Freshdesk Integrations
This guide explains how to connect SurveyMars with Freshdesk through Third-party Integrations, and how to configure the two Freshdesk functions: Sync responses to Freshdesk (turn every response into a Freshdesk ticket) and Trigger a survey when a Freshdesk event occurs (embed a survey link in ticket emails automatically). It is useful when your support team works in Freshdesk and wants survey data and customer feedback to flow inside the same helpdesk system.
Feature Overview
Freshdesk is a customer support (helpdesk) platform. After SurveyMars and Freshdesk are connected, two independent functions are available, and you can enable either or both of them:
- Sync responses to Freshdesk: every new response is automatically sent to a specified person as a Freshdesk ticket. The ticket subject, assignee and body content can all be configured.
- Trigger a survey when a Freshdesk event occurs: when a specified event happens on a ticket (for example the ticket is closed or resolved), a survey link is automatically inserted into the email sent to the customer, and the responses are collected under a dedicated distribution channel.
The Freshdesk integration is not enabled by default. You need to click "Connect" on the Freshdesk card in the third-party integration list to open the configuration panel titled "Third-party Integrations -- Freshdesk". The panel shows the two functions as two separate cards; click "Go to Settings" on either card to start its step-by-step configuration.
Prerequisites
- A working Freshdesk account (for example yourcompany.freshdesk.com) and its API key (in Freshdesk, click your profile picture → Profile settings → View API key).
- A survey that has already been created, together with the survey questions you want to send to Freshdesk.
- For the two "customer replies" options in the second function, the Freshdesk app must be installed on your Freshdesk account. The panel marks these options with "Freshdesk app required".
Setup Steps
The Freshdesk integration contains two functions. They are configured separately and take effect independently, so you can configure only one of them. The steps below are grouped by function.
A. Sync responses to Freshdesk (response data, 6 steps)
1. Open the Freshdesk configuration panel
Go to "Send Survey" → "Third-party Integrations", find Freshdesk in the integration list and click "Connect". The configuration panel opens on the right side. On the top of the panel, select "Sync responses to Freshdesk", then click "Go to Settings" on that card. The panel then shows a 6-step flow at the top (Step 1 to Step 6).
When you use it for the first time, connect the account in Step 1: enter the Freshdesk URL (for example yourcompany.freshdesk.com) and the API key, then click "Connect". Once the account is linked, you can continue with the following steps.
2. Step 1: Select the Freshdesk account
The panel shows "You have connected Freshdesk". Open the "Select account" dropdown and choose one of the connected Freshdesk accounts (for example wjx-assist.freshdesk.com). If this is the first time, choose "Add account..." at the bottom of the list to authorize a new Freshdesk account, then click "Next".
3. Step 2: Set the ticket subject
The "Ticket subject" is what the agent sees in the Freshdesk ticket list. "Survey title" is selected by default. Open the dropdown to switch the subject to:
- Survey title: the ticket subject is the title of this survey.
- A survey question: the answer of the selected question is used as the ticket subject, which is convenient for filtering tickets by answer option.
- Custom: type the subject text manually.
After choosing, click "Next".
4. Step 3: Set the ticket assignee
Two assignment modes are available:
- Assign all to one agent: select an agent in "Assign all response tickets to", or keep "Unassigned". All tickets created from this survey go to the same agent.
- Assign by condition: route different responses to different agents. Each rule is built as "when [question] is answered with [option], assign the ticket to [agent]"; click "+" to add more rules, and set a fallback in "If none of the above is met, assign the ticket to".
5. Step 4: Set the ticket description content
This step defines the body of the ticket: choose which questions should be displayed as the ticket content, and add items such as serial number, submit time and IP address if needed. They are provided as options in the same dropdown. The content finally shown in the Freshdesk ticket keeps the same layout as the original response on the "View / Download Responses" page of SurveyMars.
After choosing, click "Next".
6. Step 5: Choose where the requester email comes from
Every Freshdesk ticket requires a requester. Two sources are available:
- Email question: choose an email question of this survey (for example "Your commonly used email address"), so each respondent becomes the requester of their own ticket.
- Freshdesk contact: if the survey has no suitable email question, use a contact that already exists in Freshdesk. Search by name or email and select the contact.
Optional: in "If the respondent has not filled in an email, use this contact", set a fallback contact. It is used only when the respondent leaves the email question empty.
7. Step 6: Select the ticket type and save
In "Select ticket type", choose the Freshdesk ticket type that all tickets created from this survey will use (for example Question). The types listed come from your Freshdesk account. Click "Save" to finish the configuration.
8. Check the result in Freshdesk
From then on, each new response creates a ticket in the configured Freshdesk account, with the subject, assignee, requester and ticket type you set. The ticket body shows the responses in the same layout as the original response in SurveyMars, and the ticket type appears in the "Type" field.
B. Trigger a survey when a Freshdesk event occurs (4 steps)
This function sends a survey link to the customer inside Freshdesk ticket emails, for example after the ticket is closed, so the customer can rate the support experience. It is configured in 4 steps.
1. Switch to the second function and connect the account
Open the Freshdesk panel again and select "Trigger a survey when a Freshdesk event occurs" at the top. In Step 1, "You have connected Freshdesk" lists the same accounts as the first function; select one (for example wjx-assist.freshdesk.com) or choose "Add account...", then click "Next".
2. Step 2: Choose the distribution channel for the responses
Select the distribution channel that responses collected through Freshdesk will be counted under (for example Freshdesk - 0 valid responses). Channels such as email, SMS, custom source and custom parameter cannot be selected; all other distribution methods can. If the selected channel has not been enabled yet, the panel reminds you that it will be enabled automatically when you save, so that responses can be counted correctly.
3. Step 3: Edit the survey link text
The text entered here appears in the ticket email together with the survey link. A default sentence is filled in and can be edited freely, up to 500 characters. Click "Next" when finished.
4. Step 4: Choose which emails include the survey link
Select the tickets events after which the survey link is inserted. Multiple options can be enabled:
- Email sent after the ticket is "Closed": the link is added to the email sent to the customer when the ticket is closed.
- Email sent after the ticket is "Resolved": the link is added to the email sent when the ticket is resolved.
- All replies sent to the customer: the link is added to every reply. This option requires the Freshdesk app to be installed.
- Allow agents to insert the survey link in specified emails: agents can add the link manually while replying. This option also requires the Freshdesk app.
Click "Save" to finish. Once enabled, a few minutes after a ticket in that Freshdesk account is closed, a reply containing the survey link is sent automatically and the customer can open the survey directly from the email.
C. Manage the connection (pause, edit, delete)
After the configuration is saved, both cards show a switch on the right. The switch controls that single function:
- Turn the switch off to pause the function; the configuration is kept and can be resumed at any time.
- Click the three-dot menu on a card to "Open in Freshdesk", "Edit" or "Delete" that function.
- "Edit" reopens the step-by-step panel with the saved values, so you can go back to any previous step, modify the dropdown selections and save again.
- "Delete" shows a second confirmation dialog. After confirming, the connection of that function is removed; the other function is not affected.
FAQ
Q: Where do I start the Freshdesk integration?
A: Go to "Send Survey" → "Third-party Integrations", find Freshdesk and click "Connect". Freshdesk is not connected by default, and the configuration panel opens right after connecting.
Q: Do I have to choose one of the two functions?
A: No. The two functions are independent: you can enable only "Sync responses to Freshdesk", only "Trigger a survey when a Freshdesk event occurs", or both at the same time.
Q: What does the ticket body look like?
A: The ticket body keeps the same layout as the original response on the "View / Download Responses" page, so the agent can read the answers in the same order and style as in SurveyMars.
Q: The respondent did not leave an email. Will the ticket still be created?
A: Yes. In Step 5, enable "If the respondent has not filled in an email, use this contact" and select a Freshdesk contact as the fallback requester.
Q: Why can't I select some distribution channels in "Trigger a survey when a Freshdesk event occurs"?
A: Email, SMS, custom source and custom parameter channels are not supported for this function. Other channels are selectable; if the channel is not enabled, it will be enabled automatically when you save.
Q: Which options require the Freshdesk app?
A: "All replies sent to the customer" and "Allow agents to insert the survey link in specified emails". They are marked with "Freshdesk app required"; install the app first, otherwise these two options cannot take effect.
Q: When does the customer receive the survey email?
A: A few minutes after the ticket is closed (when "Closed" is enabled), or when the ticket is resolved / a reply is sent, depending on the options you enable in Step 4.
Q: Can I pause only one function?
A: Yes. The switch on each card controls that function only, so you can pause one function while the other keeps running. Deleting a function is also done per card.
Important Notes
- The Freshdesk integration is off by default; you must click "Connect" before any function can be configured.
- The two functions can be enabled independently, and each of them has its own switch and three-dot menu (open in Freshdesk, edit, delete).
- Turning a switch off only pauses the function; the configuration is preserved. To remove it, use "Delete", which shows a second confirmation dialog.
- When editing, you can go back to any previous step and the saved values are shown; dropdown selections can be changed and saved again.
- In "Sync responses to Freshdesk", the ticket body follows the layout of the original response in SurveyMars; serial number, submit time and IP address can be included as selectable items.
- Every Freshdesk ticket needs a requester, so choose the email question carefully. If the question may be left empty, configure the fallback contact.
- In "Trigger a survey when a Freshdesk event occurs", responses are counted under the selected distribution channel; unsupported channels are email, SMS, custom source and custom parameter.
- If the selected channel is not enabled, it will be enabled automatically when saving, so that the valid response count can be tracked.
- "All replies sent to the customer" and "Allow agents to insert the survey link in specified emails" require the Freshdesk app to be installed on your Freshdesk account.
- The survey link text is limited to 500 characters; keep it short so it reads well inside the ticket email.
