Our verdict
Being tested. An editor is using Zendesk hands-on; the verdict and score appear here once they sign it off.
What it does
Zendesk is help desk software that gathers customer emails, chats, calls and social messages into one place for your team to answer. Its AI agents can answer common questions on their own, and its AI tools suggest replies, summarise conversations and sort incoming requests for staff.
It suits businesses that have, or expect to have, a team handling customer service, and it scales up to large contact centres.
Why use it
- One place for email, chat, phone and social messages.
- AI agents answer routine questions using your help centre.
- Staff get suggested replies and summaries of long conversations.
- A large app marketplace connects it to online shops, customer databases and other tools.
How it works
- Start a free trial and connect your support email address.
- Add chat to your website, and write or import help articles.
- Set up an AI agent with your help content and test it with real questions.
- Create rules that send each request to the right person.
- Review AI answers and reports each week, and improve your articles.
How hard is it to use?
Intermediate Some set-up, or a little practice, to get good results.
Basic set-up is quick, but routing rules, AI agents and reporting take time to learn, which is why we rate it Intermediate.
What it costs
Paid plans; free trial. Plans are priced per agent each month, with a 14-day free trial. AI agents come with every plan, with a monthly allowance of automated resolutions and a charge for each one beyond it, and the Copilot tools for staff are a paid add-on.
Prices change often, so check Zendesk’s own site before you pay.
Watch out for
- AI features can cost extra on top of per-agent fees.
- It can be more than a very small business needs.
- Test AI answers on refunds and complaints before going live.
Your data
Check Zendesk’s privacy notice and AI pages for how your customers’ conversations are used to improve its AI, how to opt out and where data is stored.
We haven’t confirmed that Zendesk can keep your data in the UK, so check where it keeps your data before you share anything private or about other people.