How to Maximize Customer Support With Zendesk Chatbot Integrations
Discover how Zendesk chatbot integrations can help you power up your conversations, increase efficiency, and provide better customer support in this guide.
Alex is an experienced CTO and founder who largely focuses on all the technical areas of My AskAI, from AI Engineering, Technical Product Management and overall Platform Development.
Zendesk is a powerful live chat provider for customer support. It allows your human agents to manage inquiries, track customer interactions, and collaborate with each other.
However, in its most basic configuration, Zendesk relies on your human agents to be available to handle customer needs. This is where Zendesk chatbot integrations come in.
Discover what these Zendesk chatbot integrations offer, how to set one up for your Zendesk system, and the best practices you can apply to maximize customer support in 2024.
What Is a Zendesk Chatbot Integration?
In its most basic configuration, Zendesk provides access to chat-related functionalities through its Messaging, Support, and Chat platforms. These may include:
Conducting asynchronous, consistent conversations with customers
Sharing content across various customer records
Routing support requests to qualified agents
Automating responses to frequently asked questions or providing basic troubleshooting steps
Zendesk chatbot integrations further enhance these functionalities by adding a layer of automation powered by artificial intelligence to your workflow. Since AI handles most of the work, these chatbots can free up your support staff and reduce their workload.
These integrations are primarily available via the Zendesk Marketplace. However, if you have the technical resources, you can create custom chatbot integrations using Zendesk's supported APIs.
Benefits of Using Zendesk Chatbot Integrations
Zendesk chatbot integrations can bring significant enhancements to your support workflow. Here are some tangible benefits of using them:
Improved response times
Configure your Zendesk chatbot integration to answer frequently asked questions and resolve common inquiries immediately, without needing a human agent to intervene. This promotes self-service and provides your customers with quicker resolutions.
Chatbots with robust AI models can also analyze and understand the intent behind more complex questions, allowing them to provide accurate and relevant information even for less common inquiries.
24/7 availability
Zendesk’s native chat features require someone from your staff to be available during fixed hours unless you assign someone to man the platform around the clock. This is what differentiates chatbot integrations. Unlike human staff, chatbots can provide level-one support 24/7 as long as your servers remain operational.
Cost savings
AI-powered chatbot integrations handle basic complaints, which comprise a significant portion of support requests. This deflection allows your agents to focus on more complex issues requiring human interaction. Cost-wise, this means you don’t need to hire additional agents or pay for overtime to handle the same menial tasks.
Enhanced customer experience
Chatbots offer efficient and nearly instant answers for customers, especially when trained on a comprehensive knowledge base. Customers expect such speed as a standard, and meeting this expectation can significantly enhance their experience with your business.
How to Integrate Zendesk with My AskAI
You can explore numerous integrations on the Zendesk Marketplace, ranging from CRM-related features to sales chatbots. However, if you're seeking an affordable AI-powered chatbot that seamlessly integrates with Zendesk, My AskAI is an excellent choice.
My AskAIenables you to create brand-aligned chatbots that require no code. Once created, you can effortlessly install them into your Zendesk Messaging system as web widgets. Keep in mind that you will need aSunshine Conversationssubscription to access this integration.
Here’s a more detailed process that you can follow.
Step 1: Creating a Zendesk Account and Logging In
You can begin using Zendesk by signing up for its free trial offer:
Provide your work email in the field and click “Next.”
Fill in your details, including your full name, phone number, job title, company details, language, and password.
Review Zendesk’s terms. If you want to proceed, click “Complete trial signup.”
Verify your email address using the verification email sent to you by Zendesk.
Step 2: Configuring Chatbot Settings and APIs
Proceed to create a My AskAI account using the following steps:
Go to My AskAI and click “Login>Create a new account.”
In the provided text field, enter your website’s homepage, select “Zendesk” as your live chat provider, and click “Next.”
Provide any other details asked for and verify your email.
Log into your account once done.
My AskAI will then search and index your website’s pages to gather all the information that your AI chatbot needs to train on. During this step, you can customize your chatbot to add your branding, including your company name, color, logo, and other details.
Wait for My AskAI to notify you via email once it has completed crawling your web pages. Your chatbot will then be ready for testing.
Step 3: Enabling the Zendesk Chatbot Integration
First, prepare your chatbot for integration through your My AskAI Dashboard:
In the Dashboard, go to “Chatbot setup>Integrations.”
From the options provided, click “Zendesk.”
In the dialog box, click “Connect Zendesk account.”
Enter your Zendesk subdomain and hit “Sign in.”
When asked for access, click “Allow.”
Next, do the following steps in your Zendesk Admin Center:
Navigate to “Channels>Bots>Manage bots.”
Click “Connect” for the “My AskAI” option.
Set up your automation rules as needed and you’re good to go.
After enabling a Zendesk chatbot integration like My AskAI, make sure to apply the following principles to maximize your customer support efforts:
Leverage reporting capabilities
Make sure to check the analytics and reporting features of your chatbot integration. For example, My AskAI provides anInsights Reportthat highlights your traffic volume, what your chatbot struggles to answer, and more information. By analyzing such metrics, you can continuously improve your chatbot's performance.
Ensure smooth human handover
AI chatbots have not yet grown to the point where they can completely replace human support agents. As such, you should ensure that options to talk to a human staff member are readily accessible in your chatbot to ensure customer satisfaction.
Conclusion
Zendesk is a great live chat platform that you can leverage for your business’s customer support needs. You can further enhance its capabilities by installing Zendesk chatbot integrations, which allow you to access AI-powered support handling, automation, and other advanced functionalities.
If you’re a small business looking to power up your Zendesk Messaging system, My AskAI would be a great choice.
Alex is an experienced CTO and founder who largely focuses on all the technical areas of My AskAI, from AI Engineering, Technical Product Management and overall Platform Development.