Zendesk is a popular set of customer service and sales software used by companies worldwide. The firm develops software that aids in engagement, customer service, and sales.
If your company has a website, you should invest in a solid help desk software solution that allows you to manage new leads and support existing customers.
You can accomplish everything with Zendesk. Their services became even more vital during the worldwide pandemic as businesses shifted to internet models.
While there are several options, Zendesk remains the market leader in providing support services. In addition, its broad range of software applications caters to organizations of all sizes.
Zendesk could be a good option if you’re seeking a platform to manage client connections. First, we’ll go over the main features and take a closer look at the benefits and downsides of our Zendesk review.
What exactly is Zendesk?
Zendesk is a customer care software and sales CRM at its core. It’s a business tool that enables organizations to manage client interactions across numerous media.
Zendesk and Zendesk Sell are two software apps included in the package.
It is designed to be a complete solution for usage in call centers and other enterprises, with various knowledge base modules that may be updated individually. Zendesk Sunshine, a primary CRM platform native to AWS, is one of the APIs offered by the company.
Rather than segregating client interactions, Zendesk unifies them all through a unified dashboard, allowing sales and support staff to track issues using a robust ticketing system that streamlines their processes.
Zendesk’s basic support plans include a rudimentary contact center, chat, and knowledge base module, making it suitable for small businesses to improve customer service without breaking the budget.
More expensive versions include integrated ticketing via social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as extensive reporting to maintain track of your company’s support function. The Support Enterprise and Support Professional packages include pre-built and bespoke app integration.
Pros and Cons
Zendesk, the ideal help desk solution for organizations, comes with practically everything you’ll need to take your customer service to the next level. It may also be used as a lead management tool, making it versatile for most companies. It is, however, far from ideal. The following are the most important advantages and disadvantages to be aware of.
Pros
- All incoming leads or prospects are managed in one place.
- For establishing a bright and value-driven knowledge base, Zendesk Support provides immediate subject suggestions.
- All client interactions and engagements are meticulously recorded and archived.
- Agent efficiency can be measured using various time tracking options across multiple verticals.
- The Zendesk Marketplace offers a wide selection of integrations and APIs.
- Pricing that is highly adjustable and scalable to fit the needs of expanding organizations.
- To automatically track, auto-assign, or cancel tickets, you can establish triggers for specific incoming events.
Cons
- The price is determined per agent. Therefore, the more agents you have, the more you will pay.
- There isn’t a chat widget for Vue Storefront yet.
- You can’t just export data to a CSV file.
- New users may be overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of options available.
- Features
Zendesk’s versatility and sheer quantity of features are two reasons why hundreds of thousands of enterprises use it. Zendesk, as you might think, includes all of the features you’d want in a solid support system.
More importantly, the company continuously develops new features and integrations regularly, taking into account customer input. As a result, Zendesk has numerous essential characteristics that set it apart from other customer service solutions on the market.
A Streamlined Ticket System
Zendesk’s robust ticketing system is one of its best features. It can help with a variety of ticket kinds, including:
- Zendesk supports over 40 languages, allowing you to provide specialized help in various locations. You can choose a language for knowledge base articles and FAQ sections, localized messaging, and setting up special business rules. Zendesk also lets you provide help in a variety of ways. Customers can communicate with your agents via SMS, text messages, phone calls, live chat, and direct messaging on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
- The program acts as a consolidated mailbox for all support requests and issues. They’re aggregated in one place from various sources, making it simple for agents to figure out where the ticket originated.
- Support ticketing for numerous brands: If your firm has multiple brands, you can easily set up different brands and support channels on the platform. This increases client engagement and guarantees that your company’s branded support center provides relevant assistance.
- Zendesk also assists with ticket routing by providing granular workflow tracking. You can see when each ticket was assigned, what activities were performed on it, and other information. This ensures that you never miss a support ticket, resulting in significantly higher customer satisfaction ratings.
Finally, because the dashboard contains all of the information related to tickets, channels, and the support agents who handle them, you can always obtain a complete picture of how your company’s support function is performing.
A Collaborative Support Environment
Zendesk’s ease of use is another reason why support agents choose it. All produced tickets and activities are updated in real-time on the platform. You can tell which agent is now monitoring a ticket and who has consistently answered tickets.
Agents also have the option of discussing remarks privately with each other if a problem arises. This not only cuts ticket resolution time in half but also boosts productivity significantly. In addition, because the platform was created to make it easier for businesses to provide support, it includes automation as a core feature.
Specific actions, such as closing inactive tickets or informing management of a severe problem can be automated. The support team can also improve the platform to provide a higher level of service.
Agents may be unable to provide quality service due to recurring queries from various clients. However, thanks to the program’s customization features, you may develop macros to send tailored responses to various consumers.
Thanks to a terrific mobile app, agents may also answer calls on the fly. The mobile app is a great way for remote workers and support professionals to stay connected if a problem arises. The email ticketing system in Zendesk is incredibly efficient, allowing you to keep track of all of your service-level agreements (SLAs) in one spot.
Detailed Analytics and Reporting Data
Data and analytics are the most acceptable way to manage and measure your company’s customer experience, and this is a fantastic tool for people who prefer numbers and precise information. The help desk system provides you with various indicators to track to make data-driven decisions.
The data from your customer service department is transformed into actionable insights that you may use to assess your support personnel’s performance. For example, you may get detailed customer analytics data to see how prospects and customers interact with your goods and the support channels you’ve established.
It also shows you how many satisfied and disappointed consumers there are.
Zendesk also comes with pre-made dashboard templates, or you may develop your own. Ecommerce store owners, for example, may wish to establish a dashboard that provides:
- Precise information on the most regularly used support channels.
- The number of tickets raised.
- Other pertinent information.
A Fantastic Self-Service Solution
This self-service portal, dubbed Zendesk Guide, makes use of an intelligent knowledge base to lower support expenses and make it easier for agents to handle a higher volume of support tickets. The Zendesk Guide is primarily intended for end-users who would rather hunt for answers themselves rather than wait for an agent to react.
This is especially important when considering that a considerable percentage of questions are essentially about fundamental concerns. Creating interesting knowledge base articles translated into more than 40 languages for enterprises with low resources.
There’s also a specialized assistance center for your clients to use, as well as a site for them to track and monitor their requests. They can even request improvements to articles in the knowledge base they have been reading.
The community forum also boosts engagement, and it’s an excellent way for businesses to obtain valuable user input. Keeping an eye on the community forum, regardless of the size of your firm, will give you a better sense of what consumers are talking about, the most common complaints, and other things that could help you improve your product offering.
Support for IT Staff
Zendesk can be utilized for catering to the demands of your support team in addition to serving as a support suite for ticket management. For example, should your support team encounter a problem, they may use the platform to create tickets.
Members of the IT department can join using their phone numbers, and issues can be labelled. This makes troubleshooting more accessible and helps you to keep track of many problems. In addition, this makes it simple for your support team to obtain critical information about products and services, as well as identify network issues.
They can always receive help with any services or goods if they need them. Internal workers can also use the Zendesk suite’s mobile apps for tracking tickets and automating certain events, which are available for both Android and iOS.
A streamlined user interface allows managers to handle various assets. They can easily track PCs, phones, displays, and all other assets through various integrations. It’s an excellent CRM platform that checks all the requirements for both internal and external users.
A Full Range of Integrations
You can choose from hundreds of different apps and partners to integrate into the Zendesk help desk software program through the Zendesk Marketplace. It includes popular apps like Zoho Desk, JIRA, and Salesforce and a variety of add-ons that extend its capabilities. There are also clients for apps like Kayako and Freshdesk.
This streamlines operations and is suitable for various organizations, including ecommerce retailers, digital agencies, and SaaS companies. Three categories are available in the Marketplace: Sales CRM, Ticketing System, and Live Chat and Messaging.
There are also a variety of Help Center themes from which to choose to truly customize your support service to meet your company’s concept. For larger firms that use various platforms to provide better consumer support, this dramatically improves help desk administration.
Pricing
Depending on whether you want to utilize it for sales or after-sales service, the price varies. If you choose Zendesk for Sales, you can choose three packages, starting at $19 per user per month. Prices for Zendesk Suite start at $49 per month per user.
The suite is more comprehensive and provides you with a broader range of options. If you’re just getting started, though, you might want to go with the essential Sell Team bundle.
Zendesk Sell
Email integration, a fully featured mobile CRM, and built-in call recording and dialing options are all included in the Sell Team package. In addition, there are pre-built apps and integrations. However, this is Zendesk’s most basic plan, and it’s clear that they want you to upgrade as quickly as possible.
The Sell Enterprise option is the most cost-effective if you don’t require support.
It has several advantages, including:
- Scoring a lead or a deal
- Forecasting sales
- Reporting on activities
- Automated tasks
- Custom Notifications
Zendesk Suite
Pricing for the Suite starts at $49 and includes access to their ticket management system as well as multi-channel support options such as live chat, SMS, voice, and email. APIs and file storage options both have standard rate constraints. If your support staff has any questions, the Zendesk team is also available.
Apps and integration options and standard reporting and analytics are included in the Suite Team plan. The Suite Professional package, on the other hand, comes with a slew of extra features, including:
- Management of SLAs
- Support for multilingual content
- Forums for the community
- Dashboards that can be customized (you can share these with other agents)
- There are up to 100 light access licenses available.
- Voice assistance has been improved.
- HIPAA regulations are followed.
- The ticket layouts can be customized.
- Routing of conversations
It’s worth noting that enterprise plans are also available, but you’ll need to get a price from their support team.
Integrations and Apps
Other programs, such as Microsoft Teams, can be integrated with Zendesk. This allows teams to collaborate in real-time and solve difficulties, which is very useful for high-ticket clientele. New apps and integrations are added to the Zendesk Marketplace regularly, and you can also request integrations for specific apps.
If the corporation believes insufficient demand, it will be released soon.
User-Friendliness
The ease of use of Zendesk is one of the key reasons for its popularity. It doesn’t require any prior coding knowledge, and it’s pretty simple for agents to grasp all of the software’s functions. Moreover, since Zendesk is arguably the industry standard, every IT agent should be familiar with it.
Even individuals new to the sector will find it simple to learn how to use this platform. There are numerous lessons and tips accessible, and you can always opt for a free trial to learn more about the platform.
Customer Service
While the company’s website does not list office hours, it does have 23 offices in various cities across the world. They provide excellent customer service directly through their website, or you may call them at the phone numbers mentioned.
Community forums, assistance widgets, and a live chat option are available (once you log into your account). So, if a problem arises, you won’t have to worry about it taking too long to resolve.
Conclusion
Your support requirements will expand in tandem with your company’s growth. For various reasons, using a software tool like Zendesk is a great idea. Zendesk is not only widely utilized around the world, but it is also suitable for businesses of all sizes.
Because of their flexible price, you can start with a simple plan to satisfy your needs and then upgrade to a more expensive package as your demands develop. Zendesk has become an industry leader in a market occupied by several massive companies, thanks to a devoted team continually adding new features and alternatives.
It’s a terrific solution that can help you streamline your support offerings and ensure that your support function runs all of the time smoothly.
