Who this comparison is for
Agent Desk highlights
- Unified queue with skills + load-aware routing and breach risk escalations
- Multi-clock SLAs (FRT/NRT/TTR), pause on customer wait, holiday calendars
- Right-rail Chronicle history, PayStream refunds/payment links, ProductCatalog lookup
Zendesk highlights
- Large marketplace and mature macros/triggers
- Established ecosystem of apps and partners
Capability matrix
| Capability | Agent Desk | Zendesk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unified omnichannel queue (email, chat/DM, SMS, voice) | native (via LiveConnect/PulseGate/VoiceLink) | Full | Channels differ by plan/connector |
| Skills- & load-aware routing | Native | Partial | Load/capacity points vs skills only |
| SLA policies (FRT/NRT/TTR, pause rules, holidays) | Full | Full | Policy constructs may differ |
| AI: triage (intent/topic/sentiment) & draft assist | native (plan-based) | Add-on | Human-in-the-loop guardrails |
| Knowledge suggestions in composer | Native | Full | — |
| Approvals & refund gates (billing actions) | native (PayStream) | Partial | Often via marketplace apps |
| Tasks integration | native (ActionDesk) | Partial | Varies by app |
| Commerce SKU lookup / RMA helpers | native (ProductCatalog) | Add-on | Marketplace add-ons required |
| Analytics & warehouse export | native (InsightLake + CSV/S3 schedules) | Full | Exports/BI via add-ons |
| Developer surfaces (widgets, webhooks, API) | Full | Full | SDK surfaces differ |
- Matrix tokens: full / partial / none / native / addon / via_zapier / config-dependent.
- Comparisons reflect typical mid-market deployments; verify plan limits and regional availability.
Total cost of ownership
Agent Desk reduces context switching with Chronicle/PayStream/ProductCatalog in the right rail, and minimizes rework via AI triage + macros—lowering minutes per ticket. Zendesk offers breadth via marketplace; net cost depends on add-ons and app footprint.
Assumptions
- 40–150 agents, 4–6 channels, global hours
- Strict SLAs with holiday calendars and escalations
Migration plan
From Zendesk · Dual-inbox cutover with DNS change + field/macro mapping
-
1
Export groups, macros, triggers, custom fields; import to Agent Desk mappings
-
2
Sync contacts; validate SLA policies & business hours
-
3
Run pilot queue in parallel; switch MX/SMTP & chat/DM webhooks during window
-
4
Monitor breach risk and reopen rates; decommission legacy automations
Security
- RBAC (Agent/Senior/Supervisor/Admin) with scoped permissions
- PII redaction rules, retention policies, legal hold
- SSO/SAML, SCIM, audit export
Evidence & sources
| Claim | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Load-aware routing | Capacity points per agent with overflow rules | product_docs |
| Multi-clock SLAs | FRT/NRT/TTR with pause-on-wait | product_docs |
About Agent Desk
Agent Desk centralizes customer support across email, web chat, social DMs, SMS/WhatsApp, and voice follow-ups. Tickets carry full context — requester, history, channel, priority, and SLAs — so teams can route, collaborate, and resolve quickly.
Use AI for smart triage, reply drafting, and summaries. Automate repetitive tasks with macros and FlowForge triggers. Log files securely via SecureStore, send payment links via PayStream, open tasks in ActionDesk, and analyze performance in InsightLake.
Built for reliability and governance with RBAC, audit logs, retention controls, and enterprise SSO.