Zendesk AI Effect: Empowered agents gain clarity, confidence, and career growth with AI

1. More time to focus on complex and satisfying work

Agents used to spend their work days resolving customer issues—handling routine tasks and responding
to inbound inquiries. But with the help of Zendesk AI, they can now take on more high-value customer interactions.

Our research shows nearly all agents report a shift away from routine tasks, like processing customer emails, thanks to AI. Instead, they’re freed up to work on complex issues: 88% say AI allows them to focus on creative problem solving.

Zendesk AI not only changes the way agents work, it allows them to deepen their expertise. With the time agents gain back, they’re able to improve their product knowledge—and ultimately, deliver better support.

Catapult Sports empowers their agents with time-saving AI tools. Since deploying Zendesk AI, they’ve achieved a 50% reduction in first reply time, 21% decrease in full resolution time, and a 14% reduction in average handling time. As a result, they’ve seen a 1.8-point increase in average customer satisfaction.

2. Elevated service—and the confidence to deliver it

In their roles, agents face challenging, often stressful customer interactions. But with Zendesk AI, they don’t face those difficulties alone: 87% of agents say AI helps them maintain professionalism, even when they’re frustrated. By providing a strong starting point, AI also helps agents craft clear and effective customer responses more quickly.

Agents told us they also feel more confident handling diverse customer needs: 85% say AI helps them overcome communication and language barriers when helping customers.

With the help of Zendesk AI, agents raise the bar on service quality—responding with greater clarity, empathy, and consistency across every interaction.

3. Opportunities for innovation and career advancement

More time for meaningful work. More confidence to deliver elevated service. And finally, more opportunities to advance their careers. The benefits of AI for agents are not only clear, they’re compounding—creating a ripple effect that elevates experiences for agents and customers alike.

According to our research, agents who use Zendesk AI progress faster than those who don’t. In fact, agents with Zendesk AI are two times more likely to spend their saved time innovating and brainstorming creative solutions.

Agents also use their time to ramp up their skills, yielding new career growth opportunities in the process. They’re strengthening their data analysis skills and AI literacy, while also honing their soft skills (like empathy)—a formidable combination in the AI era.

Equipped with newfound confidence and skills, agents are able to grow their personal brands—becoming more valuable to both customers and their organizations.