Today at AI Summit, Zendesk introduced the Outcome AI™ Platform designed for a seismic shift in how people engage with organizations. AI assistants and agent-to-agent connections let people and AI agents coordinate work across systems, giving people more control over what they get from the companies they work for and do business with, and helping organizations deliver what people need – not just resolve tickets. New capabilities will be offered with unlimited seats, a departure from legacy pricing models that now sets a new standard for paying for successful outcomes.

The shift is already underway. Zendesk’s global survey found 52% of consumers are comfortable relying on personal AI assistants for everyday tasks, and 63% say companies will need to redesign customer service to accommodate them. Consumers also want human help to remain an option: 84% say it should always be available.

To meet these needs, the Outcome AI Platform connects every layer of service directly to business impact: Open Service Directory³ enables personal AI assistants to find brands’ verified support, Zendesk Bridge¹ extends Zendesk service capabilities into external AI tools and agents, Specialized AI Agents resolve complex customer and employee tasks using deep domain logic, and Self-Improving Zendesk helps teams continuously identify and resolve root-cause problems. Together, these capabilities ensure that every interaction drives measurable value and pays off the promise of Outcome AI.

“People don’t think about which channels, systems, or departments they need to navigate to interact with an organization. They simply want help to accomplish what they came to do,” said Tom Eggemeier, CEO of Zendesk. “Outcome AI brings together the context and ability to act to help people reach the right outcome quickly, wherever their experience begins. It learns from each result and improves when it falls short. For organizations focused on loyalty and satisfaction, that’s the standard.”

Tie AI spend to outcomes

Zendesk is introducing the next evolution of the resolution-based pricing model it pioneered, by offering Zendesk Unlimited, moving away from traditional seat-based software consumption models. As AI takes on more service work, this gives organizations the flexibility they need to make a clear connection between what they spend and what gets done. Outcome AI Platform Plans give users access to Zendesk AI, with features varying by tier. Customers set an Outcome Budget and pay for eligible issues resolved and business work completed. With the platform, Zendesk customers can automate up to 84% of service requests, cut resolution times from hours to minutes, and improve customer satisfaction (CSAT).

Zendesk evaluates each outcome for quality and completeness, so Zendesk customers can see what counts toward their budget. They can start with a low upfront investment and expand as AI delivers more work and outcomes for their business.

“The evolution of Zendesk’s outcome-based pricing model reflects a shift in how enterprise buyers want to pay for AI,” says Tapan Patel, Research Director, Customer Data, Analytics, and Decisioning, IDC. “By tying AI investment directly to verified resolutions and business outcomes rather than traditional seat counts, Zendesk establishes a clear alignment between cost and realized value, providing a differentiator in the customer experience market.”

AI assistants find official support

Open Service Directory (OSD) is an open specification and public directory that helps AI assistants find a brand’s verified support channel, whether or not the brand uses Zendesk. Businesses register their channels and control what information they share and when human review is required. OSD does not access private customer data or take service actions.

OSD complements protocols that govern communication after an assistant connects. Zendesk plans to adopt those protocols and invites CX platforms, AI agent builders and brands to help shape the Directory. Early participants include Betterment, ElevenLabs, Flex, TeamSystem, TBA Auctions, Telekom Payment S.A. and Wireless Logic.

Deliver outcomes from the AI tools teams already use

Zendesk Bridge is an enterprise-grade trusted and governed Platform for AI agents, where businesses can achieve better customer and employee service outcomes. Zendesk Bridge enables businesses to bring any AI interface of their choice and securely connect to Zendesk’s AI, service context, workflows and actions, without rebuilding service workflows or switching to a Zendesk-native interface. Administrators control and govern which AI tools and agents can connect, what information they can access, and which actions they can take. Every action passes through Zendesk Bridge which applies identity, permissions, policy, human approvals, observability, and audit consistently, so businesses can build differentiated AI-first service experiences without rebuilding ticketing, workflow, compliance, or audit infrastructure.

Find problems and improve them

Self-Improving Zendesk² connects insights and actions across AI agents, human workflows, knowledge and quality to help teams improve over time.

Specialized Agents²—including Industry and Custom Agents—bring domain expertise and business logic directly into service workflows, driving automated resolutions that feed continuous learning across the platform. Agentic Analytics helps teams understand performance and identify where to improve. Admin Copilot recommends actions, while AI Agent Launchpad helps teams find automation opportunities and build, test and scale AI agents. Teams can use Agentic Analytics and Quality Score to see whether changes reduce repeat contacts or improve service quality.

Explore all the product announcements from Zendesk AI Summit here.

¹EAP (Early Access Program)

²GA (General Availability)

³Launching Soon

About Zendesk

Exceptional service means never having to repeat yourself, whether you are a customer seeking help or an employee looking for answers. Zendesk orchestrates every service experience – wherever work happens – by powering an Outcome AI™ Platform, an autonomous service workforce of AI agents, automation, and human expertise so every moment feels continuous, personal, and focused on real resolution. The Zendesk Outcome AI™ Platform unifies your workforce into a single system that improves with every interaction. Our discipline is simple: AI is the means, outcomes are the identity and enduring relationships are the result.

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