Zendesk launches AI-powered voice agents & analytics upgrades

Zendesk has introduced new artificial intelligence capabilities to its Resolution Platform aimed at improving efficiency in customer service and employee support functions.

The Resolution Platform currently helps to resolve nearly 5 billion issues annually, with Zendesk stating that its advanced AI Agents now manage a significant portion of these cases across various customer channels. These latest enhancements include the launch of autonomous Voice AI Agents designed to handle complex customer conversations from start to finish, next-generation analytics stemming from the company's acquisition of HyperArc, and several new low and no-code tools intended to help teams streamline workflows and increase productivity.

The company's AI-first approach focuses on enabling customer service, contact centre, and employee service teams to resolve issues more efficiently, with a suite of features designed for greater automation and collaboration. Zendesk reports that nearly 20,000 customers are using its AI products, and it anticipates reaching an AI annual recurring revenue of USD $200 million in the current year.

AI & automation improvements

The announced capabilities include AI-powered tools that automate key tasks, integrate knowledge, and provide personalised, resolution-driven experiences supported by analytics generated from HyperArc's technology. Notable features are:

• Fully autonomous Voice AI Agents, which use agentic AI to understand natural speech, take action, and resolve issues without requiring escalation to a human operator.
• Admin Copilot, a proactive AI assistant for service administrators that delivers summaries, insights, recommendations, and guidance through conversational interfaces.
• Action Builder, a tool that enables the creation of workflows and automations with new connectors to OpenAI, Shopify, Confluence and - launching soon - Microsoft Excel, Teams, and Outlook.
• App Builder, which allows agents to develop and deploy custom applications without the need for coding.
• Knowledge Connectors for integrating content from external sources like Google Drive and SharePoint, reducing the need for data migration.
• Knowledge Builder, which leverages AI to create and maintain a knowledge base from previous support tickets and business context, filling in content gaps without manual intervention.
• Advanced Insights powered by HyperArc, combining human and machine analysis to identify trends and reveal the root causes behind service issues.

Contact centre and employee service capability

Additional enhancements target contact centre operations with new video calling and screen sharing functionalities, enabling agents to engage in live video support, see what customers are seeing, and address complex issues in real time. Similarly, the Voice AI Agents will be available within Zendesk's Contact Centre solution, bringing autonomous voice capabilities to this environment.

Improvements to employee service include the integration of IT asset management, offering organisations full visibility into company-issued hardware within Zendesk. This pulls together service and asset data to help resolve IT support requests more quickly. The introduction of a service catalogue and Microsoft Copilot integration aims to further simplify employee access to support and resources directly within commonly used applications.

Market perspective

Tom Eggemeier, Chief Executive Officer at Zendesk, stated:

"Today's customers want more than just quick responses - they expect issues fully resolved. While many speak of AI as a distant promise, Zendesk is distinguished by our tangible, realized products already reshaping service today. As more organizations rely on Zendesk AI, we're changing the way service gets done. It's a clear sign that our focus on innovating faster than ever is paying off, helping us deliver real value across industries. We're the AI service provider of choice for more companies than any other, and we're committed to helping customers cut through complexity and create lasting impact."

Sudhir Rajagopal, Research Director at IDC, commented:

"Zendesk is setting itself apart in the crowded AI-powered service market. The combination of AI Agents with an integrated platform covering Contact Centres and Employee Service offers more than just innovation, it drives tangible business results. With an emphasis on real-time issue resolution over service interactions, powered by customer insights, organizations can more effectively meet customer outcomes and realize measurable ROI. With HyperArc's AI-driven analytics, Zendesk improves its ability to address challenges in service operations, helping organizations drive impactful outcomes."

Zendesk's Resolution Platform is designed to integrate AI agents, knowledge management, automation, measurement and insights, and human input in a single service workflow, enabling businesses to address both customer and employee needs with greater speed and efficiency.