AI receptionist for small business: calls, bookings and handoffs
What an AI receptionist does on a real call, the rules that apply, a sample greeting and a pass/fail checklist to launch one safely.
Zendesk agents open a ticket and find a drafted reply, the right macro and the source article already waiting for them.
Zendesk agents spend precious minutes per ticket hunting for the right macro and article. This copilot drafts a reply for each ticket an agent opens, grounded in your help center articles, macros and policies. It names the macro that fits, links the source article, and leaves everything as an internal note. The agent edits and sends; the copilot never replies on its own.

AI Support Copilot for Zendesk drafts a suggested reply for each ticket an agent opens, grounded in your help center articles, macros and policies. It names the macro that fits, links the source article, and leaves the draft as an internal note for the agent to edit and send. It never replies itself.
In a busy Zendesk account, handle time is driven by searching, not typing: which macro, which article, which policy applies. That search repeats on every ticket and varies by agent. After launch, each ticket arrives with a draft, a macro suggestion and sources, so agents reply faster and more consistently. The Scope Card lists the Zendesk fields, sources and approval rules before you order, so you know exactly what the copilot writes and that customers only ever hear from your people.
For each ticket an agent opens, the copilot drafts a suggested reply grounded in your help center articles, macros and policies. The draft appears as an internal note.
The copilot names the macro that fits the ticket and links the source article. Agents apply what your team already approved instead of rewriting it.
The copilot never replies itself. Each draft stays an internal note in Zendesk until an agent reviews, edits and sends it, inside your approval rules.
Your portal lists these the moment you order. Delivery starts the working day after everything is in and your access is checked.
| Option | Delivery time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 20–30 working days | $5,900 |
| Express | 15–25 working days | $6,800 |
| Rush | 10–20 working days | $7,650 |
Before you start: Save Zendesk Explore figures for resolution time, macro usage and tickets per agent for the month before setup.
These are things to track, not promised results. Outcomes depend on your data, your team and your market.
The build is paid once. Running it costs roughly $50 to $250 a month for AI model usage and hosting in your own accounts, on top of your Zendesk plan. More agents opening more tickets moves you toward the top of that range.
Usage during testing is billed to your accounts as well.
Ask about running costsDrafts across several Zendesk brands, a third connected system, or more than six workflow types need a written Change Quote. Add a checkout note and we send it to you.
Request a custom versionMonthly maintenance covers monitoring, fixes and change hours for work such as new macros, updated policies or a new ticket type. It starts after the post-launch support period, bills monthly and can be cancelled any month.
$295/mo (5% of the build price a month, includes 2 change hours)
Optional. Starts after the post-launch support period. Cancel any month.
How maintenance works| Do it yourself with a SaaS tool | Hire a custom agency | Upmark Labs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Built-in AI assist bills per agent seat | A Zendesk partner quotes per project | Ours is one fixed price, shown on this page before you buy |
| Macros | Agents search the list themselves | Depends on the brief | Ours names the macro that fits the ticket |
| Sources | May draw on anything indexed | Agreed during the project | Ours drafts only from articles and policies you approve |
| Delivery | Switches on quickly, then needs tuning | Set per project | Ours has a fixed delivery time shown before you buy, with faster options |
As an internal note on the ticket, unless your mapping agrees a different field. Agents see the draft, the macro it suggests and links to the source articles in the ticket they already have open. Internal notes are never visible to the customer, so nothing leaks before an agent decides.
Yes. It reads your macros as part of the two-way sync and names the one that best fits the ticket, alongside its own draft. The agent applies the macro as normal. If no macro fits, it says so, which is also a useful signal about where your macro list has gaps.
No. It only writes internal notes and, where your approval rules allow, prepares actions for an agent to confirm. Every public reply is sent by a person. That is the difference between this copilot and AI Customer Support Agent for Zendesk, which can resolve tickets itself.
The copilot says there is no approved source rather than inventing an answer, and leaves the agent to write the reply. Those tickets are logged, so you can see which topics need articles. If gaps are common, AI Support Knowledge Agent for Zendesk drafts new articles from resolved tickets.
One fixed price covers the whole build and is shown on this page before you buy, with express and rush delivery listed beside it at a set extra cost. All three include the documented mapping, fifty ticket scenarios, two rounds of changes and a recorded 60-minute handoff.
Usually the system that holds what agents look up most, such as your CRM or an order system. With it connected, drafts can include account or order details rather than asking the agent to fetch them. The choice is made at intake, and a third system needs a Change Quote.
Order the Zendesk edition and every ticket an agent opens carries a drafted reply, a suggested macro and source links, ready to edit and send.

Routes tickets to the right team or agent based on content and skills.

Finds gaps in your help center and drafts new articles from resolved tickets.

Scores conversations against your quality rubric and highlights coaching points.