Announcing audio comments for messaging and email tickets in Agent Workspace

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<td style="height: 22px; width: 33.3333%;"><strong>Announced on</strong></td>
<td><strong>Rollout starts</strong></td>
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<td style="height: 22px; width: 33.3333%;"><span style="color: #464646;">August 12, 2026</span></td>
<td><span style="color: #464646;">August 12, 2026</span></td>
<td style="height: 22px; width: 33.3333%;"><span style="color: #464646;">August 20, 2026</span></td>
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</table></figure><p><span style="color: #464646;">We're excited to introduce an embedded audio recorder directly within Agent Workspace. This new feature allows agents to record, review, and send audio replies to customers without leaving the conversation or relying on third-party tools providing a faster, more consistent support experience.</span></p><p>This article includes the following sections:</p><ul>
<li data-list-item-id="e8c56598b5e83e5fe40e4b5f2f2cd36a7"><a href="#h_01K39FKN2ZKQS92V5424YQV505">What is changing?</a></li>
<li data-list-item-id="ebbb3a1fd0b39ac6f9195ec8a8cf7ae49"><a href="#h_01K3A7DY1MGYWC5Z9FE5WEZMD9">Why is Zendesk making this change?</a></li>
<li data-list-item-id="ef10b03a6c33bb3acf88de943cea024b1"><a href="#h_01K3A7FEPQBH8P3JPGKNBZRT8C">What do I need to do?</a></li>
</ul><h2 id="h_01K39FKN2ZKQS92V5424YQV505">What is changing?</h2><p>Agents can now record audio replies right inside their Zendesk interface. Each recording is a single continuous take with a progress indicator, elapsed time, and visual feedback while recording. Before sending, agents can play back their recording, delete and re-record, or cancel the session entirely. The Send button is enabled only after a valid recording, and microphone permissions are handled gracefully with clear prompts. </p><p>On WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, the recording is delivered as a native voice message with waveform and inline playback in the chat bubble. On all other messaging channels supported by Zendesk, the recording is delivered as a regular audio file attachment - the same behavior as existing audio attachments today. A new admin setting, <em>Allow agents to send audio messages</em>, will be turned on by default and can be adjusted by admins if needed.</p><h2 id="h_01K3A7DY1MGYWC5Z9FE5WEZMD9">Why is Zendesk making this change?</h2><p>Agents currently replay customer audio multiple times to extract meaning and use external recorders to send audio replies - both of which introduce delays and inconsistent workflows. Providing an in-app recorder reduces this friction, speeds up responses, and improves accessibility for customers who prefer voice communication, including those who rely on it due to literacy or accessibility needs.</p><h2 id="h_01K3A7FEPQBH8P3JPGKNBZRT8C">What do I need to do?</h2><p class="wysiwyg-text-align-justify">No action is required to enable this feature. It will be automatically available in your agent workspace during rollout, with the admin setting turned on by default. Just look for the new record button in the composer and start sending audio replies. See <a href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/11097611540122" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Allowing agents to send audio messages</a> and <a href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10570348941082">Receiving and sending audio comments in email and messaging tickets</a> for more information.</p><p>If you have feedback or questions related to this announcement, visit our <a href="https://community.zendesk.com/ideas" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><span class="wysiwyg-underline">community forum</span></a> where we collect and manage customer product feedback. For general assistance with your Zendesk products, contact <a href="https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408843597850"><span class="wysiwyg-underline">Zendesk Customer Support</span></a>.<br><br> </p>