Ultimate Guide to Zendesk CRM Simplified 101

Preetipadma Khandavilli • Last Modified: April 6th, 2023

In today’s market dynamics, customers are critical to every company’s success. Knowing your consumers and meeting their needs with your product and services is essential for thriving in every industry driven by customer demands. However, due to the massive amount of data generated by user interactions, efficient management of information prepared to solve customer concerns has become challenging for companies. Nevertheless, there are ingenious ways to overcome these obstacles and turn them into new opportunities. One such solution is leveraging CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tools in the business framework.

CRM refers to the Business processes and Software enabling collaboration, improving execution, and finding more easily observable total client touchpoints that shall help in enriching customer relations with the brand. If customer relationships are a driving parameter for your company, then effective CRM processes and software become highly important. 

One such CRM software that offers exemplary services is Zendesk CRM. Upon a complete walkthrough of this article, you will have a holistic understanding of the features, pricing, and best practices for Zendesk CRM. Read along to learn more about Zendesk CRM.

Table of Contents

Prerequisites

  • Basic Understanding of Customer Relationship Management.

Introduction to Zendesk

Zendesk Logo
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Zendesk is a Cloud-based all-in-one Customer Support Platform widely used by a broad spectrum of enterprises, from large corporations to small startups. Using any data — from anywhere — Zendesk presents businesses with a comprehensive view of the consumer. Hence, its products are built to include and innovate depending on user input collected through beta and Early Access Programs (EAPs).

Companies that have outgrown their current CRM or are investigating other systems, currently utilize Zendesk’s Support Platform, or deal with a high volume of incoming customer inquiries can benefit from Zendesk. The Zendesk Support Platform helps companies thrive in self-service and proactive engagement by delivering consistent support. Organizations can manage all of their one-on-one customer interactions using Zendesk’s one Customer Support Platform. 

Zendesk CRM Software allows you to deliver personalized support where consumers expect it, expand your customer experience process, and optimize your operations. Businesses can find a range of Zendesk products with solutions catered to their needs. Out of its suite of CRM products, Zendesk Sunshine is a contemporary CRM Platform built on top of Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Zendesk CRM Software Products are simple and easy to use, thereby allowing business teams to focus on making the most of their time and energy by selling and answering customer questions. This helps in the expansion of businesses without disrupting software services.

Key Features of Zendesk

Features of Zendesk CRM
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Some of the Key Features of Zendesk CRM Software are as follows:

  • Internal Desk Help: Internal Help Desk Software from Zendesk helps you manage employee interactions and respond to queries and support requests quickly. It also includes tools to assist your staff in becoming more productive by increasing morale and decreasing costly downtime.
  • Knowledge Base: Zendesk’s Knowledge Base has a wealth of valuable articles that address frequently asked topics. Users can also limit the contents of the Knowledge Base to a particular client group. It is also possible to translate business blog content into other languages to provide consumers with a more personalized experience.
  • Analytics and Reporting: Zendesk comes with an Analytics tracking system and Reporting module that analyses data on Agent Performance, Tickets, and Customer Satisfaction in real-time. Users can alter the data using the filters and responsive Dashboard to come up with fresh conclusions. Some options are CSAT Rating, Satisfaction Prediction, Net Promoter Score (NPS) Survey, and Performance Dashboard. The CSAT rating lets agents know how happy customers are with the service, while NPS predicts how likely a customer will return for more services.
  • Triggers: Zendesk comes with pre-configured triggers that users may use or change, as well as the ability to construct unique custom triggers from scratch. The triggers can start a workflow based on particular actions or modifications made to a ticket.
  • Agent Collision Detection: This option allows businesses to check whether any other agents are looking at the same ticket at the same time. This indicator becomes active when agents start working on an issue or ticket. Besides, by updating ticket data on the go, Zendesk facilitates real-time cooperation amongst support agents working on the same problem.
  • Multi-Channel: Agents can respond with tickets from various sources, including Help Center Request Forms, Emails, Text Chat, Mobile Phone, and Social Networking Sites such as Facebook and Twitter, using Zendesk. As a result, consumers may communicate with brands via whichever channel they want.
  • Multilingual Interface and Support: Zendesk’s translated admin interface is accessible in over 40 different languages. The help center contents can be localized to display information in other languages, as indicated by the locale code in the URL. Moreover, dynamically updating ticket content in the consumers’ preferred languages eliminates the need for humans to translate—this aids in the provision of Multilingual Support.
  • Answer Bot: Answer Bot is a simple AI bot included with Zendesk, which uses Machine Learning to evaluate customer queries and give possible responses. It provides suggested responses, and if the client is pleased, the requests will not be sent to an agent. As a result, agents will have more time to answer complex questions. Further, it improves its competency over time by learning from its failures.
  • Better Security: To guarantee that client data is always safe, Zendesk employs a mix of enterprise-class security measures and thorough audits of its apps, systems, and networks. This includes Compliance Certification and Memberships, Cloud security, HR security, NDA and non-NDA artifacts, Application and Product Security.
  • Third-Party Integration: Zendesk allows organizations to have access and integrate data from a variety of third-party sources. This offers users a comprehensive 360-degree perspective of the data, which can be utilized to improve decision-making and development opportunities.
  • Self Service: Using Zendesk’s Knowledge Base and community features, businesses can create a Self-Service Customer Portal. When combined with the AI-powered bot, the Self-Service functionality can route FAQs and low-touch tickets to the portal, thus frees up company agents to focus on high-value tickets and potential leads. It increases the efficiency of the customer service process.
  • Customization: Zendesk has extensive Customization options that can be tailored effectively and consistently with a company’s style and identity. Companies may use more than 100 APIs to build and improve customizations within the Zendesk Customer Support Platform. They can also modify the logo, name, fonts, and color using the Zendesk Customization Panel.

For further information on Zendesk, click here to check out their official website.

Understanding the Importance of Zendesk CRM

With the rise of the customer-centric market, companies are looking into adopting CRM tools that can help manage contacts, boost Lead Retention, offer personalized experiences, and improve customer relations. While CRM tools and software are abundant in the market, Zendesk has certain key benefits that make it a favorite in the industry.

Given the low capital investment and upfront costs, as well as the increased flexibility to expand in the future, a Cloud-Based CRM System will be the first choice for many small firms. CRM Software should also enable collaboration with the appropriate IT delivery partners, as well as consideration of onboarding and ongoing support. Zendesk CRM Software offers this capability as well as connectivity with major third-party business applications.

Businesses also want a CRM system that can be tailored to their specific needs. Zendesk CRM allows small organizations to have configurable data fields and distinguished business processes.

Products Offered by Zendesk

Types of Products
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At present, Zendesk offers four types of products. They are as follows:

  • Zendesk for Service: This is a complete tool for businesses looking to invest in offering enhanced customer care services like Messaging, Collaboration Tools, etc.
  • Zendesk for Sales: This mainly focuses on offering services that enhance sales teams’ Productivity, Processes, and Pipeline Visibility. E.g, Zendesk Sell. Originally known as Base CRM, Zendesk Sell is a user-friendly Customer Relationship Management and Salesforce Automation (SFA) System.
  • Platforms and API: This includes Sunshine CRM, which is built on AWS. This solution combines customer service data with powerful CRM capabilities and an API for creating new standalone apps.
  • Marketplace: This is a store of apps for support, chat, and sales CRM offered by Zendesk. It also includes themes for the help center page and a list of partners helping customers implement and optimize their Zendesk experience. 
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Pricing Structure for Zendesk CRM

Zendesk CRM Pricing
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Zendesk CRM has several Software Applications that are meant to assist with various elements of the CRM process. Users who wish to make use of its array of products can choose from three package choices. To get a basic understanding of the platform, users can avail the free trial package before proceeding with advanced packages.

Zendesk price plans start at US$19 per user per month for Support Teams and Sell Teams. However, Pricing varies based on the features the business needs — for example, if you choose a Suite of add-ons, Zendesk would cost you US$49 per user each month.

  • Zendesk Support: The Zendesk Support package is intended to assist you in tracking and managing customer service requests. There are three membership packages available, Support Team US$19, Support Professional US$49, and Support Enterprise at US$99.
  • Zendesk Suite: The Zendesk Suite includes everything included in the equivalent Support package, as well as several additional capabilities. It has five packages viz, Suite Team at US$49, Suite Growth at US$79, Suite Professional at US$99, and Suite Enterprise at US$150. The fifth package is an advanced version of Suite Enterprise, where enterprise-ready plans start at US$215
  • Zendesk Sales: Zendesk Sales includes everything in Sales plus a live chat, prospect List building, Full-featured mobile CRM, Email Integration, Lead, and Contact Enrichment. There are three membership packages available, Sell Team US$19, Sell Professional US$49, and Sell Enterprise at US$99.

Businesses may also create their high-end customized plans using Zendesk CRM. These include the Sunshine CRM Platform, Specialized Technical Support, Sophisticated Security and Compliance, Change Management, and Launch and Implementation Services, in addition to everything in the Suite package. 

Best Practices for Zendesk CRM

The success of a business indeed depends on the quality of the Services and Products offered by them. However, between companies in the same industry, Customer Services and engagement becomes the key differentiator. To be sure, data abound demonstrating how critical it is for modern firms to cultivate positive consumer connections. Apart from cultivating positive customer connections, it is also imperative to foster a strategy that helps businesses gain maximum benefits from the CRM software they use. This holds for Zendesk CRM too.

Here are few tips that can help companies get the most out of the Zendesk CRM Software:

  • Strong FAQ Page: The FAQ page in the Zendesk CRM Software answers the most generic and commonly faced queries among customers. It’s inexpensive and simple to set up, and it’s useful for consumers with a wide range of demands. But when working in tandem with the help center, it can enable companies to develop and manage assistance articles as businesses grow. It should also be updated with information that revolves around a new set of problems and changes in the market.
  • Integrate Customer Satisfaction Scores with Tickets: As mentioned above, businesses can use metrics like CSAT Rating, Satisfaction Prediction, and Net Promoter Score (NPS) to gauge the lead satisfaction and loyalty level. However, integrating them with Zendesk CRM Software can not only help them individualize and personalize the customer experience but also prioritize the handling of customer requests during peak hours. In addition, it will assist in the management of overall customer satisfaction by identifying critical areas for improvement.
  • Using Custom fields instead of tags: When Zendesk CRM Support tries to populate fields, it looks for tags on the ticket first, then picks the field options corresponding to those tags. This is why repeated tags aren’t allowed, as the Zendesk CRM System will not know which field choice to use. Hence, it is better to use custom fields instead. In Zendesk CRM Reporting, custom fields are given their field, whereas tags are grouped in one field. Moreover, establishing links between custom fields and parameters like customer satisfaction or response time can provide valuable business insights.

Conclusion

Zendesk goes beyond conventional CRM by assisting businesses with the automation of the most time-consuming customer interaction activities while including valuable team insights. Zendesk CRM’s ability to integrate its well-known customer support solutions that can be leveraged to turn experiences into profitable interaction makes it an essential part of any company’s CRM arsenal.

In this article, you learned about Zendesk CRM Software along with the salient features that it offers. You also learned about the Pricing structure and best practices for Zendesk CRM. Integrating and analyzing your data from a diverse set of data sources can be challenging and this is where Hevo Data comes into the picture.

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