Delivering great customer service with Zendesk

<body>
<p id="docs-hc-snippet" style="display: none;">Customer service can significantly contribute to your business's success or failure. If you’re using Zendesk’s products, keeping your customers happy should be one of your primary goals.</p>

<div class="body">
<iframe controls="controls" height="439" src="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14XmDDF61i79hPFh2NqAS2ntUOzbO-S5w0gnISht-azc/embed?start=false&amp;amp;amp;loop=false&amp;amp;amp;delayms=3000" width="730"></iframe>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Customer service can significantly contribute to your business's success or
failure. If you’re using Zendesk’s products, keeping your customers happy should be one
of your primary goals.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">But what is customer service? How do you know if you provide good customer
service? And how can you use Zendesk products to give the best possible customer
service?</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">In the following sections, you’ll learn how you can supercharge your customer
service with Zendesk:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="zs_customer_service__ul_kjx_h3g_cvb">
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_krb_g3g_cvb">What is customer service?</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_brl_33g_cvb">Setting yourself up to deliver great customer service</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_hkm_33g_cvb">Delivering successful customer service</a></li>
<li class="li"><a class="xref" href="#topic_m1n_33g_cvb">Helpful resources</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title2" class="topic nested1" id="topic_krb_g3g_cvb">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title2">What is customer service?</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Customer service is a crucial differentiator between companies, a top
consideration for customers, and a profit-generating force in its own right. But
what is it?</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr"><a class="xref" href="https://www.zendesk.com/blog/good-customer-service-defined/" target="_blank">This Zendesk blog post</a> defines customer
service as “Consistently meeting customers’ expectations. Great customer service is
quick, easy, personalized, and empathetic. Companies that deliver excellent customer
service take the time needed to understand the needs of their unique customer
base.”</p>
<p class="p">Many companies go the extra mile to provide excellent customer service. For example,
Dominos will give you a free pizza if delivery takes longer than 30 minutes.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">The growth opportunities are significant for companies that implement
successful customer service. For example, customer service provides:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_krb_g3g_cvb__ul_npm_pjg_cvb">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">A direct link with business performance.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">A positive impact on a company’s growth</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Improvements to customer retention</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Increased ability to cross-sell</li>
</ul>
<p class="p">This article uses the following definitions for customer service:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_krb_g3g_cvb__ul_opm_pjg_cvb">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">The company's assistance and advice to those who buy or use its
products or services</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Giving people the tools and information they need to be successful
with your products or services</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Building a healthy relationship with your customers</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title3" class="topic nested1" id="topic_brl_33g_cvb">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title3">Setting yourself up to deliver great customer service</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Customers want to connect with you on the same channels they use to talk to
friends and family. Being able to help a customer on their preferred support channel
is one of the best ways to create an excellent customer service experience. Channel
preference can vary based on the issue type and customer need. Some customers start
a conversation on one channel and want to finish it on another. Make sure to monitor
which channels are in use.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Before you start using the suite, think about the support you currently
offer, what you need, and how you can be flexible enough to adapt whenever changes
happen. The following sections will help you:</p>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title4" class="topic nested2" id="topic_gy1_mkg_cvb">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title4">Choose your channels</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">If you have metrics for your current solution, you can get an idea of
which Zendesk Suite features you want to implement. Suite supports several
channels including:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_gy1_mkg_cvb__ul_lpv_wzg_cvb">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Email:</strong> Customers contact you via email addresses that you
create. If you already have a support email address, you can redirect emails
to your Zendesk account. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4887918604058" target="_blank">A complete guide to understanding email in Zendesk</a>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Help center contact form:</strong> This web form is included in your
help center. You can use the standard contact form or create custom ticket
forms. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408882701338?option=1" target="_blank">Optimizing your ticket forms for a better
agent and end-user experience</a>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Messaging:</strong> Messaging enables conversations that persist
across devices and sessions. You can embed messaging into your help center
and your websites. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408827701530" target="_blank">Getting started with web and mobile
messaging</a>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Voice:</strong> Provide support telephone numbers to your customers
so they can contact you. Customers can leave a voicemail when agents are
unavailable or during off hours. Voicemails are captured as recordings in
new tickets. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408838035866" target="_blank">Enabling the voice channel and configuring general
settings</a>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Social messaging channels:</strong> You can connect several social
messaging channels to your Zendesk account. Messages sent through private
channels, such as Facebook Messenger and X (formerly Twitter) DM become tickets, and
agents can respond to messages from these channels. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408831648794" target="_blank">Getting started with social
messaging</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Here are some ways in which the Zendesk Suite can help you:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_gy1_mkg_cvb__ul_mpv_wzg_cvb">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">One of the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4409149172890" target="_blank">Explore recipes</a> shows the
percentage of tickets generated by each support channel. The recipe can help
you allocate agents and resources to the most needed channels. Additionally,
you can use it to spot trends, for example, an increase in the use of social
media channels. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408823572122" target="_blank">Percentage of tickets created by
channel</a>.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_gy1_mkg_cvb__image_z34_m1h_cvb" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/cs_1.png" width="800"></p>
</li>
</ul>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Almost every form of interaction you have in Zendesk, whether calls,
emails, or chats, ends up in a ticket. Make sure you and your agents are up to
speed with ticketing and how it can benefit you. Start by reading <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408884056346-Introduction-Getting-started-with-Zendesk-Support" target="_blank">Getting started with Zendesk
Support</a>.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title5" class="topic nested2" id="topic_npc_mkg_cvb">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title5">Train your agents and admins</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Companies with high-performing customer support teams understand the
need for more training, more empathy, and more investment to reduce churn and
empower their people. </p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Consider developing a tiered training plan that starts with basic
technical skills, including product knowledge, and then advances agent knowledge
regularly.</p>
<p class="p">Here are some ways in which Zendesk can help you:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_npc_mkg_cvb__ul_qgz_p1h_cvb">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">For agents, Zendesk offers <a class="xref" href="https://academy.zendesk.com/path/zendesk-agent" target="_blank">agent training courses</a> to learn how to use
Zendesk.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">For new admins, the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408828624538" target="_blank">onboarding wizard</a> provides
information to get Zendesk up and running.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Our very own <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us" target="_blank">help center</a> has a wealth of
resources to help through every aspect of using the suite.</li>
</ul>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Don't forget the value of leveraging your more experienced agents to
help "buddy" with new agents to teach them what they need to know or to help devise
internal training.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title6" class="topic nested2" id="topic_uzc_mkg_cvb">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title6">Integrate with other systems to provide more context</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Integrate customer service and CRM platforms like Salesforce to enable
agents to get all the customer information they need in one place, helping them
to deliver great service. Sharing data between these platforms can lead to
agents discovering personalized, relevant solutions to customer issues they
wouldn’t otherwise consider. </p>
<p class="p">Here are a few examples of how Zendesk Suite can help you integrate other
systems:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_uzc_mkg_cvb__ul_ujk_t1h_cvb">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Customer relationship management (CRM):</strong> Salesforce</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Social media:</strong> Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Messaging and email:</strong> Slack, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft
Teams, Sunshine Conversations</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Product development:</strong> JIRA</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Retail:</strong> Shopify</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Other:</strong> Trello, Magento, </li>
</ul>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">and many more. To get started, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/sections/4405303723802" target="_blank">Integrations</a>.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title7" class="topic nested2" id="topic_c3g_31h_cvb">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title7">Help customers help themselves</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Imagine that you could deflect many customer tickets without having to
answer a ticket, chat, or pick up the phone. The suite provides the resources
you need to do this.</p>
<p class="p">Here are some ways in which the Zendesk Suite can help you:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_c3g_31h_cvb__ul_ygs_sbh_cvb">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Create a <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408821200538" target="_blank"><strong class="ph b">knowledge base</strong></a> where
customers can find the necessary information and support without opening a
ticket. A customer-facing knowledge base can also increase your agent's
efficiency if you create an <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408821238938" target="_blank">internal knowledge base</a> where
agents can find the answer to common questions and share answers with other
agents.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Zendesk AI agents</strong>, the next generation of AI-powered bots, automate
and resolve your customers’ issues across service channels. Using generative
AI, AI agents help customers quickly find the answers to their questions
without needing to talk to a human agent. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408821281818" target="_blank">Understanding everywhere you can use AI
agents</a>.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title8" class="topic nested1" id="topic_hkm_33g_cvb">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title8">Delivering successful customer service</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p">Now that you’re set up and running, that’s just the story's start. You need to
continuously monitor your customer service and be ready to adjust depending on
circumstances. For example:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_hkm_33g_cvb__ul_izv_xbh_cvb">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">You introduce a new product or service, and customers are struggling
to get up to speed with it.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">You’re approaching a busy holiday season.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Staff are absent due to illness or vacation.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">You get multiple tickets because of a fault with a new product or
service.</li>
</ul>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Zendesk has the tools and advice to help you keep up with the inevitable
day-to-day hurdles you might encounter.</p>
<p class="p">Before you get started, make sure that <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4799941569690" target="_blank">Explore is activated</a>. Take some time to familiarize
yourself with some of <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408846844826" target="_blank">the built-in reports</a>.</p>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title9" class="topic nested2" id="topic_jff_vbh_cvb">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title9">Automate repetitive tasks</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">What if you could go home in the evening knowing that your customer
support could continue even though nobody is present? The suite offers
automations to help you do just that.</p>
<p class="p">If you can Identify and automate the most repetitive tasks, you'll free up
agents’ time and improve performance.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Here are some ways in which Zendesk Suite can help you:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_jff_vbh_cvb__ul_dw4_jch_cvb">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Triggers</strong> run when a ticket is created or updated. Triggers
contain conditions and actions. For example, you could create a trigger that
automatically emails notifications to the customer about the progress of a
ticket, resulting in a more predictable and reliable experience. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408822236058" target="_blank">About triggers and how they
work</a>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Automations</strong> run once an hour and execute on tickets that
are not closed. Like triggers, automations contain conditions and actions.
For example, you could use an automation to close tickets x number of days
after they were solved. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408832701850" target="_blank">About automations and how they
work</a>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Macros</strong> streamline your workflow for support requests that
can be solved with a single, standard response or action. A macro saves
agents the time and effort of manually responding to multiple customers with
the same issue and gives customers reliable and consistent answers to their
questions. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408844187034" target="_blank">Creating macros for tickets</a>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Knowledge</strong> helps agents to create or request new help center
articles directly from the Agent Workspace. Agents can create help center
articles from a blank article or a template. This helps agents to respond
fast to customer feedback by creating or updating articles to help them. See
<a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408835161114" target="_blank">Creating and requesting articles in
Knowledge</a>.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_jff_vbh_cvb__image_ljp_mql_gvb" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/docs/en/guide-ew-kiaw-create-article.png" width="300"></p>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title10" class="topic nested2" id="topic_l1g_vbh_cvb">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title10">Collaborate with others</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">No one agent knows the answers to every question and a good agent will
know when to bring in other people to help. </p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Here are some ways in which Zendesk Suite can help you:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_l1g_vbh_cvb__ul_opz_lch_cvb">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Add <strong class="ph b">followers</strong> to tickets so that they can receive updates
to a ticket without the customer being aware they are following. Followers
enable knowledgeable insiders to see and comment on tickets to help get them
solved as quickly as possible. </li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">CCs </strong>enable you to include end users and agents in ticket
notifications bringing more experts into the conversation. CCs can respond
to ticket notifications publicly or privately. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408822451482" target="_blank">Using CCs, followers, and
@mentions</a>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Side conversations</strong> can help agents to resolve tickets
faster by bringing other SMEs into the ticket to discuss the solution
privately from the ticket requester. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408844206746" target="_blank">About side conversations</a>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Conference calls</strong> enable agents to bring a third caller into
phone conversations when they need some help from another agent to solve a
problem. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408836444442" target="_blank">Adding a third-party to a conference
call</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p class="p">Try to meet with your customers whenever possible. Zendesk, for example, holds
regular community events where customers can hear about the latest product
features and ask questions. Customer feedback is invaluable to judge what
customers think of your product or what they might need.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title11" class="topic nested2" id="topic_zkg_vbh_cvb">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title11">Get tickets to the right agent fast</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Clearly, getting tickets to the right person to solve them can lead to
faster resolution times and a more satisfactory experience for the customer.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Here are some ways in which suite can help you get tickets to the
right agent:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_zkg_vbh_cvb__ul_fdc_4ch_cvb">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">With <strong class="ph b">skills-based routing</strong>, you can set up "skills" and
associate each one with individual agents. For each skill, you also define a
set of ticket conditions. Then you configure a view that identifies which
tickets match the skills of who is looking at it. This helps agents
immediately see which tickets they are best suited to tackle and therefore
help the customer faster. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408838892826" target="_blank">Using skills-based routing</a>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Omnichannel routing</strong> enables you to direct tickets from
email, messaging, web form, and API to team members based on their
availability, capacity, and ticket priority. This helps to spread the
workload around your team and help customers faster. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4409149119514" target="_blank">About omnichannel routing</a>.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Intelligent triage</strong> uses artificial intelligence to enrich your
tickets with actionable information without the help of agents or admins. by
predicting the intent and language for new tickets. You can use this to set
up views for your team and automate replies and actions.<p class="p">You can also use
intelligent triage to increase your support team’s efficiency by
configuring triggers that reply to tickets with public or private
comments. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4550640560538" target="_blank">Automatically detecting customer
intent, language, and sentiment</a>.</p>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title12" class="topic nested2" id="topic_fvg_vbh_cvb">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title12">Measure customer happiness</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Feedback from your customers provides your company with valuable
insights into how they feel about your business. You can use that information to
make better customer-centric decisions and improve products, services, and
internal processes. Best of all, it can help you build stronger customer
relationships.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">You can collect customer feedback through various channels, including
customer surveys, social media posts, and support tickets. Your agents are on
the front lines and can tell you what customers say and how they feel about your
company, products, and services. Not all feedback is positive, but negative
feedback can also be valuable, as it enables you to implement changes that’ll
make your business better.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Here are some ways in which Zendesk Suite can help you:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_fvg_vbh_cvb__ul_udz_tch_cvb">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Customer satisfaction ratings (CSAT)</strong> prompt end users to
rate the support they received by answering a brief survey to indicate
whether they were satisfied or not. This gives you a quick and easy way to
see what customers think. Explore <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408835846810" target="_blank">features reports</a> that help you to
see how you’re doing. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408822875034" target="_blank">Enabling and using CSAT</a>.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_fvg_vbh_cvb__image_fpd_fql_gvb" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/csr_question.png"></p>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Zendesk Gather</strong> adds community forums to your help center,
meaning customers can quickly interact with you and each other giving you a
good idea of how happy customers are. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408882689306" target="_blank">Getting started with Gather for your
community</a>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Integrate social messaging apps with Zendesk</strong>. Many
customers like to use social messaging apps to connect with companies. You
can integrate your Zendesk account with your social media accounts to see
and respond to your online feedback in your tickets. It’s a great way to
gauge how your customers feel. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408831648794" target="_blank">Getting started with social
messaging</a>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">Use an <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4409155792026" target="_blank"><strong class="ph b">"About" field</strong></a> to look for
trends in your tickets. You might need to update your documentation or
product if something is affecting many customers. Because the ticket subject
is free-form, sorting problem tickets into the same category can be
challenging. Consider using what's known as an "About" field, a custom field
to help. For example, you might create a field named "Camera problems." You
can create an Explore report to display only tickets with this item selected
from the About field. For an example, see <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4660627546010" target="_blank">Reporting on custom ticket
fields</a>.</li>
<li class="li">
<strong class="ph b">Track article views</strong> using Explore to see which are most popular and
more importantly, which might need some extra attention. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408830631962" target="_blank">Analyzing your knowledge base activity
with Explore</a>.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title13" class="topic nested2" id="topic_zdh_vbh_cvb">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title13">Provide fast response times</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Most customers expect an immediate response when they contact a
company. While that's not always possible, you should try to respond as quickly
as possible, even if that reply is "Sorry for the delay. We hope to address your
query within 24 hours."</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">The first reply time metric is a significant measure of the success of
your support. First reply time is the time from when a ticket was created to the
first public agent response. If that time is fast, it's a great way to get off
to a great start with your interaction.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Here are some ways in which Zendesk Suite can help you:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_zdh_vbh_cvb__ul_wrv_jdh_cvb">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">The <strong class="ph b">Efficiency tab</strong> of Explore's built-in support dashboard
displays information about how quickly your agents respond and how fast
tickets are being solved. Check this dashboard regularly to monitor agent
performance and make sure you are meeting customer expectations. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408835846810" target="_blank">Analyzing your Support ticket activity
and agent performance</a>.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_zdh_vbh_cvb__image_ngj_ndh_cvb" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/cs_2.png" width="600"></p>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b"><a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408829459866" target="_blank">Service level agreements (or
SLAs)</a></strong> are agreed-upon measures of the average response
and resolution times your support team delivers to your customers. Providing
support based on service level ensures that you're delivering measured and
predictable service. The <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4409149172890" target="_blank">Explore recipes</a> feature several
SLA-related recipes, including a great recipe that compares your performance
to specific SLA targets. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408835960602" target="_blank">Reviewing SLA performance</a>.</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title14" class="topic nested2" id="topic_lj4_3dh_cvb">
<h3 class="title topictitle3" id="ariaid-title14">Give customers a personalized experience</h3>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Your agents have access to valuable customer information that they can
use to improve the customer experience. It's an excellent experience for
customers when the agent knows who they are and their support history without
the customer repeating the information they've already supplied. Customers will
also spend more with companies that personalize their customer service.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Here are some ways in which the Zendesk Suite can help you:</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_lj4_3dh_cvb__ul_wf3_pdh_cvb">
<li class="li" dir="ltr">You can view all of a customer's recent activity from their
<strong class="ph b">user profile</strong>. This can help your agents be well-prepared to
address their issues. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408835078810" target="_blank">Viewing user profiles from Help
Center</a>.</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">
<strong class="ph b">Customer context </strong>helps you to provide better, faster, and
more personalized responses to customers. You can view customer context in a
ticket, including contact details, recent tickets, recent articles viewed,
and more. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408829170458" target="_blank">Viewing customer context in a
ticket</a>.<p class="p"><img class="image img-screenshot" id="topic_lj4_3dh_cvb__image_z1j_ypl_gvb" src="https://zen-marketing-documentation.s3.amazonaws.com/docs/en/events_filter_apps.png" width="300"></p>
</li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr">You can use placeholders to personalize automated responses to
customers. For example, if a customer opens a ticket from an email, you can
set up an automated response that includes the ticket number and the
customer's name. See <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408887218330" target="_blank">Using placeholders</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Tools like these enable you to know a lot about your customer well
before you reply to their requests.</p>
<p class="p"><a class="xref" href="https://www.zendesk.com/blog/guide-putting-care-back-customer-care/" target="_blank">Customer care</a> is an afterthought for
some companies, and many consumers know it. But it can mean the difference
between buyers coming back or leaving for good.</p>
<p class="p" dir="ltr">Make a good impression by enabling your support agents to go the extra
mile. Chewy offers one of the most endearing customer-centric examples. When the
company heard that a customer’s two dogs had passed away, the customer service
team sent the customer a sympathy gift to show their support: a portrait of
their pets.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div aria-labelledby="ariaid-title15" class="topic nested1" id="topic_m1n_33g_cvb">
<h2 class="title topictitle2" id="ariaid-title15">Helpful resources</h2>
<div class="body">
<p class="p" dir="ltr">A single article can never cover every aspect of delivering good customer
service. However, in this section, you’ll find links to some more valuable
resources.</p>
<p class="p">If you're looking for technical help, start by looking at the <a class="xref" href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us" target="_blank">documentation library</a>.</p>
<ul class="ul" id="topic_m1n_33g_cvb__ul_xv2_m3g_cvb">
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><a class="xref" href="https://www.zendesk.com/blog/guide-building-customer-centric-organizational-culture/" target="_blank">A guide to building a customer-centric
organizational culture</a></li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><a class="xref" href="https://www.zendesk.com/blog/why-companies-should-invest-in-the-customer-experience/" target="_blank">What is customer experience? The complete
guide</a></li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><a class="xref" href="https://www.zendesk.com/blog/the-best-templates-for-dealing-with-angry-customers/" target="_blank">10 ways to deal with angry
customers</a></li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><a class="xref" href="https://www.zendesk.com/blog/what-is-bad-customer-service/" target="_blank">5 examples of bad customer service (and how
to be great instead)</a></li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><a class="xref" href="https://www.zendesk.com/blog/customer-retention/" target="_blank">What is customer retention? Importance,
metrics &amp; definition</a></li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><a class="xref" href="https://www.zendesk.com/blog/the-customer-is-always-right/" target="_blank">5 reasons why the customer is always
right</a></li>
<li class="li" dir="ltr"><a class="xref" href="https://www.zendesk.com/blog/customer-service-skills/" target="_blank">What is customer service?</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
<script id="docs-schema-markup" type="application/ld+json">{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "TechArticle",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4948072188826",
"url": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4948072188826",
"headline": "Delivering great customer service with Zendesk",
"description": "You can improve your customer service by setting up multiple communication channels, training agents, integrating systems, automating tasks, and measuring customer satisfaction to deliver personalized and timely support.",
"articleSection": "Customer service best practices and recipes",
"datePublished": "2022-09-14T15:58:29+00:00",
"dateModified": "2026-04-24T20:54:45.184693+00:00",
"inLanguage": "en-US",
"mainEntityOfPage": {
"@type": "WebPage",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4948072188826"
},
"author": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Zendesk",
"@id": "https://www.zendesk.com"
},
"publisher": {
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Zendesk",
"@id": "https://www.zendesk.com"
},
"isPartOf": {
"@type": "WebSite",
"name": "Zendesk Help",
"@id": "https://support.zendesk.com/hc/"
},
"about": {
"@type": "SoftwareApplication",
"name": "Zendesk",
"@id": "https://www.zendesk.com"
}
}</script>
</body>