This article explains how to trigger a HappyFox Workflows approval process from a Zendesk ticket, route it through one or more approval levels, and reflect the outcome back on the Zendesk ticket.
Applicable Plans: Available on all plans.
Prerequisites
- Zendesk must be connected to HappyFox Workflows. See Integrating Zendesk with HappyFox Workflows.
- You must be able to create a trigger in Zendesk that calls an outgoing webhook. See How to Connect Any External Tool to HappyFox Workflows via Webhook.
- You need the email addresses of each approver. Approvers do not need to be Zendesk agents or light agents — the approval action sends to any email address you enter.
Step 1: Trigger the workflow from Zendesk
- In Zendesk, create a ticket trigger that fires when your approval condition is met — for example, a ticket tagged needs-approval.
- Configure the Zendesk trigger to call the webhook URL for your HappyFox Workflows webhook trigger, with the request format set to JSON.
Note: Construct the JSON payload so it clearly includes the ticket ID, contact name, contact email, and any other core ticket properties your workflow needs. HappyFox Workflows can only use fields that are explicitly included in this payload.
Step 2: Request first-level approval
- In your workflow, add the Request Approval action.
- Enter the email address of each first-level approver.
- Choose the response rule that determines when the step completes — Everyone, Majority, Anyone, or First responder.
Note: For a full explanation of response rules and the Approved/Declined branches, see How to Set Up an Approval Workflow in HappyFox Workflows.
Step 3: Add a second approval level (optional)
- Inside the Approved branch of the first approval step, add another Request Approval action configured with your second-level (L2) approver's email address.
Note: Nest an additional Request Approval action inside the Approved branch for each further level you need.
Alternative for many levels: instead of nesting several approval actions in one workflow, add a tag or field-change action inside the Approved branch that matches the trigger condition of a second, separate workflow dedicated to the L2 approver. This keeps each workflow focused on a single approval level and is easier to manage as the number of levels grows.
Step 4: Handle a decline
- Inside the Declined branch, add the Add Private Note action to record the decline reason on the ticket.
- Add the Update Ticket action and set the status field to Closed.
Your Zendesk tickets now route through a HappyFox Workflows approval process without requiring approvers to hold a Zendesk agent seat. Next, see How to Set Up an Approval Workflow in HappyFox Workflows for the full range of response rules, or Zendesk Triggers and Actions in HappyFox Workflows for the complete list of supported Zendesk actions.