⚡️ Integrate SignalWire AI Gateway (SWAIG) with Zendesk Support API

LIVEWire Implementation Guide

Introduction

The AI Agent creates, retrieves, updates, and closes tickets, adds comments, and authenticates users via phone using a support PIN.

This empowers users with the ability to securely manage support tickets in a phone call with conversational AI.

Architecture Overview

AI Agent: Interfaces with users via phone calls.
SignalWire AI Gateway (SWAIG): Handles AI Agent functions and maps them to Zendesk API endpoints.
Zendesk Support API: Manages support tickets and user data.

Clipart graphic showing people interacting online.

GitHub Repository

View the project and clone it to your development environment.

Prerequisites

A Zendesk account with admin access
A free SignalWire account
Python and basic Python knowledge

Step 1: Set Up Zendesk API Access

Create an API Token

Log in to Zendesk.
Navigate to Admin Center > Apps and integrations > Zendesk API > Zendesk API Settings.
Enable Token Access.
Click Add API Token.
Enter a description and click Create.
Copy the generated token and store it securely.

Create Custom User Fields (Support PIN)

Navigate to Admin Center > People > Configuration > User Fields.
Click Add Field.
Configure the field:
- Type: Text (or Numeric if the PIN is digits only).
- Title: Support PIN.
- Key: support_pin.
Save the new custom field.

Step 2: Set Up SWML Script and SWAIG Functions

Navigate to the SWML Scripts pane of the RELAY/SWML tab of your SignalWire Dashboard.
Paste the SWML script into the browser SWML editor.

Full SWML script

View the full JSON SWML script in the GitHub repository

Dashboard editor

The SWML script editor in the SignalWire Dashboard

Step 3: Set up your Python environment

Clone the GitHub repository.
Install the required Python libraries using pip:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Enter your credentials in the .env file.
- Rename env.example to .env and open it in a text editor.
- Enter your Zendesk subdomain, email, API token, and HTTP basic auth credentials, following the below pattern:

Variable	Description
`ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN`	Your Zendesk subdomain
`ZENDESK_EMAIL`	Your Zendesk account email address
`ZENDESK_API_TOKEN`	Your Zendesk API token
`HTTP_USERNAME`	Username for HTTP Basic Authentication
`HTTP_PASSWORD`	Password for HTTP Basic Authentication

Step 5: Implement Support PIN Authentication

Generate and Assign Support PINs

Use a secure method to generate unique PINs for users.

Example in Python:

import secrets

def generate_support_pin(length=6):
    return ''.join([str(secrets.randbelow(10)) for _ in range(length)])

Assign the PIN to the user during registration or onboarding.

Update the user's profile with the support PIN using the Zendesk API.

API Endpoint: PUT /api/v2/users/{user_id}.json

Python Function:

def update_user_support_pin(user_id, support_pin):
    url = f'https://{ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN}.zendesk.com/api/v2/users/{user_id}.json'
    data = {
        "user": {
            "user_fields": {
                "support_pin": support_pin
            }
        }
    }
    response = requests.put(
        url,
        json=data,
        auth=HTTPBasicAuth(f'{ZENDESK_EMAIL}/token', ZENDESK_API_TOKEN)
    )
    return response.json()

Step 6: Complete Argument Mappings

Ensure all SWAIG function arguments map correctly to Zendesk API parameters.

Example: `create_ticket` Argument Mapping

SWAIG Function Arguments:
- subject
- comment_body
- requester_name
- requester_email
- priority

Zendesk API Payload:

{
  "ticket": {
    "subject": "subject",
    "comment": {
      "body": "comment_body"
    },
    "requester": {
      "name": "requester_name",
      "email": "requester_email"
    },
    "priority": "priority"
  }
}

Example: `update_ticket` Argument Mapping

SWAIG Function Arguments:
- ticket_id
- status
- priority
- comment_body
- public

Zendesk API Payload:

{
  "ticket": {
    "status": "status",
    "priority": "priority",
    "comment": {
      "body": "comment_body",
      "public": "public"
    }
  }
}

Example: `close_ticket` Argument Mapping

SWAIG Function Arguments:
- ticket_id

Zendesk API Payload:

{
  "ticket": {
    "status": "closed"
  }
}

Example: `add_comment` Argument Mapping

SWAIG Function Arguments:
- ticket_id
- comment_body
- public

Zendesk API Payload:

{
  "ticket": {
    "comment": {
      "body": "comment_body",
      "public": "public"
    }
  }
}

Example: `get_ticket` Argument Mapping

SWAIG Function Arguments:
- ticket_id
Zendesk API Endpoint: GET /api/v2/tickets/{ticket_id}.json

Example: `verify_support_pin` Argument Mapping

SWAIG Function Arguments:
- caller_phone_number
- entered_pin
Zendesk API Endpoint: GET /api/v2/search.json

Example: `get_current_user_tickets` Argument Mapping

SWAIG Function Arguments:
- caller_phone_number
- status
- priority
Zendesk API Endpoint: GET /api/v2/users/{user_id}/tickets/requested.json

How it works

PIN Authentication

SWAIG verifies the caller's support PIN before executing any ticket operations.

Example Workflow:

User Calls Support.
AI Agent Prompts for PIN.
User Enters PIN.
SWAIG Calls the verify_support_pin function.
- If verification succeeds, proceed.
- If verification fails, handle accordingly.
Execute Requested SWAIG Function.

SWAIG functions

SignalWire AI Gateway (SWAIG) functions are defined by the SWAIG method within the SWML script. Each SWAIG function maps to a Zendesk API endpoint.

Function name	Description	Code
`create_ticket`	Opens a new support ticket in Zendesk using the `POST /api/v2/tickets.json` Zendesk API endpoint.

`create_ticket`

Opens a new support ticket in Zendesk using the POST /api/v2/tickets.json Zendesk API endpoint.

{
  "name": "create_ticket",
  "description": "Creates a new support ticket in Zendesk.",
  "parameters": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "subject": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "The subject or title of the ticket."
      },
      "comment_body": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "The initial comment or description of the ticket."
      },
      "requester_name": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "Name of the requester."
      },
      "requester_email": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "Email of the requester."
      },
      "priority": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "Priority level of the ticket.",
        "enum": ["low", "normal", "high", "urgent"],
        "nullable": true
      }
    },
    "required": ["subject", "comment_body", "requester_name", "requester_email"]
  }
}

`update_ticket`

Updates an existing support ticket in Zendesk using the PUT /api/v2/tickets/{ticket_id}.json Zendesk API endpoint.

{
  "name": "update_ticket",
  "description": "Updates an existing support ticket in Zendesk.",
  "parameters": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "ticket_id": {
        "type": "integer",
        "description": "The ID of the ticket to update."
      },
      "status": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "The status to update the ticket to.",
        "enum": ["new", "open", "pending", "hold", "solved", "closed"],
        "nullable": true
      },
      "priority": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "Priority level of the ticket.",
        "enum": ["low", "normal", "high", "urgent"],
        "nullable": true
      },
      "comment_body": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "A comment to add to the ticket.",
        "nullable": true
      },
      "public": {
        "type": "boolean",
        "description": "Whether the comment is public (visible to the requester).",
        "default": true,
        "nullable": true
      }
    },
    "required": ["ticket_id"]
  }
}

`close_ticket`

Closes a support ticket in Zendesk by updating its status to "closed" using the PUT /api/v2/tickets/{ticket_id}.json Zendesk API endpoint.

{
  "name": "close_ticket",
  "description": "Closes a support ticket in Zendesk by setting its status to 'closed'.",
  "parameters": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "ticket_id": {
        "type": "integer",
        "description": "The ID of the ticket to close."
      }
    },
    "required": ["ticket_id"]
  }
}

`add_comment`

Adds a comment to an existing support ticket in Zendesk using the PUT /api/v2/tickets/{ticket_id}.json Zendesk API endpoint.

{
  "name": "add_comment",
  "description": "Adds a comment to an existing support ticket in Zendesk.",
  "parameters": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "ticket_id": {
        "type": "integer",
        "description": "The ID of the ticket to add a comment to."
      },
      "public": {
        "type": "boolean",
        "description": "Whether the comment is public (visible to the requester).",
        "default": true,
        "nullable": true
      }
    },
    "required": ["ticket_id"]
  }
}

`get_ticket`

Retrieves information about a specific ticket in Zendesk using the GET /api/v2/tickets/{ticket_id}.json Zendesk API endpoint.

{
  "name": "get_ticket",
  "description": "Retrieves information about a specific ticket in Zendesk.",
  "parameters": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "ticket_id": {
        "type": "integer",
        "description": "The ID of the ticket to retrieve."
      }
    },
    "required": ["ticket_id"]
  }
}

`verify_support_pin`

Verifies the caller's support PIN against the stored PIN in Zendesk using the GET /api/v2/search.json Zendesk API endpoint.

{
  "name": "verify_support_pin",
  "description": "Verifies the caller's support PIN against the stored PIN in Zendesk.",
  "parameters": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "caller_phone_number": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "The caller's phone number."
      },
      "entered_pin": {
        "type": "integer",
        "description": "The support PIN entered by the caller."
      }
    },
    "required": ["caller_phone_number", "entered_pin"]
  }
}

`get_current_user_tickets`

Retrieves ticket numbers for the authenticated user using the GET /api/v2/users/{user_id}/tickets/requested.json Zendesk API endpoint.

{
  "name": "get_current_user_tickets",
  "description": "Retrieves ticket numbers for the authenticated user.",
  "parameters": {
    "type": "object",
    "properties": {
      "caller_phone_number": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "The caller's phone number."
      },
      "status": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "Filter tickets by status.",
        "enum": ["new", "open", "pending", "hold", "solved", "closed"],
        "nullable": true
      },
      "priority": {
        "type": "string",
        "description": "Filter tickets by priority.",
        "enum": ["low", "normal", "high", "urgent"],
        "nullable": true
      }
    },
    "required": ["caller_phone_number"]
  }
}

Python functions

`create_ticket`

Creates a new support ticket in Zendesk using the POST /api/v2/tickets.json Zendesk API endpoint.

import os
import requests
from requests.auth import HTTPBasicAuth

# Retrieve environment variables
ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN = os.getenv('ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN')
ZENDESK_EMAIL = os.getenv('ZENDESK_EMAIL')
ZENDESK_API_TOKEN = os.getenv('ZENDESK_API_TOKEN')

def create_ticket(
    subject,
    comment_body,
    requester_name=None,
    requester_email=None,
    priority=None,
):
    url = f'https://{ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN}.zendesk.com/api/v2/tickets.json'
    ticket_data = {
        "ticket": {
            "subject": subject,
            "comment": {
                "body": comment_body
            }
        }
    }
    if requester_name or requester_email:
        ticket_data["ticket"]["requester"] = {}
        if requester_name:
            ticket_data["ticket"]["requester"]["name"] = requester_name
        if requester_email:
            ticket_data["ticket"]["requester"]["email"] = requester_email
    if priority:
        ticket_data["ticket"]["priority"] = priority

    response = requests.post(
        url,
        json=ticket_data,
        auth=HTTPBasicAuth(f'{ZENDESK_EMAIL}/token', ZENDESK_API_TOKEN)
    )
    return response.json()

`update_ticket`

Updates an existing support ticket in Zendesk using the PUT /api/v2/tickets/{ticket_id}.json Zendesk API endpoint.

def update_ticket(
    ticket_id,
    status=None,
    priority=None,
    comment_body=None,
    public=True,
):
    url = f'https://{ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN}.zendesk.com/api/v2/tickets/{ticket_id}.json'
    ticket_data = {"ticket": {}}
    if status:
        ticket_data["ticket"]["status"] = status
    if priority:
        ticket_data["ticket"]["priority"] = priority
    if comment_body:
        ticket_data["ticket"]["comment"] = {
            "body": comment_body,
            "public": public
        }

    response = requests.put(
        url,
        json=ticket_data,
        auth=HTTPBasicAuth(f'{ZENDESK_EMAIL}/token', ZENDESK_API_TOKEN)
    )
    return response.json()

`close_ticket`

Closes a support ticket in Zendesk by using update_ticket to set the status to "closed".

def close_ticket(ticket_id, comment_body=None, public=True):
    return update_ticket(
        ticket_id,
        status='closed',
        comment_body=comment_body,
        public=public
    )

`add_comment`

Adds a comment to an existing support ticket by using update_ticket.

def add_comment(ticket_id, comment_body, public=True):
    return update_ticket(
        ticket_id,
        comment_body=comment_body,
        public=public
    )

`get_ticket`

Retrieves information about a specific ticket in Zendesk using the GET /api/v2/tickets/{ticket_id}.json Zendesk API endpoint.

def get_ticket(ticket_id):
    url = f'https://{ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN}.zendesk.com/api/v2/tickets/{ticket_id}.json'
    response = requests.get(
        url,
        auth=HTTPBasicAuth(f'{ZENDESK_EMAIL}/token', ZENDESK_API_TOKEN)
    )
    return response.json()

`verify_support_pin`

Verifies the caller's support PIN against the stored PIN in Zendesk using the GET /api/v2/search.json Zendesk API endpoint.

def verify_support_pin(caller_phone_number, entered_pin):
    user = find_user_by_phone(caller_phone_number)
    if user:
        stored_pin = user.get('user_fields', {}).get('support_pin')
        if stored_pin == entered_pin:
            return True
    return False

def find_user_by_phone(caller_phone_number):
    url = f'https://{ZENDESK_SUBDOMAIN}.zendesk.com/api/v2/search.json'
    params = {
        'query': f'type:user phone:"{caller_phone_number}"'
    }
    response = requests.get(
        url,
        params=params,
        auth=HTTPBasicAuth(f'{ZENDESK_EMAIL}/token', ZENDESK_API_TOKEN)
    )
    results = response.json().get('results', [])
    return results[0] if results else None

`get_current_user_tickets`

Retrieves ticket numbers for the authenticated user using the GET /api/v2/users/{user_id}/tickets/requested.json Zendesk API endpoint.

def get_current_user_tickets(caller_phone_number, status=None, priority=None):
    user = find_user_by_phone(caller_phone_number)
    if user:
        user_id = user['id']
        tickets = list_user_tickets(user_id, status=status, priority=priority)
        if tickets:
            ticket_numbers = [ticket['id'] for ticket in tickets.get('tickets', [])]
            return {
                'ticket_numbers': ticket_numbers,
                'tickets': tickets.get('tickets', [])
            }
        else:
            return {
                'message': "No tickets found for your account."
            }
    else:
        return {
            'message': "User not found."
        }

Recommendations

If implementing this in a production environment, consider the following recommendations:

Error handling: Implement error handling to manage and log errors appropriately.
Authentication Failures: Handle incorrect PIN entries gracefully.
Store Credentials Securely: Use environment variables or a secrets manager.
Encrypt Sensitive Data: Consider encrypting support PINs.
Compliance: Adhere to GDPR and other data protection regulations.
Logging: Avoid logging sensitive information.

Conclusion

The final product of this example is an AI Agent that interacts with Zendesk through SWAIG (the SignalWire AI Gateway). This empowers users with the ability to securely manage support tickets in a phone call with conversational AI.

⚡️ Integrate SignalWire AI Gateway (SWAIG) with Zendesk Support API

Introduction​

Architecture Overview​

GitHub Repository

Prerequisites​

Step 1: Set Up Zendesk API Access​

Create an API Token​

Create Custom User Fields (Support PIN)​

Step 2: Set Up SWML Script and SWAIG Functions​

Full SWML script

Dashboard editor

Step 3: Set up your Python environment​

Step 5: Implement Support PIN Authentication​

Generate and Assign Support PINs​

Step 6: Complete Argument Mappings​

Example: create_ticket Argument Mapping​

Example: update_ticket Argument Mapping​

Example: close_ticket Argument Mapping​

Example: add_comment Argument Mapping​

Example: get_ticket Argument Mapping​

Example: verify_support_pin Argument Mapping​

Example: get_current_user_tickets Argument Mapping​

How it works​

PIN Authentication​

SWAIG functions​

create_ticket​

update_ticket​

close_ticket​

add_comment​

get_ticket​

verify_support_pin​

get_current_user_tickets​

Python functions​

create_ticket​

update_ticket​

close_ticket​

add_comment​

get_ticket​

verify_support_pin​

get_current_user_tickets​

Recommendations​

Conclusion​

Introduction

Architecture Overview

Prerequisites

Step 1: Set Up Zendesk API Access

Create an API Token

Create Custom User Fields (Support PIN)

Step 2: Set Up SWML Script and SWAIG Functions

Step 3: Set up your Python environment

Step 5: Implement Support PIN Authentication

Generate and Assign Support PINs

Step 6: Complete Argument Mappings

Example: `create_ticket` Argument Mapping

Example: `update_ticket` Argument Mapping

Example: `close_ticket` Argument Mapping

Example: `add_comment` Argument Mapping

Example: `get_ticket` Argument Mapping

Example: `verify_support_pin` Argument Mapping

Example: `get_current_user_tickets` Argument Mapping

How it works

PIN Authentication

SWAIG functions

`create_ticket`

`update_ticket`

`close_ticket`

`add_comment`

`get_ticket`

`verify_support_pin`

`get_current_user_tickets`

Python functions

`create_ticket`

`update_ticket`

`close_ticket`

`add_comment`

`get_ticket`

`verify_support_pin`

`get_current_user_tickets`

Recommendations

Conclusion