How to change the account owner in Zendesk: A Complete Guide – Available ApS

Effective administration of a Zendesk account requires the right people to have the right roles. One of the most critical and fundamental roles is the account owner. The account owner is not just an administrator, but the legal and financial anchor for the Zendesk subscription and the highest authority on the account.
This guide covers what the role entails and how a change of ownership is handled – both for planned handovers and for urgent situations where a key person has left or is unavailable. The guide describes the process step by step and brings together central recommendations for a smooth transition.

The central role of the account owner: More than just an administrator

Before the process itself, it is important to understand why the role differs from an ordinary administrator. The account owner is the person Zendesk regards as the official, legal owner of the contract. This has consequences for operations, security and access to central account functions.

What defines an account owner?

The account owner's primary areas of responsibility and rights include:

Legal and financial responsibility: The account owner is the legal signatory of the subscription and the party ultimately responsible to Zendesk for payments, contractual obligations and compliance with the terms of service.
Recipient of critical communication: Invoices, payment reminders, information about price changes and communication about the status of the subscription (e.g. renewals and cancellations) are sent exclusively to the account owner's email.
Unique administrator rights: In addition to standard administrator rights, the account owner has exclusive access to change the most sensitive account information, including transferring ownership, changing the subscription level and requesting deletion of the account.
Requirement to be an active user: The account owner must be an active Zendesk user with the administrator role. A user with the "agent" or "end-user" role cannot be the account owner. This ensures that the owner has basic technical insight into the platform.

The concrete consequences of an outdated account owner

An outdated account owner – e.g. an employee who has left the organisation without ownership being transferred – can lead to serious and potentially critical problems:

Blocked renewal: If the subscription needs to be renewed and the legal owner is not available to approve it, customer service may be affected or come to a halt.
Payment problems: Updating the payment card or handling invoice disputes can become impossible.
Security risk: A former employee may in practice still hold the highest authority on the account, which poses a security risk.
Support lock: In the event of serious account problems, Zendesk Support can in principle only communicate with the registered account owner, which can prevent effective help.

It is therefore a significant part of good IT and business security to ensure that the account owner is always a relevant, available and authorised person in the organisation.

Step-by-step: Changing the account owner in practice

The process depends on whether the current account owner can carry out the change internally, or whether ownership must be transferred via Zendesk Support. The guide is divided into two scenarios.

Scenario 1: The planned handover (the current owner is active)

This is the fastest method. If the current account owner is available, ownership can be transferred in a few minutes.

Prerequisites:

The new account owner must already be created as an administrator on the account.

Procedure:

Log in to Zendesk with the account owner's account.
Go to the Admin Center. The Account section is found in the left-hand sidebar.
Under Account, select Billing and then Subscription.
On the subscription page, the Account owner section is found, where the current account owner is shown.
Select Change next to the name of the current account owner.
Select the new account owner from the dropdown menu of the account's administrators.
Select Save to confirm the change.

Important: When the change is saved, ownership is transferred immediately. The previous owner instantly loses access to change account ownership and to the billing section. The new owner receives a confirmation by email and then appears as the account owner.

Scenario 2: The urgent handover (the current owner is unavailable)

If the account owner has left the organisation, is off sick or for other reasons cannot log in, the change cannot be carried out internally. For security reasons, the process requires manual handling and verification from Zendesk Support.

The process can take from a few days to a week. Good preparation can reduce the waiting time.

Step-by-step process:

Preparation: Gather the necessary documentation
For Zendesk to verify the authority to change ownership, relevant documentation must be available. The following should be ready:
- Zendesk domain: (e.g. virksomhedsnavn.zendesk.com).
- The company's official name and registered address: Must match the information Zendesk has on record. The CVR number (company registration number) can be provided.
- The last 4 digits of the payment card: The last 4 digits of the card used to pay for the subscription.
- Name of the new account owner: The person must already be created as an administrator on the account. If not, this must be set up first.
- Documentation of ownership: A certificate of registration or a signed declaration from a person with managerial authority (e.g. a director) confirming the internal change of ownership.

Contact Zendesk Support

Go to the Zendesk support portal and create a new request.
Choose a relevant category, e.g. "Billing" or "Account Management".
Describe the situation clearly and precisely.

Template for the enquiry:

Subject: Request to change account owner - [Zendesk domain]

Hello Zendesk Support,

We would like to change the account owner on the account, as the previous owner, [Name of previous owner], is no longer employed and is unavailable.

Details:
- Zendesk domain: [insert domain]
- Company's official name: [insert company]
- Registered address: [insert address]
- CVR number: [insert CVR]
- Last 4 digits of payment card: [xxxx]

New account owner: [Full name of new owner], email: [email of new owner]. The person is created as an administrator on the account.

A certificate of registration or a signed declaration from management can be attached for verification.

Kind regards,
[Name and title]
[Company]

Verification and completion
Zendesk Support reviews the enquiry and may request further documentation to confirm identity and authority. Once the information has been verified, ownership is moved manually to the specified administrator. A confirmation is sent when the process is complete.

Checklist: Before, during and after the change of ownership

Regardless of the scenario, preparation and follow-up are crucial for a successful change of ownership. The checklist below can be used as support.

Before the change: Preparation

✅ Choose a relevant candidate: The account owner should be a person with a long-term connection to the organisation and the necessary authority to make financial and strategic decisions (e.g. CFO, Head of IT, Head of Customer Success or finance manager).
✅ Use a company email: The new account owner should use an official company email address (e.g. navn@virksomhed.dk). A private email (e.g. Gmail or Outlook) poses a security risk and should be avoided.
✅ Security review: A change of ownership can be used as an occasion to review the user base: Are all administrators still relevant? Are there inactive users or administrators with overly extensive rights that should be adjusted?
✅ Confirm the administrator role: Check that the selected person has the administrator role before the process is started.

After the change: Completion

✅ Update payment details: Changing the account owner does not automatically update the payment card on the subscription. The new owner must log in and update the card details under Billing -> Payment method.
✅ Review billing contacts: Check whether other billing contacts need to be updated, so that the relevant finance function receives copies of invoices.
✅ Internal communication: Inform the relevant departments (e.g. finance and IT), and confirm that the handover has been completed and that the new account owner has responsibility.
✅ Remove previous access (if necessary): If the previous owner has left, the user profile should be deactivated or deleted to maintain security.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Can a person without an administrator role be the account owner?
No. For security reasons, Zendesk requires the account owner to have an active user account with the administrator role.

What happens to the previous account owner's access?
The previous account owner retains their user account and any roles (e.g. administrator), but loses the status and the unique rights that come with the role of account owner. If the person has left, the account should be deactivated by another administrator after the change of ownership.

Does the payment card change automatically when the owner is changed?
No. Ownership and payment method are separate. The new account owner must manually update the payment details to ensure that future payments are completed.

Why does the "Change" button not appear under Subscription?
This is typically due to one of two reasons: 1) You are not logged in as the current account owner, or 2) the person ownership is to be transferred to is not created as an administrator on the account.

Let Available handle the process

A change of ownership in Zendesk can feel technical and administrative, particularly if the current owner has left and the process has to be handled via Zendesk Support. As certified Zendesk partners, Available has assisted companies with this process.

Available can help with:

Preparing and quality-assuring the documentation Zendesk requires, to reduce delays and unnecessary back-and-forth.
Acting as the technical contact and communicating directly with Zendesk Support on behalf of the organisation.
Carrying out a full health check of the Zendesk account to ensure correct and secure configuration in line with best practice.

If you would like professional handling of a change of ownership, Available can be contacted for a no-obligation conversation. The aim is to ensure that the Zendesk account remains robust, secure and operationally stable, and that continuity in a critical customer system is maintained.