# Zendesk AI agents — Customer-service AI agents for messaging, email and voice, billed per automated resolution.

> Source: The Agents Index — https://theagentsindex.com/zendesk-ai-agents (structured, researched, re-verified)
> Facts last verified: 2026-09-03

Zendesk AI agents are customer-service agents that resolve messaging, email and voice requests end to end inside the Zendesk Resolution Platform. They ground answers in a help centre and connected sources, then take actions across business systems through action flows.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Website | https://www.zendesk.com/service/ai/ai-agents/ |
| Price | from €25/seat per month billed monthly, €19/seat per month billed annually |
| Free trial | Partly |

14-day trial on Suite Professional with Copilot included, no credit card; qualifying startups can apply for a 6-month Suite trial for up to 50 agents. No permanent free plan.

## What it does

**Done-for-you service** · Partly — You run the software; Zendesk sells a separate AI Expert subscription service to scale automation, plus professional services.

> AI Expert for AI agents is the first-of-its-kind, end-to-end subscription service designed to help Zendesk customers scale intelligently, continuously improve
> — https://www.zendesk.com/service/ai/ai-agents/ · Frequently asked questions, 'What kind of services are available?'

## How much it does unattended

**Runs autonomously** · Yes — Vendor states the agents resolve inquiries and execute multi-step workflows without a live agent; escalation to humans is a configured fallback.

> AI agents are autonomous systems that resolve customer service inquiries across channels like messaging, email, and voice.
> — https://www.zendesk.com/service/ai/ai-agents/ · Frequently asked questions, 'What are AI Agents?'

**Multi-agent** · Partly — Admins can build many task-scoped custom agents alongside the channel AI agents, but Zendesk does not describe several agents coordinating on one task.

> Admins can create a maximum of 100 custom agents per account.
> — https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10724438136858-Creating-custom-agents-in-Zendesk-EAP · Creating custom agents section

**Agent permissions** · Yes — Admins set policies and guardrails, review the decision path, and every interaction is scored by built-in QA; Enterprise adds approval workflows.

> Maintain full visibility and control over how AI agents operate - set policies, review behavior, and evaluate every interaction with built-in QA.
> — https://www.zendesk.com/service/ai/ai-agents/ · Benefits section, 'Govern with full control'

## Which models it runs on

**Claude** · Partly — Claude is not what powers the agent; it is reachable as an external action in action flows using your own Anthropic key.

> By connecting the action builder to external systems, such as Claude, admins can integrate Zendesk with external systems in automated workflows
> — https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10630133525018-Using-Claude-actions-in-action-flows · Opening paragraph, Using Claude actions in action flows

**GPT** · Yes — Generative features run on OpenAI via zero-data-retention endpoints; Zendesk names the provider, not a model version.

> Generative AI features are currently powered by OpenAI (using zero data retention endpoints) or models hosted on Microsoft Azure, Amazon Bedrock, or Google Cloud Platform
> — https://www.zendesk.com/trust-center/ · Zendesk AI section, Model Security / generative AI providers paragraph

**Open models** · No — Every generative path the vendor enumerates is a managed hosted API; no open-weight or customer-supplied model is offered.

> Generative AI features are currently powered by OpenAI (using zero data retention endpoints) or models hosted on Microsoft Azure, Amazon Bedrock, or Google Cloud Platform
> — https://www.zendesk.com/trust-center/ · Zendesk AI section, generative AI providers paragraph

**Model choice** · No — Zendesk selects the models: generative LLMs plus its own proprietary intent models. No model picker is documented.

> AI agents use Generative AI and Zendesk proprietary intent models. When combined, they provide the most accurate, high-functioning, human-like experience.
> — https://www.zendesk.com/service/ai/ai-agents/ · Frequently asked questions, 'What AI models power Zendesk AI agents?'

## Where you use it

**In a browser** · Yes — Configured in the web Admin Center and deployed to web, mobile and social messaging surfaces.

> Handle multi-intent conversations across web, mobile, and social. AI agents clarify intent, orchestrate across systems, and complete complex resolutions within a single conversation.
> — https://www.zendesk.com/service/ai/ai-agents/ · Channels section, Messaging

## Whose machine it runs on

**Self-hosted** · No — Hosted SaaS on AWS; the only locality control is choosing a Zendesk region.

> We host Service Data primarily in Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centers that are certified as ISO 27001, PCI DSS Service Provider Level 1, and SOC 2 compliant.
> — https://www.zendesk.com/trust-center/ · Security & Compliance, Data Hosting

**Open source** · No — The customer agreement forbids seeking access to the source code, which is the opposite of source availability.

> reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or seek to access the source code or non-public APIs to the Services
> — https://www.zendesk.com/company/agreements-and-terms/zendesk-customer-agreement/ · Section 2.2 Prohibited Uses, clause (iv)

## What it costs to run

**How it meters** · Yes — Two meters at once: per agent seat per month for the plan, plus per automated resolution beyond the plan allowance ($1.50 committed, $2.00 pay-as-you-go).

> Automated Resolutions: Are the unit of measurement used for calculating and billing your account for AI agent usage.
> — https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/ · Frequently asked questions, 'How does pricing for AI agents work?'

**Free tier** · Partly — 14-day self-serve trial with no card; there is no permanent free tier, and startups can apply for a longer free program.

> 14-day free trial. No credit card required.
> — https://www.zendesk.com/service/ai/ai-agents/ · Hero section, under the sign-up form

**API access** · Yes — API access is a checkmark on every self-serve plan in the comparison table; extra API volume is a paid add-on on Suite Professional.

> Custom integrations: Supported via APIs for building tailored workflows and data connections.
> — https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/ · Frequently asked questions, 'Does Zendesk integrate with other applications and systems?'

**MCP server** · Partly — Zendesk is an MCP client: AI agents can call tools on external MCP servers from Suite Growth / Support Team upward. No vendor-documented MCP server exposing the AI agents to other agents.

> When used in action flows, the MCP server tools can be used by AI-powered features, such as auto assist, AI agents, and custom agents (EAP)
> — https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/11105393853210-Announcing-the-general-availability-of-the-MCP-client · 'What is changing?' section

**Bring your own key** · Partly — No bring-your-own-LLM-key or own-cloud inference. BYOK exists only as encryption-key control in a paid privacy add-on.

> The Advanced Data Privacy and Protection add-on offers Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) encryption, customizable retention policies, and PII masking.
> — https://www.zendesk.com/trust-center/ · Security & Compliance, Advanced Encryption

## Buying it for a team

**A company can buy it** · Yes — Self-serve card checkout for small teams, sales-assisted with invoicing for larger organisations and Enterprise plans.

> Sales-assisted: Best for larger organizations, complex requirements, or enterprise plans.
> — https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/ · Frequently asked questions, 'How can I purchase Zendesk?'

**Seat model** · Yes — Priced per agent seat per month with no published seat floor; the resolution allowance is also derived per seat (5 ARs/agent/month on Team and Suite Team, 10 on Professional).

> Base subscription: Pricing is determined by your selected plan tier and the number of agent seats needed.
> — https://www.zendesk.com/pricing/ · Frequently asked questions, 'How is Zendesk pricing structured?'

**Pooled budget** · Yes — Resolutions are funded from one account-level pool, not per-seat balances, even though the allowance is sized per seat.

> Your resolution allowance is a flexible currency pool used to pay for the cost of automated resolutions.
> — https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10479528943130-Upgrading-from-automated-resolutions-to-resolution-allowances · Opening 'About the upgrade' paragraph

**Admin controls** · Yes — Reasoning controls on every plan, automated QA scoring of each interaction, and Enterprise approval workflows.

> Evaluate every interaction with automated QA controls to audit outcomes, enforce policies, and maintain quality at scale.
> — https://www.zendesk.com/service/ai/ai-agents/ · Features section, 'Gain full transparency with built-in QA'

**Audit log** · Partly — Account audit logs are Enterprise-only: the comparison table shows an em dash for Support Team, Suite Team and Suite Professional.

> Enterprise plans include detailed logs of account changes, user activity, and configuration updates.
> — https://www.zendesk.com/trust-center/ · Security & Compliance, Audit Logs

**Single sign-on** · Yes — SAML, OIDC and JWT are supported, and the plan comparison shows SSO among user authentication options on every self-serve plan.

> Support for Enterprise SSO (SAML, OIDC or JWT) and Social Login (Google, Microsoft, etc.).
> — https://www.zendesk.com/trust-center/ · Security & Compliance, Single Sign-On (SSO)

## What happens to your code

**Opt out of training** · Partly — Third-party LLMs never train on customer data, but Zendesk does train its own generic cross-account classification models on Service Data and publishes no opt-out.

> models are pre-trained and Zendesk customer data will never be used by the third-party LLM provider
> — https://www.zendesk.com/trust-center/ · Zendesk AI section, Model Training, item 3 'Generative AI functionality'

**Data residency** · Partly — Region choice (US, EEA, UK, Japan, Australia) comes with the Data Center Location feature, free from Suite Professional upward and not on by default.

> The Data Center Location add-on is available and free of charge for Zendesk Suite Professional or higher plans, but it is not automatically activated.
> — https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/4408838409754-About-the-Data-Center-Location-add-on · 'Understanding the Data Center Location add-on' section

**Getting out** · Partly — Unused resolution allowance expires each usage period; account data exports to JSON/CSV/XML exist off Team plans, and Zendesk's docs state AI agent tickets cannot be exported.

> Automated resolutions don’t roll over to the next usage period.
> — https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/10479528943130-Upgrading-from-automated-resolutions-to-resolution-allowances · 'Upgrading your automated resolution allowance' section

**Certifications** · Yes — SOC 2 Type II (under NDA), ISO 27001:2022 plus ISO 42001 for AI management, GDPR via DPA and BCRs, HIPAA with a BAA.

> Zendesk is ISO 27001:2022 certified.
> — https://www.zendesk.com/trust-center/ · Security Compliance card, ISO 27001:2022

## Provenance

Every fact above comes from the vendor. Nothing here is independently corroborated yet.

## Coverage elsewhere

Pages about this product that the vendor does not control. The label states how independent each one is.

| Source | Kind | Read |
| --- | --- | --- |
| eesel.ai | Independent source | 2026-08-23 |
| voiceflow.com | Independent source | 2026-08-23 |
| permira.com | Independent source | 2026-08-23 |

## What changed

- 2026-09-03 — Capabilities · Commercial terms · Free tier · Price
- 2026-08-31 — Capabilities · Commercial terms · Free tier · Price
- 2026-08-23 — Alternatives · One-liner · Summary
- 2026-08-19 — One-liner · Summary

## Correcting this record

Anything marked "Not established" is a question we have not answered — it is not a No. If you represent Zendesk AI agents, or anything here is wrong or out of date, you can supply it with a source: the operations this site accepts from an agent are listed at https://theagentsindex.com/.well-known/agents.json — that catalogue needs no key to read, and each entry states its own auth.

Supplying evidence is free. Nothing that can be bought here changes what a field says, whether a gap is closed, or how this record is scored.