Agent guide: Using the Trustpilot Channel App – Available ApS

Customer trust is built through transparent and rapid communication. This guide describes how the Trustpilot Channel App is used in Zendesk to centralise, manage and turn customer reviews into valuable dialogue. When used correctly, it supports a consistent and professional customer experience across channels as well as a clear and responsible presence on Trustpilot.

1. Introduction: Why Trustpilot is integrated with Zendesk

The Trustpilot Channel App connects two central platforms for customer interaction. Instead of switching between systems to respond to reviews, reviews are shown directly in Zendesk. Each review is created as a ticket and can be handled with the same workflows as emails and chats. The purpose of the integration is to place customer feedback at the centre of day-to-day case handling.

Key benefits

Centralising review management offers several benefits:

Efficiency: Agents work in a single, unified interface, which reduces complexity, minimises the risk of errors and saves time.
Proactive customer service: Responding quickly to both positive and negative feedback shows that feedback is read and taken seriously.
Unified context: Communication across channels can be gathered in one profile, which gives an overall overview of the customer journey and supports better service.
Data-driven insight: Tags and Zendesk's reporting tools make it possible to identify trends, measure satisfaction and make informed decisions about improvements.
A consistent brand voice: Macros and internal notes support consistent responses in line with values and tone of voice.

2. Setup and preparation: The workspace

The setup of the integration is typically handled by administrators, but it is relevant to know its function and expected content when a Trustpilot ticket is opened.

How the integration works

When a customer creates a review on the Trustpilot profile, the app starts an automatic process in Zendesk. The process creates a new ticket based on a predefined template and adds data from the review. The purpose is to ensure that reviews are not overlooked, and that they land correctly and ready for handling.

The anatomy of a Trustpilot ticket

When a review is created as a ticket in Zendesk, a standardised structure is shown that supports identification and prioritisation:

Subject: The title of the customer's review. If no title is given, a default such as "New Trustpilot review" is used.
Requester: The customer's name as given on Trustpilot. For an anonymous review, "Anonymous Trustpilot reviewer" is shown.
Description: The entire review text including the star rating. The field should be read carefully to understand the experience.
Tags: The primary tool for sorting, filtering and automation. Each ticket automatically gets the following tags:
- trustpilot: Identifies tickets from the channel.
- rating_[1-5]: Indicates the rating (e.g. rating_1, rating_5) and makes views for negative/positive reviews possible.
- trustpilot_negative: An automatic tag for 1-2 stars; often used for high-priority notifications.
- trustpilot_positive: An automatic tag for 4-5 stars.

Find and filter reviews

For effective work, personal or shared views can be created in Zendesk. Examples of useful filters:

Views can be sorted by creation date to prioritise the most recent reviews first.

3. Responding: From ticket to Trustpilot

Responding to reviews in Zendesk is straightforward, but it requires care to ensure a precise and appropriate response that works both for the customer and on Trustpilot.

Public response vs. private dialogue

A central consideration is whether the response should be public, or whether to invite a private dialogue.

A public response is used when:
- You want to thank the customer for a positive review.
- The criticism can be addressed generally, quickly and constructively.
- You want to show that feedback is handled openly and seriously.
A private dialogue is recommended when:
- The matter requires personal data (e.g. an order number, address).
- The matter is complex and requires a longer or technical clarification.
- The customer is very dissatisfied, and a public dialogue could escalate the conflict.

A sensible approach is to acknowledge the problem publicly and then request contact via a private channel for a concrete solution.

Step-by-step guide to responding

Open the ticket: Find the relevant Trustpilot ticket in a view.
Read and understand: Read the entire review to understand its point, mood and details.
Assess the situation: Consider the following:
- What is the primary emotion (disappointment, joy, frustration)?
- What is the core message?
- Is there a concrete problem that needs to be solved?
- Should the response be public, or is a private channel best?
Write the response: Use the Public reply field. The response is shown publicly on Trustpilot beneath the review.
Use macros: Predefined macros can be used as a starting point and should be adapted so that the response feels authentic.
Send as solved: Click Send as solved. The ticket's status changes, and the response is published on Trustpilot.

Important: Responses sent via Zendesk cannot be edited on Trustpilot afterwards. The response should always be proofread for spelling errors and tone before it is sent.

Best practices for responding

Quick response: Especially for negative reviews, a quick response can reduce dissatisfaction and signal attentiveness.
Personal wording: The customer's name can be used if it is given. Generic responses should be avoided.
Empathy: The customer's experience and feelings should be acknowledged.
Solution focus: For problems, a concrete solution or a clear next step should be offered (e.g. contact by email with an order number).
Thank them for the feedback: The customer should be thanked for sharing their experience, regardless of whether the review is positive or negative.

4. Collaboration and escalation: Using internal features

Zendesk's collaboration features support quality in responses and the handling of complex cases.

Using internal notes

The Internal notes field is used for dialogue with colleagues before sending a public response, so that decisions are made on an informed basis.

@ mentions: Use @ followed by a colleague's name to involve relevant people (e.g. a technical specialist, a manager or another team).
- Example: "@Mette Jensen, can you confirm whether this is a known bug in the payment system?"
Documentation: Note relevant details about customer history or previous enquiries that may be useful to others who see the ticket.

Macros and templates

Macros are developed to ensure consistency and speed and should be regarded as templates, not finished responses. A good macro contains:

An appropriate greeting and closing.
A standardised apology or thank you.
Placeholders such as [insert customer name] or [insert specific detail], which are filled in to tailor the response.

Tip: Personal macros can be created for frequently used phrases to save time.

Assignment and follow-up

If a review requires specific knowledge (e.g. a technical product or the delivery process), the ticket is assigned to the relevant person or group. Follow-up tasks can be created when later feedback is needed, and CC fields can be used to keep relevant stakeholders informed.

5. Handling specific scenarios

The table below describes the handling of different types of reviews.

Scenario	Recommended action	Example response
1-star review (criticism)	Acknowledge the problem quickly. Show empathy. Apologise sincerely. Offer a concrete solution or a private channel for follow-up. Avoid becoming defensive.	> "Hi [Customer name], many thanks for your feedback. We are sincerely sorry to hear about your experience with [specific problem]. This is not the standard we aim for. We would like to help you find a solution. Could you send an email to [our email] with your order number? Then we will look into the matter straight away. Kind regards, [Your Name]"
3-star review (neutral/improvement)	Thank them for the balanced feedback. Acknowledge the positive points. Show interest in the areas for improvement, and ask for more details if appropriate.	> "Hi [Customer name], thank you for your review and for sharing your thoughts. It is good to hear that [mention positive point]. Your suggestion regarding [area for improvement] is noted and will be taken into account in our future work. We would be glad to hear any further ideas. Best wishes, [Your Name]"
5-star review (praise)	Show great gratitude. Reinforce the positive experience by mentioning what is highlighted. Consider sharing the feedback internally with the relevant team.	> "Dear [Customer name], thank you so much for the wonderful 5 stars. It is a pleasure to read that your experience was so good with [specific point]. We look forward to welcoming you again. Kind regards, [Your Name]"
Review with a specific question	Answer the question directly and precisely in the public response. If it is complex, give a brief overview publicly and invite a private dialogue for details.	> "Hi [Customer name], thank you for your review and your question about [product/feature]. It is possible to [brief answer]. If you have more detailed questions, you can contact support at [email/phone], and specialists can help you further. Best wishes, [Your Name]"
Spam or irrelevant review	Do not respond publicly, to avoid drawing unnecessary attention. Flag the review as "inappropriate" on Trustpilot. Add an internal note in the Zendesk ticket (e.g. "The review is spam and has been flagged on Trustpilot") and close the ticket.	(No public response)

6. Brand voice: Language as a promise

Wording and tone are just as important as content. The language should reflect the brand values: professional, helpful, human and transparent.

Guidelines for tone

Write like humans: Use natural language. Avoid stiff, formal phrasing and unnecessary jargon.
Be positive and solution-oriented: Focus on solutions rather than problems, even in critical situations.
Take responsibility: Use phrasing that takes responsibility rather than distancing the sender.
Be authentic: Feel free to close with a name or initials to create a personal and clear sender.

Do this	Avoid this
"Thank you for your honest feedback, Maria. We can see that a mistake has been made, and we apologise for it."	"The customer is complaining about an error. Error noted."
"We would like to help you find a solution."	"Unfortunately, that is not our responsibility."
"Kind regards, [Your Name]"	"Best regards, [Company name]"

7. Troubleshooting and frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Even with a well-functioning integration, questions can arise. Below are solutions to common challenges.

My response was not sent to Trustpilot. What should I do?
This is typically due to an error in the integration or a network problem. Check whether the ticket in Zendesk is set to "solved". If it is, but the response does not appear on Trustpilot, contact a Zendesk administrator. Do not send the response again from Zendesk, as this can result in a duplicate response.

A review did not appear as a ticket.
First check on Trustpilot that the review is public. Then search in Zendesk for the customer's name or email. If it cannot be found, there may be a problem with the app's synchronisation. Inform administrators so that log files can be examined.

Can a response that has already been sent be edited?
No. Once a response has been sent from Zendesk and published on Trustpilot, it cannot be edited or withdrawn via Zendesk. Proofreading before sending is therefore important.

How are reviews from an "Anonymous Trustpilot reviewer" handled?
The response is given generally, but with empathy. Since a name cannot be used, the focus should be on acknowledging the content. A private dialogue should always be offered in order to help more specifically.

Can a review be answered directly from Trustpilot?
Technically yes, but it should be avoided. It breaks the unified workflow, reduces the possibilities for internal collaboration and tracking, and makes it harder to maintain a consistent tone. Trustpilot reviews are handled in Zendesk.

8. Summary: From feedback to community

The Trustpilot Channel App is a central part of the work on customer relationships. By gathering reviews in Zendesk, good conditions are created for listening, reacting and learning. Each ticket is an opportunity to improve the customer's experience and ensure a professional encounter with the brand.

Correct use of the integration supports the customer experience, internal collaboration and a more efficient everyday operation, where feedback is turned into progress.

Version: 2.0
Maintained by: Available ApS - Your Zendesk Partner.