Zendesk has a variety of features to streamline and optimize your customer service. One of these features is called macros. These out-of-the-box responses can be added to your tickets to help your staff resolve issues faster. However, how exactly do you set up a macro?
In this post, we will provide a complete guide to creating macros in Zendesk.
How to create a macro in Zendesk
One of the most impressive features of Zendesk is its versatility. Unlike other applications, creating macros does not have to be something restricted to administrators. Other users (agents) in your organizations can generate their own tickets, reducing your participation.
Best of all, creating these personal tickets only takes a few clicks.
- Open Zendesk and go to your “Admin Center.”
- Navigate to your sidebar and choose the “Workspaces” button.
- Go to “Agent Tools,” followed by “Macros.”
- Tap the prompt that allows you to select all your shared macros.
- Choose “Personal Macros.”
- Click “Add Macro.”
- Type the name of your macro and specify the action it will perform.
- Choose “Create” and you are ready.
The ability to create personal macros is universal. In other words, any agent on your team can create macros for faster customer service. That said, some features are only available to administrators. One of these features is the ability to create shared macros.
The name is self-explanatory: shared macros are macros that can be used by multiple members. They make customer service even easier by eliminating the need for inpidual agents to set up the same or similar template and waste time. They can simply access a pre-built macro when dealing with a ticket and handle customer queries faster.
Like personal macros, shared macros require minimal skill to set up.
- Launch your app and access your “Admin Center”.
- Press the “Workspaces” button and choose your “Agent Tools.”
- Go to “Macros” followed by “Add Macro.”
- Find the best name and description for your macro. A macro does not need to be described, but it makes it easier for agents to retrieve it and determine its purpose.
- Determine who can access your macro. Some of your options include agents from a certain group, all agents, and only you (the creator).
- Click the “Add Action” message and choose your action.
- Complete the following field. If you want to use a comment or description action for your macro with different formats, several functions can enhance your macros. For example, you can add images, attachments, and other content to make macros more relevant and easier to understand.
- If necessary, press “Add Action” again if you want to add another action to your macro.
- Finish by clicking the “Create” button and your shared macro will be working.
How to add a macro to a ticket
Even if your macro is ready, don’t put your feet up just yet. After all, you didn’t just create your macro, right? You want to put them to real use and the way to do that is to apply your macros to your tickets. The process is simple.
- Open the ticket you want to apply your macro to.
- Go to the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the “Apply Macro” button.
- Select the macro you want to add to the ticket. In general, you will see the most frequently used macros in the last seven days. If you need a different macro, browse the list or use the convenient search option to retrieve your item in seconds.
- If necessary, click the “Apply Macro” button once more to choose another macro. Typically you will need multiple macros in a single ticket if your ticket has multiple questions. Two or more macros can provide specific answers, allowing you to address problems more easily.
Integrating your macro into a ticket is simple, but is there a faster way to do it? There is: all you need to do is use keyboard shortcuts. The first thing you have to do is turn on your Agent Workspace.
- Navigate to the always useful “Admin Center” and press “Workspaces.”
- Select your “Agent Tools” and tap “Agent Workspace.”
- Press the button that allows you to activate your agent workspace.
- Press “Save.” Any agent currently using the account should now see a notification encouraging them to try out their new agent workspace. This prompts them to complete any pending calls or tickets before choosing the “Change Workspace” button.
Now that all the preparations have been made, move on to applying your macros using a shortcut.
- Shows the ticket where the macro will be incorporated.
- Go to one of the comments and enter a slash.
- You will now see a menu showing macro functions and shortcuts. Choose a macro by selecting it from the list or entering it in its message box. This will implement any action described in your macro.
- Write another slash in your comment if you want to include an additional macro.
How to create a macro from an existing ticket in Zendesk
The steps above explain how to create macros from scratch. These macros do not need to be part of your existing tickets, which means you can transfer them to any other ticket and respond to customer requests.
But what if you wanted to configure a macro from a ticket you already have? Fortunately, Zendesk supports this option. Here’s how to use it.
- Launch Zendesk and navigate to your ticket.
- Navigate to the top right corner of the screen and click on the 3 horizontal dots.
- Choose your “Ticket” menu and press the prompt that allows you to create a ticket as a macro. This should be the “Create as Macro” button, but the wording may vary depending on your version.
- Think of a name and, if necessary, change some of the indications on your ticket. For example, you may want to delete the original description and write a new one. This can be done for several purposes, such as being more specific and removing irrelevant content.
- Once you have modified your ticket, choose the “Create Macro” button to finish the process.
As with standard macros, you can determine who can access your macros from existing tickets. This can include you, agents from different groups, and all team members. However, if you do not want others to edit your macros, consider creating only personal macros.
How to preview your macros before applying them to tickets
The preview feature is one of the most useful features in any customer service software, not just Zendesk. In this program specifically, it is especially convenient because it allows you to preview your macros before adding them to your ticket. This way you can make any necessary adjustments to ensure your macro works well.
You should have no difficulty previewing macros in Zendesk.
- Access the ticket where you will add your macro.
- Go to the bottom p of the interface and choose the “Apply Macro” button.
- Select your macro.
- Tap the icon that allows you to preview your macro. It should look like a square with an eye inside. Another way to do this is to hover over the macro, which should display the description bar. From there, access the preview menu by tapping the Shift + Enter key combination.
In addition to the description, the review should also contain any items that may change before the request. The list includes attachments, fields, placeholders, and responses. If everything seems fine, you can go ahead and click on the “Apply Macro” function. Otherwise, tap the “Cancel” button to return to your ticket menu or “Open in Settings” to access your macro settings.
How to edit a macro in Zendesk
It can be difficult to get a perfect macro on the first try. Likewise, customer problems may change, requiring you to adapt the macro. Either way, you’ll find the macro editing menu useful.
- Go to your “Macros” page.
- Browse the list and select your macro.
- Hover over your macro and tap the three vertical dots.
- Choose “Edit” and modify inpidual parts.
- Tap “Save.”
Stay on top of customer inquiries
If there was an all-powerful Zendesk tool, it would be macros. Their applications are endless when it comes to solving customer problems and they are easy to set up. As a result, you don’t have to be a tech expert to get the most out of them.
Do you know of any other ways to create macros in Zendesk? Do macros make a difference in terms of customer service for you? Share your experiences in the comments p below.
