Zendesk AI helps InExchange enhance and streamline its service desk

InExchange is a business document management company with the goal of streamlining the invoicing process for companies and organizations-–from sole traders to large corporations. Thanks to the implementation of Zendesk AI, the company’s service desk can now work more proactively and efficiently with customers.

“By digitizing and automating processes, we want to simplify business exchanges and contribute to a more sustainable society,” says Lars Andersson, Head of Department at InExchange.

InExchange converts invoices and a range of other documents, such as orders and order responses, to allow rapid and smooth communication between issuer and recipient. The network handles thousands of transactions every minute of every day, and the company’s solutions include both inbound and outbound invoice flows in all formats, as well as order and valued-added tax (VAT) management.

Priding themselves on being a FinTech at the forefront of cutting-edge technology, InExchange implemented Zendesk AI to provide the team with the necessary tools to help them improve the level of service offered to customers.

InExchange uses almost the full range of Zendesk products, and since 2015 has benefitted from Support, Chat, Help Center, and the analytics from Explore. Now Zendesk AI is complementing these tools.

Zendesk AI improves customer support

Within one month of using Zendesk AI, InExchange successfully streamlined processes and automated recurring tasks–handling junk, spam, and advertising. The company also let AI handle other frequently-occurring issues, freeing up time for employees to focus on tasks that require more hands-on and empathetic support.

While InExchange primarily operates its service desk via email and chat, it also uses the phone to reach clients in all sectors – including those who are less tech-savvy, or in need of more personalized support. Ensuring accessibility for all customer groups is of the utmost importance to InExchange.

“With Zendesk AI, we are able to offer improved self-service, reduce case time, and boost efficiency. AI takes care of the repetitive inquiries, leaving us with more time to focus on issues that require more personalized service. This also enables us to reduce processing time,” explains Andersson.

Thanks to Zendesk AI, customer inquiries can be directed to the right department immediately. AI categorizes cases based on subject matter and history. Before AI was implemented, all questions would end up in the same inbox for triage, before someone manually forwarded them on to the right department. Thanks to automation, this process is much more efficient.

24/7 customer service with Zendesk AI

The implementation of Zendesk AI boosts efficiency and allows InExchange to offer round-the-clock support for its customers, with the ability to self-serve.

InExchange believes that a good service desk should be accessible, efficient, and provide professional service. The option to self-serve also allows customers to get up and running with InExchange services quickly and easily.

From reactive support to proactive customer success

InExchange has always put a great deal of effort into giving their customers the best possible service, with well-trained staff solving issues in a professional and friendly manner. Now, the business is focused on moving from reactive support to becoming a proactive customer success organization.

The team wants to spend more time with customers and help them streamline document processes, by proposing better solutions for managing invoice flows, for example. This is where AI comes into play: it can take care of routine questions and offer a 24/7 chat function, which frees up time that InExchange agents can use to be more proactive and focus their efforts where they are needed most.

Zendesk Premier Support has helped optimize InExchange workflows

During the Zendesk AI trial period, InExchange worked with Zendesk Premier Support professional services and had access to a mentor who helped them install and configure the solution. The Zendesk administrators at InExchange who set up the functionality have gained an in-depth understanding of how the AI solution works, ensuring that they will continue to maximize performance of the AI tools.

Following a company merger in May 2023, InExchange now uses Zendesk’s Multibrand feature to separate the two brand identities while working together in a single Zendesk environment. The support departments have access to all customer cases and history, and can help each other out when needed. This single product solution reduces strain for agents and customers alike.

Improved metrics with Zendesk AI

InExchange initially partnered with Zendesk with the aim of improving its support agents’ productivity so that responses could be automated and more efficient with the help of AI. The company believes the overall customer experience will be better for everyone involved as simple questions can be answered quickly and customers are still free to email or call if they require further help. “Shortly after implementing Zendesk AI, we noticed an increase in one-touch tickets and a decrease in cases being reopened,” shares Andersson.

InExchange is making strides toward its goal of reducing the number of support tickets by resolving commonly-occurring enquiries with AI. Analysis of data from January 2024 shows a 28 percent reduction in ticket numbers from the previous year. The organization also tracks the number of agents involved in handling a ticket. Since the introduction of AI, the average number of agents involved has decreased from 1.5 to 1.2. The goal is to reach 1, where all cases are handled without the need for handover. Customer satisfaction is already at 98 percent, but InExchange is constantly working to stay ahead of the game. Responses are quicker than ever with the streamlined standardized responses, while AI allows InExchange to maintain the quality of its service desk without increasing the number of employees.

InExchange recommends Zendesk AI

For anyone still on the fence when it comes to AI, Andersson recommends embracing it to relieve the pressure agents face with high ticket volumes and long response times. He notes that InExchange began noticing the positive impact almost immediately from Zendesk AI and its summary function.

“Zendesk AI is an incredible solution that enables faster and more accurate answers to the questions our customers might have. It also increases the possibility for automation and efficiency,” says Andersson.

The future of AI

InExchange is looking forward to the future and the possibilities that Zendesk AI will bring. The company intends to replace its current chat system with Zendesk messaging to maximize the benefits of the AI solution. AI is now able to scan through all email messages to produce a summary, which will be offered for chat, as well.

The company also plans to use the Zendesk omnichannel routing service, which will allow InExchange to assign agents based on knowledge and skills so that certain types of questions can be directed to a specific agent. This will further assist in the goal of becoming an even more professional and efficient customer success organization.