AI agents: A guide to the future of intelligent support – Zendesk

You may know TaskRabbit as the online marketplace that connects freelance labor with local demand. As TaskRabbit expanded into more countries, its customer service volume surged by 60 percent, reaching 158,000 tickets per month. However, the support team effectively managed this increased demand and maintained high customer satisfaction by launching an AI agent.

Unlike traditional chatbots, which can frustrate customers with their limited capabilities, AI agents are designed to offer more human customer service. They understand customers’ questions and sentiment to provide fast, personalized support. According to the Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report 2024, 69 percent of organizations believe generative AI can help humanize digital interactions. Furthermore, 53 percent of consumers report that in a few years, they will prefer interacting with AI-powered agents due to a lack of errors.

AI agents excel in autonomously resolving complex issues, but they can also work with human agents seamlessly, benefiting customers, agents, and admins alike. As you move into the AI agent era, our guide details everything you need to know about the future of intelligent support.

When a customer asks a question, AI agents automatically recognize the intent. Based on the topic, the AI agent either looks for the information in the company’s knowledge base or, for topics that require more personalization, guides them through a conversation flow.

AI agents are built on AI models trained on CX data using machine learning (ML) algorithms, natural language processing (NLP), large language models (LLMs), and various other AI technologies to continuously refine and enhance their responses. However, it’s important to recognize that not all AI systems are created equal. Effective AI for customer service needs to be specifically designed for that purpose. Only AI that has been trained on billions of customer interactions possesses the capability to instantly identify what customers need and effectively collaborate with human agents.

For example, the proprietary, industry-leading AI models from Zendesk were purpose-built for CX to foster human connection. These AI agents are experts in customer service from the outset, providing accurate, personalized support without any coding or engineering help required.