Developer updates: external apps, custom apps and more
Since the launch of the developer portal in July, we’ve been busy working on our app development framework and APIs. So we thought we’d give you a quick tour of all the new features that have been released since then.
App Development Framework:
External Apps:
You can now build and submit external apps, which integrate Freshdesk functionality into a third party product using Freshdesk APIs and are installed from the third party product, to be listed on our App Gallery. Here’s how you do it.
Custom Apps:
You can also build custom apps using the Freshdesk API based on specific customer requirements that will be available only to said customer. To publish a custom app to the Custom App Gallery, see Custom Apps.
Data Storage:
Some apps might need to store data and retrieve it at a later stage. The workflow for a project management app such as JIRA can be considered as an example. When an agent links a Freshdesk ticket to an issue in JIRA, the association between the ticket ID and the issue ID needs to be stored. This association is then retrieved when an agent views the ticket so that we can display the details of the relevant JIRA issue along with the ticket. To enable the development of such apps, we’re providing a data store for apps to set (store) and get (retrieve) data. Learn more here.
We’ve also developed two new DOMhelper Data APIs that are accessible on both the ticket details page and the contact details page – API to get the currently logged in agent’s mail, and API to get the current account domain. Note that it is highly recommended to use this method to obtain the Freshdesk domain name since Freshdesk v2 APIs do not support custom CNAMEs. We’ve also made it easier for apps to react to in-app events like clicks and changes that occur inside the app’s template.
Freshdesk REST APIs:
Solutions APIs:
An effective knowledge base solves two of the biggest helpdesk problems. First, since all agents have a common place to pool in and share solutions, you can be sure that customer responses are consistent throughout. Second, since customers can access and help themselves to solutions, the load on your help desk is decreased.
We have added 16 new APIs to help you manage your entire knowledge base. These APIs also fully support the multilingual knowledge base enhancement that was released earlier this year.
Surveys and Satisfaction Ratings:
Freshdesk recently revamped the Surveys to enable you to customise the satisfaction survey responses beyond the standard 3 point survey and to ask follow up questions. You can now record and view the results of your surveys with our v2 Survey and Satisfaction Rating APIs.
Agent APIs:
Based on your input, we’ve increased the functionality of the Agent APIs. We have brand new admin APIs to help you update and delete agents. You can also now view the roles that an agent has been assigned to. Finally, when converting a contact into an agent, you can now specify the roles, groups and ticket permissions in the same API call.
