HandoffsZendesk

Zendesk SMTP Connector

Overview

The SMTP Connector is a configuration in your Ada dashboard that connects Ada directly to Zendesk via SMTP. This integration gives Ada visibility into Zendesk’s inbound and outbound email traffic, allowing both your AI Agent and human agents to send emails from the same support email address.

With the SMTP Connector enabled, conversations that begin in Ada—whether through Messaging or Email—and escalate to Zendesk via Handoff can continue seamlessly over Email using the same shared support address. This ensures that human agents can reply to escalated conversations or send proactive messages from Zendesk without triggering any AI Agent interjections or confusion.

For a full list of supported use cases and scenarios, visit the Use cases section.

Before setting up the SMTP Connector, review the prerequisites to ensure your configuration meets all requirements.

Use cases

With the SMTP Connector enabled, human and AI Agents can use the same shared support address across:

To use the Zendesk Support block with the SMTP connector integration you will need to update your Zendesk triggers to avoid sending duplicate emails to end users. See step 3 for instructions.

With the SMTP Connector configured, human agent replies to escalated email conversations can continue in the same email thread as the original end-user conversation. This ensures a more consistent experience for end users and reduces confusion caused by broken or split threads.

This is a channel switch made by human agents in the Zendesk agent platform when replying to the ticket.

  • Messaging Handoffs via the Zendesk Ticketing block that continue over email
  • Proactive emails sent from Zendesk to end users without Ada involvement

When this connection is active, Ada will not interject or reply to end-user messages that belong to Zendesk-originating threads.

Capabilities & configuration

The SMTP Connector provides the following Handoff capabilities:

  • Use a single shared support email address for both human agents and your AI Agent
  • Escalations that start on Ada’s Messaging channel can switch to continue over email using the same support email address set up with your Email AI Agent (via BYOD)
  • Human agents can start new conversations with end users from Zendesk using the same support email address used by the Email AI Agent

This connector is required if you have implemented the Email channel (and/or other channels) and want your human agents to use the same support email address configured for your AI Agent (BYOD).

Sharing the same support email address between Human Agents and the AI Agent without the SMTP Connector configured and/or using the proper Handoff block will cause the AI Agent to reply to end users in escalated conversations.

Quick start

Complete these steps to configure the SMTP Connector. See Implementation & usage for detailed instructions.

1

Start configuring the SMTP Connector

Go to Config > AI AGENT > Handoffs > Integrations tab and click Configure on the SMTP Connector integration.

2

Exchange credentials between Ada and Zendesk

Follow the prompts in the modal to add your BYOD domain to Zendesk, copy Zendesk credentials to Ada, and add Ada credentials to Zendesk.

3

(Optional) Update Zendesk triggers

If using the Zendesk Support block, add a static tag to the block and update the Notify Requestor and CC’s of comment update trigger.

4

Set Zendesk default support address

In Zendesk, set your default support address to match your BYOD address configured in Ada.

Implementation & usage

Configure the SMTP Connector to enable Handoffs that share a support email address between your AI Agent and human agents.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that:

  • Email is enabled in your Ada AI Agent instance
  • Your BYOD email address is configured in the Ada Dashboard

The option to configure the SMTP Connector only appears on the Handoff Integrations page in the dashboard when the Email Channel is activated in your instance.

Setup recommendations

Review these recommendations based on your current implementation stage.

If your AI Agent currently uses the Zendesk Support block for Email to let human agents reply to escalations from the same BYOD address configured with your Email AI Agent, you may not need to configure the SMTP Connector.

Only proceed with SMTP Connector setup if you:

  • Need messaging escalations to continue over email using the same shared support Address

OR

  • Want human agents to send or reply to emails directly from Zendesk using that shared address.
  • Complete the SMTP setup during low-volume hours (when you typically receive few escalations) to ensure a smooth transition for human agents using the shared BYOD address.
  • You do not need to disable your existing forwarding rules that route end-user inquiries to your Email AI Agent.
  • Complete the SMTP configuration before setting up any forwarding rules from your BYOD address to your Email AI Agent. This ensures your routing and address alignment are correct before launch.

Configuration steps

Complete the following steps to configure the SMTP Connector.

1

Start configuring the SMTP Connector

On the Config > AI AGENT > Handoffs > Integrations tab, on the SMTP Connector integration, click Configure.

A modal will pop up in the Ada dashboard, guiding you through the configuration process.

2

Follow the prompts in the modal

a. Add your BYO Domain that you’ve used for the BYOD address in the Ada dashboard to Zendesk, in the Authenticated SMTP Connectors section and click Save.

b. Copy the credentials that appear after you clicked Save in Zendesk into the first section of the Ada modal called Zendesk credentials, to match the corresponding fields.

You are now ready to move on to the second section of the pop-up modal to finalize your SMTP Connector set up. Keep your Zendesk Admin Console open on the Email Channel page as you proceed. c. In the Zendesk Admin Console, select the option to connect an external address from the Support addresses section.

d. Select the Authenticated SMTP Connector option from the list, and choose the domain you set up in Step 2a.
Then, click Next, and return to the Ada pop-up modal, section 2.

e. Add the corresponding Ada credentials provided in the Ada pop-up modal, into the Connect an existing address pop up in Zendesk. Click Save on both pop up modals.

f. Click the verify buttons that appear for both the Inbound and SMTP configuration options.

3

(Optional) Tag Handoff block and update Zendesk trigger

Required only if you use the Zendesk Support Block for your Email channel Handoff
  • In the Ada dashboard, add a static tag your_tag_name i.e. ada_email_handoff to the Zendesk Support block used in your Email Handoff flow.
  • In the Zendesk admin console, modify your Notify Requestor and CC’s of comment update trigger:
    • In the Conditions section, add the above static tag to the rule (Ticket > Tags contains none of the following your_tag_name).
    • In the Actions section, update the action email body to {{ticket.latest_public_comment_html}}.
4

Set Zendesk default support address to match your shared AI Agent / Human Agent email

In Zendesk, navigate to Admin Center > Channels > Email, and set your default support address to the same email address that you’ve configured for your AI Agent in Ada (your BYOD address).

Zendesk uses this default address for all outgoing emails from human agents. Ensuring it matches your SMTP Connector configuration allows your human agents to reply to handed off conversations using the same support email address as your AI Agent. To learn more about default addresses in Zendesk read here.

Best practices

Recommendations for verifying and managing your SMTP Connector configuration.

Verify SMTP Connector

After you’ve completed the configuration steps:

  • Both Inbound & Outbound SMTP configurations should have a green check mark. (It can take a couple minutes and webpage refreshes).
  • Test all your Handoff scenarios where the human agent is replying to an Ada Handoff via email:
    • The human agent’s reply should be sent from the BYOD address you configured with the SMTP connector set up (should be the same email address configured with your Email AI agent).
    • End user replies should update as a comment in the Zendesk ticket created by the Handoff.
    • AI Agent should not intervene in the conversation between end user and human agent.
  • Test a proactive email scenario, where the human agent creates a new ticket to send an email to an end user:
    • End user should receive a new email from the support email address now associated with both the AI agent and human agent.
    • End user replies should update as a comment on the Zendesk ticket.
    • The AI Agent should not reply back to the end user.

Default address considerations

Understand how Zendesk’s default support address affects your SMTP Connector configuration.

What is the default support address in Zendesk?

Zendesk designates a default support address for all outgoing emails. This is the address that appears in the From field when agents reply to end users. For example, if your default address in Zendesk is support@yourcompany.com, Zendesk will use this address for all outbound replies from your agents.

Aligning your Zendesk default address with SMTP Connector settings

When configuring the SMTP Connector, ensure that your default support address in Zendesk is set to the same email address you want to share between your AI Agent and human Agents (your BYOD email).

Why it matters

If the default Zendesk address doesn’t match the address configured in your SMTP Connector, your Human Agent’s replies may:

  • Fail to send correctly OR
  • Appear to come from the wrong email address

Disable the connector

In the event you need to turn off or discontinue the use of the SMTP Connector, take the following steps:

  1. In Zendesk’s dashboard, delete the address and domain connected to Ada’s SMTP Connector.

  2. In Ada’s dashboard, under Config > AI AGENT > Handoffs > Integrations, use the toggle to disable the Zendesk SMTP Connector. With this toggle disabled, Ada will not attempt to forward messages to Zendesk over SMTP, and the AI Agent will reply to new messages and use the existing Handoff mechanisms.

The toggle can only be disabled if you’ve already completed the SMTP Connector configuration.

Forwarding

Forwarding is still required in order for Ada to be able to receive the emails that your end users send to the BYOD address. Forwarding does not need to be turned off for you to be able to configure the SMTP Connector.

FAQs

Common questions about the SMTP Connector.

You will need to update your Zendesk triggers only if you’re using the Zendesk Support block. You’ll need to update your Notify Requestor and CC’s of comment update trigger in Zendesk to avoid sending duplicate emails to end users. See instructions in step 3.

  • In Ada: Your Zendesk SMTP credentials (server, port, and authentication details).
  • In Zendesk: Your Ada SMTP credentials (provided in the dashboard during setup).

The email threading experience your end user has is dependent on the Handoff block you have configured. You can find more information on this here. SMTP connector just allows your human agents to be able to use the same support email address as your AI agent.

You can still use the SMTP Connector. It is compatible with all three Handoff blocks: the Zendesk Ticketing block, Zendesk Messaging Block, and Zendesk Support block.

Yes. When the SMTP connector is configured, human agents can send proactive emails directly from Zendesk, and Ada will not respond to subsequent end user replies.

Email is likely not activated in your instance. Instructions to activate the Email channel can be found here.

Have any questions? Contact your Ada team, or email us at .