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Configure Email Forwarding and DNS Settings (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) for Zendesk

Joep Windt
Joep Windt
  • Updated

To correctly forward emails to Zendesk and securely send emails on behalf of your domain, you need to configure email forwarding and the proper DNS settings (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC). This ensures optimal delivery and prevents your emails from being marked as spam. Follow these steps carefully.

Forwarding Emails to Zendesk

Step 1: Note Zendesk Support Address

  1. Go to the Admin Center in Zendesk.

  2. Navigate to Channels > Email.

  3. Note the Zendesk-generated email address (e.g., yoursubdomain@zendesk.com); you will need this for Step 2.

Step 2: Set Up Forwarding with Your Email Provider

The exact steps vary by email provider. Here are the general guidelines:

Gmail:

  1. Open Gmail settings.

  2. Go to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.

  3. Click Add a forwarding address and enter the Zendesk email address.

  4. Verify the address via the confirmation email from Gmail.

  5. Enable Forwarding enabled.

Microsoft Outlook:

  1. Go to Settings > Mail > Rules.

  2. Create a new rule.

  3. NOTE: Select the action 'Redirect' or 'Redirect' here instead of 'Forward'. With 'Forward', the original requester is not preserved. This applies only to Microsoft Outlook.

Other providers: Consult your email provider’s documentation for setting up automatic forwarding to your Zendesk address.

Step 3: Configure Zendesk to Accept Forwarding

  1. In the Admin Center, go to Channels > Email.

  2. Click Add email address.

  3. Add your original email address (e.g., support@yourcompany.com) and verify it.

Step 4: Test the Forwarding

Send a test email to your original email address and check if it appears as a ticket in Zendesk.

Sending Emails from Zendesk

Step 1: Set Up SPF (Authorize Zendesk)

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) authorizes Zendesk to send emails on behalf of your domain.

  1. Go to your DNS provider (e.g., Cloudflare, TransIP, STRATO).

  2. Locate the TXT record for your domain.

  3. Add the following line or modify an existing SPF record: v=spf1 include:mail.zendesk.com ~all If you already have an SPF record, just add include:mail.zendesk.com to the existing record.

Step 2: Set Up DKIM (Digital Signature)

DKIM adds a digital signature to your emails, which is essential for modern email security and deliverability.

  1. In Zendesk, under email settings, you will find two CNAME records for DKIM.

  2. Add these two records to your DNS settings. They usually look like:

    • Record 1: zendesk1._domainkey.yourcompany.com pointing to zendesk1._domainkey.zendesk.com

    • Record 2: zendesk2._domainkey.yourcompany.com pointing to zendesk2._domainkey.zendesk.com

Tip: Replace 'yourcompany.com' with your company’s email domain. For example:

  • zendesk1._domainkey.cloudmotion.com -> zendesk1._domainkey.zendesk.com

  • zendesk2._domainkey.cloudmotion.com -> zendesk2._domainkey.zendesk.com

Step 3: Set Up DMARC (Security Policy)

DMARC tells receiving servers what to do if SPF or DKIM fails.

  1. Add a TXT record to your DNS named _dmarc.yourcompany.com.

  2. Use this base value (if you don’t have a policy yet): v=DMARC1; p=none;

Step 4: Verification and Testing

After the DNS changes propagate (this can take up to 24 hours but usually activates sooner), you need to verify them:

Check in Zendesk: Go to Admin Center -> Voice and Email -> Email -> Support Addresses. Here you can check the status of forwarding, SPF, and DNS settings and click 'Verify'.

Test DKIM externally: You can specifically check the DKIM setup via MXToolbox SuperTool.

  • Enter in the search field: dkim:emaildomain:zendesk1 (replace 'emaildomain' with your own domain, e.g., dkim:yourcompany.com:zendesk1).

Step 5: Test Sending Emails

As a final step, send a test email from a Zendesk ticket to an external email address (e.g., a personal Gmail address) and check if the email arrives correctly and does not end up in the spam folder.

By configuring these settings, you ensure that incoming emails are properly delivered to Zendesk and outgoing emails are sent securely and reliably.