ServiceDesk Plus Cloud App for Teams

The cloud version of ServiceDesk Plus now integrates with Microsoft Teams, leveraging the collaboration app from Microsoft as an additional channel for IT and enterprise support.

This integration enables users to completely access the Self-Service Portal, Requests, and Solutions module of ServiceDesk Plus Cloud, right within their Teams account. In addition, users can perform various help desk actions, access tasks present in the Home tab, and browse through the knowledge base using the ServiceDesk Plus bot and the messaging extension.

By bringing a host of service desk capabilities like incident management, service management, and knowledge base into Microsoft Teams, ServiceDesk Plus Cloud bridges the gap between IT service desk teams and end-users.

This guide discusses the integration in the following topics. Click a topic to expand it:

Install ServiceDesk Plus Cloud App
Add ServiceDesk Plus Cloud Instance as a Tab
- Add a tab while installing the app
- Add a tab to Teams Channel
Access ServiceDesk Plus Cloud App from Teams App
Authentication
Outlook Actionable Messages in MS Teams
Create Requests from Microsoft Teams Chat

Install ServiceDesk Plus Cloud App

Sign in to Microsoft Teams.
Head over to the Apps tab at the end of the navigation pane in Microsoft Teams.
Find the ServiceDesk Plus Cloud app and click on it. You can search for the app using the search bar in the left panel if needed.

Alternatively, you can go to More Added Apps (...) icon on the navigation pane and search for ServiceDesk Plus Cloud app.

In the pop-up window, click Add to install the ServiceDesk Plus bot and the messaging extension.

You can also install the bot in Microsoft Teams from the ServiceDesk Plus Cloud application. Head to Setup > Apps & Add-ons > Integrations. On the Microsoft Teams card, click Install from Microsoft Teams.

External app access must be enabled for your organization to install this app. Tenant admin for the organization has the permissions to enable or disable external app access. Please refer to the e xternal app access and setup policies to get more details.

Automatically install the SDPC app organization-wide in MS Teams

To automatically install ServiceDeskPlus Cloud using org-wide installation, please follow these steps:

Visit Manage Apps in Teams Admin Center.
Navigate to Org-wide app settings in the Teams Admin Center.

Enable Auto install approved apps and then click Manage selected apps.

In the "Setup to auto install" list of "Manage Selected apps", Select ServiceDeskPlus Cloud to install it org-wide.

Click "Back" in the "Setup to auto install" and click "Save" in the "Org-wide app settings".

After signing in to the enabled app with Microsoft Entra ID on another platform, app installation may take up to two days. Users receive a welcome message if bots are supported. Additionally, users get an Activity Feed notification on Teams desktop or web client regarding the new app, which isn't available on mobile devices.

Refer to the following Microsoft documentation for more information on enabling auto-install for approved apps, the benefits and considerations of this feature.

Customize the default content of ServiceDesk Plus Cloud app in Microsoft Teams

Go to Microsoft Teams admin center
Select Teams Apps dropdown on the left-side menu.
Select Manage Apps and search ServiceDesk Plus Cloud.
Select Customize to change the default content.

Rebrand the Application Name in Microsoft Teams

After integrating Microsoft Teams with ServiceDesk Plus Cloud, you can customize the application name and icon of ServiceDesk Plus Cloud from Microsoft Teams.

Go to admin.teams.microsoft.com
On the left pane, click Teams apps > Manage apps.
Search for ServiceDesk Plus Cloud in app search and select it.

Click Customize.

Modify the App details such as short name, short description, and full description. You can also modify the icon and accent color of the application.

Click Apply.

Use ServiceDesk Plus Cloud Bot

The ServiceDesk Plus bot allows your users to perform help desk tasks such as reporting incidents, tracking requests and approvals, assigning requests to technicians, adding notes, and more by using commands. This bot is available only in one-to-one chat.

Immediately after installing the bot, you will be redirected to the ServiceDesk Plus bot tab. Right-click on the tab and pin it for easier accessibility. Alternatively, you can access the ServiceDesk Plus bot in the following ways:

Click the (⋯) option on the left panel. Choose the ServiceDesk Plus Cloud app to start a conversation with the bot. You can also go to the Chat tab to converse with the bot.

You need to authorize the bot to access your service desk instance details. Click the Authorize button. Sign in to your Zoho account or use SAML authentication as instructed here.

The authorization link will expire after a specified time limit, causing authorization failure. You can regenerate the Authorize link by typing 'authorize' in the chat interface.

To get started, type 'help' to view the list of commands available.

The table lists the supported commands and their functions for requesters and technicians:

Chat Commands	Requesters	Technicians
Select Instance	Lists instances associated with the logged-in requester.	Lists instances associated with the logged-in technician.
View All Requests	Displays all requests created by the logged-in requester.	Displays all requests in the instance.
View My Open Requests	Displays open requests of the logged-in requester.	Displays open requests of the logged-in technician.
Pending Approvals	Lists pending approvals of logged-in requester.	Lists pending approvals of logged-in technician.
Search Request	Searches among all requests of the logged-in requester.	Searches requests across the instance.
Create Request	Creates a request using the default template configured for the instance.	Creates a request using the default template configured for the instance.

Select an instance to report incidents, track requests and approvals, and perform other actions. Note that the incidents will be raised on the default template and only if no field other than Subject is mandated in the template.

When you view an existing request, you can add a note, pick up, assign, or close the request.

ServiceDesk Plus bot is capable of performing only inbuilt functions. Apart from the inbuilt commands, you can use authorize and revoke commands to authorize or revoke the authorization respectively.

Zia Action Commands in Microsoft Teams Bot

You can now execute Zia action commands directly from the ServiceDesk Plus Cloud bot in Microsoft Teams by enabling the Microsoft Teams card in the Integrations page in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud.

Prerequisites

Microsoft Teams and Zia should be enabled.

Executing Zia Commands from Microsoft Teams Bot

In the Microsoft Teams, go to the ServiceDesk Plus Cloud bot and navigate to the Chat tab, and type and enter the Zia commands to execute them.

Note:

Zia action commands will not be suggested by default. Type in the commands manually to execute them.

The following zia action commands will not work since Microsoft Teams has similar commands: view all requests, my pending approval.

The commands get Zia widget code, Full screen Mode, Zia reports are not supported for now.

Limitations

1. Blended conversation commands are not supported.

2. Ask Zia conversational flow is not supported.

3. MS Teams bot is single session model unlike Zia in ServiceDesk Plus User Interface. Hence, the session will not reset on page refresh or during re-authentication.

4. Zia sessions will expire automatically in 30 mins if left unused. New Zia session will be created on entering a new command. Manual termination of a Zia session is not supported now.

5. End Conversation button is not available; users can enter Stop to end the conversation instead.

Additional Tabs in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud Bot:

Technicians and requesters can access Home, Requests and Solutions tab from the ServiceDesk Plus bot tab.

Tabs	Requesters	Technicians
Home	Displays self-service portal.	Displays task module.
Requests	Displays request list view with requests created by logged-in technician.	Displays request list view with requests in the instance.
Solutions	Displays solutions list view.	Displays solutions list view.

Home Tab: Technicians can add, view, and manage their tasks from the Home tab. Requesters can access the Self-Service Portal from the Home tab.

Technician Home in ServiceDesk Plus bot tab

Requester Home in ServiceDesk Plus bot tab

Requests Tab: Technicians and requesters can view all their requests in the Requests tab.

Solutions Tab: Technicians and requesters can view the available solutions in the knowledge base of the Solutions tab.

Click the instance name dropdown to switch between requests of multiple service instances.

Use the messaging extension

The ServiceDesk Plus Cloud messaging extension enables you to search through the application knowledge base and post the solution articles over a team channel or a personal chat. You can also use the messaging extension in your ServiceDesk Plus bot.

Go to a team channel, personal chat, or ServiceDesk Plus bot depending on your requirements.
You will need to authorize ServiceDesk Plus Cloud to be used as a messaging extension in Teams. Click the sign in link provided to authorize your ServiceDesk Plus Cloud account. On the Zoho accounts page, you can either sign in using your Zoho account or through SAML authentication as explained here.
Right click on the app icon to pin the app on the compose box.
Click the app icon to search through the solutions and share them over a channel or the chat you're in.

Access ChatGPT from Microsoft Teams

If ChatGPT integration is enabled in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud, you can click Summarize to outline the request description via ChatGPT in the ServiceDesk Plus Cloud bot. ChatGPT also powers the ServiceDesk Plus Cloud bot, providing answers to user queries in the bot. Learn more.

ChatGPT also powers the ServiceDesk Plus Cloud bot, providing answers to user queries in the bot. A one-time authorization is required to allow ChatGPT to predict responses based on the conversations.

Access Azure OpenAI from Microsoft Teams

If Azure OpenAI integration is enabled in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud, you can click Summarize to outline the request description via Azure OpenAI in the ServiceDesk Plus Cloud bot. Learn more.

Azure OpenAI also powers the ServiceDesk Plus Cloud bot, providing answers to user queries in the bot. A one-time authorization is required to allow Azure OpenAI to predict responses based on the conversations.

Add ServiceDesk Plus Cloud Instance as a Tab

By adding a ServiceDesk Plus instance as a tab in any teams channel, you can enable your users to track and collaborate on their help desk tasks from the Microsoft Teams application. You can add a service desk instance as a tab while installing the app or in the teams channel after installing the app.

You can pin a service desk instance in a channel only once

Add a tab while installing the app

You can add any ServiceDesk Plus instance as a tab to a channel while installing the app.

In the install pop-up window, click the drop-down arrow beside the Add button and select Add to a team.

Select the channel where you want to add the ServiceDesk Plus Cloud Instance as a tab.

Click Set up a tab.
Sign in to authorize ServiceDesk Plus Cloud to add an instance as a tab in Microsoft Teams. Click Sign In. You can either sign in using your Zoho account or through SAML authentication as explained here.

Once you are logged in, choose an instance you want to add as a tab. You can also pin multiple instances as tabs in a single channel.

An instance is added as a tab. To add more service desk instances as tabs, repeat the above steps.

Under the tab added, you can access the Requests module of ServiceDesk Plus Cloud and perform all operations supported in the Request module.

	Requesters	Technicians
Pinned tab in channel	Displays request list view with requests created by logged-in requester in the pinned instance.	Displays request list view with all requests in the pinned instance.

Add a tab to the Team Channel

As an alternative option, you can also add a service desk tab as an instance to a channel after installing the app:

Go to Teams and create a channel for your team.
Click Add Tab button on the channel posts page or the + button present on the channel header.

Choose ServiceDesk Plus Cloud from the list of apps. You can also search for ServiceDesk Plus Cloud in the search box in case you couldn't find the app.

Login to ServiceDesk Plus Cloud application as explained below. Once you're logged in, choose an instance you want to add as a tab. You can also pin multiple instances as tabs in a single channel. Under the tab added, you can access the Requests module of ServiceDesk Plus Cloud.

Access ServiceDesk Plus Cloud App from Teams App

ServiceDesk Plus Cloud bot and the messaging extension will be automatically synced to your Teams account across all logged-in devices.

To access ServiceDesk Plus Cloud from Teams mobile app, click More and select ServiceDesk Plus Cloud App.

You can access the following entities and perform the associated operations:

Entity	Operations	User Type
Home	Access task list view or detailed view Filter list view Search tasks based on title Add comments Close tasks View history	Technicians
Home	View request summary: Pending requests, On-hold requests, or completed requests, awaiting update	Requesters
Requests	Access request list view or detailed view Filter list view Search for requests based on subject Close, add note, reply, or view history	Requesters and Technicians
Requests	Pickup and close	Technician only
Solutions	Access solution list view or detailed view Filter list view Search for solutions based on title Like, dislike, view history, or view comments	Requesters and Technicians
Solutions	Approve or reject	Technicians only

Based on permissions, both requesters and technicians can switch between instances from any tab.

Authentication

You are required to sign in to your ServiceDesk Plus Cloud application initially while installing the bot, setting up the messaging extension, or while adding an instance as a tab.

The Zoho Accounts page will be opened for authentication where you can sign in using either of the following ways:

Log in using Single Sign-on (SSO): Use any third-party applications like Microsoft Azure or google apps to validate Single Sign-on for your organization users.
SAML Single Sign-on: Enter your Zoho email address on the login form. You will be redirected to the Teams page to continue the sign-in process. Note that you will be redirected for SAML authentication only if the email address matches the organization domain name used to configure SAML.
Log in using your Zoho credentials: Enter your Zoho email address/phone number and password.

Once you are signed in, you can start using the bot, messaging extension, or add a service desk instance as a tab.

The authentication model for bot/messaging extension varies from the model used for accessing tabs in the Teams channel:

The authentication for the bot/messaging extension is universal - logging into the bot will automatically validate login to the messaging extension and vice versa. Furthermore, users can access the bot and messaging extension in all connected devices after they validate the authentication.

The authentication for accessing a tab is independent of the bot/messaging extension authentication. Although the tabs added to a channel are synced across all connected devices, users are required to revalidate their login to access the tab in each device.

Outlook Actionable Messages in MS Teams

You can integrate actionable cards from Outlook into your bot/chat inbox. The dynamic Outlook actionable cards will be displayed in Microsoft Teams.

Role Required: SDAdmin/OrgAdmin in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud and Global Administrator or Privileged Role Administrator in Microsoft Teams.

In ServiceDesk Plus Cloud, navigate to Setup > Apps & Add-ons > Integrations.
On Microsoft Teams block, toggle the integration ON.
Log into Microsoft Teams with the user account credentials used in Outlook.
Go to the teams bot, chat, channels and authorize the bot/chat to access the service desk instance by using the authorize command.
Configure notifications by using the configure command.

The dynamic Outlook actionable cards will now be reflected in MS Teams. You can disable the integration anytime in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud anytime to deconfigure the notifications.

The notifications will be deconfigured if the authorization is revoked.

Create Requests from Microsoft Teams Chat

Using message actions, create incidents or service requests in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud directly from the Microsoft Teams chat. This can be done from personal chats, group chats, or chat channels.

To do this,

Go to Chats in Microsoft Teams.
Hover over a conversation and click > More Actions > New Incident or New Service Request.

Click the Instance drop-down on the top-left and select an instance.

Select a template.
Requester Name, Site, and Subject are auto-populated. The chat message is added as the subject.
The chat link is appended in Description.

Fill out the required fields and click Add Request.
The request is created in ServiceDesk Plus Cloud, and a card is displayed in Microsoft Teams.
On the displayed card, click View Request to see the request details. Click Post to Chat to add the card to the chat and track requests from it.

View Request

Post to Chat

Currently, this option is available only when the chat is created from the chat tab (personal) and not from group chats or channels.

For further clarification or assistance, you can contact support by visiting this page.