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Zendesk

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Zendesk
Introduction

Building a strong customer base is the first step is customer relationship management (CRM). Having a holistic relationship with your customers means addressing their needs quickly, sending targeted marketing promotions and resolving any issues they have effectively.

For small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), maintaining the relationship with customers was quite expensive because it required an extra person. However, thanks to advanced technologies, CRM systems are now being leveraged for relationship management.

What is a CRM System?

A CRM system is a software platform that helps businesses manage, track, and analyse all interactions with current and potential customers. It acts as a centralised digital hub, tracking contact details, sales pipelines, marketing campaigns, and support tickets in one place.

One of the most comprehensive CRM platforms for SMEs to consider is Zendesk.

What is Zendesk?

Zendesk is a cloud-based customer service software and sales CRM platform that helps businesses manage customer support across email, chat, phone, and social media.

What Does Zendesk Offer SMEs?

Zendesk is purpose-built for growing businesses – offering a unified, artificial intelligence (AI)-powered workspace that combines automation, analytics, and multichannel support.

See Zendesk plans

Related: Customer success  ·  More business tools  ·  Customer acquisition

Main Features

Ticketing management: Track, prioritise, manage, respond to, and resolve customer queries or employee requests on the dashboard. You can also keep all interactions with customers in one place whether they contact you on email; public social media like Facebook; or social messaging like WhatsApp, WeChat, X (Twitter) Direct, etc.

Reporting and analytics: Use the analytics and reporting feature to collect, measure, and improve the entire customer experience. Get valuable customer service and sales data such as agent performance or customer satisfaction.

Zen Chat: Zendesk Chat allows you to address the customer’s questions faster via the web, mobile, and messaging without interrupting their experience.

Self service: Self-service portals and/or FAQ sections let customers access information without needing to speak to an agent. This frees agents up to spend more time on complex cases.

Zendesk AI: With Zendesk AI you can build trusted knowledge bases, drive automated resolutions, empower your service teams and ensure your quality standards are protected.

Zendesk Marketplace: Through the Zendesk marketplace you can find apps, connectors, themes and Zendesk platform partners.

Security and Trust: Zendesk leverages a combination of enterprise-class security features and comprehensive audits of its applications, systems, and networks to ensure that your data is protected.

 

Pricing

Zendesk has four pricing plans available for you to choose from. Some of the plans ave 14-day free trials.

Support Team Plan – $19 per agent, per month paid yearly. The Support Team plan includes:

  • Email and ticketing system
  • Ticket routing
  • Prebuilt analytics dashboards
  • Pre-written responses
  • Customer context
  • Automations and triggers

Suite Team Plan – $55 per agent, per month paid yearly. The Suite Team plan includes every in the support team plan, plus:

  • AI agents
  • AI knowledge base
  • AI action builder
  • Omnichannel routing
  • Messaging and live chat
  • Telephony

Suite Professional Plan – $115 per agent, per month paid yearly. The Suite Professional plan includes everything in the suite team plan, plus:

  • AI admin copilot
  • AI app builder
  • AI writing tools
  • AI quick reports
  • Skills-based routing
  • IVR phone tree

Suite Enterprise + Copilot Plan – Contact the Zendesk sales team for tailored pricing. The Suite Enterprise and Copilot plan includes everything in the suite professional plan, plus:

  • AI intelligent triage
  • AI auto assist
  • Generative AI for voice
  • Approval workflows
  • Sandbox environment
  • Custom agent roles

Note: The above pricing is for Zendesk’s customer service plans. If you are looking for employee service and contact centre offerings, they have their own pricing.

Pros and Cons

Pros

One of the few solutions that offer phone support
Integrated with AI
Has a 14-day free trial
Large marketplace with integrations, apps and partner platforms

Cons

Does not have local pricing
Can be complex for small businesses with limited needs
FAQs

Zendesk offers a variety of resources and tools to help with setup. The complexity depends on your chosen plan and desired functionalities. They have a user-friendly interface, but for advanced configurations, you might need some technical expertise or Zendesk support.

Zendesk offers migration assistance through its paid migration service or its network of partners. The level of assistance depends on the plan you choose.

Zendesk offers features to help with compliance, but it’s ultimately your responsibility to ensure your use of Zendesk meets specific regulations. Consult with legal counsel to determine your needs.

Zendesk offers a robust app marketplace with numerous integrations for various business tools. You can also leverage their APIs for custom integrations.

Zendesk offers plans suitable for businesses of all sizes. However, some features might be overkill for very small businesses. Consider your specific needs and budget when deciding.

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