Zendesk AI Effect: 3 benefits you can’t afford to miss

1. Deliver personalized service that earns loyalty—and real ROI

As customers, we’ve all been there. An airline that mishandles your luggage and doesn’t apologize will lose your loyalty—fast. But one that apologizes, upgrades your seat, and automatically issues a refund? That’s service you can get on board with.

Zendesk AI agents work hard to solve real issues just like this, delivering resolutions that make customers feel both seen and valued. They’re also making support more accessible by overcoming language, disability, and other communication barriers. And they’re doing it in a way that feels natural, personal, and immediate. In fact, 90% of CX leaders say AI enables more personalized customer experiences.

As a customer-centric brand, LUSH gets it. They’ve built strong relationships with their customer base—so much so that customers often call and ask for their favorite agent by name.

While this set a high bar for their AI agent, LUSH has been incredibly successful in using Zendesk AI to handle repetitive inquiries with empathy and efficiency—preserving the human connection their brand is known for while unlocking significant business value. In less than a year, they’ve achieved a 369% ROI and saved five minutes per ticket while maintaining a 93% CSAT.

2. Empower customer service agents to spend less time searching, more time solving

Remember the airline that lost your luggage, but also gained your loyalty? Behind the scenes, a customer service agent was empowered with the right AI tools to deliver top-notch service.

In fact, nearly all customer service agents agree AI helps them maintain professionalism under pressure (87%) and be more creative in their role (89%)—reducing stress and creating space to shape memorable moments for customers.

Zendesk AI equips agents with context, recommendations, and next-best actions—helping them respond effectively in complex situations. These recommendations enable agents to move faster, stay focused, and respond with clarity and confidence. Most importantly, it gives them what they need to guide customers to a successful resolution.

Beauty brand Hello Sugar is experiencing this firsthand. Using Zendesk’s hybrid AI solution, they’ve reached a 66% automation rate, saving $14,000 and 200 agent hours each month while doubling their salon footprint—all without adding headcount. With generative AI handling repetitive questions and booking requests in a warm, on-brand tone, their agents are free to focus on higher-value, more human interactions.

As Hello Sugar can attest, when agents feel empowered, they deliver better customer experiences—and better results for your business and brand.

3. Unearth cost savings and new growth opportunities

The same AI that’s enhancing customer and agent experiences is also fueling smarter operations and better outcomes for your business.

We’ve done the research to know. According to our data, 85% of our Zendesk AI customers see clear cost savings. Using AI saves time, too: CX leaders report saving 106 minutes per day; customer service agents save 82 minutes. More than half (53%) of CX leaders now use that time to analyze data and uncover insights. Meanwhile, agents are freed up to focus on strategic growth.

Norwegian telecom provider Phonero is one such company realizing these benefits. They’ve achieved a 59% chat automation rate and 30% email automation using Zendesk AI—supporting a 194% increase in chat volume while maintaining a lean 50-agent team. In just six months, their AI agent paid for itself, saving time and cost by resolving common queries before agents ever needed to step in.