Is your Zendesk implementation really working? Do a Health Check with Premium Plus (sponsor)
Your guide to a smoother, smarter support operation – from the experts at Premium Plus. Setting up Zendesk is easy. Knowing if it’s really delivering? Not so much.
If you’re still facing the same complaints, ticket backlogs, or aren’t sure what “good” looks like, this guide will help you audit your instance, avoid classic pitfalls, and make the most of newer features.
Premium Plus is a multi-award-winning Zendesk Premier Partner with over 12 years of experience. We review, improve, and maintain Zendesk setups so teams benefit from faster workflows, empowered agents, and better customer and employee experiences.
Why do so many Zendesk setups struggle?
Even after investing in Zendesk, many support teams face the same pain points:
- Clunky workflows
- Frustrated agents
- Customers waiting far too long for answers
- A growing backlog of unresolved tickets
- Reports that don’t help you make decisions
Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Many companies struggle to get their Zendesk implementation firing on all cylinders. The good news? With the right approach, you can turn things around and make your support operation run like clockwork.
How do you know if Zendesk implementation is actually working?
The quick self-check
- Are your customers getting fast, accurate, and timely responses?
- Do your agents feel empowered and supported by the system?
- Is your backlog shrinking, or growing?
- Are you making use of Zendesk’s newest features to unlock its full potential?
- Are you leveraging Zendesk Agent Copilot to boost agent productivity, automate routine queries, and keep service quality high?
9 signs your Zendesk implementation needs some work
Here are some classic red flags:
1. Long ticket resolution times
If full resolution times are creeping up, it’s often because workflows are unclear. Agents waste time hunting for info or manually entering data. Ticket routing might not be set up properly—tickets land with the wrong team, and nobody’s happy.
2. High ticket backlog
Tickets piling up? This points to poor prioritisation or categorisation. Without effective triggers and automations, urgent issues get lost and SLAs get breached.
When critical tickets aren’t auto-routed or prioritised, response times increase and customer satisfaction tanks.
3. Frustrated agents
If your agents complain about confusing steps or make their own workarounds, your processes aren’t clear. High turnover or ignored feedback are big warning signs.
Agents can often bypass official processes and create personal macros.
4. Inconsistent customer experience
Customers getting different answers to the same question? Not good.
Usually, this comes down to limited standardisation and insufficient documentation. If you’re not tracking basics like First Reply Time, Full Resolution Time, agent touches, and Self-Service Ratio, you’re flying blind. That’s when CSAT scores start dipping below industry benchmarks.
5. Underutilised features
Triggers, automations, and macros not being used to their full potential? Valuable features available in your plan, like Side Conversations, Deletion schedules, SSO, sit idle? Security features remain untouched? Agent Workspace is not personalised? Your dashboards in Analytics are neglected? And even Agent Copilot gathering dust? You’re missing out on efficiency and insight.
6. Workflow management issues
Zendesk setup lacks clear, logical workflows with overlapping ticket forms and fields, causing agent confusion. Triggers and automations are poorly organised, creating conflicts and loops. No established process exists for workflow updates or feedback collection from agents and customers back to the operational admin maintaining Zendesk. Absence of a dedicated Zendesk admin and proper documentation compounds these issues.
7. No continuous improvement
Zendesk left on autopilot with no structured review or maintenance schedule. Most critically, there's a complete disconnect between agents, administrators, and stakeholders, compounded by the absence of a dedicated admin to manage the platform.
8. Poor data quality
Ticket fields aren’t filled, tags are manual and inconsistent, key fields are not mandatory, and there’s no way to segment/analyse customer interactions.
There is no clear tracking of agent productivity, ticket metrics and CSAT trends. Manual effort is required to get basic performance metrics. Your leaders lack easy access to automated reports and KPIs and can’t get actionable insights from the ticket data.
9. Lack of integration
Zendesk operates in isolation, lacking integration with essential business systems like CRM, ERPs, e-commerce platforms, and internal communication tools. Agents waste time manually transferring data between systems. And without proper marketplace apps to streamline workflows, efficiency suffers.
This creates unnecessary friction and slows everyone down.
So how can you take action if you are facing some (or more) of the above within your Support Operation and Zendesk?
Don’t worry! We've got your back. Here are some tips to get you started on your road to a smooth-operating Zendesk setup.
KPIs every Zendesk user should track
If you want to measure Zendesk success and understand better how your support operation is performing, these are your go-to Key Performance Indicators:
- First Reply Time
- Full Resolution Time
- One Touch Ticket Rate
- Tickets Created vs. Solved
- Ticket Backlog (unsolved tickets and average ticket lifetime)
- CSAT
- eCSAT (ideally measured regularly throughout the year – collaborate with HR if possible)
- Self-Service Ratio (help centre article views vs. created tickets)
- Agent Copilot Usage (how often agents use Copilot for suggestions and automation)
If any of these are trending the wrong way, dig in. Use Zendesk Analytics dashboards (starting from the Professional Plan) to monitor and improve.
Your regular Zendesk audit checklist
Conducting a regular Zendesk audit is essential. Here’s what you should be keeping an eye on:
Ticket resolution times
- Are tickets resolved quickly, or does it feel like they sit there forever?
- Track First Reply Time and Full Resolution Time. If they’re increasing, something isn’t right.
Ticket backlog
- Are tickets being solved as fast as they’re being created?
- Monitor the tickets created/tickets solved ratio. A growing backlog signals trouble.
SLA breaches
- Are urgent issues slipping through the cracks?
- Frequent SLA breaches mean your prioritisation and routing need work.
Agent and customer experience
- Are agents frustrated or leaving?
- Do customers get consistent answers to similar questions?
Feature utilisation
- Are you making use of triggers, macros, automations, and Zendesk AI?
- Are features like Zendesk Agent Copilot turned on and actually used to the fullest?
Reporting and analytics
- Are dashboards reviewed regularly?
- Is your data clean enough to support meaningful reports?
Looking to evaluate your Zendesk setup? Try our free Health Check guide for a step-by-step self-assessment.
Want expert eyes? Our professional Zendesk Health Check service digs deep and gives you a roadmap for improvement.
What does a Zendesk partner like Premium Plus review in a Health Check?
A proper Zendesk Health Check covers far more than a quick glance at your dashboard. At Premium Plus, we check 90+ different areas, including:
- Help Centre errors (broken links/images, help centre page structure, branding)
- Triggers, automations, macros, views. Running as intended?
- Agent security and access rights
- Ticket forms, fields, workflows
- SLAs, routing, escalation paths
- Integration points (APIs)
- Customer-facing assets (help centre, macros, auto-replies, satisfaction survey setups)
After the Health Check, you get a detailed report with:
- Quick wins and high-impact improvements
- Technical setup instructions
- Workflow optimisation recommendations
- Best practice guidelines
Our comprehensive Zendesk Health Check helps identify gaps and opportunities in your setup. Ready to optimise your instance? Visit our website to schedule a Zendesk Health Check and receive actionable insights that will enhance your customer service operations.
6 Zendesk mistakes we see in Zendesk setups
(and how to fix them)
Even the most well-intentioned Zendesk implementation can fall into these traps. Here are the top five mistakes we see and how to correct them.
1. Overcomplicated workflows
Avoid cluttering Zendesk with unnecessary triggers and automations. Focus on the most common scenarios (80%), handling exceptions manually, and keep workflows simple so that agents and customers aren’t confused.
2. Lack of documentation and feedback
Without clear documentation and regular training, processes become confusing and mistakes happen. Document your workflows, update them, and encourage agent feedback to keep everything running smoothly.
3. Ignoring analytics
Out-of-the-box dashboards are a good start, but tailor them to your needs. Track what matters most, review data regularly, and use insights to drive improvements. Without this ongoing process, it becomes difficult to demonstrate whether things are truly improving.
4. Not staying up-to-date
Zendesk releases new features almost daily, which can make it difficult to stay up to date. To keep pace, follow at least the monthly updates or blogs like this one, and consider working with a Zendesk partner to stay informed.
Most releases are designed to simplify your work, so adopting new features ensures you benefit from valuable improvements, especially as AI capabilities continue to evolve.
5. Poor data hygiene
Inconsistent ticket fields and manual tagging make reporting and automation difficult. To address this, implement clear ticket categorisation, standardise your data, automate tagging, and schedule regular clean-ups to maintain accuracy. Keep your knowledge base up to date, and ensure agents understand processes through ongoing quality assurance (QA).
6. Treating Agent Copilot as optional
Agent Copilot is now table stakes. If you’re not using it, you’re stuck with legacy workflows and missing out on valuable efficiency gains. Early adopters of AI-powered tools like Copilot benefit from faster responses, reduced backlog, and a more consistent customer experience.
Many teams still assume legacy workflows are “good enough” and overlook the quick wins Copilot offers, such as writing enhancement tools, suggested replies, and smart ticket routing.
Enable Zendesk Agent Copilot, train your team, and make it a core part of your daily support. Regularly review how it’s being used and adjust your setup based on agent feedback and performance data, so your support operation stays ahead of the curve and delivers the experience today’s customers expect.
If you’ve spotted any of these issues (or just want peace of mind), it’s time for a Health Check. Regular reviews, tracking the right metrics, and embracing new features will keep your support operation sharp.
Download our free Zendesk Health Check guide to get started, or book an audit for expert hands-on help.
