Changing the support email addresses linked to your Zendesk account requires careful planning to minimize disruption, especially when transitioning domains, such as from .com.au to .com. This guide outlines the necessary steps, potential impacts, and best practices to ensure a smooth and seamless transition.

Steps to Update Support Email Addresses

1. Add New Email Addresses in Zendesk Settings
   • In Admin Center, click  Channels in the sidebar, then select Talk and email > Email.
   • In the Support addresses section, click Add address, then select Connect external address.
2. Create New Forwarding Rules
   • Create new forwarding rules in your email inbox settings (outside of Zendesk) for the new email addresses and complete the verification process in Zendesk.
   • These new forwarding rules will sit beside the existing ones in your configuration. 
3. Create a New SPF & DNS record
   • Add the new domain’s SPF and DNS records in addition to the existing records to ensure a seamless cutover.
   • Once the transition is complete, you can remove records associated with the old domain (e.g., .com.au) to maintain a clean setup.
   • Follow the steps in this guide to configure the new records for your account: Allowing Zendesk to send email on behalf of your email domain
4. Create New Triggers and Automations
   • Review Existing Triggers and Automations:
     Identify all email routing triggers and any other workflows currently linked to the old email addresses.
   • Create New Versions for the New Email Addresses:
     Instead of updating existing triggers, create new versions that reference the new email addresses. This ensures the old triggers remain operational during the transition.

Caution: Ensure a seamless transition by having both old and new triggers active simultaneously allows for a smoother cutover, minimising the risk of service interruptions. Once the transition is complete, you can safely deactivate the old triggers and remove old email addresses.

Manage Active Tickets

Tickets linked to the old support addresses will lose their association, potentially disrupting communication with requesters. To ensure customer replies continue threading into the ticket, agents must submit a written update on the ticket, establishing the new email link.

Additionally, agents should manually email requesters on affected tickets to inform them of the email address change and provide guidance if needed. Alternatively, Admins can also submit a public comment bulk update on any Active tickets informing the requester of this information. 

Example Message to Requesters:

Hi {{ticket.requester.first_name}},

We hope this message finds you well. We’re reaching out to let you know that we’ve 
updated our support email address. Please note that our new email address is now 
[new email address].

To ensure uninterrupted communication, please use this new email address for all 
future correspondence regarding this ticket. You can simply reply to this message, 
and your response will be automatically associated with your existing ticket.

If you have any questions or experience any issues, don’t hesitate to reach out. 
We’re here to assist you.

Thank you for your understanding,

Updating the Help Center

Changing the support email addresses often involves updating the Help Center URL as well. This process requires extra care:

• Remapping to a New URL:
  When updating the host mapping for your Help Center, note that Zendesk does not automatically apply redirection. This means all old links will break.
• Redirecting Old Links:
  • At a minimum, set up server-level redirection to point users accessing the old URL to the new Help Center homepage.
  • For more precise redirection, some users have successfully implemented PHP on their servers to honour exact links (e.g., redirecting a user accessing an old article to the same article on the new Help Center). You can find details about this approach here.

Timing the Change

To minimize disruption:

1. Schedule the email address and Help Center updates during off-peak hours, ideally overnight or after business hours.
2. Assign agents to update active tickets and resolve issues related to the transition early the next morning.

Actioning the Change

This is the critical point where you transition from the old forwarding rule to the new one. Follow these steps to ensure a smooth cutover:

1. Activate the New Forwarding Rule:
   Set up the new forwarding rule in your email settings.
2. Verify the New Email Address:
   Confirm the email address in your Zendesk Support Address settings.
3. Deactivate the Old Forwarding Rule:
   Remove the old forwarding rule from your email settings.
4. Test the New Email Address:
   Send an inbound test email to the new email address and verify that it successfully creates a ticket in Zendesk.
5. Re-Link Active Tickets:
   Submit a public comment on all active tickets to associate them with the new support address, ensuring continued threading of customer replies.

Once these steps are completed, the cutover is finalised, and your new email address is fully operational.

After ensuring the transition has been successfully completed, you can proceed with deleting the old support addresses and any associated routing triggers.

Risks and Change Management

Changing support email addresses in Zendesk involves potential risks that need to be addressed through effective change management practices. Below is an outline of key risks and strategies to mitigate them.

Key Risks

1. Workflow Disruption:
   • Risk: Existing triggers managing email routing workflows may fail if they are not updated to accommodate the new email addresses.
   • Mitigation: Create new versions of triggers and automations alongside the existing ones to ensure continuity during the transition.
2. Communication Breakdown:
   • Risk: Active tickets linked to old email addresses will lose association, disrupting communication with requesters.
   • Mitigation: Train agents to manually update active tickets and inform requesters of the email address change.
3. Email Deliverability Issues:
   • Risk: Incorrect SPF or DNS configurations could result in failed email delivery or emails being marked as spam.
   • Mitigation: Add new SPF and DNS records in addition to the old ones during the transition to ensure a seamless cutover.
4. Broken Help Center Links:
   • Risk: Changing the Help Center host mapping without redirection will cause old links to break, impacting user experience.
   • Mitigation: Implement server-level redirection, or use PHP for precise link mapping where feasible.
5. Timing Conflicts:
   • Risk: Performing the update during peak hours could lead to increased downtime and customer dissatisfaction.
   • Mitigation: Schedule the update during off-peak hours, with agents ready to address any arising issues promptly.

Change Management Best Practices

1. Stakeholder Communication:
   • Notify all stakeholders, including internal teams and external customers, about the planned changes well in advance.
   • Provide clear instructions for agents on managing affected tickets and workflows.
2. Comprehensive Planning:
   • Map out all dependencies, including triggers, automations, DNS records, forwarding rules, and Help Center configurations, to avoid oversight.
   • Develop a step-by-step plan to implement the changes.
3. Rollback Plan:
   • Prepare a rollback plan in case unexpected issues arise during the transition. Ensure the old email addresses, triggers, and DNS records remain functional until the new setup is confirmed stable.
4. Post-Change Review:
   • Monitor email workflows, ticket associations, and Help Center links after the transition to identify and resolve any lingering issues.
   • Collect feedback from agents and customers to evaluate the success of the change and identify areas for improvement.

By identifying potential risks and implementing robust change management practices, you can minimise disruptions and ensure a seamless transition for your support operations.