Passionned Group™

Zendesk CRM & Customer Interaction

Business Partner
By: drs. Caroline Raaijmaakers
Business Partner
Table of Contents

In this background article we present a concise summary of our independent CRM & Customer Interaction survey of the software vendor Zendesk and its product portfolio (such as Zendesk Sunshine and Zendesk Happyfox). Zendesk CRM & Customer Interaction scores better in our independent study than HubSpot but slightly worse than Salesforce. Of all the categories in our research, Zendesk received the most credits in data quality and has a poor performance in automation platform. Within the context of CRM & Customer Interaction, we have put together the main advantages and disadvantages of Zendesk CRM, and present them by component (customer relationship management). We also point out the features of the product portfolio such as Zendesk Sunshine and Zendesk Happyfox et cetera.

How does Zendesk CRM & Customer Interaction score on certain components?

In our comprehensive research we also looked at the different products of Zendesk software. More than 160 criteria were used in the process. The image below shows the strengths and weaknesses of Zendesk CRM, compared to the competition. Please note that Passionned Group is 100% independent of the software vendors in our research. We do not sell licenses, we do not make deals or have done business with the supplier. Among other things, we help and advise companies in the proper selection of BI tooling.

Score of Zendesk CRM software.Figure 1: The pros and cons of the software vendor Zendesk CRM & Customer Interaction. A vendor can score a maximum of 100%. Source: the CRM & Customer Interaction Guide 2023. Do you want to take a deep dive into our research design? Click here to download this guide.

The Zendesk analysis has been established by intercepting big data and from there it was extensively analyzed to pick up every tiny detail. More than 209 documents further we know that Zendesk excels in data quality. In this analysis both algorithms and the critical eye of a senior BI expert played a distinguished role in drawing conclusions.Zendesk CRM & Customer Interaction in our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide 2023. In our 100% vendor-independent CRM & Customer Interaction Guide we have collected all the ins and outs of Zendesk CRM & Customer Interaction for you.Enrich your knowledge and skills

Zendesk and their complete CRM & Customer Interaction product portfolio

Zendesk knows (a minimum of) 3 products in the realm of CRM & Customer Interaction. In order of relevance we rank and describe the products below:

What is Zendesk CRM?

Other names by which this software product is known: Zendesk Platform

We do not display here all the features but, in this paragraph, we report the (main) characteristics of Zendesk CRM, including some of its features and any related products. This product group consists of Zendesk Sunshine and Zendesk Happyfox. This product can be defined by the following properties:

  • CRM
  • customer relationship management
  • customer service management > customer service
  • customer data > customer information
  • customer relationship management > customer interactions
  • reporting
  • sales management > sales activities

Do you want to know the intricacies of all elements (100+) of Zendesk CRM? Open the CRM & Customer Interaction Guide™ 2023 here.

Are you considering hiring an expert in Zendesk CRM?

Do you want to hire an interim Zendesk CRM consultant who knows the Zendesk CRM software inside out and implement an Zendesk CRM application? Our interim specialists are happy to help. Indeed, hiring Zendesk CRM developers is not always expedient. Leave a message here and we will explore the possibilities of cooperation with you.

Screen shot of Zendesk CRM software.
Picture of Zendesk CRM tools.
Zendesk CRM in action
Figure 2, 3 and 4: Various figures show the operation of Zendesk CRM. Click on the image to make it bigger.

What is Zendesk Sunshine?

We don’t reveal everything here but, in this paragraph, we provide a description of Zendesk Sunshine, including some of its features and any related products. The Zendesk Sunshine can be best characterized by the following properties:

  • CRM
  • customer data > account
  • customer service management > customer service
  • sales management > customer journey
  • automation platform > no-code

Are you curious about all the functions (100+) of Zendesk Sunshine? Then download our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of Zendesk Sunshine software.
Picture of Zendesk Sunshine tools.
Zendesk Sunshine in action
Figure 5, 6 and 7: These three images give a first impression of Zendesk Sunshine. Click on an image to magnify.

What is Zendesk Happyfox?

In this paragraph, we report the (main) characteristics of Zendesk Happyfox, including some of its features and any related products. The Zendesk Happyfox can be characterized by the following features:

  • customer service management > customer service
  • CRM
  • reporting
  • customer data > account
  • customer service management > ticketing system
  • automation platform > automating workflows > workflow automation

Are you curious about all the functions (100+) of Zendesk Happyfox? Download the CRM & Customer Interaction Guide™ 2023 here.

Screen shot of Zendesk Happyfox software.
Picture of Zendesk Happyfox tools.
Zendesk Happyfox in action
Figure 8, 9 and 10: Overlying figures show the operation of Zendesk Happyfox. Click on the image to make it bigger.

Zendesk CRM-tools and the version history

Lately, we see a stable trend when it comes to CRM & Customer Interaction functionality and support for operating systems, cloud platforms and connectivity.

We reviewed Zendesk’s latest versions of the total product range. Below you can see the progression of the versions of all available CRM & Customer Interaction products of Zendesk:

  • Zendesk CRM: 2022

Behind each product we show the version numbers, the most recent versions are mentioned first.

What are the licensing costs of Zendesk Sunshine and Zendesk Happyfox?

It is difficult to determine exactly what a license of Zendesk Sunshine and Zendesk Happyfox costs because it depends on the country, the number of users (also consider the amount of CPUs for server versions), the connectors to data sources, and at what point in the year you request a quote. If you request a quote just before the end of the fiscal period of Zendesk, you can probably get a decent reduction in the license cost. As part of a cloud-first strategy, it makes sense running the software in the cloud. Often you only pay for what you consume in resources. The purchase cost of Zendesk Sunshine and Zendesk Happyfox may not be the largest amounts, but maintenance and support do show up in your budget every year.

What makes Zendesk CRM & Customer Interaction worth considering

In our study, we see that Zendesk in the field of CRM & Customer Interaction software has a few specific features which emerged distinctively in our research. This makes Zendesk CRM more or less unique: merge duplicate leads, opportunity analysis, import leads, manage opportunities and hot lead.

The advantages and disadvantages of Zendesk CRM

Tag cloud of the Zendesk CRM tools.Figure 11: Tag cloud of the strengths and weaknesses of Zendesk CRM & Customer Interaction

In the following paragraphs, we name all the advantages and disadvantages of Zendesk CRM & Customer Interaction, Zendesk Sunshine and Zendesk Happyfox, et cetera. The listing in the following paragraphs is subject to change, because: Zendesk may be working to creating features that meet specific customer needs at this time (such as support for no-code and cloud solutions). In addition, documentation may lag behind current events.

Share your experience

Leave a review about Zendesk CRM & Customer Interaction here. Your observations may then be taken into consideration and contribute to a better, even more balanced assessment of Zendesk CRM.

1. Zendesk Data Quality

100%

The vendor Zendesk has an excellent score in our 100% vendor-independent CRM & Customer Interaction survey on the section ‘Data Quality’ (for this section Zendesk comes out as the absolute market leader in our research) with a score of 100%, relative to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: merge duplicate and data cleansing. In total, we examined 11 criteria within this section. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Data Quality’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide 2023.

2. Zendesk Customer Relationship Management

98%

The vendor Zendesk has an excellent rating in our objective CRM & Customer Interaction survey on the section ‘Customer Relationship Management’ with a score of 98%, relative to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: customer interactions, small businesses and self-service portal. In doing so, we investigated the following products: Zendesk CRM. In total, we examined 21 features within this discipline. Would you like to learn more about the topic ‘Customer Relationship Management’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide. Or take a deep dive in the following content:

3. Zendesk Sales Management

87%

The vendor Zendesk has an excellent performance in our objective CRM & Customer Interaction survey on the section ‘Sales Management’ with a score of 87%, relative to other vendors. We considered the following factors: sales pipeline, customer lifetime value, goal management, sales order management, sales workflows, log sales activities and visual sales pipeline. In total, we examined 50 criteria in this category. Are you excited about the topic ‘Sales Management’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide 2023.

4. Zendesk Reporting

80%

Zendesk has an excellent score in our objective CRM & Customer Interaction survey on the subject ‘Reporting’, given that they score 80% on this, compared to other vendors. We considered the following factors: crm analytics, sales dashboards, pipeline reporting and pipeline chart. In total, we examined 10 criteria within this section. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Reporting’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Study. Or take a deep dive in the following content:

5. Zendesk Customer Data

77%

Zendesk has a good performance in our 100% vendor-independent CRM & Customer Interaction survey of the theme ‘Customer Data’, given that they score 77% on this, compared to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: custom fields and appointment. In doing so, we investigated the following products: Zendesk Sunshine. In total, we examined 45 features within this discipline. Would you like to delve further into the topic ‘Customer Data’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide 2023.

6. Zendesk Lead Management

76%

The company has a good rating in our recently updated, independent CRM & Customer Interaction study on the section ‘Lead Management’ with a score of 76%, compared to other vendors. We considered the following factors: lead generation, lead conversion, lead qualification and lead scoring. In total, we examined 12 selection criteria within this main theme. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Lead Management’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide 2023.

7. Zendesk Infrastructure

76%

The vendor Zendesk has a good rating in our objective CRM & Customer Interaction survey on the subject ‘Infrastructure’, given that they score 76% on this, compared to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: email integration, mobile crm, cloud infrastructure and customizable layouts. In total, we examined 54 features within this discipline. Would you like to go into more depth with the topic ‘Infrastructure’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide.

8. Zendesk Campaign Management

75%

Zendesk has a good score in our study on the subject ‘Campaign Management’ with a score of 75%, compared to other vendors. The following criteria were used: email marketing, email campaigns, drip campaigns, direct marketing and plan campaigns. In total, we examined 25 features within this discipline. Are you planning to specialize further in the topic ‘Campaign Management’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Study 2023.

9. Zendesk Customer Service Management

63%

The vendor Zendesk has a good score in our 100% vendor-independent CRM & Customer Interaction survey on the subject ‘Customer Service Management’. The score amounts to 63%, compared to other vendors. We considered the following factors: customer service, case management, ticketing system, field service management and call center crm. In total, we examined 9 aspects in this category. Would you like to learn more about the topic ‘Customer Service Management’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Study.

10. Zendesk Automation Platform

57%

The company has a good rating in our 100% vendor-independent CRM & Customer Interaction survey of the theme ‘Automation Platform’, given that they score 57% on this, compared to other vendors. We looked at the following criteria, among others: marketing automation, app marketplace, all-in-one marketing automation and automating workflows. In total, we examined 20 criteria in this category. Would you like to delve further into the topic ‘Automation Platform’? Then download here our CRM & Customer Interaction Guide.

Want to know more? Then order the CRM & Customer Interaction Guide™ 2023 here

In which sectors is Zendesk CRM & Customer Interaction most active?

In our research, we also looked at which industries a supplier operates in. These are the industries where Zendesk is frequently used: banking, education, fintech, governments, real estate, restaurant, retail and telecom.

Zendesk software is most used by…

The CRM & Customer Interaction software from Zendesk is most often mentioned in combination with the following functions: account managers, business development, sales reps, service agents and service representatives.

Hire a qualified Zendesk developer

Training and incompany training Zendesk CRM & Customer Interaction

We organize various classes in the field of CRM & Customer Interaction but can also provide specific Zendesk training, for example as incompany. For example, you can think about the following software: Zendesk Sunshine and Zendesk Happyfox. Of course we frame the training with the ideas of the intelligent, data-driven organization.

Final judgment: Zendesk CRM scores eminent

Zendesk has a compact product portfolio with which it scores eminent in our CRM & Customer Interaction survey. Zendesk CRM & Customer Interaction innovates (approximately) at an average rate of less than 5 features per year, is active (for now) in many different sectors, and has developed best in data quality.

About Passionned Group

logo of Passionned Group, the Zendesk CRM & Customer Interaction specialistPassionned Group specializes in 100% independent CRM & Customer Interaction consulting and the implementation of CRM & Customer Interaction solutions. Our experienced CRM & Customer Interaction specialists help small and larger organizations to advance as intelligent, data-driven organizations.

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Fact sheet

Number of organizations serviced ___
Number of training courses ___
Number of participants trained ___
Overall customer rating 4.7 stars
Number of consultants & teachers ___
Number of offices 3
Number of years active 18