Zendesk is set to acquire Klaus, an AI-powered quality management platform, to enable its customers to consistently deliver high-quality service across various channels, seamlessly integrating both human and digital agents (bots). The goal is to leverage everyday customer interactions to not only maintain but also boost customer loyalty.
“As AI drives up the speed and frequency of customer engagement, only AI-powered quality assurance (QA) can keep up as companies work to identify and fix gaps in their customer service operations. The combination of Zendesk AI and Klaus’ capabilities will help businesses navigate greater complexity and volume and ensure both digital and human agents deliver highly personal and empathetic service,” said Adrian McDermott, chief technology officer, Zendesk.
The surge in customer interactions, driven by artificial intelligence, is rapidly reshaping the landscape of customer service. In response, customer service teams are challenged to enhance their return on investment by efficiently handling the growing volume of interactions without compromising service quality.
”Zendesk and Klaus share a vision of AI-led, personalized CX with businesses fully anticipating and acting on their customers’ needs. QA software plays a critical role in this, ensuring consistency, assessing both human and digital agent performance and providing actionable insights for strategic planning. As part of Zendesk, we will continue to build and deliver these crucial capabilities, but now at an even greater scale,” said Martin Kõiva, CEO and founder, Klaus.
Scoring 100% of customer interactions
Unlike most QA software that typically assesses only 1 to 2 percent of interactions and struggles to identify systemic trends, Klaus' AI can score 100% of customer support interactions. It not only highlights conversations with positive or negative sentiment but also detects outliers, churn risks, escalations, and follow-ups across all interactions, including those handled by digital agents or outsourced teams. Klaus identifies knowledge gaps and coaching opportunities to enhance agent performance and productivity, ultimately leading to increased customer satisfaction.
The acquisition of Klaus serves as the newest addition to the company's existing Workforce Engagement Management (WEM) solutions, complementing tools like Tymeshift, a modern workforce management tool exclusively designed for Zendesk, acquired by the company in June 2023.
The completion of the Klaus acquisition is set for the first quarter of 2024, pending the necessary regulatory approvals and meeting customary closing conditions.
Elsewhere, Zendesk has unveiled significant AI advancements that enable companies to immediately achieve tangible benefits, including enhanced customer satisfaction, lowered expenses, and greater customer loyalty.
