The Pros and Cons of Zendesk - A Manager's Perspective
August 22, 2018
The Pros and Cons of Zendesk - A Manager's Perspective
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Software Version
Plus
Overall Satisfaction with Zendesk
We needed an all in one support desk tool that would allow us to handle communication with clients from different platforms. We use Zendesk across the organization to maintain all communication with all our clients, both potential and existing.
Zendesk solved 3 big problems for us
1) System-wide accountability - being able to know who was working on a support ticket at any time and who it was assigned to. Previously, we had to rely on manual communication for this.
2) All in one communication - we are now able to have all our communication channels in one place, whether it be a website, email or social communication.
3) Customer resolutions - with Zendesk, the amount of time it took to resolve and address customer queries has been cut in half, we are now more efficient and able to handle queries better.
Zendesk solved 3 big problems for us
1) System-wide accountability - being able to know who was working on a support ticket at any time and who it was assigned to. Previously, we had to rely on manual communication for this.
2) All in one communication - we are now able to have all our communication channels in one place, whether it be a website, email or social communication.
3) Customer resolutions - with Zendesk, the amount of time it took to resolve and address customer queries has been cut in half, we are now more efficient and able to handle queries better.
- With Zendesk we are able to have a holistic view of which customers have been attended to. Zendesk's easy to use Inbox feature makes this easy for anyone to join the team and start working in support.
- The integration with multiple platforms for communication makes this the goto Support Desk tool. We are able to have all our website, social media and email communication come into one location for all support staff to handle and see
- Zendesk apps and plugins increase usefulness. Being able to add apps to our Zendesk makes it easier for us to do things like measure productivity, conduct surveys and share customer communication on channels like Slack
- The ability to build your own Knowledgebase and have it on hand when answering customer queries is a life send. This alone is worth the monthly fees. As you can build up a Knowledgebase overtime and link to it on a website or through different communication channels.
- Social media functionality is limited for example with Facebook, you cannot upload images (whether this a Facebook API limitation or Zendesk it leaves much to be desired. Also syncing between social media messages and Zendesk takes a bit of time.
- Duplicate messages are frustrating when the ticket system is open and not assigned. While Zendesk does show all messages in an inbox, you have to constantly refresh the inbox to get the most up to date inbox messages. If there was a way to show when someone is selecting a message (in an open ticket setup), it would make Zendesk 10x better.
- Using Zendesk has given our managers a more holistic view of the support desk process. Prior to this, most managers did not have any way of tracking or reviewing support desk resolutions.
- Zendesk has improved our ability to handle customer queries. We are now more organized and aware of what channels our customers use to communicate with us and can handle more queries more effectively.
- Our cost per support staff vs profit per supported user has been reduced. Previously we paid 30% more for subscription fees but with Zendesk, our cost has been cut and productivity has been increased across teams.
We have used HelpSpot for several years prior to the transition to Zendesk. Our biggest gripe was the cost and limitations on what kind of communication channels could be integrated into HelpSpot. Zendesk allows us to have multiple communication channels even for the most basic users and to build on it. With a few changes to the overall system (like better social media support for attachments etc) and inbox enhancements, it can be great.