# Set up Contact Creation for Zendesk

Once Cloud Voice is connected to Zendesk, you can have unknown callers turned into Zendesk records without leaving a gap in your contacts database. Choose whether the system adds them for you automatically or lets your agents decide during a call.

## Before you start

Make sure you have already [connected Cloud Voice to Zendesk](/pbx/integrations/zendesk/integrate-cloud-voice-with-zendesk/). Contact creation only works on top of an active integration.

## Turn on contact creation

:::tip
Choose **Automatically** when the goal is to never miss a caller and keep the contacts database complete without agent effort. Choose **Manually** when you want your team to decide case by case which callers become records.
:::

1. Sign in to the PBX (Private Branch Exchange, your Cloud Voice phone system) web portal and open **Integrations > Helpdesk**.
2. On the Zendesk page, switch on **Create New Contact**.
3. Under **Create Method**, pick how new contacts should be added:
   - **Automatically**: the system creates the contact for you whenever a qualifying call happens. Select this option, then use the **Call Type** drop-down to decide which calls trigger creation:

     ![Call Type drop-down set to choose inbound or outbound calls for automatic contact creation](/images/pbx/select-in-or-out-to-create-new-contact.png)

     - **Inbound**: a call comes in from a number that isn't already a Contact, Lead, or Account in the Helpdesk.
     - **Outbound**: a call goes out to a number that isn't already a Contact, Lead, or Account in the Helpdesk.
   - **Manually**: leave creation up to your team. Associated extension users can add the caller themselves while they are on the call.
4. Click **Save**.

## What happens next

With **automatic** creation enabled, every inbound or outbound call to an unrecognized number (depending on your **Call Type** choice) spins up a fresh contact in Zendesk.

:::note
Contacts created this way are named with an `Automatic New Contact` prefix followed by the phone number, so they are easy to spot and rename later.
:::

![A newly created Zendesk contact labeled with the automatic prefix and the caller's number](/images/pbx/zendesk-auto-create-new-contact.png)

With **manual** creation enabled, associated extension users get the option to save an unknown number as a new contact or lead directly in the Helpdesk during the call.

![Prompt to save an unknown caller as a new Helpdesk contact or lead](/images/pbx/manually-create-hp-contact.png)

:::note
If [Contact Synchronization](/pbx/integrations/zendesk/set-up-contact-synchronization-from-zendesk/) is also turned on, any contact created here is copied into the linked Cloud Voice phonebook as well.
:::