zendesk, checks the key and registers its webhook on your Sunshine app automatically.

  3. Turn on multi-conversations in Zendesk

    A customer can have more than one chat open, so let Zendesk keep them apart:

    1. In the Admin Center, go to Channels → Messaging and social → Messaging and click Manage settings.
    2. Under Web Widget and Mobile SDKs, expand Multi-conversations and click Set up multi-conversations.
    3. Turn it on for your account, choose the channels and click Save.

  4. Let agents end messaging sessions

    In the same Messaging settings, under Advanced → Ending sessions, choose Agents can end messaging sessions at any time and save. When your agent ends the session, the conversation goes back to the AI.

  5. Add the Live chat handoff action

    Click Build → Actions → Create action, open Live chat handoff and choose Zendesk live chat (Sunshine). Adjust When to use (for example "when the customer asks for a person or is upset"), save and turn it on.

Check it works

On your site, ask the agent to talk to a person. The chat appears in the Zendesk Agent Workspace; reply there and your message shows in the chat window. End the session in Zendesk and the AI takes over again.

If the webhook can't be registered automatically

Zetra shows a note with the webhook address. Create the webhook yourself in Admin Center → Apps and integrations → Conversations integrations (events: conversation message, switchboard release and pass control), then paste its secret under Manage → Advanced on the Sunshine card.

Limitations

  • Zendesk must be connected first.
  • Zendesk Suite Professional or above, with Messaging and the Agent Workspace on.
  • A person must be available. If nobody is online in Zendesk, the customer waits in the queue.
  • Live chat handoff works in the chat bubble, help page and Center Stage.

Troubleshooting

“Zendesk rejected this key” or “No Sunshine Conversations app was found”

Possible cause: the App ID, Key ID or secret was copied from a different Zendesk account, or the key was deleted.

Solution: Create a new Conversations API key in the same Zendesk account you connected, and paste all three values again.
The handoff starts but nobody sees the chat in Zendesk

Possible cause: Messaging or the Agent Workspace is off, or chats are routed to a group nobody is online in.

Solution: Check Messaging and the Agent Workspace are on, and that an agent is online with the right group.

Next steps

Zendesk →Prefer a ticket instead of a live chat? Escalate by opening one.Actions →Fine-tune when the agent hands a chat over.
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