Senior Zendesk CRM, Automation & Integration Consultant

# Job Title: Senior Zendesk CRM, Automation & Integration Consultant

We are an Australian property inspection business looking for an experienced **Zendesk implementation consultant / CRM automation specialist** to design, build and implement our customer service, sales and communication systems from **A to Z**.

This is **not** a role for a general Zendesk user, VA or basic administrator.

We need someone highly technical who can understand our business, recommend the right architecture, configure the system properly, build automations and integrations, test everything end to end, document it and train our team.

This will initially be a project-based engagement, with possible ongoing optimisation and support for the right consultant.

## Main Systems

* Zendesk
* Zendesk Support / Messaging / Talk or suitable Zendesk products
* Microsoft 365 / Outlook
* ServiceM8
* WhatsApp
* Aircall, JustCall or another suitable VoIP platform
* ----------
* Zapier
* APIs / Webhooks
* Website live chat

## Scope of Work

### 1. Discovery and System Design

Before implementation, we need you to understand our existing workflow and recommend the best setup.

This includes:

* Review our current sales, admin and customer service process
* Map the customer journey from enquiry through to booking and job completion
* Identify bottlenecks and manual work that can be automated
* Recommend the correct Zendesk structure and products
* Recommend what should be handled inside Zendesk versus ServiceM8
* Design integrations between all systems
* Recommend the best VoIP solution for our requirements
* Identify duplicate-data risks and how customer records should be matched
* Create a clear implementation plan before building

We want a consultant who can challenge our current process and suggest better ways of doing things, not simply configure whatever we ask for.

### 2. Zendesk Setup

We initially require approximately 5 users.

The consultant will be responsible for the complete Zendesk setup, including:

* User and team configuration
* Shared Outlook inbox integration
* Ticket forms and categories
* Groups and routing rules
* Triggers
* Automations
* Macros
* Views
* SLAs
* Escalation rules
* Priorities
* Tags
* Customer and organisation records
* Permissions
* Notifications
* Internal notes
* Reporting
* Dashboards
* Website messaging / live chat
* WhatsApp integration

The setup needs to make it easy for staff to see the complete customer history in one place.

Where practical, this should include:

* Emails
* Calls
* WhatsApp messages
* Website chat
* Notes
* Tasks
* Job details
* Previous enquiries
* Booking history

### 3. Lead and Sales Workflow

We need a structured sales and enquiry workflow.

Example stages may include:

New Enquiry → Contacted → Quote Sent → Follow-up → Interested → Booked → Lost

The consultant should recommend the best way to manage this inside Zendesk or through an appropriate connected CRM if required.

We need:

* Lead tracking
* Quote follow-up
* Automatic reminders
* Staff tasks
* Follow-up sequences
* Lead ownership
* Sales reporting
* Lost enquiry reporting
* Conversion tracking
* Escalation of unattended leads

We want to reduce the number of leads that are forgotten or lost due to staff not following up.

### 4. VoIP Integration

We need a professional phone integration with Zendesk.

This may involve:

* Zendesk Talk
* Aircall
* JustCall
* Or another platform recommended by the consultant

Requirements include:

* Incoming calls matched to the customer
* Outgoing calls logged
* Missed calls logged automatically
* Call recordings available where appropriate
* Call duration recorded
* Call notes saved
* Call history visible against the customer
* Missed calls creating follow-up tasks
* Ability to report on call activity
* Ability to identify unanswered or abandoned calls

We are happy to change VoIP providers if there is a better solution.

### 5. ServiceM8 Integration

We currently use ServiceM8 as our job-management platform.

A major part of this project is integrating Zendesk with ServiceM8 properly.

We need automation between the systems, including where technically possible:

* Create ServiceM8 clients
* Update existing ServiceM8 clients
* Create jobs when an enquiry becomes booked
* Sync customer name
* Sync email
* Sync phone number
* Sync property address
* Sync job number
* Sync inspection type
* Sync important job statuses
* Pass relevant notes between systems
* Update Zendesk when a ServiceM8 job progresses
* Avoid duplicate customers
* Avoid duplicate jobs

This may require:

* ----------
* Zapier
* ServiceM8 API
* Zendesk API
* Webhooks
* Custom API integration

We need someone who genuinely understands API integrations and automation logic, not someone who only knows how to connect basic Zapier templates.

### 6. Automation

Automation is one of the most important parts of this project.

Examples include:

* New enquiry not contacted within 10–15 minutes → alert staff
* New enquiry not actioned → escalate to manager
* Quote sent with no response → automatic follow-up
* Second follow-up after a set period
* Missed call → create follow-up task
* Missed call → notify responsible staff member
* Client replies → reopen or update ticket
* Urgent enquiry not actioned → escalation
* Waiting on client for 24 hours → reminder
* Waiting on staff → internal escalation
* Enquiry marked Booked → create ServiceM8 job
* ServiceM8 job created → update Zendesk
* Job cancelled → update relevant systems
* Inspection completed → trigger next administrative step
* Unpaid or incomplete action → create follow-up
* Duplicate enquiry detected → flag for review

The consultant should also recommend automations we haven't thought of.

### 7. Microsoft 365 / Outlook

We use Microsoft 365 and Outlook.

We need:

* Shared inbox integration
* Proper email threading
* Customer matching
* Staff visibility
* Email history against the customer
* Rules to prevent enquiries being lost in shared inboxes
* Clear ownership of incoming emails

### 8. Reporting and Management Visibility

We need useful management reporting, not just basic dashboards.

Examples include:

* New enquiries
* Response time
* Leads not contacted
* Quotes sent
* Follow-ups completed
* Conversion rate
* Lost enquiries
* Missed calls
* Calls answered
* Tickets by category
* SLA breaches
* Staff workload
* Staff response times
* Jobs booked
* Enquiry source
* Performance by staff member

We also want recommendations on what management KPIs should be tracked.

### 9. Testing and Implementation

The consultant must take responsibility for testing the complete system before handover.

This includes:

* Test every automation
* Test integrations
* Test duplicate prevention
* Test email flows
* Test calls
* Test WhatsApp
* Test live chat
* Test ServiceM8 integration
* Test permissions
* Test alerts and escalations
* Test reporting

We don't want a system configured and handed over without proper end-to-end testing.

### 10. Training and Documentation

Once implemented, we need:

* Staff training
* Admin training
* Simple workflow documentation
* Automation documentation
* Integration documentation
* Handover documentation
* Recommendations for future improvements

## The Person We Are Looking For

We are specifically looking for a **senior Zendesk consultant, implementation specialist, CRM architect or automation consultant**.

You should have strong experience in areas such as:

* Zendesk implementation
* Zendesk Support
* Zendesk Messaging
* Zendesk Talk
* Zendesk automation
* Zendesk triggers
* Zendesk APIs
* CRM architecture
* Workflow design
* Business process automation
* ----------
* Zapier
* REST APIs
* Webhooks
* Microsoft 365
* Outlook
* WhatsApp integrations
* VoIP integrations
* ServiceM8 or similar field-service platforms

Experience with ServiceM8 would be highly regarded.

## Important

Please do not apply if your experience is mainly:

* Using Zendesk as an end user
* Basic Zendesk administration
* Creating basic tickets or macros
* General VA work
* Basic Zapier connections
* Customer service only

We need someone capable of **designing and implementing the full system professionally**.

You should be comfortable taking ownership of the project rather than waiting for us to tell you exactly how every part should be configured.

## When Applying

Please include:

1. Your experience implementing Zendesk from scratch
2. Examples of Zendesk systems you have designed
3. Examples of complex CRM or workflow automations you have built
4. Your experience with Zendesk APIs and webhooks
5. Your experience with ---------- and Zapier
6. Whether you have worked with ServiceM8
7. Experience integrating field-service platforms
8. Experience integrating Aircall, JustCall, Zendesk Talk or similar VoIP systems
9. Experience integrating WhatsApp
10. Experience with Microsoft 365 / Outlook
11. Examples of businesses where you managed the complete implementation
12. Your hourly or daily consulting rate
13. Rough estimate of hours required
14. Whether you can quote a fixed price after discovery
15. Your availability to start

Absolutely. I’d add a section like this to the job request:

### AI & Intelligent Automation Requirements

We want the system to understand the **full operational context of each inspection**, not just manage emails or tickets.

The AI/automation should be able to combine information from incoming emails/messages, ServiceM8 job data, client preferences, inspector allocation rules, access status, report requirements and payment status, then determine what needs to happen next.

For example, the system should be able to understand that a job:

* Is booked for a particular date
* Has confirmed or tentative access
* Falls within a particular geographic area
* Has a preferred inspector based on area, client preference or other business rules
* Requires a same-day report
* Has or hasn’t been paid
* Has outstanding actions or deadlines
* Should or shouldn’t have the report released

The system should then automatically take the appropriate action or flag the issue to admin.

Examples include:

* Read incoming emails and extract the property address, client details, inspection type, requested date, access information and special instructions
* Match the email to an existing ServiceM8 job where applicable
* Create or prepare a new ServiceM8 job when required
* Identify the geographic area/postcode and apply our inspector allocation rules
* Check inspector availability before recommending or allocating an inspector
* Apply client-specific preferences, pricing and preferred inspectors
* Recognise whether access is confirmed, tentative or outstanding
* Automatically chase agents, vendors or access contacts where confirmation is still required
* Identify same-day or urgent report requirements
* Automatically remind inspectors when reports are approaching their deadline
* Escalate overdue reports to admin if they remain outstanding
* Check payment status before allowing a report to be released
* Automatically release the report once payment is confirmed, where appropriate
* Track amendments, client requests and outstanding actions until completed
* Flag any job where something doesn’t match the expected workflow
* Provide admin with a clear summary of the current status of each job

The AI should mainly be used for **understanding unstructured information**, such as emails and messages, extracting information, summarising jobs and drafting responses.

Critical business decisions should use **fixed rules and verified system data**, rather than relying on AI judgement alone. This includes things such as payment status, report release, deadlines, inspector availability and geographic allocation. This is consistent with the proposed approach of using deterministic rules for high-reliability workflows and AI for unstructured communication.

The end goal is for the system to understand:

> **What is happening with this job, what should have happened by now, what needs to happen next, and whether admin actually needs to get involved.**

If everything is progressing normally, the system should handle the routine follow-ups automatically. If something is missing, late, unpaid, unconfirmed or unusual, it should appear in an **Action Required** queue for the team. That matches the exception-management approach in the current proposal.

This functionality can be built either **inside Zendesk using AI, custom objects, workflows and integrations**, or through an external automation/integration layer connected to Zendesk and ServiceM8. The developer should recommend the most reliable and maintainable approach rather than building unnecessary custom software.


Please also explain **what you would do during the first stage of this project before you start configuring Zendesk**.

This is important because we want someone who thinks like a consultant and solution architect, not just a software operator.

Please start your application with the words:

**“Zendesk Implementation”**

so we know you have read the complete brief.

We are looking for someone experienced, reliable and technically strong who can take full ownership of the project from **discovery and system design through to configuration, automation, integration, testing, training and final implementation**.