Zendesk has agreed to acquire Klaus, an AI-powered quality management platform. This acquisition will reshape customer service provision by addressing the increasing demand for higher quality service amid a surge in AI-based customer interactions.
With the integration of Klaus into Zendesk’s suite, customers can expect a consistent, high-quality service experience across various communication channels. This integration extends to both human agents and digital bots, tapping into the potential of everyday customer interactions to bolster 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 of Zendesk.
”Zendesk and Klaus share a vision of AI-led, personalised 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 of Klaus.
Klaus’ AI-enabled system differs from traditional QA software by scoring 100 percent of customer support interactions. It identifies nuanced sentiments, pinpoints outliers, churn risks, escalations, and follow-ups across all conversations, even those handled by outsourced teams. This comprehensive approach allows for the identification of knowledge gaps and coaching opportunities, ultimately elevating agent performance, productivity, and subsequently, customer satisfaction.
The acquisition of Klaus is seen as a strategic addition to Zendesk’s existing suite of workforce engagement management (WEM) solutions, complementing tools such as Tymeshift, a modern workforce management tool acquired by Zendesk in June 2023. The deal is expected to close in Q1 of 2024, pending regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
Photo: Mikhail Nilov
Entelechy Asia 