Zendesk Talk connector

Set up the Zendesk Talk connector in Kaivo: authentication, configuration, the 13 BigQuery tables it syncs, and answers to common questions.

Written By Lauri Raivio

Last updated About 3 hours ago

Kaivo is a fully managed data platform that syncs your Zendesk Talk data into a Google BigQuery warehouse and keeps it up to date automatically. There is no pipeline to build and no infrastructure to run, so you can spend your time analysing your customer support data instead of moving it.

What is the Zendesk Talk connector

Sync your Zendesk Talk call data into BigQuery with Kaivo to analyse call volume, queues, and agent performance.

CategoryCustomer Service
StatusGenerally available
AuthenticationAPI key
SetupSelf-service

Getting started with the Zendesk Talk connector

  1. Sign up for Kaivo and create a workspace.
  2. Connect your Zendesk Talk account.
  3. Choose which tables to sync.
  4. Wait for the initial sync to finish.
  5. Query your data in BigQuery or your favourite AI or BI tool.

Authenticating Zendesk Talk

Authenticate with your Zendesk Talk credentials. You provide:

FieldDescription
Email

The user email for your Zendesk account.

API Token

The value of the API token generated. See the Zendesk API token documentation for more information.

Configuring the Zendesk Talk connector

When you set up the connector, you provide:

FieldDescription
Subdomain

This is your Zendesk subdomain that can be found in your account URL. For example, in https://{MY_SUBDOMAIN}.zendesk.com/, where MY_SUBDOMAIN is the value of your subdomain.

Start Date

Any data before this date will not be fetched.

Subscription Plan/Tier

Your Zendesk subscription plan tier. This controls API rate limiting behavior — higher tiers have higher rate limits. If unsure, leave as the default (Team) for the most conservative rate limiting.

Tables and columns synced from Zendesk Talk

Kaivo syncs 13 tables from Zendesk Talk into a dedicated dataset in your BigQuery warehouse. Click any table to see its columns and types.

How the Zendesk Talk sync works

After the first load, Kaivo keeps your BigQuery warehouse up to date for you. Where Zendesk Talk supports it, each sync pulls only new and changed records so it stays fast; otherwise it refreshes the whole table. Every record keeps its original ID, so you won't get duplicate rows.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the initial sync take for Zendesk Talk?

It depends on how much history is in your Zendesk Talk account. Most initial syncs finish within minutes, while large accounts can take a few hours. After that, syncs only fetch new and changed records, so they're much faster.

Can I sync only some tables or columns?

Yes. You pick which tables to sync when you set up the connection and can change the selection later. Tables you don't select are never copied to your warehouse.

What happens when Zendesk Talk's schema changes?

New fields are never added automatically. You choose which fields to sync, so data you haven't selected (sensitive personal data, for example) never lands in your warehouse. When a new field appears, it becomes available for you to add. What happens to removed or renamed fields depends on a table's sync mode: full-refresh tables always match what's currently in Zendesk Talk, so dropped fields disappear, while incremental tables keep their existing columns and history, so an old field stays and newly added fields fill in over time.

How do I handle GDPR or data deletion requests?

Your data lives in your own Kaivo-managed BigQuery warehouse, so the most direct option is to delete or anonymise specific records right in BigQuery. If you delete data in Zendesk Talk instead, full-refresh tables drop it on the next sync, while incremental tables keep it, so you would remove the row in BigQuery or ask us to run a full refresh. To remove everything, delete the Zendesk Talk connector in Kaivo and all of its synced data is deleted with it.

Common use cases for Zendesk Talk data

Call volume

Use calls and call_legs to track inbound and outbound volume over time.

Queue performance

Bring current_queue_activity and account_overview together to measure wait and answer rates.

Agent performance

Use agents_activity and agents_overview to compare handling across agents.

Routing analysis

Join ivrs and ivr_routes to see how calls flow through your phone menus.

Use Zendesk Talk data in your AI and BI tools

Once Zendesk Talk data lands in your Kaivo-managed BigQuery warehouse, you can explore it with AI tools or any BI tool that connects to BigQuery. Here's how the most common destinations work with Zendesk Talk data.

Claude

Use Kaivo's MCP server to give Claude secure, workspace-scoped access to your data. Setup guide →

Power BI

Microsoft's BI tool with a native BigQuery connector. Supports direct query and scheduled refresh. Setup guide →

Data Studio

Free Google BI tool with native BigQuery support. One-click connection to your Kaivo warehouse; great for SMB teams on Google Workspace. Setup guide →

Tableau

The premium analytics standard, with native BigQuery integration. Setup guide →

Google Sheets

Use Connected Sheets to query BigQuery directly from a spreadsheet, with no SQL. Setup guide →

Excel

Connect via Power Query's BigQuery connector. Setup guide →

Metabase

Open-source BI tool with strong BigQuery support. Setup guide →

See our pricing page for Zendesk Talk connector pricing and plan details.