• Product
    • Helpdesk AI

      Automate frontline support

    • Teammate AI

      Automate team questions

    • Livechat AI

      Chat bubble on your site

    • Integrations

      Connect AI with your tools

  • Resources
    • Blog
    • Customer Stories
    • Help Center
  • Pricing
Published in Guides

Zendesk ChatGPT integration: your guide to AI-powered customer support

Diane de la Cruz

Diane de la Cruz

Writer

AI has been able to provide invaluable upgrades and insights for customer support teams, but it can be challenging to wrap your head around how Zendesk and ChatGPT work together. In this guide, we’ll explore how integrating Zendesk with ChatGPT can transform your customer service operations, offering practical insights for support teams looking to leverage AI. We also cover what challenges to look out for, and what success looks like when you get it right.

How does integrating ChatGPT improve Zendesk?

Zendesk is already a powerful customer service platform. When integrated with ChatGPT, it gains AI-powered capabilities that can:

  1. Automate responses to common queries
  2. Assist agents in drafting replies
  3. Categorize and prioritize tickets
  4. Enhance knowledge base management
screenshot of an integration example between zendesk and chatgpt

Image caption

Integrating ChatGPT with Zendesk: A step-by-step guide

Step 1: Choose the right integration solution

While you cannot directly plug ChatGPT into Zendesk, several third-party solutions offer smooth integration. With eesel AI, you can have ChatGPT ready to go in and drafting responses in just a few minutes at a fraction of the price of other Zendesk AI apps.

Step 2: Set up and configure

With a solution like eesel AI, setup can be surprisingly quick, you simply:

  1. Sign up to eesel AI
  2. Select Zendesk as your Destination
  3. Follow the prompts to connect

screenshot of user selecting zendesk integration option for chatgpt

Step 3: Train your AI

For optimal performance, your ChatGPT integration needs to understand your business:

  1. Sign in to your eesel AI dashboard.
  2. Select the plus next to ‘Sources’ in the left side panel
  3. Add your documentation, past tickets and help desk articles

screenshot of the eesel dash menu to integrate zendesk

Step 4: Define your workflows

Decide how you want ChatGPT to interact with your ticketing system. You might want it to:

  • Automate responses for specific query types
  • Write drafts for your human agents
  • Solve tier 1 tickets, and escalate complex ones to human agents

You can set this up in eesel AI. Simply head to the Customize screen. The app will change its behaviour based on a prompt you add in. You can also reach out to hi@eesel.app for more support and deeper actions.

a screenshot of the customize tab for the chatgpt integration

Step 5: Test and iterate

Before full deployment:

  1. Conduct thorough tests on a subset of tickets
  2. Gather feedback from agents and customers
  3. Refine the system based on performance data

a description for the reports tab for the chatgpt integration performance

Best practices for Zendesk ChatGPT integrations

1. Maintain the human touch – While AI can handle many tasks, it’s crucial to preserve human interaction where it matters most. Set clear guidelines for when issues should be escalated to human agents.

2. Regularly update and retrain – Keep your ChatGPT integration up-to-date with the latest information on your products, services, and policies. Regular retraining ensures the AI remains accurate and helpful.

3. Monitor and analyze performance – Use Zendesk analytics tools to track the performance of your AI integration. Review metrics such as resolution rates, customer satisfaction scores, and response times to identify areas for improvement.

4. Ensure data security and privacy – When implementing AI, data security is paramount. Ensure that your integration complies with data protection regulations and implement strict access controls.

5. Be transparent with customers – Inform customers when they are interacting with AI. This transparency builds trust and sets appropriate expectations.

Make ChatGPT your best friend and integrate with Zendesk now

Zendesk is a great platform, but without the ability to integrate apps and tools like ChatGPT, customer support would be stuck in the stone age. By automating routine tasks, assisting your human agents, and offering 24/7 support capabilities, a Zendesk ChatGPT integration can with eesel AI can provide an instant upgrade to your existing support process.

Remember, the goal is not to replace human support, but to enhance it. With the right implementation, ChatGPT can can provide instant, flexible, and customized responses to your customers when they need it the most.

Keep in mind that this is an iterative process. Start small, learn from the data, and continually refine your approach. With patience and perseverance, you can leverage AI’s power to create a truly world-class customer support experience.

Whether you’re just starting to explore AI or looking to optimize your existing setup, Zendesk ChatGPT integrations offer exciting possibilities to enhance your customer support.

More information and resources on AI in customer support:

How AI is Transitioning Customer Support Roles to Success, Community, and Education

A Review of the 6 Best AI Chatbots for Zendesk in 2024

Breaking Boundaries: 10 Ways to Use AI for Your Help Desk

FAQ

You can set up actions like escalation or human handover by customizing your Zendesk chatbot. You can provide specific prompting information so that the AI can decide what to do when it has reached the limit of its knowledge, or if it shouldn’t attempt to answer specific question types.

Contact us at hi@eesel.app and we can set this up escalation options for you.

You can check out the history tab in your eesel AI dashboard in order to see all previous responses for particular bots. You can then see gaps in training and deflection rate descriptions for each answer. You can also check the reports tab for an overview of these statistics as well. Check out our more detailed description of Zendesk reporting here.

You should check out the history tab to make sure that there are not many answers that say ‘Gap’. If there is, you can hover over that word and read a detailed description of what is missing from your knowledge base. You can also check out our guide for knowledge bases here, and a description of how to make the most of our reports like gaps in knowledge here.

You can use all sorts of prompts to help inform your bot’s tone of voice, and what it does when it can’t answer specific questions. Prompts like: “You are friendly and like to use emojis at the end of every message. If you are asked about refunds, make sure you inform them we have a no-refund policy, and direct them to contact our email company@gmail.com if they have questions.”

You can see more detailed help about customization in this article here.

    Read other blogs

    Google Docs

    The ultimate AI guidebook for Google Docs: AI for your company wiki

    For everything AI and Google Docs, look no further. Setup guides, top tips, complicated questions untangled for Gemini and AI for Docs.

    Katelin Teen

    Katelin Teen

    Editor
    Guides

    Your ultimate Zendesk AI guidebook: AI for customer support

    For everything AI and Zendesk, look no further. Setup guides, top tips, complicated questions untangled.

    Amogh Sarda

    Amogh Sarda

    Founder

    Get going with a 7 day free trial

    No credit card needed.