Zendesk, a leading platform for customer service and experience, has announced a series of groundbreaking AI-driven initiatives aimed at transforming how businesses handle customer interactions. The new features, revealed at the Zendesk AI Summit in New York, include AI agents integrated across all digital channels and a 24/7 AI-powered voice agent to handle phone calls, underscoring Zendesk’s commitment to reshaping customer service with cutting-edge technology.
At the heart of Zendesk’s announcements is the increasing integration of AI throughout the customer experience (CX) journey. “The fixation on AI for its own sake is fading,” said Tom Eggemeier, Zendesk’s CEO. He emphasised that businesses are now more focused on specific outcomes, with Zendesk targeting an ambitious goal: resolving over 90% of customer issues through automation.
Blending AI with Human Expertise
Zendesk is introducing AI agents that can autonomously manage customer queries across digital channels or work alongside human agents for more complex cases. This strategic use of AI will allow human agents to concentrate on more challenging and valuable interactions, reducing their workload by handling routine queries with AI.
Adrian McDermott, Zendesk’s Chief Technology Officer, highlighted the future of customer service: “An AI agent standing next to us, smarter and better organised than us — that’s the future of work.” By automating simpler tasks, Zendesk hopes to free up human agents to focus on tasks that require a more personalised touch.
The company is also introducing an AI agent builder, allowing businesses to customise AI responses to reflect their brand voice. “B2C is ripe for automation,” said Lisa Kant, Zendesk’s Senior Vice President of Product and Solutions Marketing, citing the often repetitive nature of customer queries in the business-to-consumer space.
Enhancing AI-Driven Copilots for Customer Service
Another major update is the enhancement of Zendesk’s AI-powered agent copilot, a tool designed to assist human agents. Since its early release in April, the copilot has been a vital support tool, and the new features promise to make it even more intuitive. It will now be capable of proactively offering recommendations, taking actions autonomously in “auto-assist” mode, and surfacing insights based on similar past resolutions.
Additionally, the agent copilot will soon be able to provide real-time insights during voice calls, including customer sentiment and intent, drawing from a company’s knowledge base to assist agents in resolving queries more effectively.
Revolutionising Voice with AI
Perhaps the most significant announcement was Zendesk’s new AI-powered voice solution, which is set to enhance customer experience across phone interactions. Voice remains one of the most popular channels for customer engagement, and Zendesk’s new AI agent will provide a seamless, human-like experience. Customers will be able to converse naturally with the AI agent, which will autonomously handle up to 50% of calls.
The AI voice agent will also manage key metrics such as call routing, wait times, and talk times while enabling human agents to focus on resolving more escalated issues. The goal is to ensure that the entire customer journey, from start to finish, is smooth and efficient.
Eggemeier predicts a future where “80% of the conversations you have with customers will be fully automated,” suggesting that the impact of AI will not only revolutionise customer service but also extend to sales and marketing.
As AI becomes an integral part of Zendesk’s platform, businesses will have greater flexibility and efficiency in managing customer relations. This shift promises to not only enhance the customer experience but also streamline operations for companies across various sectors.
For businesses looking to adopt these advanced AI solutions, Zendesk’s new features offer a promising glimpse into the future of customer service and the evolving role of AI in CX management.
Reference: https://martech.org/zendesk-saturates-cx-with-ai-and-voice/
