Zendesk, the company providing the most complete AI solution for CX on the market, today announced a significant shift in its pricing model that reflects the transformative impact of AI on customer service. According to the Zendesk Future of AI-powered CX report, 89% of APAC leaders believe AI is changing everything about CX, and that includes how businesses should pay for the value they receive from leveraging AI agents.
The introduction of Outcome-Based Pricing for AI agents–an industry first–directly ties costs to the real outcomes delivered by AI, ensuring businesses will only pay for issues that are fully resolved autonomously by AI.
“Zendesk’s commitment to innovation has always been driven by a deep understanding of our customers’ evolving needs. As the industry moves toward more transparent, results-oriented business models, we are proud to lead the way with a solution that ensures companies can confidently invest in AI,” said Nikhil Sane, SVP GTM Strategy and Pricing at Zendesk. “Our Outcome-Based Pricing Solution is more than just a pricing model—it’s a reflection of our dedication to driving real, measurable success for our customers. As we continue to innovate and lead in AI-powered CX, Zendesk remains committed to listening to our customers and evolving all aspects of our offerings to meet their needs.”
Driving the Future of Customer Experience with AI
Zendesk AI agents represent the next generation of AI-powered bots, capable of autonomously resolving even the most complex customer issues from start to finish. This comes at a time where 78% of APAC consumers expect chatbots to have the same level of expertise and quality as highly skilled human agents. This evolution from traditional bots to sophisticated AI agents marks a pivotal moment in the CX industry, and with this change, pricing models must reflect the true value AI provides to a business.
Maureen Chong, Regional Vice President, Asia, Zendesk, said, “Many leaders we’ve spoken to in Asia are excited about the promise of AI. Yet, they still have a few reservations, typically around the perception of prohibitively high costs associated with AI implementations and the lack of transparency in showing its direct impact on business outcomes. Our shift to Outcome-Based Pricing for AI agents allows us to not only address this gap, but also build on our efforts to make AI more accessible to businesses of all sizes and budgets. Zendesk is innovating for a near future when traditional CX is set to become obsolete. That’s why we are constantly evaluating how we can help our customers meet rapidly changing needs, whether that is aggressive industry-leading benchmarking and testing of generative AI, industry-specific offerings or pricing models for a new way of working.”
Outcome-Based Pricing: Aligning Costs with Results
Soon up to 80% of customer interactions will be automated, and the way companies deliver value to customers needs to evolve with the rapid changes AI continues to bring. Traditional pricing models no longer suffice in an era where customer value can and should be measured by outcomes directly tied to the success they achieve.
This model ensures that businesses invest in successful outcomes, aligning costs directly with the value received ensuring businesses pay only for the real results delivered by AI agents. This model is:
- Centered around customer flexibility: Each business has unique needs and timelines for integrating AI. Zendesk’s flexible approach allows businesses to incorporate AI agents in a way that aligns with their specific objectives, offering options to continue utilizing human agents where necessary. Agents can monitor automated resolution usage, forecast future needs, and adjust plans accordingly.
- Simple and transparent: Zendesk’s pricing is designed to be straightforward, ensuring customers get maximum value while maintaining control. With a starter usage level included at no additional cost, customers can scale automated resolutions as needs grow, with clear tracking across all channels.
- Scalable and predictable: Customers will have the tools and flexibility to optimize their AI integration as their business evolves with an in-product dashboard that provides visibility into automated resolution usage and automation rate. As usage increases, Zendesk’s pricing model scales accordingly, allowing businesses to manage their budgets effectively while avoiding unexpected costs.
As automation becomes essential in managing the pace and volume of customer interactions, Zendesk believes that AI agents should be accessible to all businesses and includes AI agent capabilities for all Zendesk Suite and Support plans, with a starter usage level at no additional cost. By transitioning to Outcome-Based Pricing, Zendesk believes this not only reflects the value of AI but ensures that businesses can continue to deliver smarter, more efficient customer experiences.
To learn more visit: https://www.zendesk.com/service/ai/ai-agents/.
About Zendesk
At Zendesk, we’re on a mission to power exceptional service for every person on the planet. As the industry leader in customer experiences, we help businesses bring together the best of AI agents, workflow automation, and human agents for their customers and employees. With our software and expertise, businesses deliver service that increases customer loyalty and drives revenue at a reduced cost. Learn more at www.zendesk.com.
