Zendesk alternative
A Zendesk alternative, or AI inside the Zendesk you have.
Zendesk is a broad service suite. If what you need is fewer routine tickets, ReplyBay can draft inside the tickets you already have, keeping macros, views and workflows. If your channels fit, it can also be the inbox on its own.
Free plan with 100 AI replies a month. No credit card required.
Product view
A Zendesk ticket answered by ReplyBay
Ticket #18443 · via Zendesk · synced
Owen BrightRequester
The discount code from your newsletter is not working at checkout.
ReplyBayAgent
Sorry about that, Owen. That code expired yesterday; the current one is HELLO15, valid through Sunday, and it works on everything in your cart.
Closed in Zendesk. Logged in ReplyBay.
A synced Zendesk ticket about a discount code, answered from the promotions page in the knowledge base. Illustration with an example score.
Workflow
Run alongside Zendesk in four steps
Connect with an API key
Your Zendesk domain, an agent email and an API key. Tickets sync, and every reply links back with View in Zendesk.
Import past tickets
Years of good support writing become the style your drafts follow.
Map agents and set the threshold
Fetch your agent list, map agents to P0, P1 and P2, and pick the confidence a reply needs to send on its own.
Keep your workflow
Macros, views and triggers stay in Zendesk. ReplyBay removes the routine volume, not the process.
Examples
Three Zendesk tickets
Message: the discount code from your newsletter does not work
What ReplyBay does: Sent automaticallyAnswered from your promotions page and sent inside the ticket above your threshold.
Message: I was charged twice for one order
What ReplyBay does: Escalated to a personA payment problem. Escalated and assigned to the agent you mapped.
Message: can I change the colour before it ships?
What ReplyBay does: Escalated to a personA change to an order. Escalated and held as a draft for an agent to confirm.
Illustrative messages. Automatic actions run only after you switch automation on and a reply clears your confidence threshold; until then each one waits for you as a draft.
At a glance
| ReplyBay | Zendesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Plans and entry price | Free plan with 100 AI replies and 500 credits a month. Plus is $19 a month for 500 AI replies; Plus Team is $49 a month with 5 seats. | Suite plans Team, Growth, Professional, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus. Current prices are on zendesk.com/pricing. |
| How AI is billed | Each plan includes a monthly allowance of AI replies. Every AI-written reply counts, including drafts a person reviews before sending. | Per automated resolution: a request an AI agent resolved without escalation to a human, drawn from a resolution allowance on your account. |
| Channels | Gmail, any IMAP inbox, WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, with Shopify and TikTok Shop order data, and inside Zendesk, Gorgias and Re:amaze. No live chat widget, phone or SMS. | Email, voice, SMS and live chat, plus messaging across web, mobile and social media. |
| Getting started | Free plan, free forever, no credit card required. There is no free trial of the paid plans. | Not stated on the pages we checked. |
Zendesk figures are quoted from Zendesk's own public pages on the date above. Prices are in US dollars as listed and can change, so check the source before deciding.
Where Zendesk is strong
- Voice, SMS, live chat and messaging in one suite, together with a help center.
- Five Suite plans, from Team to Enterprise Plus, for organizations that grow into more complex service operations.
- AI agents are billed only when a request is resolved without a human, which ties the cost to outcomes.
Stay with Zendesk alone if
- You run voice, SMS and live chat from one suite with a help center.
- Your service operation needs the depth of the larger Suite plans.
- You prefer AI that is billed per automated resolution, tied to outcomes.
Add ReplyBay if
- You want a confidence threshold you set, with auto-send opt-in and refunds sent to a person by default.
- You sell online and want every reply to cite the live Shopify or TikTok Shop order.
- You also answer Instagram and Facebook comments, which ReplyBay moderates under one policy.
Sources
ReplyBay figures come from the ReplyBay pricing page. ReplyBay is not affiliated with the companies named here; their names and trademarks belong to them.
Availability
What works today
Drafts and replies inside Zendesk tickets Live
Every reply links back with View in Zendesk.
Past ticket import Live
Any time, as style examples.
Escalations assigned to Zendesk agents Live
P0, P1 and P2 mapped to the agents you choose.
Voice, SMS, live chat, help center Not available
ReplyBay has none of these. Keep Zendesk or another tool for them.
Checked against the product on
Questions
Do we need to migrate out of Zendesk?
No. ReplyBay works inside your Zendesk tickets. Move only if the channels ReplyBay connects directly cover everything you use Zendesk for.
What happens to our macros and triggers?
They keep working in Zendesk. ReplyBay drafts and replies in the ticket; your workflow around it does not change.
How are the Zendesk figures sourced?
From Zendesk's own help center articles on Suite plans and automated resolutions, on the date shown.
What does it cost to try?
The Free plan includes 100 AI replies a month with no credit card. Plus Team is $49 a month with 5 seats.
Keep Zendesk. Lose the routine tickets.
Connect Zendesk with an API key, keep auto-send off for a week, and read the drafts in your tickets.