You might have already tried using triggers to send auto-replies to buyers and had nothing happen. Don't worry—using ChannelReply and Zendesk as an eBay, Walmart and Amazon autoresponder just takes a little extra setup. Plus, it will even count toward Amazon’s 24-hour response SLA!
Don't have a ChannelReply account yet? Try it free! Or if you use Freshdesk, see our Freshdesk autoresponder instructions.
Note: Click on any image to view it at full resolution. Last updated 7/2/2020.
Important Note
This autoresponder system generates messages once every half-hour. It could be up to 35 minutes before an auto-reply appears on a Zendesk ticket, so keep calm and carry on if nothing happens right away.
You can safely answer your messages at any time. If an agent sends a response before the auto-reply appears in Zendesk, ChannelReply cancels the auto-reply and delivers your message immediately. The customer will only see the human response.
Step 1: Prevent Double Messaging
If you haven’t changed or deactivated Zendesk’s default triggers, be warned that some might go off at the same time as an Amazon, Walmart or eBay autoresponder. This could result in a barrage of error notifications, or worse, your customers seeing multiple auto-replies.
Follow the steps below to prevent double messaging from Zendesk’s default triggers. If you’ve built custom triggers/automations that work as autoresponders, take the same steps with those to prevent them from firing as well.
In Zendesk, go to Admin (the gear icon on the left) -> Triggers (under Business Rules) and find “Notify requester of received request.”
Edit the trigger and add the following ALL condition:
Tags | Contains none of the following | (Your ChannelReply Amazon and eBay tags)
Here’s an example for someone with two Amazon accounts, one tagged with “AmazonNA” and the other “AmazonEU”:
This stops Zendesk’s default auto-reply from trying to answer marketplace messages. It will still work for normal emails.
Next, edit the default trigger "Notify requester of comment update." (This is different from “Notify requester of received request,” the trigger you just edited.)
Under “Meet ALL of the following conditions,” add the same condition:
Tags | Contains none of the following | (Your ChannelReply Amazon and eBay tags)
This will make sure your customers never get two copies of your responses.
Step 2: Create a Target
Go to Admin -> Extensions (under “Settings”) -> Targets -> add target.
Choose “URL target” from the list.
Name the target “ChannelReply Autoresponder.” Then enter the following data:
URL: https://www.channelreply.com/zendesk-app/auto-reply/!!company!!/{{ticket.id}}
- IMPORTANT: Change “!!company!!” in the URL to your company’s Zendesk domain. If your Zendesk domain URL were https://fakebusiness.zendesk.com, you would use the following URL: https://www.channelreply.com/zendesk-app/auto-reply/fakebusiness/{{ticket.id}}
Method: POST
Attribute Name: ticket[comment][body]
In the “Basic Authentication” fields, enter your ChannelReply username and password.
Note that these fields are case sensitive. One capital letter in the wrong place can break everything!
Here is an example of a correctly configured target:
You can test and create your new target with the options at the bottom right.
Step 3: Build a Trigger
Now you can design your autoresponder!
It’s up to you which of your marketplace accounts your autoresponder will answer. It all depends on which ChannelReply tags you enter when following the steps below.
For example, if you wanted an autoresponder that answered messages from all your Amazon, eBay and Walmart accounts, you would use all your ChannelReply tags. If you wanted a unique autoresponder for just one Amazon account, you would only enter the tag for that one account.
You can make as many autoresponders as you want. See the “Tips” section later in this article for advice on creating more after the first is complete.
How to Set Up an eBay, Walmart and/or Amazon Autoresponder
Go to Admin -> Triggers, then click “Add trigger.”
Give the trigger an easily recognizable name, such as “Amazon Autoresponder” or “eBay Autoresponder.”
Next, scroll down and add the following action:
Notify target | ChannelReply Autoresponder
In the “Message” field, enter the automatic response you would like your customers to receive. Be careful not to include any links, as most links are forbidden by marketplace policies.
Now you can choose how you want the autoresponder to run. Follow the instructions below under Option A if you only want it to reply once per ticket, or under Option B if you want it to reply to every message.
Option A: Auto-Reply Once Per Ticket
Enter the following ALL conditions:
Status | Less than | Solved
Tags | Contains at least one of the following | (Your ChannelReply tags)
Ticket | Is | Created
Finally, at the bottom of the page, click “Create.”
Option B: Auto-Reply to Every Message
The configuration for option B depends on your Zendesk settings. Check whether both of the following are true:
- In Admin -> Customers, “Anybody can submit tickets” is enabled.
- None of your custom fields have “Required to submit a request” turned on. (Check all custom fields that you have created in Zendesk, whether or not you used ChannelReply to make them. You do not have to check Zendesk's default ticket fields.)
If both of the above are true, use setup B1. If you have “Anybody can submit tickets” disabled, or if any of your custom fields have “Required to submit a request” checked, then use setup B2 instead.
Setup B1
Enter the following ALL conditions:
Status | Less than | Solved
Current User | Is | (end-user)
Tags | Contains at least one of the following | (Your ChannelReply tags)
Then add the following ANY conditions:
Ticket | Is | Created
Ticket | Is | Updated
Then scroll all the way down and click “Create.”
Setup B2
You’ll need to create two autoresponder triggers. The one you’ve already begun creating will be used to answer the first message in each new ticket. The second will answer any follow-up messages.
Enter the following ALL conditions:
Status | Less than | Solved
Tags | Contains at least one of the following | (Your ChannelReply tags)
Ticket | Is | Created
Then scroll all the way down and click “Create.”
Next, clone the autoresponder. This clone will be used to answer messages you receive on existing tickets.
- Return to Admin -> Triggers in Zendesk.
- Mouse over your autoresponder.
- Click the column of dots on the right, then click Clone.
Give the clone a new name, like “eBay Follow-Up Autoresponder.” Then change the ALL conditions to the following:
Status | Less than | Solved
Tags | Contains at least one of the following | (Your ChannelReply tags)
Ticket | Is | Updated
Current user | Is | (end-user)
You can edit the message if you want. Once you’re finished, scroll down and click “Create.”
You’re all set! Responses will be delivered once per ticket if you chose Option A, or every time the buyer messages you if you chose Option B.
Tips
Business Hours & Other Extra Settings
You can customize any autoresponder trigger further with added conditions. For example, if you have Zendesk Professional or Enterprise, you might want to add the following ALL condition:
Within business hours? | Is | No
That way, the trigger will only fire when nobody is available to answer tickets.
Additional Autoresponders for Your Other Accounts
Creating another autoresponder takes much less work. Just clone the trigger you’ve already created, then edit the clone. (Or, if you're using setup B2, clone and edit both triggers you created earlier.)
- Return to Admin -> Triggers in Zendesk.
- Mouse over your autoresponder.
- Click the column of dots on the right, then click Clone.
- Rename the trigger.
- Remove the tags you used for the last trigger.
- Replace the old tags with the tags for the account(s) you want this new autoresponder to work for.
- Make any other desired changes, such as updating the message.
- Click “Create” to save your new autoresponder.
And You’re Done!
Congratulations on setting up your Walmart/eBay/Amazon autoresponders! For more time-saving options, see our other advanced setup tutorials. Or, if you have any questions or get stuck, just contact us and we’ll be happy to help!
