Genesys and Zendesk are both popular platforms for customer service and contact center management. When shopping around for the right solution, businesses often do a Genesys vs Zendesk comparison to get a feel for their AI, automation, and customer support capabilities.
This guide takes an in-depth look at both tools, plus another solution: Jotform.
Genesys vs Zendesk: At a glance
 Genesys |  Zendesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Key features | AI messaging and voice agents, rules-based and predictive routing, real-time and historical analytics | Ticket management hub, customizable AI chatbots, omnichannel support, knowledge base builder, pre-built analytics |
| Target audience | Large enterprises with global operations | Small and mid-sized businesses |
| Integrations | Integrates with popular workforce management, operations, and customer relationship management (CRM) tools | Integrates with popular reporting, marketing, IT, and CRM tools |
| Pricing | Starts at $75 per user per month | Starts at $19 per user per month |
What is Genesys?
Genesys is a cloud-based customer experience (CX) and workforce optimization platform. It unifies your customer support channels, including email, web messaging, voice, text, and social media. For that reason, organizations typically use Genesys to automate call routing, monitor CX, and manage employee performance.
Genesys offers several AI-powered automation tools, such as agent copilots and virtual agents. Other AI features include predictive routing and customer engagement analysis.
What is Zendesk?
Zendesk is among the best customer service software options for small and mid-size businesses. It offers omnichannel support for live chat, email, social media, and text, and includes a unified helpdesk tool.
Users can access some AI features, including customizable chatbots and generative search. Advanced AI tools are available as add-ons.
Target audience of Genesys
Genesys is geared toward enterprises with large customer support teams. These companies may receive thousands of inquiries daily, making AI-driven automation support a must.
Small businesses with simple customer service needs may find Genesys overwhelming and expensive.
Target audience of Zendesk
Primary users of Zendesk include small and mid-sized businesses, customer support teams, and software-as-a-service companies.
Zendesk can support larger enterprises, but companies that require deep AI automation may find the platform falls short of expectations.
Key features of Genesys
Genesys offers several prominent features for busy customer service teams.
Omnichannel communication
With Genesys, companies can sync all external communication channels into one platform. It supports web messaging, SMS, voice, social media, and email.
AI-powered chatbots and voice bots
Support teams benefit from an AI-powered agent copilot, which suggests solutions based on an inquiry’s context. Virtual support bots help customers resolve basic queries through self-service.
Workforce engagement management
Genesys uses gamification to improve employee performance. Supervisors can share goals with agents and provide rewards when they meet them. The platform also includes AI-powered insights to help agents recognize performance improvement opportunities.
Predictive routing for customer service requests
AI-powered predictive routing uses real-time data to transfer calls to agents who are best equipped to handle them. This feature can improve call resolution and customer retention.
Advanced analytics and reporting
Genesys provides live and historical CX analytics. You can view call center queues, handle times, and average call duration. Also available are customizable dashboards, which allow you to specify your preferred analytics.
Key features of Zendesk
Zendesk helps businesses streamline and organize customer support requests. Some of this Genesys alternative’s top features include:
Help desk ticketing system
Zendesk Ticketing combines customer inquiries into one unified interface. Users can assign, monitor, and close requests as they come in. It also has automated workflows, which you can customize for faster ticket processing.
Live chat and messaging automation
Zendesk connects customers with live agents via your website, social media channels, and phone. It notifies customers of wait times and allows them to schedule callbacks during busy periods.
Self-service knowledge base
Using your business information and ticket history, Zendesk can create a knowledge base. Customers and employees alike can then access articles for quick self-service assistance.
AI-powered customer support bots
Zendesk AI essential agents support email and web messaging queries. They deliver quick responses based on your organization’s internal resources, and you can further customize them for tone and persona.
If you want AI-powered voice support, you’ll need an add-on. Zendesk’s voice agents use natural language processing to resolve customer inquiries and summarize calls.
Integration with CRM tools
Zendesk integrates with over 2,000 apps through its marketplace. Supported CRM systems include Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zoho.
Common features of Genesys and Zendesk
As Genesys and Zendesk are customer support platforms, it’s not surprising that they share several features. With either platform, you can access:
AI-powered automation for customer service
Both Zendesk and Genesys include AI-powered agents that can handle customer inquiries. But while Zendesk chatbots are text-focused and primarily support email and web messaging, Genesys AI agents can handle voice, SMS, and social media, too.
Zendesk does offer support for voice agents and more complex AI workflows as an add-on.
Multichannel communication support
Each tool offers a unified platform that houses inquiries across all your support channels, including voice, web messaging, email, SMS, and social media.
Ticket management systems
Zendesk and Genesys allow teams to monitor inquiry status through a user-friendly dashboard. In Genesys, support requests are transferred to agents using rules-based or AI-powered routing. Zendesk uses automated workflows to assign open tickets.
Integration with third-party CRM and workflow tools
Both platforms offer broad integration support for CRM systems like Salesforce. Other integration options they share include HubSpot, Jira, Trello, and GitHub.
Currently, Genesys has over 600 integration options, while Zendesk supports more than 2,000.
Analytics and performance tracking
Genesys and Zendesk include pre-built dashboards to monitor agent performance and customer inquiries. Your teams can customize these dashboards to display their preferred metrics.
Unique features of Genesys and Zendesk
While Genesys and Zendesk overlap in several areas, they’re not carbon copies. Genesys excels in its call center capabilities, while Zendesk provides all-around support for general customer service needs. Here’s a look at where they differ.
Genesys: Sophisticated customer service support features
Genesys stands out for its specialized AI tools that go beyond chatbots and data analysis. With this platform, you get
- Advanced workforce optimization: AI tools record and analyze customer interactions to identify training opportunities. Supervisors receive clear insight into individual and team performance.
- AI-powered voice bots: You can create custom voice bots to handle inquiries 24-7. These interpret natural language and sound just like humans as they answer queries using your in-house support documents.
- Predictive routing: Calls are transferred to agents based on customer needs and agent expertise. Routing improves over time as the AI adapts to results.
Zendesk: Versatile customer support features
Zendesk provides a comprehensive solution to customer support. And while it lacks the in-depth AI features that come standard with Genesys, most small and mid-sized businesses won’t miss them. Zendesk offers
- Affordable pricing: Companies looking for an economical solution will find it with Zendesk. Platform access starts at a reasonable $19 per month per user. As support requirements grow, you can always move to a more comprehensive plan.
- Strong self-service tools: Zendesk can generate a complete knowledge base using in-house documents. Its web widget and mobile SDK help customers locate answers to their queries, with no live agent support required.
- User-friendly interface: Most users don’t require training to start getting to grips with Zendesk. Its straightforward interface is easy to navigate.
Genesys vs Zendesk: Side-by-side comparison
Genesys and Zendesk are both viable options for businesses that need a customer support solution. But how do they stack up in key areas? Let’s take a look at a Genesys vs Zendesk comparison.
Automation
Genesys is the clear winner for organizations looking for cutting-edge AI and automation capabilities in their customer support tools. Its AI-powered predictive routing transfers inquiries to the most suitable agent, shortening wait times.
Your human agents then benefit from a copilot, which guides them through common support issues with AI-generated scripts. You can also deploy customizable virtual agents that handle voice and message support requests autonomously.
Zendesk offers AI agents that can respond to email and web messaging, and teams can set up rules-based workflows to automate routine tasks and ticket assignment. Copilot and autonomous AI agents are available as add-ons.
CRM integration
Zendesk and Genesys fully integrate with popular CRM systems, including Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zoho. Note that integration isn’t free — there’s an extra monthly charge.
Live chat and messaging
Zendesk offers live chat and messaging with its Suite plans. The entry-level Support Team plan only supports email.
With Genesys, live chat and web messaging are available in the Cloud CX 2 plan. They can also be purchased as an add-on with the basic Cloud CX 1 plan.
Reporting and analytics
Companies that require in-depth analytics will find Genesys the better option. All plans include a customizable dashboard with real-time and historical insights. Genesys also analyzes customer behavior to surface support improvement opportunities.
Zendesk includes pre-built analytic dashboards that track ticket volume and agent performance. The Suite Professional Plan elevates analytics with real-time data and a drag-and-drop report editor.
Pricing and scalability
For businesses looking for an economical solution, Zendesk is the better choice. It has the key features that service teams need, including omnichannel support, basic automations, and analytics. It’s highly scalable, and teams can use add-ons to increase platform capabilities.
Zendesk alternative Genesys is pricier, but worth the expense if you have significant support needs. While it has several different pricing plans, it doesn’t have the à la carte options that Zendesk does.
Pricing and plans
Let’s take a closer look at the money side of things. Genesys and Zendesk have several pricing plans to choose from.
Genesys
Genesys offers five pricing plans. Four plans are designed for CX, while a standalone plan is available for organizations that need support for employee experience.
Each plan includes 250 tokens (350 tokens for concurrent licenses) that can be used for AI features, such as virtual agents, copilots, and predictive routing. Additional tokens are available for an extra fee.
- Genesys Cloud CX 1: Includes voice support, unified team communication, and rules-based voice routing. Most AI tools, including predictive routing, virtual agents, and copilots, are available with tokens. Starts at $75 per month per user.
- Genesys Cloud CX 2: Adds omnichannel routing tools, including web messaging, email, SMS, and social media. Starts at $115 per month per user.
- Genesys Cloud CX 3: Includes all employee performance and workforce management features. Examples include coaching, AI-powered scheduling, and real-time performance insights. Starts at $155 per month per user.
- Genesys Cloud CX 4: Provides an additional 30 (or 39 concurrent) AI tokens. Also includes customer journey management features. Starts at $240 per month per user.
- Genesys Cloud EX: Standalone solution for employee experience use. Provides employee performance insights and resource management tools, but no CX support. Starts at $90 per month per user.
Zendesk
Zendesk offers four plans for its customer service platform.
- Support Team: Includes email, Facebook, and X ticketing support. Teams can build and customize workflows and access prebuilt analytic dashboards. Starts at $19 per month per user.
- Suite Team: Adds essential AI agents for email and web messaging, plus the Zendesk Knowledge Builder. Includes additional channel support for voice, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Slack. Starts at $55 per month per user.
- Suite Professional: Includes customizable reporting and real-time insights. Additional support features include skills-based ticket routing and a phone tree. Customers can request a callback to avoid long waits. Starts at $115 per month per user.
- Suite Enterprise: Supports up to 300 help centers. Includes a sandbox environment to test new workflows and an audit log. Starts at $169 per month per user.
Companies can enhance the functionality of Zendesk with add-ons. These tools require an extra monthly fee.
- Copilot: Provides AI-powered assistance to automate tasks and improve agent productivity. Starts at $50 per month per user.
- Zendesk Workforce Management: Monitors employee performance and supports automated scheduling. Starts at $25 per month per user.
- Zendesk Quality Assurance: Evaluates human and AI agent support and identifies improvement opportunities. Starts at $35 per month.
- Advanced AI Agents: Provides access to Zendesk’s autonomous AI agents that can resolve most queries without human assistance. Pricing varies.
Level up your customer service with Jotform AI Agents
While Zendesk and Genesys are reliable customer service platforms, they don’t suit all organizations. Small and mid-sized businesses may not need a full-fledged call center solution like Genesys. And while Zendesk is more affordable, costs can grow quickly — especially when you include add-ons.
That’s where Jotform can help.
Jotform supports small and mid-sized businesses with AI agents. We have over 7,000 AI agent templates that can handle all kinds of customer service tasks. What’s more, they can provide omnichannel support across phone, web messaging, social media, SMS, email, and more.
Using Jotform AI Agents, customers can book appointments, request support, ask questions, and provide feedback. Plus, Jotform integrates with your favorite tools — including Zendesk. Our Zendesk integration tool automatically converts form submissions into new Zendesk tickets. From there, your team can process requests and serve customers.
Jotform AI Agents use natural language to interact with your customers. And if a client needs extra help, the AI agent can route their inquiry directly to your team.
Included with Jotform AI Agents are response analysis tools that evaluate customer interactions and provide you with key insights. You can also create custom workflows that automate routine inquiries.
To explore how Jotform AI Agents can benefit your customer support operations, try it for free today.
This article is for people comparing customer service and contact center platforms, and for teams exploring AI-powered automation, omnichannel support, reporting, and integrations to choose a solution that fits their needs and budget.
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