How to add agents and assign roles on Zendesk

beginner 8 min read Updated 2026-03-18

Quick Answer

To add agents in Zendesk, navigate to Admin Center > People > Team members, click Add team member, enter their details, and assign their role. Roles can be customized with specific permissions based on your team's needs.

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Prerequisites

Admin access to your Zendesk account
Valid email addresses for new agents
Understanding of role permissions needed for your team
Active Zendesk subscription with available agent seats

Step-by-Step Instructions

Access the Admin Center

Log into your Zendesk account and click the Admin Center icon (gear symbol) in the sidebar. If you don't see this option, ensure you have administrator privileges for your Zendesk instance.

You can also access Admin Center by clicking your profile picture and selecting 'Admin Center' from the dropdown menu.

Navigate to Team Members

In the Admin Center, click People in the left sidebar, then select Team members. This will display your current team roster and available agent seats.

Add a New Team Member

Click the Add team member button in the top right corner. Enter the new agent's Email address, Name, and optionally their External ID if you use external authentication systems.

The external ID is useful for integrating with HR systems or single sign-on solutions.

Select Agent Role

In the Role dropdown, choose the appropriate role:

Agent - Can view and solve tickets
Admin - Full access to all features
Light agent - Limited ticket access
Custom roles if you've created them

Start new team members with Agent role and upgrade permissions as needed to maintain security.

Configure Additional Settings

Set the agent's Default group from the dropdown menu to automatically assign them to relevant tickets. Toggle Restricted agent if they should only see tickets in their assigned groups. Add any relevant Tags for organization.

Set Department and Time Zone

Select the appropriate Department if your organization uses departmental routing. Choose their Time zone to ensure accurate timestamp displays and scheduling. This helps with SLA management and reporting.

Matching time zones to agents' actual locations improves work-life balance and customer expectations.

Send Invitation

Review all settings and click Add to create the agent account. Zendesk will automatically send an invitation email to the provided address with login instructions and temporary password setup.

Ask new agents to check their spam folder if they don't receive the invitation within 15 minutes.

Verify and Customize Permissions

Once the agent accepts their invitation, return to Team members to verify their status shows as Active. Click on their name to access advanced permissions, custom fields access, and integration settings as needed.

Regularly review agent permissions during team meetings to ensure they align with current responsibilities.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Agent invitation email not received

Check the recipient's spam folder, verify the email address is correct, and try resending the invitation from the Team members page by clicking the agent's name and selecting Resend invitation.

Unable to add new agents due to seat limits

Check your subscription plan's agent limit in Account > Billing. Either upgrade your plan or deactivate unused agent accounts to free up seats.

New agent cannot see certain tickets or features

Verify their role permissions in People > Configuration > Roles. Check if they're assigned to the correct groups and ensure Restricted agent setting matches your intended access level.

Custom roles not appearing in dropdown

Navigate to People > Configuration > Roles to create or edit custom roles. Ensure the role is set to Active and has appropriate permissions configured before assigning to agents.

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