The Kanban app for Zendesk lets you manage tickets visually by organizing them into boards and columns that represent different workflow stages. It’s an ideal tool for project management, sales pipelines, or tracking internal processes, giving teams a clear view of progress at every step.
Topics covered in this article:
- Setting up boards
- Configuring board columns
- Creating ticket templates
- Using boards and cards
- Working with draft cards and tickets
Setting up boards
To get started, open the Kanban app from the Zendesk sidebar and click Kanban boards then New Kanban board on the top right.
Each board represents a different workflow or process. You can name it, define who can see it, and link it to Zendesk tickets. In the new Kanban board define:
- Board name: Choose a clear name that describes the workflow.
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Tag used to link tickets: Enter a unique Zendesk tag. Any ticket with this tag will appear on this board.
- You will need to add this tag to the tickets you want to show on the board as cards, either manually or automatically via triggers or automations in Zendesk.
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Dropdown field: Choose or create a dropdown field to define your columns on the Kanban board (for example, Project phase).
- You can select an existing dropdown field or create a new one directly in the app.
You can also set visibility permissions for each board, allowing access by group or role.
Configuring board columns
Each option in the dropdown field represents a column on the Kanban board. These columns show tickets by their current stage or status.
From the board definition screen, you can:
- Assign colors to columns for better visual separation.
- Hide certain dropdown options if you don’t want them to appear as columns.
- Add new columns by editing the custom dropdown field in Zendesk Admin Center by clicking the link provided.
Creating ticket templates
This optional step in the app allows you to create new Zendesk tickets based on a pre-defined ticket template on draft cards that have been created directly in the Kanban board. To create a ticket template, in the Kanban app, click Ticket templates in the main menu.
Define the ticket template with the information you need for your workflow, Kanban app placeholders are available from the + menu on the right of the field which will use information on the cards.
Using boards and cards
Once boards are set up, you can access them from the top bar menu in Zendesk Support by clicking the Kanban icon.
Use the Add board button to choose which boards to display. Boards appear as tabs at the top of the Kanban view.
When you:
- Drag a card between columns, the dropdown field on the Zendesk ticket automatically updates to match the new column.
- Change the dropdown field on a ticket, the card moves to the matching column on the board.
Each column displays cards that represent either:
- Tickets: Existing Zendesk tickets with the board’s tag. Each card will automatically show the ticket status and ticket assignee.
- Drafts: Cards created directly in the Kanban app that are not yet linked to a Zendesk ticket.
You can:
- Drag cards between columns to update their stage.
- Click the three dots (⋯) on a card to edit, convert to ticket (for drafts), or remove it from the board.
- Filter the view by assignee or ticket status to focus on specific workloads.
Working with draft cards and tickets
You can create new draft cards directly on a Kanban board.
To create one, click the + symbol under a column and enter a subject. After creation, click the 3 dots and choose Edit to add a description and assign an agent if required.
If you need to add additional existing tickets to the board, these can also be added to the column of your choice by clicking the + symbol and searching for a ticket ID or subject line on the right search bar.
Draft cards can be converted into Zendesk tickets by clicking the 3 dots on the card and selecting Convert to new ticket. A popup modal will allow you to define the ticket properties manually and/or select a ticket template.
Lastly, you can edit and remove cards and columns in the Kanban boards:
- Edit column: Click the 3 dots next to the column name to change its title, color, or visibility.
- Remove all items: Clears all cards from that column.
- Remove from board: Deletes the card or removes the tag (for tickets).