{"id":2187,"date":"2026-09-08T08:00:48","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T08:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/growthdot.com\/?p=2187"},"modified":"2026-09-08T13:37:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T13:37:47","slug":"what-is-zendesk-and-what-is-its-purpose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/growthdot.com\/fr\/what-is-zendesk-and-what-is-its-purpose\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Zendesk and what is its purpose?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Zendesk is a cloud-based customer service platform that helps businesses manage support tickets, customer communication, and help center content in one place. If you\u2019re looking for a complete Zendesk overview, this guide explains what the platform is, what it does, and why it is used by over 100,000 businesses worldwide.<\/div>\r\n

If you’re not a complete novice in the help desk industry, you’ve probably already heard about Zendesk<\/a>. However, managers who only think about Help centers for their businesses may ask, \u00ab\u00a0What is Zendesk?\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\r\n

\"What<\/a><\/p>\r\n

It seems like Zendesk has been on the market since the time help desks were first invented. The other reason for its being such a huge figure is that it literally has a lot to offer. There are a bunch of various applications you can choose from.<\/p>\r\n

So, it makes sense that people wonder what Zendesk is when there’s so much rush around it. Well, that’s precisely why we’re here – to answer the question: \u00ab\u00a0What does Zendesk do?\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\r\n

What is Zendesk used for?<\/h2>\r\n

Zendesk is primarily used to serve, support, and engage customers. It helps companies manage all their customer interactions in one place for more efficient customer service.<\/p>\r\n

How does Zendesk work?<\/em> It turns all customer inquiries into manageable tickets to ensure every issue is tracked and resolved promptly.<\/p>\r\n

In 2026, Zendesk services are mostly known for omnichannel messaging, AI-powered self-service, integrated analytics, and AI Agents that can resolve issues without human intervention. It is the definitive end-to-end customer service solution.<\/p>\r\n

\"Try<\/a><\/p>\r\n

About the company<\/h2>\r\n

Zendesk is a company that provides all kinds of software for customer support services. It was founded in 2007 in Copenhagen, Denmark, and was first run in a small loft.<\/p>\r\n

Now, it is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and it helps about 100,000 businesses connect to their customers on different platforms and provide better service and experience. Over 6,700 employees work for Zendesk in more than 160 countries, according to Zendesk<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

Among Zendesk’s clients, you can recognize names such as Airbnb, Bolt, L’oreal, Squarespace, Fossil, and Vimeo. Yes, all these loyal Zendesk customers have already improved their customer service with its high-quality products.<\/p>\r\n

A fun fact: Zendesk takes its name from \u00ab\u00a0Zen,\u00a0\u00bb a state of togetherness of the body and mind. In its early years, the company’s logo was a \u00ab\u00a0smiling Buddha\u00a0\u00bb wearing a headset.<\/div>\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

However, as the company grew, it transitioned to a sleek, geometric branding system in which simple shapes represent different \u00ab\u00a0personalities\u00a0\u00bb of Zendesk products (such as the \u00ab\u00a0Relation-shape\u00a0\u00bb for Support).<\/p>\r\n

\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

General information about Zendesk software<\/h2>\r\n

Let\u2019s also take a look at some general information on some technical aspects of Zendesk software:<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Deployment<\/strong><\/td>\r\nCloud-based<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Supported languages<\/strong><\/td>\r\n60+ including English, German, French, Dutch, Chinese, Swedish, and Turkish.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Supported devices<\/strong><\/td>\r\nWindows, Mac, Linux; Android and iOS for mobile devices<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Apps and Integrations<\/strong><\/td>\r\n1,800+ available in the Zendesk Marketplace<\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Available support channels<\/strong><\/td>\r\nPhone (Talk), Email, WhatsApp, Instagram, X, Facebook, Apple Business Chat, Web Widget, and Mobile SDK.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Available pricing models\u00a0<\/strong><\/td>\r\nPaid Subscriptions (Monthly or Annual) + 14-day free trial<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

What are the Top Zendesk Features?<\/h2>\r\n

Below are some top features that Zendesk offers for your business solutions in 2026:<\/p>\r\n

AI-Powered Knowledge Base<\/h3>\r\n

Zendesk’s knowledge base helps share support with the agents, customers, and the public. This is one of the numerous Zendesk features that allow you to create and organize your content to attract visitors. You can create FAQ sections or a bunch of different interlinked articles to guide your customers about the products and services you offer.<\/p>\r\n

How will it help you boost customer service?<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

The key aspect is that the more your Knowledge Base gets updated, the more time agents get on comprehensive requests. Customers can search for the most common issue solutions in the Knowledge Base by themselves. On the other hand, agents speed up their work by using articles to answer questions.<\/p>\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

An example of a Knowledge Base created with Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

What makes it more powerful now is the Knowledge Builder feature. It uses AI to automatically generate and refresh articles based on your past tickets and existing business data. Instead of starting from a blank page, your team gets draft content that reflects real customer questions, saving hours of manual writing while keeping your help center accurate and up to date.<\/p>\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk Knowledge Builder<\/p>\r\n

Omnichannel Agent Workspace<\/h3>\r\n

Zendesk gathers all the customer queries and shows them on one screen in one place. You can manage and respond to customer questions easily and quickly. When all the queries from chat, email, and social media are heading to you in a single location, it will help you manage and solve problems straightforwardly.<\/p>\r\n

In Zendesk Support, all the tickets (requests) are located and ordered on one page called Views. There are a lot of customizable filters you can use to find necessary requests and sort out them by channel (email, WhatsApp, message, chat, etc.), ticket status (new, opened, pending, solved, closed, etc.), and other elements.<\/p>\r\n

Besides structured organization, context is a real value here. When an agent opens a ticket, they can see the full conversation history, the customer’s previous interactions, and relevant details all in one panel.<\/p>\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

Ticketing system<\/p>\r\n

By the way, there’s a new app called\u00a0Kanban Pro<\/a> that lets you visualize and manage your tickets on custom boards with simple drag-and-drop. Many experienced Zendesk agents prefer it over standard ticket lists, saying it helps them close tickets faster and more smoothly.<\/div>\r\n

Automation & Intelligence<\/h3>\r\n

Zendesk lets users automate mundane tasks to avoid human errors and increase process speed. It helps you manage your workflow and improve customer satisfaction and performance.<\/p>\r\n

For example, it is possible to set up notifications for agents to inform them when the ticket is unresolved, and the ticket requester (simply, your customer) is waiting for a response, or send automatic messages after the ticket gets closed to find out the quality of customer support work and ask for feedback.<\/p>\r\n

But in 2026, automation in Zendesk goes well beyond these simple rules. The platform’s AI can automatically triage incoming tickets (detecting intent, sentiment, and language) and route them to the right team or agent without any manual sorting. It can suggest tags, flag urgent issues, and even resolve common requests entirely through AI agents before a human ever gets involved.<\/p>\r\n

This feature makes Zendesk a strong fit for companies looking to scale their customer service automation<\/a> operations without sacrificing quality.<\/p>\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

Automations page<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk AI & Copilot<\/h3>\r\n

Zendesk has been pushing more into AI in recent years, and these days it\u2019s not just about basic automation anymore. The AI tools are built directly into the support workflow, so agents don\u2019t have to jump between different systems to get help from them.<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk AI helps with things like sorting incoming tickets, suggesting replies, and surfacing relevant context from past conversations. It can also pick up on customer sentiment, which is useful when you need to prioritize urgent or frustrated users first. In practice, this means agents spend less time figuring out \u201cwhat to answer\u201d and more time actually solving the issue.<\/p>\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk AI Copilot<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk has also moved toward more advanced AI assistance inside the agent workspace. With the newer Resolution Platform, it\u2019s not just suggesting replies anymore \u2014 AI agents can actually help resolve certain issues end-to-end, especially repetitive or well-defined ones.<\/p>\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk Resolution Platform<\/p>\r\n

There\u2019s also Generative Search in the help center, which changes how customers find answers. Instead of scrolling through articles, they can get more direct, AI-generated responses pulled from the knowledge base. These days, most teams use it as a way to reduce ticket volume rather than just speed up replies.<\/p>\r\n

Overall, the direction is pretty clear: Zendesk is shifting from \u201cassistive AI\u201d toward more autonomous resolution, where AI handles a bigger part of the support process, and humans step in for the complex cases.<\/div>\r\n

Multi-Brand Management<\/h3>\r\n

Zendesk lets you manage multiple brands from a single account, which is useful if a company runs different products, regions, or service lines. These days, teams don\u2019t need separate Zendesk instances for each brand anymore.<\/p>\r\n

You can set up multiple brands inside one Zendesk Support account and handle all incoming tickets in one place. When replying to customers, the response can be sent under the specific brand they contacted. So instead of seeing a generic support address, the customer sees the correct brand name and email in the reply.<\/p>\r\n

\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Brands Page<\/p>\r\n

Macros & Pre-defined Actions<\/h3>\r\n

You can pre-define the responses to standard questions. For this, Zendesk has the Macros option. Agents use it to create responses in advance that can include not only the main text on the email\/message but also the subject, brand, default\/custom fields, and ticket status.<\/p>\r\n

So a single action can both reply to the customer and update the ticket behind the scenes. It\u2019s most commonly used for scenarios like password resets, order updates, or standard troubleshooting steps. It keeps replies consistent and saves time on routine work.<\/p>\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk Macro Example<\/p>\r\n

Advanced Fields & Customization<\/h3>\r\n

Besides standard fields, Zendesk also lets teams structure how ticket information is collected using custom fields and different configuration options.<\/p>\r\n

For example, companies handling different request types can add fields like product type, issue category, or an order reference. So instead of asking for this information later, it\u2019s already there in the ticket from the start.<\/p>\r\n

These fields can also feed into workflows. Based on what\u2019s selected, tickets can be routed to the right team or used to apply internal rules automatically.<\/p>\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

Custom Fields<\/p>\r\n

For more advanced use cases, Zendesk also supports custom objects<\/a>, which allow teams to store and manage structured business data (like orders, subscriptions, or assets) directly inside Zendesk and connect it to support workflows.<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk has even more functionality, read: 15 Tips on How to Use Zendesk to the Max<\/a>.<\/div>\r\n

What are Zendesk Products? (Zendesk Suite)<\/h2>\r\n

Zendesk today is mostly positioned as a Suite rather than a list of separate tools. The idea is that support, messaging, and analytics all sit in one connected system.<\/p>\r\n

At the center is Zendesk Support. This is where customer requests come in and get turned into tickets. Everything ends up here one way or another.<\/p>\r\n

\"Get<\/a><\/p>\r\n

Zendesk Support<\/h3>\r\n

Zendesk Support is the foundation of the platform. It collects customer requests from multiple channels and turns them into tickets that agents can track and resolve in a structured way.<\/p>\r\n

The main idea is simple: everything is centralized. Agents don\u2019t need to switch between tools or platforms to manage conversations, which makes the workflow more organized and easier to handle, especially at scale.<\/p>\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk Support – Agent Workspace<\/p>\r\n

Integrations for Zendesk Support<\/h4>\r\n

The most appealing of this platform is that a lot of companies all around the world develop integrations exactly for Zendesk Support. We are also not an exception! With Proactive Campaigns<\/a>, Email Tracking<\/a>, and GDPR Compliance<\/a> for Zendesk Support, you can send mass email campaigns, track if customers read your emails, and delete or anonymize users’ data and tickets to comply with GDPR.<\/p>\r\n

\"GDPR<\/p>\r\n

To find out more about Zendesk integrations, read: Best Zendesk Apps: the Final Touch to Brilliant Support<\/a>.<\/div>\r\n

Zendesk Knowledge<\/h3>\r\n

This part of the software \u201cguides\u201d businesses in the right direction through a knowledge base of all customer complaints, frequently asked questions, their resolutions, and more in one place.<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk Knowledge is a central place to manage and update help content, so information stays consistent and easy to maintain.<\/p>\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk Knowledge<\/p>\r\n

If you have already been using Zendesk Knowledge, we would like to offer you a substantial update on the Help Center you have. Zendesk provides only one theme for Knowledge that is not actually can fit all businesses, especially if you want to outstand and take care of the brand perception.<\/p>\r\n

The GrowthDot team developed awesome Zendesk Themes<\/a> that have different sets of functions, and all of them are fully customizable. Plus, we offer free installation, so check it out!<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk Chat<\/h3>\r\n

Zendesk Chat is the real-time communication layer inside the platform. Customers can start a conversation from a website, mobile app, or other channels, and continue it later without losing context. Everything stays in one thread, even if it moves between automated responses and human agents.<\/p>\r\n

It\u2019s not just \u201clive chat\u201d anymore. It\u2019s more of a continuous messaging experience that connects different touchpoints into a single conversation.<\/p>\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk Chat<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk Voice<\/h3>\r\n

Sometimes, messaging and emailing are insufficient to understand the customer\u2019s request. Therefore, Voice (what used to be called Talk) brings phone support into the same setup.<\/p>\r\n

Calls are connected to customer history, so agents don\u2019t start from zero every time. That alone makes a big difference in support workflows.<\/p>\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk Voice<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk Sell (CRM)<\/h3>\r\n

Zendesk Sell is the CRM side of the software that gives sales teams a deeper insight into the sales pipeline to improve the overall workflow, close deals, and boost productivity. This software has a lot of functions to manage sales; however, it is more considered a separate platform.<\/p>\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk Sell<\/p>\r\n

However, Zendesk has officially announced the shutdown of Sell on August 31, 2027.<\/p>\r\n

So, if you are looking for an alternative for even a lower price, try the CRM and Deals app for Zendesk Support<\/a>. This application allows agents to track deals, manage pipelines, and keep customer communication in one place. It also helps teams add notes, set reminders, and stay on top of sales-related tasks without leaving the support workspace.<\/p>\r\n

\"CRM<\/p>\r\n

One more benefit for you. The application, as well as our other apps, is free to use on Zendesk Sandbox accounts.<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk Explore<\/h3>\r\n

Zendesk Explore is the reporting and analytics tool. It helps teams understand support performance through dashboards, metrics, and visual reports.<\/p>\r\n

These insights are used to track trends, measure agent performance, and improve overall service quality over time.<\/p>\r\n

\"Zendesk<\/p>\r\n

Zendesk Explore<\/p>\r\n

Other customer service software<\/h3>\r\n

Do you remember the Zendesk Connect platform, which helped businesses design their outbound marketing campaigns? Unfortunately, it was closed in 2021. But we have an even better alternative for you: Proactive Campaigns for Zendesk<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

The app helps you design, analyze, test, execute, and measure the performance of your marketing campaigns. It ensures precise outreach by allowing you to segment your audience into lists or upload a CSV file with necessary contacts.<\/p>\r\n

\"Proactive<\/a>