Zendesk, Inc.†(NYSE: ZEN) introduced†Zendesk Duet†to provide businesses with the freedom and flexibility to break down company silos and unite customer-facing teams to create cohesive experiences pre- and post-sale. Duet brings the power of Zendesk Sell and Support together in one combined offering to help businesses operate their sales and service teams freely without constraints. Along with the combined offering, Zendesk launched an open and flexible App Framework for Zendesk Sell with early access partners, including Mailchimp.
“The days of thinking about customers as living in separate sales and support clouds is over. Customer experience transcends any single function or team,” said Mikkel Svane, Zendesk founder, CEO and chairman. “With Duet, we’re changing the CRM landscape forever by breaking down the walls between customer-facing teams and making it easy for companies to get started quickly with a joint offering for sales and service.”
A recent Zendesk survey of small and mid-sized businesses found that 86 percent of software buyers ranked the ability to share customer data between sales and support tools as very important when evaluating what software to buy. This is especially critical at rapidly growing businesses where sales and service teams are often resource-constrained and serving multiple roles. As customer expectations rise, companies recognize the need to position their organizations for success with systems that enable teams across the organization to connect, share information and work together.
“We are using Zendesk Sell and Support to make it easier for the entire organization to surface and act on relevant information,” said Simon Rodrigue, senior vice president and chief digital officer at Staples Canada. “By giving our sales and support teams everything they need in one platform, they are able to effectively and efficiently collaborate and improve the customer experience.”
According to The Forrester Tech Tide: Sales And Customer Service Technologies, Q3 2018, “Customers expect interactions personalized to who they are, what they have done, and what they are currently doing. To meet these expectations, sales and service personnel must have a full view of the customer: their interaction and transaction history; their current account status, and even their current context and journey. They must have technology to guide them to the next-best action or conversation — or the task with the best outcome.”
Shared App Framework for Sell and Support
Also launching today is early access for partners to the Zendesk App Framework for Sell, providing an open and accessible way for companies to integrate third-party systems and create a connected experience with the tools they are already using across sales, service, marketing, and other critical functions. The App Framework makes it possible for partners to embed third-party data and actions directly within Sell and Support, including apps from early access partners Mailchimp and GetResponse. The shared App Framework can also bring company-specific information and custom objects into Sell Apps and Support Apps from Zendesk Sunshine, Zendesk’s open and flexible CRM platform.
“At Mailchimp, we believe our customers should have the ability to use Mailchimp along with other tools to help them grow,” said Joni Deus, senior director of product partnerships, Mailchimp. “Our partnership with Sell is especially important because its best-in-class integration will help bridge the divide between marketing and sales teams, especially for our small business customers.”
