If your support team’s drowning in chats, and you’re tired of tickets bouncing around or sitting in limbo, you’re in the right place. This guide is for anyone managing a small or medium support team who wants to use Zendesk Chat to get customers to the right people—fast—without hiring consultants or buying a bunch of add-ons.
Automated customer routing isn’t magic. It’s a set of rules and simple automations that get new chats in front of the agent who’s most likely to help, right away. It cuts down on idle time and keeps your team from getting overwhelmed. But it’s also easy to over-engineer—so we’ll stick to what works, skip the fluff, and show you how to set up a system you can actually maintain.
Why bother automating chat routing?
- Faster replies: Customers get help quicker when the right person sees their chat first.
- Happier agents: No more picking up chats they can’t solve or wasting time figuring out who should take what.
- Fewer dropped balls: You’re less likely to miss chats or let them sit too long.
But here’s the thing: Routing only helps if you keep it simple and tweak it as you go. Overcomplicate it, and you’ll spend more time fixing rules than helping customers.
Step 1: Understand Zendesk Chat’s routing basics
First, make sure you’re actually using Zendesk Chat (now called Zendesk Messaging). Here’s the Zendesk Chat page if you want to check the details or confirm your plan supports chat routing.
There are two main ways to route chats in Zendesk:
- Manual assignment: Agents pick chats from a queue. Easy, but things get missed when everyone’s busy.
- Automatic routing (Round Robin): Zendesk assigns chats to available agents based on set rules. This is what you want for speed.
If you’re on a Zendesk Suite plan (Professional or higher), you probably have access to advanced routing features. If not, you can still do a lot with triggers and departments.
Step 2: Map out your support team
Don’t jump into settings yet. Grab a notepad and sketch out:
- Who answers what? (e.g., billing, tech questions, VIP customers)
- What hours is each group online?
- Do any agents specialize in certain products or languages?
This helps you avoid setting up routing rules that send chats to agents who can’t help.
Pro tip: If your team’s small (under 5 people), keep routing simple—over-segmentation wastes time.
Step 3: Set up Departments and Agent Groups
Departments are Zendesk’s way of grouping agents. Create departments based on real differences—billing, tech support, sales, etc.—not just for the sake of it.
To create or edit departments: 1. Go to your Zendesk Admin Center. 2. Click “Channels” > “Messaging and social” > “Chat.” 3. Under “Departments,” create new ones or edit existing. Assign agents based on their roles.
Don’t:
- Make departments for every minor category. Too many and routing gets confusing.
- Assign agents to multiple departments unless they really do both jobs.
What works:
- 2-4 departments for most small teams.
- Adjusting departments every quarter as roles shift.
Step 4: Set up chat routing rules
Now, time to build the automations. There are a few ways to do this in Zendesk Chat:
Option 1: Department-based routing
If you have departments set up, you can use pre-chat forms to ask customers what they need. Their answer determines which department gets the chat.
How to set up: 1. In Admin Center, go to “Channels” > “Chat” > “Settings.” 2. Enable the pre-chat form. 3. Add a required dropdown question like “What can we help with?” (e.g., Billing, Tech Support, Sales). 4. Map each answer to a department.
Pros:
- Super easy.
- Customers tell you what they need.
Cons:
- Some customers pick the wrong option (not the end of the world—just have a simple escalation process).
Option 2: Skills-based routing (Advanced plans)
If you’re on a higher-end plan, you can set up “skills” (like language, product expertise).
How to set up: 1. Go to Admin Center > “People” > “Agent skills.” 2. Add relevant skills (e.g., Spanish, Hardware, Returns). 3. Assign skills to agents. 4. Set up triggers to assign chats to agents with matching skills.
Works best when: - You support multiple languages or complex products. - Your team isn’t constantly changing roles.
Don’t bother if: - Your team’s small and everyone wears all the hats. - You don’t want to maintain a skills list as people come and go.
Option 3: Round Robin (automatic assignment)
Zendesk can automatically assign chats to available agents in a department using round robin.
How to set up: 1. In Admin Center > “Channels” > “Chat,” turn on “Chat Routing.” 2. Select “Automatic assignment.” 3. Set a max number of chats per agent (start low—2 or 3 is plenty). 4. Decide what happens if all agents are full (queue or show “no agents available”).
Why it works:
- Spreads work evenly.
- No more “who picks up this chat?” debates.
But:
- If agents forget to set themselves “away,” chats might go unanswered. Train your team to use statuses.
Step 5: Use Triggers for smarter routing
Triggers are your secret weapon for making routing smarter without complex coding.
Examples of helpful triggers: - If a chat comes in from a VIP customer (based on email), route to a senior agent. - If a customer mentions “refund” in the pre-chat form, send to the billing department. - If no agents are available in a department, auto-reply with expected wait time.
How to set up: 1. Go to Admin Center > “Objects and rules” > “Business rules” > “Triggers.” 2. Create a new trigger, set conditions (like message content or department), and define the action (assign to group, send auto-response, etc.).
Don’t overdo it.
Start with one or two triggers, see what works, and add more only if there’s a real need.
Step 6: Test, tweak, and keep it simple
Don’t assume your routing’s perfect. Test it:
- Start a chat as a customer and see where it lands.
- Have agents check if they’re getting chats they can actually answer.
- Track response times and missed chats for a week.
If you see problems: - Too many chats to one agent? Lower the “max chats” number. - Wrong department? Reword your pre-chat questions or tweak your triggers. - Agents missing chats? Remind them to set themselves “away” if they’re busy.
What to ignore:
- Fancy third-party “AI” routing plugins unless you have a huge team and budget (they’re often more trouble than they’re worth).
- Overly granular routing—just makes things harder to maintain.
Pro tips for smoother routing
- Train your team on statuses. If agents forget to go “away,” routing falls apart.
- Use pre-chat forms wisely. Make them short; too many questions and customers bail.
- Check your data monthly. Look for spikes in wait times or unassigned chats.
- Keep your routing visible. Document your setup somewhere so new agents aren’t confused.
- Review every quarter. As your team and products change, so should your routing.
Keep it simple, review often
Automating customer chat routing in Zendesk Chat isn’t rocket science, but it does require regular attention. Start with the basics, see how it works, and only add complexity when you’re sure you need it. Most teams get the best results by keeping their routing setup clean, clear, and easy to adjust.
You don’t need a six-month project plan or expensive apps. Set up your departments, add a smart pre-chat form, use round robin, and review your triggers now and then. That’s it.
The whole point is to get customers answers quickly—so don’t let the system get in the way. Start simple, iterate, and your customers (and your agents) will thank you.