> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.messagedesk.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# MessageDesk Zapier Integration (Beta)

> Automate SMS workflows by connecting MessageDesk to 6,000+ apps with Zapier. Triggers, actions, and recipe ideas for syncing CRM, forms, and ticketing tools.

# Zapier integration (Beta)

Connect MessageDesk to thousands of other apps using **Zapier**.\
Automate workflows by triggering actions when messages are sent or received, or perform tasks like **creating contacts**, **sending messages**, and **adding comments** when events occur in other tools.

<Note>
  **Permissions required.** To build a Zap that authenticates with your MessageDesk account, your user role needs **Editor** or **Owner** on the **Developer** feature in [Team Management](/settings/workspace-settings/team-management). **Admins** have this by default. **Viewers** can't authenticate Zapier under their own account, so any Zap a Viewer builds or owns won't run.

  Each Zap runs under the **MessageDesk account that authenticated it**. If a Zap stops working, check the authenticated user's role first.
</Note>

***

## What you can automate

* **When a message is received** → Create helpdesk tickets, send Slack or Teams notifications, or log messages to Google Sheets.
* **When a message is sent** → Update CRM records, trigger a follow-up task, or post delivery updates.
* **From your CRM, forms, or scheduling tools** → Automatically create or update contacts in MessageDesk and send personalized text messages.
* **From payments or invoicing systems** → Send SMS confirmations when a customer pays or when a new invoice is issued.

<Note>
  **Requirements:**

  * A [Zapier](https://zapier.com) account and a connected MessageDesk workspace.
  * Outbound texting via Zapier follows the same [**registration**](/carrier-registration/overview), [**delivery**](/messaging/delivery-status-errors), and [**compliance**](/settings/workspace-settings/compliance-center) standards as sending directly from MessageDesk.
</Note>

***

## How Zapier works

Each Zap has two main components:

| Type        | Description                                                                                  |
| ----------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Trigger** | The event that starts your Zap (e.g., a message received in MessageDesk).                    |
| **Action**  | The task Zapier performs after the trigger fires (e.g., send a message or create a contact). |

***

## Available MessageDesk triggers

| Trigger              | Description                                                             |
| -------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Message Received** | Fires when your workspace receives a new inbound text message.          |
| **Message Sent**     | Fires when a message is sent from your workspace (manual or automated). |

***

## Available MessageDesk actions

| Action                       | Description                                                          |
| ---------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Create or Update Contact** | Adds a new contact or updates an existing one based on phone number. |
| **Send Message**             | Sends a text message through your MessageDesk workspace.             |
| **Create Comment**           | Posts a new comment in a MessageDesk conversation thread.            |

***

## Triggers

### Message Received

Fires when your MessageDesk workspace receives an inbound message.

| Field              | Required | Description                             |
| ------------------ | -------- | --------------------------------------- |
| **Workspace Name** | ✅        | The name of your MessageDesk workspace. |

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/messagedesk/mGnQnwFQzYesd8KZ/images/message-received.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=mGnQnwFQzYesd8KZ&q=85&s=8ae758169c4fdd9538b6721638dd05a3" alt="Message Received" width="1190" height="411" data-path="images/message-received.png" />

***

### Message Sent

Fires when your MessageDesk workspace sends an outbound message.

| Field              | Required | Description                             |
| ------------------ | -------- | --------------------------------------- |
| **Workspace Name** | ✅        | The name of your MessageDesk workspace. |

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/messagedesk/mGnQnwFQzYesd8KZ/images/message-sent.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=mGnQnwFQzYesd8KZ&q=85&s=95ea8b38b7e0b127db5e5e92f80f211f" alt="Message Sent" width="1191" height="400" data-path="images/message-sent.png" />

***

## Actions

### Create or Update Contact

Creates or updates a contact in your selected workspace. Perfect for syncing leads, form submissions, or new customer signups.

| Field                      | Required | Description                                                        |
| -------------------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Workspace Name**         | ✅        | The name of your MessageDesk workspace.                            |
| **Contact Phone Number**   | ✅        | The contact's phone number in E.164 format (e.g., `+15551234567`). |
| **First Name / Last Name** | ❌        | Optional contact name fields.                                      |
| **Email**                  | ❌        | Optional email address.                                            |

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/messagedesk/kHPokM7FzybfPQCE/images/create-update-contact.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=kHPokM7FzybfPQCE&q=85&s=9376690f7ab5df66f1748b3534fadab8" alt="Create Update Contact" width="1211" height="645" data-path="images/create-update-contact.png" />

***

### Send Message

Sends an outbound text message from MessageDesk. Each Zap run sends one message at a time.

| Field                             | Required | Description                                                   |
| --------------------------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Workspace Name**                | ✅        | The name of your MessageDesk workspace.                       |
| **Workspace Number to Send From** | ✅        | The phone number you'll send the message from (E.164 format). |
| **Recipient Number**              | ✅        | The phone number to send your message to (E.164 format).      |
| **Message Text**                  | ✅        | The body of your message.                                     |

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/messagedesk/AzQVbgR4sMYyvJGM/images/send-message.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=AzQVbgR4sMYyvJGM&q=85&s=3ddef7f42d632855fc2f37251be6bad1" alt="Send Message" width="1204" height="630" data-path="images/send-message.png" />

<Warning>
  Messages sent through Zapier count toward your MessageDesk usage and must follow the same carrier and compliance rules as messages sent from your Inbox.
</Warning>

***

### Create Comment

Posts a comment in an existing conversation thread. Use this action to add internal notes, mention teammates, or automate updates from other apps.

| Field                | Required | Description                                                         |
| -------------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Workspace Name**   | ✅        | The name of your MessageDesk workspace.                             |
| **Workspace Number** | ✅        | The phone number tied to the workspace conversation (E.164 format). |
| **Contact Number**   | ✅        | The contact's phone number to identify the conversation.            |
| **Comment Text**     | ✅        | The text body of your comment.                                      |

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/messagedesk/kHPokM7FzybfPQCE/images/create-comment.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=kHPokM7FzybfPQCE&q=85&s=f7e0d22e2c8c5f4d2ba7656684a3e1f3" alt="Create Comment" width="1203" height="622" data-path="images/create-comment.png" />

***

## How to build your first MessageDesk Zap

### 1. Gain early beta access

[Request access here](https://messagedesk.typeform.com/to/C3cEgPAm) to join the Zapier beta.

### 2. Accept the invitation from Zapier in your inbox

Go to your email, find an invitation from Zapier, and click accept to gain access to the Zapier integration.

<Warning>
  Note: You must be an admin for your Zapier account to accept the invitation and gain access to the MessageDesk Zapier integration.
</Warning>

### 3. Log in to Zapier

Once you accept the invitation, visit [**zapier.com**](https://zapier.com) to log in or create a new account.

### 4. Create a new Zap

Click **Create Zap** on your dashboard.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/messagedesk/Ogqfk1cEJ_ISt8f2/images/create-new-zap.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=Ogqfk1cEJ_ISt8f2&q=85&s=2b16cb32e77c8b37b8b5c7560cad2f74" alt="Create New Zap Pn" width="3504" height="2124" data-path="images/create-new-zap.png" />

### 5. Add MessageDesk

Search for **MessageDesk (Invite Only)** and select **version 1.2.0** from the dropdown.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/messagedesk/mha9RQ8zYelosPC-/images/zapier-version-1.2.0.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=mha9RQ8zYelosPC-&q=85&s=e6e9ac41300a9c8c6833c2ee3767dfc1" alt="Zapier Version 1 2 0" width="883" height="819" data-path="images/zapier-version-1.2.0.png" />

You can use MessageDesk as either a **trigger** or an **action**.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/messagedesk/0oECexoJNa86YmHn/images/trigger-or-action.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=0oECexoJNa86YmHn&q=85&s=1ac63025743928fa679331878a443f88" alt="Trigger Or Action Pn" width="3504" height="2124" data-path="images/trigger-or-action.png" />

### 6. Choose a trigger

Select one of the following:

* **Message Received**
* **Message Sent**

Then connect your MessageDesk account and select your workspace.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/messagedesk/0oECexoJNa86YmHn/images/zapier-trigger-select.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=0oECexoJNa86YmHn&q=85&s=48e054a2143d36a68fa2e053aacfb746" alt="Zapier Trigger Select Pn" width="3504" height="2126" data-path="images/zapier-trigger-select.png" />

### 7. Add an action

Choose from:

* **Create or Update Contact**
* **Send Message**
* **Create Comment**

Map your fields, test your Zap, and turn it on.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/messagedesk/mha9RQ8zYelosPC-/images/zapier-supported-actions.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=mha9RQ8zYelosPC-&q=85&s=a56a3249a36d2318f6d7e4132fad2cf6" alt="Zapier Supported Actions" width="3504" height="2122" data-path="images/zapier-supported-actions.png" />

***

## Popular Zapier workflows

Use these examples to get inspired and automate common MessageDesk tasks:

| Workflow                                                        | Connected Apps                    | Description                                                                                                                                                    |
| --------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **New CRM Lead → Add to MessageDesk**                           | HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM      | When a new lead is created, automatically create or update the contact in MessageDesk and send a personalized welcome text.                                    |
| **Job or Appointment Booked → Send Reminder Text**              | Calendly, Google Calendar, Jobber | Send automated appointment reminders or confirmations directly from MessageDesk.                                                                               |
| **New Message in MessageDesk → Notify Teammates**               | Slack, Microsoft Teams            | Post a notification with message details and contact info when a new message arrives in MessageDesk.                                                           |
| **Invoice Created or Payment Received → Send Confirmation SMS** | QuickBooks, Xero                  | When a new invoice is issued or a payment is logged, send a text confirmation to the customer.                                                                 |
| **New Form Submission → Create Comment with Mention**           | Google Forms, Typeform            | Automatically post a comment when a new form or chatbot submission is received.                                                                                |
| **Email or Message → Comment in Thread**                        | Outlook, Gmail, Teams             | Create an internal comment in MessageDesk when an external email or chat arrives, keeping your team aligned.                                                   |
| **Customer Review Received → Thank You Text**                   | Google Reviews, Mailchimp         | Automatically send a thank-you message when a customer leaves a new review or completes feedback.                                                              |
| **New Twilio BYOC Number Added → Notify Slack Channel**         | Twilio, Slack                     | Post a message to a Slack channel when a new Twilio BYOC number is connected to MessageDesk so admins and the support team stay in sync on phone-line changes. |
| **New Opted-Out Contact → Update CRM Record as Unsubscribed**   | HubSpot, Salesforce               | When a contact opts out of SMS in MessageDesk, flag the matching CRM record as unsubscribed so marketing automations and sales sequences stop messaging them.  |
| **Conversation Closed → Create Follow-Up Task**                 | Asana, ClickUp, Monday.com        | When a MessageDesk conversation is closed, create a follow-up task in your project management tool so nothing slips through after the thread is resolved.      |

***

## Best practices

* ✅ **Include opt-out text:** "Reply STOP to opt out" for promotional or automated messages.
* ✅ **Always use E.164 format:** `+15551234567` for all phone numbers.
* ✅ **Test with real data:** Before turning on your Zap.
* ⚠️ **Avoid bulk sends:** Each Zap run sends one message. Use MessageDesk **Broadcasts** for larger campaigns.
* 🧩 **Use filters and conditions:** Limit your Zaps to relevant events (e.g., only messages containing "Support").

***

## Troubleshooting

| Issue                                                                         | Solution                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Authentication fails when connecting to MessageDesk**                       | Reconnect your account in Zapier and confirm you're using the correct workspace and **Zap version 1.2.0**.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| **Zap fails during testing**                                                  | Make sure all phone numbers are formatted correctly in **E.164**.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| **Message sent but not delivered**                                            | Check [Delivery Status & Errors](/messaging/delivery-status-errors) for details.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| **Zap not triggering**                                                        | Verify the correct trigger and workspace setup. Send a test message to fire the event.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| **Contact not updating correctly**                                            | Check field mappings and confirm the contact's phone number matches existing records.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| **My Zap built fine but isn't firing (or one Zap works and another doesn't)** | Check which **MessageDesk user authenticated** that specific Zap in Zapier. Each Zap runs under the user whose credentials connected the MessageDesk account. That user must have **Editor** or **Owner** on the **Developer** feature in [Team Management](/settings/workspace-settings/team-management). Common cause: an admin authenticated one Zap (works), and a teammate without Developer permission authenticated another (fails). Re-authenticate the failing Zap with a user who has the right permission, or have an admin grant the existing user **Developer = Editor**. |

***