Zendesk moves to pay-per-result AI pricing with its new Outcome AI Platform
What happened
Zendesk announced a new AI platform called Outcome AI Platform at its AI Summit in San Francisco. The company is moving to a pay-per-result pricing model, where businesses pay based on the number of issues the AI resolves or tasks it completes. Customers set an 'Outcome Budget' and are charged for each verified result. The platform also introduces new tools for connecting external AI agents and managing official support channels.
Key details
- Outcome AI Platform was announced on a Tuesday at Zendesk's AI Summit.
- Businesses pay for each eligible issue resolved by AI, not per user.
- Customers can set an 'Outcome Budget' to control spending.
- Open Service Directory allows brands to register official support channels for AI assistants.
- Zendesk Bridge enables integration of external AI agents, such as ChatGPT, with permission controls.
Why it matters
Businesses using Zendesk can now align their costs with the actual performance of AI in resolving customer issues, rather than paying for user licenses. This gives companies more flexibility to start with a small budget and scale up as AI handles more work. The new tools also allow organizations to connect their own AI agents and manage how they interact with Zendesk, offering more control and transparency over automated customer support.