You might have already tried using triggers to automatically send messages to eBay or Amazon and had nothing happen. Don't worry—using ChannelReply and Zendesk as an eBay 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!
Note: Click on any image to view it at full resolution. Last updated 11/15/2018.
Pre-Setup: Prevent Double Messaging
Zendesk’s default triggers can go off at the same time as a dedicated Amazon or eBay autoresponder. This could result in a barrage of error notifications, or worse, your customers seeing multiple messages at once. Following these steps first will make sure nothing like that happens.
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 condition will stop this trigger from attempting to send automatic replies to your marketplace customers. It will still message customers who contact you by email.
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 automatic responses.
Now you can set up your autoresponder(s) for Amazon and/or eBay! Keep reading for Amazon, or click here to skip to eBay setup.
How to Set Up an Amazon Autoresponder
Need an Amazon autoresponder that meets the requirements for answering within 24 hours? All you need to do now is create a Zendesk trigger that can communicate directly with Amazon.
Step 1: Give Zendesk Permission to Message Amazon Directly
You’ll need your default Zendesk support address for this step. If you aren’t sure what it is, you can find it by going to your Zendesk admin, clicking “Email” under “Channels,” and then seeing what you have listed under “Support addresses.” If you have more than one support address, simply mouse over them to reveal which one is default.
Note: Be sure to use the address shown in your own Zendesk account, not our address from this screenshot.
Next, log in to Amazon Seller Central. Click “Messages,” then “Authorized Emails.”
Now click “+ Add an email address.”
Finally, enter your default Zendesk support address. Make sure “Approved” is selected, then click “Save.”
Remember to use the email address you found in Zendesk rather than the one shown above.
Your Zendesk account can now send autoresponder messages to Amazon! Now we just need to build the right trigger for the job.
Step 2: Create an Amazon Autoresponder Trigger in Zendesk
In Zendesk, go to Admin -> Triggers. Then click “Add Trigger.”
Name the trigger “Amazon Autoresponder.” Then scroll down to Actions and add the following:
Email user | (requester)
In the “Email subject” field, enter the line of text below and nothing else:
{{ticket.title}}
This will ensure the subject line stays the same, which is important for keeping messages threaded.
In the “Email body” field, enter the automatic response you would like your Amazon customers to receive.
Now decide: do you want this trigger to go off only once on each ticket (Option A), or every time a customer messages you (Option B)?
Option A: Auto-Reply Once Per Ticket
Enter the following ALL conditions:
Status | Less than | Solved
Current User | Is | (end-user)
Tags | Contains at least one of the following | (Your Amazon tags)
Ticket | Is | Created
Then scroll to the bottom and click “Create.” This trigger will now respond to the first message in each new Amazon ticket.
Option B: Auto-Reply to Every Message
Enter the following ALL conditions:
Status | Less than | Solved
Current User | Is | (end-user)
Tags | Contains at least one of the following | (Your Amazon tags)
Then add the following ANY conditions:
Ticket | Is | Created
Ticket | Is | Updated
Scroll down and click “Create.”
Your Amazon autoresponder is in action! It will automatically reply to every new message that comes in from Amazon.
Amazon Setup Complete!
Regardless of whether you chose option A or B, each automatic message sent will count as a response within 24 hours on Amazon.
How to Set Up an eBay Autoresponder
Setting up an eBay autoresponder is easy—if you know what you’re doing!
In the default Zendesk setup, triggers send emails instead of adding a comment. ChannelReply therefore can't deliver the messages to eBay, because it can only send comments. However, by following the steps below, you can use triggers to create a comment so ChannelReply will send it.
Step 1: 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.
Here is an example:
You can then test and create your new target with the options at the bottom right.
Step 2: Create an eBay Autoresponder Trigger in Zendesk
Now you can build your eBay Autoresponder trigger. Go to Admin -> Triggers, then click “Add trigger.”
Name the trigger “eBay Autoresponder.” Then scroll down and add the following action:
Notify target | ChannelReply Autoresponder
In the “Message” field, enter the automatic response you would like your eBay customers to receive.
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
Current User | Is | (end-user)
Tags | Contains at least one of the following | (Your eBay tags)
Ticket | Is | Created
Finally, at the bottom of the page, click “Create.”
Option B: Auto-Reply to Every Message
Enter the following ALL conditions:
Status | Less than | Solved
Current User | Is | (end-user)
Tags | Contains at least one of the following | (Your eBay tags)
Then add the following ANY conditions:
Ticket | Is | Created
Ticket | Is | Updated
Then scroll all the way down and click “Create.”
eBay Setup Complete!
You’re all set! ChannelReply will deliver your autoresponder’s messages to your eBay buyers, either once per ticket if you chose Option A or every time they message you if you chose Option B.
Tips
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.
What Next?
Congratulations on setting up your 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!
