Zendesk AI: Intelligent customer service with real impact
Zendesk AI brings generative AI directly into your service processes – from automated responses and agent assistance to intelligent ticket management. We help you make the most of these opportunities.
- Up to 80% fewer routine enquiries
- Faster solutions for complex cases
- More satisfied customers and teams
What can Zendesk AI do?
Zendesk AI brings artificial intelligence to all key areas of the Zendesk ecosystem. Its features work at every level of your support, helping your teams understand queries faster, automate responses and make better decisions.
AI is effective in several areas:
- In self-service: Chatbots answer frequently asked questions.
- In the agent workspace: Co-pilots provide information, suggestions, summaries and tone adjustments.
- In overall support: AI agents solve customer problems completely independently.
- In the admin area: Automation and reporting become easier.
- In internal service: HR and IT teams use the same functions.
The result is an efficient, well-thought-out and human support process that impresses customers, gives your team space for demanding tasks and makes your service the flagship of your company, ready for the future.
Zendesk AI in action: See for yourself
If you want to know how AI agents and co-pilots work in practice, here we show you solutions for cases that keep almost every support team on their toes.
AI Agent resolves WISMO tickets
Fully automated processing of “Where is my order?” enquiries through integration with tracking APIs
Copilot at WISMO
AI assistant supports agents with context-based responses and actions.
Copilot for vouchers
Automated processes directly from the agent workspace
Copilot for complaints
Step-by-step guidance for complex customer issues
Zendesk AI in practice
What specific challenges do Zendesk’s AI features solve?
In our experience, every support organisation struggles with similar patterns – high volumes of enquiries, fluctuating quality or inefficient processes. Zendesk AI tackles precisely these issues: the bottlenecks that cost time, block knowledge or slow down growth.
🚀 Increase efficiency
High ticket volume
Challenge: After a marketing campaign, large numbers of “Where is my order?” (WISMO) requests come in and the team is overloaded.
Solution: AI provides qualified responses based on the knowledge base and integrated tracking APIs (such as DHL or Shopify) or resolves routine questions like order status fully autonomously. You can see both cases here: Copilot video WISMO and AI Agent video WISMO.
Outcome: Up to 80% of standard requests are resolved faster or without any team involvement. A Copilot supports agents with context-aware assistance, while AI Agents autonomously handle many inquiries end to end.
Long resolution times
Challenge: For returns, agents must manually look up policies and gather different pieces of information.
Solution: An AI Copilot provides context-based reply suggestions and performs routine actions (such as creating a return label or initiating a refund). Or an AI Agent handles these tickets entirely on its own; human team members are only pulled in for complex cases.
Outcome: Significantly faster resolution and higher customer satisfaction.
High workload from repetitive inquiries
Challenge: The support team spends a large share of its time handling repetitive standard questions (opening hours, password reset, delivery status).
Solution: Autonomous AI Agents handle routine tickets independently, while intelligent assistants provide all relevant information to resolve inquiries at the push of a button.
Outcome: The team gains time for more complex, value-adding tasks.
No 24/7 support
Challenge: Inquiries outside business hours remain unanswered, testing customers’ patience.
Solution: Chatbots provide round-the-clock support using knowledge base content, and AI Agents autonomously resolve frequent issues. Self-service customer portals further reduce the workload.
Outcome: Real answers and real solutions in real time – 24/7.
Complex onboarding
Challenge: New support employees struggle to resolve complex customer cases quickly and accurately because they lack routine and product knowledge.
Solution: AI assistants act as personal mentors, guiding agents step by step through interactions – suggesting appropriate replies, pointing to relevant knowledge articles, and summarising long ticket histories.
Outcome: New team members handle more tickets early on and backlogs are prevented.
✨ Improve quality
Inconsistent answers
Challenge: Different support agents provide varying information (e.g., warranty conditions) and use inconsistent wording or tone, which confuses customers.
Solution: An AI system such as the Copilot uses a central knowledge archive and generative search to provide all agents with consistent, up-to-date answers in the same style.
Outcome: Customers receive consistent information across all channels, increasing trust and overall satisfaction.
Impersonal canned responses
Challenge: Standardised, impersonal response templates often miss the point and make customers feel undervalued.
Solution: AI tailors responses to each customer’s context in real time. It formulates suggestions in an appropriate tone and uses customer data (e.g., name, purchase history) to create personal, relevant answers.
Outcome: Even with AI assistance, the service experience feels more personal and significantly higher in quality.
Lack of transparency
Challenge: After submitting a request, customers often have no insight into the processing status (e.g., they report a defect and hear nothing for days).
Solution: An AI-enabled system proactively keeps customers informed through automated status updates (“replacement part shipped – expected delivery date…”) or allows them to check the status via chatbot self-service.
Outcome: Customers no longer need to contact support multiple times about the same issue.
Frequent escalations
Challenge: Frustrated customers quickly request a supervisor when their concern is not resolved immediately.
Solution: AI detects early signals of critical interactions through sentiment and language analysis and intervenes appropriately – for example by routing sensitive cases to experienced agents or suggesting goodwill solutions in real time.
Outcome: Potential escalations are reduced or resolved earlier, leading to smoother interactions and calmer customers.
💰 Reduce costs & increase revenue
Low self-service adoption
Challenge: Customers rarely use the help center and open tickets for simple questions instead.
Solution: With generative AI search and intelligent help center content, customers find the right answers much faster on their own. AI delivers precise solutions directly on the help page and detects gaps to suggest new knowledge-base articles.
Outcome: Customers receive faster answers, and ticket volume decreases noticeably.
From cost center to revenue driver
Challenge: The team lacks time or opportunity to create value or influence revenue during customer interactions.
Solution: By integrating AI into CRM and shop systems, an AI agent can detect relevant upsell opportunities based on cart contents or purchase history and proactively inform customers during the conversation.
Outcome: Personalised recommendations and timely hints (e.g., relevant accessories) increase conversion rates without requiring agents to manually search for sales opportunities.
Overloaded IT and HR
Challenge: Internal support teams constantly deal with simple, repetitive requests (password resets, vacation policy FAQs).
Solution: AI-powered virtual agents answer employee questions instantly in the internal self-service portal or perform routine actions automatically (e.g., resetting passwords via system integration). Voice assistants can handle up to 50% of calls, such as PIN resets or status checks.
Outcome: Internal first-level support is significantly relieved.
Slow internal services
Challenge: Internal services such as requesting equipment or special leave are manual and time-consuming.
Solution: An internal service portal powered by AI speeds up these workflows: predefined task and approval workflows route requests automatically through all required steps or even allow AI agents to complete certain approvals.
Outcome: Ordering processes and similar workflows run significantly faster and more consistently.
📊 Scale smartly
Trends are not detected
Challenge: Without the right analytics, support leadership notices rising issues or declining customer satisfaction too late.
Solution: AI analytics tools such as Quality Assurance monitor all interactions, automatically and in real time identify patterns and anomalies, and recommend appropriate actions.
Outcome: Full transparency regarding quality issues, allowing timely corrective measures.
Unexpected peaks
Challenge: Request volumes are estimated manually during workforce planning, which leads to under- or overstaffing.
Solution: With AI-driven Workforce Management, historical data is analysed and forecasts are generated. AI anticipates peak times and automates shift planning.
Outcome: Better team utilisation and shorter wait times – increased satisfaction on all sides.
Multilingual demands slow down scaling
Challenge: Global companies receive customer inquiries in many languages, causing delays and translation overhead.
Solution: Zendesk AI understands and responds to inquiries in more than 90 languages, with context-aware translation.
Outcome: Customers receive answers in their own language without requiring separate teams for each market.
Zendesk AI: Features & Availability
Zendesk AI describes a diverse set of intelligent tools. Which ones are relevant for you depends on your size, setup and, of course, your goals. Feel free to talk to us for an honest assessment of what really pays off for you!
| Product / Module | Features | Availability |
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| AI Agents Essential |
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AI Agents Advanced AI Agents |
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Copilot Copilot |
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| Additional modules with AI capabilities | ||
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Quality Assurance Quality Assurance |
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Employee Experience Employee Experience |
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Workforce Management Workforce Management |
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The great thing is that all the building blocks fit together perfectly. Should you integrate AI functions now, and if so, which ones? We would be happy to give you our expert feedback in a short, free AI audit.
If you have already decided to use AI in your customer service, be sure to take a look at our AI Readiness Check! In our opinion, this is the most sensible and effective way to get started with artificial intelligence in customer service.
Why choose Leafworks as a partner for Zendesk AI?
Zendesk AI can only reach its full potential with the right implementation, and Zendesk trusts this task exclusively to certified partners, at least when it comes to the Copilot and AI Agents Advanced add-ons. Leafworks is not only one of them, we are also the leader in the German-speaking region when it comes to the introduction and further development of Zendesk AI. Since 2022 – even before the launch of ChatGPT – we have been working with large language models (LLMs) and actively shaping AI applications in customer service. We know from over 900 projects that technology only has a lasting impact if it fits your processes, data and teams.
Leafworks in figures
300+
Customers in the Zendesk environment
900+
successfully completed projects
30+
team members
9,1
Customer satisfaction
What makes us special
We not only assist you with the setup, but also remain at your side for the long term. With dedicated contact persons, clear prices, transparent results and one goal: that your AI delivers real added value in everyday life.
Our approach
Data-based
We start with you and your figures, not with assumptions and standard solutions.
Pragmatic
Quick wins first, scaling in the second step, always keeping strategic goals in mind.
Experienced
Complex requirements do not deter us. If we do not yet have a solution, we will develop one.
Sustainable
Your success remains our success. We also support your team, for example through training and education.
How we roll
With the help of Zendesk, we implement projects in the customer service environment. We take care of the complete adaptation to your internal CI/CD, automations within Zendesk, custom apps and integrations into your backend systems, as well as the use of AI. Let’s talk about how we can improve your CX. Contact us
Optimise your customer service with Zendesk AI!
Feel free to sign up for a no-obligation initial consultation – together we will find out how Zendesk AI can really improve your individual Zendesk setup. For a better customer, agent and admin experience.
What our customers say
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Philippe Roy Peak Financial Group
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Diana ZimmermannAnnanow Group AG
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Philipp SchumacherIntravis GmbH
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Gerome KörbelYuma GmbH
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Jürgen KönigHäfele SE & Co KG
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Susanne HeizHead of Service at JobCloud AG
Success stories
We support over 300 companies in the Zendesk environment – many of which have been successfully using Zendesk AI for years.
Our customers range from start-ups with three agents to international organisations that provide top-level customer service in over 30 countries with more than 900 agents.
“I can finally do my job” – that’s the conclusion of a team leader at Peak Financial Group. After a chaotic Zendesk migration, the company struggled with hundreds of conflicting triggers and high error rates.
“With the help of Leafworks, we were able to carry out a mammoth project without any negative impact on users and customers. Quite the contrary – we were able to standardise customer satisfaction across the entire Staffbase Group at a high level (…)”
“Working with Leafworks was a very pleasant and professional experience. (…) Leafworks understood our needs very well, clearly communicated opportunities and obstacles, and provided us with excellent advice throughout the transformation process.”
“The collaboration with Zendesk and Leafworks was characterised by the utmost professionalism and reliability from start to finish! […] We were able to launch just two months after the go-live decision and experienced hardly any teething problems, which is quite remarkable for such a major change.”
What Zendesk AI can do for you
Zendesk AI offers powerful features – from automated response suggestions and intelligent assistants to AI agents that handle routine queries independently. However, it is not the technology itself that makes a real difference, but rather its sensible use and correct setup.
As a certified AI Zendesk implementation partner, we support you in using Zendesk AI sensibly and effectively. We bring experience from over 900 projects to bear, deploying AI where it creates real added value.
Would you like to know what Zendesk AI can do for your setup? Which add-ons are really worthwhile?
Talk to us – we will analyse your current system, prioritise meaningful steps and accompany you from strategy to implementation.
Robert Cwicinski
Zendesk expert
- AI
- Automation
- Integrations
- Business Intelligence / BI
- Zendesk
- Digital Transformation
- Custom MVPs
FAQ Zendesk AI
Yes, AI features are distributed differently:
- AI Agents Essential are already included in many Zendesk suite plans.
- Copilot and Advanced AI Agents are optional add-ons that can be purchased depending on the Suite level.
- Specialised AI features such as Quality Assurance or Workforce Management are part of separate modules.
AI Agents Essential
- automatically respond to simple, recurring customer enquiries
- primarily use the Help Centre for this purpose
- function like a smart first-level bot
AI Agents Advanced
- work more autonomously and complexly
- combine multiple data sources
- can access external systems via API
- plan their own approach and process tickets completely independently
- enable true end-to-end automation
In short: Essential = standard automation, Advanced = independent AI agent with workflow capabilities.
Yes. Zendesk complies with European data protection standards. The same requirements apply to the use of AI as to all Zendesk data processing.
We provide support in configuring AI features so that data flows, access and storage locations remain GDPR-compliant.
- Copilot is often ready for use in just a few weeks.
- AI Agents Essential usually only require fine-tuning and training.
- Advanced AI Agents with API connections, automation chains and complex workflows typically take 2–3 months to become productive.