Smarter Week

AI and automation by role

How Customer Support Agents can use AI and automation

Below are 13 common tasks for Customer Support Agents, most common first. For each one you get the best fix (AI, automation, a feature in software you already have, or a simpler process), the steps to set it up and, for AI fixes, a prompt to copy.

Also called: Customer Support Agent, Customer Service Representative, CSR, Support Specialist, Help Desk Agent, Customer Care Advisor, Technical Support Rep

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Task 1 · typically 120 min, every day

Answer the same customer questions over and over

Software featureBest fix

Let an AI agent answer the common questions from your help center

Fin by Intercom, Zendesk AI agents, Freshdesk Freddy, Gorgias AI Agent, Salesforce Agentforce and HubSpot's customer agent answer routine questions from your own articles and hand off the rest to a person.

Typically saves about 40% of the time4 h to set up
  1. 1Check what your helpdesk offers; most now charge per resolved conversation.
  2. 2Make sure the top 20 help articles are current, because the AI answers from them.
  3. 3Turn it on for one channel (chat or email) and one topic set first.
  4. 4Review a sample of its conversations weekly and fix the articles behind wrong answers.
  5. 5Set clear handoff rules for billing disputes, complaints and anything sensitive.

Tools: Fin by Intercom · Zendesk AI agents · Freshdesk Freddy AI · Gorgias AI Agent · Salesforce Agentforce · HubSpot Customer Agent (Breeze)

One more way to fix it
Software feature

Turn your most-typed answers into macros

Macros (saved replies) fill in the answer, set the tags and change the status in one click. Most helpdesks can now suggest the right macro too.

Typically saves about 35% of the time2 h to set up
  1. 1Pull a report of your top 15 ticket reasons.
  2. 2Write one macro for each, with placeholders for the customer's name and details.
  3. 3Have each macro also set tags and status.
  4. 4Turn on macro suggestions if your helpdesk has them, and review macros quarterly.

Tools: Zendesk, Intercom, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Help Scout, HubSpot Service Hub or Salesforce Service Cloud

How to automate this task

Task 2 · typically 90 min, every day

Write replies to complex or unusual tickets

Software featureBest fix

Use your helpdesk's AI copilot to draft replies and find answers

Zendesk Agent Copilot, Intercom Copilot, Freshdesk Freddy AI Copilot, Help Scout AI and Salesforce Service AI read the ticket and your knowledge base and draft a reply for you to check.

Typically saves about 40% of the time1 h to set up
  1. 1Ask your admin to turn on the AI copilot or agent-assist features.
  2. 2Connect your help center, internal docs and past tickets as sources.
  3. 3On each ticket, ask it for a draft or a summary of the thread, then edit.
  4. 4Use its tone tools (friendlier, shorter) instead of rewriting by hand.

Tools: Zendesk Agent Copilot · Intercom Copilot · Freshdesk Freddy AI Copilot · Help Scout AI · Salesforce Service AI · Gorgias AI

One more way to fix it
AI

Have AI draft the reply to a tricky ticket

If your helpdesk has no AI built in, an approved AI assistant can draft a clear, accurate reply from the thread and your notes. Remove personal data first if company policy requires it.

Typically saves about 35% of the time5 min to set up
  1. 1Copy the ticket thread (remove card numbers, passwords and anything your policy forbids).
  2. 2Add what you found and what you can offer.
  3. 3Paste with the prompt below.
  4. 4Check every fact, then send.
Prompt to copy
Draft a reply to this customer support ticket. What I found: [YOUR INVESTIGATION]. What we can offer: [OPTIONS]. Our policy: [RELEVANT POLICY]. Tone: warm, clear and direct; acknowledge the problem in one line, explain what happens next with timings, and avoid jargon. Under 150 words. Do not promise anything I have not listed.

Ticket:
[PASTE THREAD]

Tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot

How to automate this task

Task 3 · typically 30 min, every day

Look up orders, accounts and history across different systems

Software featureBest fix

Bring order and account details into the ticket sidebar

Helpdesk apps for Shopify, Stripe, Salesforce, HubSpot and your own systems show the customer's orders and account inside the ticket, so you stop switching tabs.

Typically saves about 45% of the time1 h to set up
  1. 1List the systems you check most during tickets.
  2. 2Install the matching apps from your helpdesk marketplace (Shopify, Stripe, Salesforce, HubSpot, Jira).
  3. 3For in-house systems, ask IT about a simple sidebar app or a lookup link.
  4. 4Remove the old bookmarks and tabs you no longer need.

Tools: Zendesk Marketplace · Intercom apps · Gorgias integrations · Freshdesk Marketplace

One more way to fix it
Software feature

Ask your workspace AI instead of searching folders

Microsoft Copilot (formerly Microsoft Copilot), Gemini in Google Workspace, Glean, Notion AI and Slack AI can answer questions from your company's own files, chats and email.

Typically saves about 50% of the time10 min to set up
  1. 1Check whether your company already pays for Copilot, Gemini in Google Workspace, Glean, Notion AI or Slack AI.
  2. 2Ask it the question in plain words, e.g. "What did we quote Acme for the Q3 renewal?"
  3. 3Open the source it cites to confirm.
  4. 4If you have none of these, ask IT. It is often cheaper than the hours lost.

Tools: Microsoft Copilot · Gemini in Google Workspace · Glean · Notion AI · Slack AI

How to automate this task

Task 4 · typically 30 min, every day

Sort, tag and route incoming tickets

Software featureBest fix

Turn on AI triage to tag, prioritize and route tickets

Zendesk intelligent triage, Intercom workflows with AI, Freshdesk auto-triage and Salesforce Einstein classification detect intent, language and urgency and route tickets for you.

Typically saves about 60% of the time2 h to set up
  1. 1Ask your admin to enable the AI triage feature in your helpdesk.
  2. 2Map the detected intents to your existing groups and tags.
  3. 3Start with suggestions only for two weeks, then let it apply them automatically.
  4. 4Review mis-routes weekly and adjust.

Tools: Zendesk intelligent triage · Intercom AI workflows · Freshdesk Freddy auto-triage · Salesforce Einstein case classification

One more way to fix it
Automation

Route tickets with rules based on form fields and keywords

Triggers and rules send tickets to the right queue by channel, form choice, customer tier or keyword, so nobody sorts them by hand.

Typically saves about 45% of the time1 h to set up
  1. 1Add a required "What do you need help with?" dropdown to your contact form.
  2. 2Create triggers that route by that field, customer tier and language.
  3. 3Add a keyword rule for urgent words (outage, cancel, legal).
  4. 4Check the "unassigned" queue daily for gaps.

Tools: Zendesk, Intercom, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Help Scout, HubSpot Service Hub or Salesforce Service Cloud

How to automate this task

Task 5 · typically 20 min, every day

Search for the right help article or internal answer

Software featureBest fix

Use your helpdesk's AI copilot to draft replies and find answers

Zendesk Agent Copilot, Intercom Copilot, Freshdesk Freddy AI Copilot, Help Scout AI and Salesforce Service AI read the ticket and your knowledge base and draft a reply for you to check.

Typically saves about 40% of the time1 h to set up
  1. 1Ask your admin to turn on the AI copilot or agent-assist features.
  2. 2Connect your help center, internal docs and past tickets as sources.
  3. 3On each ticket, ask it for a draft or a summary of the thread, then edit.
  4. 4Use its tone tools (friendlier, shorter) instead of rewriting by hand.

Tools: Zendesk Agent Copilot · Intercom Copilot · Freshdesk Freddy AI Copilot · Help Scout AI · Salesforce Service AI · Gorgias AI

One more way to fix it
AI

Write the answers down once and point people (or a bot) at them

Collect the questions you keep answering into one page; a workspace AI or a ChatGPT Project, Claude Project or Gem can answer from it.

Typically saves about 50% of the time1 h to set up
  1. 1For one week, paste every repeat question into a doc.
  2. 2Write the answer under each (or have AI draft it from your replies).
  3. 3Share the page, pin it in chat, and add it to a Claude Project, ChatGPT Project, Gemini Gem or Copilot agent.
  4. 4Reply to repeat questions with the link.
Prompt to copy
Below are questions coworkers keep asking me and my past answers. Turn them into a clear FAQ page grouped by topic. Keep each answer under 80 words and keep any links I gave.

[PASTE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS]

Tools: Claude Projects · ChatGPT Projects · Gemini Gems · Copilot agents · Notion or Confluence

How to automate this task

Task 6 · typically 30 min, every day

Process refunds, returns and account changes by hand

AutomationBest fix

Do refunds and changes from inside the ticket, or let the AI agent do them

Gorgias and Shopify actions, Stripe in Intercom, and AI agent actions in Zendesk or Intercom can issue refunds, cancel orders or update addresses without opening another system.

Typically saves about 50% of the time2 h to set up
  1. 1List the account changes you make most (refund, cancel, address change, plan change).
  2. 2Install the commerce or billing app in your helpdesk that supports actions.
  3. 3Set limits (for example refunds under a set amount) for agents or the AI agent to do without approval.
  4. 4Log every action automatically on the ticket.

Tools: Gorgias Shopify actions · Intercom with Stripe · Zendesk AI agent actions · Salesforce Agentforce actions

One more way to fix it
Software feature

Let customers start returns and changes themselves

Return portals like Loop, AfterShip Returns and Shopify self-serve returns, or an account settings page, take routine requests out of the inbox.

Typically saves about 45% of the time3 h to set up
  1. 1Find the most common requests that follow a fixed policy.
  2. 2Set up a self-serve portal or account settings that handle them.
  3. 3Link it in your auto-reply, help center and order emails.
  4. 4Keep a person for exceptions only.

Tools: Loop Returns · AfterShip Returns · Shopify self-serve returns · Customer account portals

How to automate this task

Task 7 · typically 30 min, every day

Handle upset customers and complaints

AIBest fix

Have AI help you draft a calm reply to an angry customer

When a message stings, AI drafts a calm, specific reply that owns the problem without over-apologising. You add the human touch.

Typically saves about 25% of the time5 min to set up
  1. 1Paste the message and what you can actually do.
  2. 2Use the prompt below.
  3. 3Read it out loud; cut anything that sounds scripted.
  4. 4Send, and flag for a manager if they mention legal action or cancelling.
Prompt to copy
A customer is upset. Their message: [PASTE]. What happened from our side: [FACTS]. What I can offer: [OPTIONS]. Draft a reply that acknowledges their specific frustration in their words, takes responsibility for what we got wrong (and only that), explains the fix and timing, and offers one clear next step. Calm, human, under 140 words. No generic apology phrases, no blaming.

Tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot

One more way to fix it
Software feature

Use your helpdesk's AI copilot to draft replies and find answers

Zendesk Agent Copilot, Intercom Copilot, Freshdesk Freddy AI Copilot, Help Scout AI and Salesforce Service AI read the ticket and your knowledge base and draft a reply for you to check.

Typically saves about 40% of the time1 h to set up
  1. 1Ask your admin to turn on the AI copilot or agent-assist features.
  2. 2Connect your help center, internal docs and past tickets as sources.
  3. 3On each ticket, ask it for a draft or a summary of the thread, then edit.
  4. 4Use its tone tools (friendlier, shorter) instead of rewriting by hand.

Tools: Zendesk Agent Copilot · Intercom Copilot · Freshdesk Freddy AI Copilot · Help Scout AI · Salesforce Service AI · Gorgias AI

How to automate this task

Task 8 · typically 20 min, a few times a week

Write up bugs and escalate to product or engineering

Software featureBest fix

Link tickets to Jira or Linear issues instead of retyping them

The Jira, Linear and Azure DevOps integrations create the issue from the ticket, link every affected customer to it, and show status changes back in the helpdesk.

Typically saves about 40% of the time45 min to set up
  1. 1Install the Jira, Linear or Azure DevOps app in your helpdesk.
  2. 2Agree a bug template with engineering (steps, expected, actual, account, screenshots).
  3. 3Create or link the issue from inside the ticket.
  4. 4Link new reports of the same bug to the existing issue instead of filing new ones.

Tools: Jira integration · Linear integration · Azure DevOps integration · Zendesk, Intercom or Freshdesk

One more way to fix it
AI

Have AI turn the ticket thread into a clean bug report

Engineering acts faster on a clear report. AI turns a long customer thread into steps, expected and actual results in your team's template.

Typically saves about 40% of the time5 min to set up
  1. 1Copy the thread and your own test notes.
  2. 2Paste with the prompt and your bug template.
  3. 3Check the steps reproduce.
  4. 4Paste into Jira, Linear or your tracker.
Prompt to copy
Turn this support thread into a bug report using this template: [PASTE TEMPLATE, or use: Summary, Steps to reproduce, Expected, Actual, Impact, Account/environment, Attachments]. My test notes: [NOTES]. Keep it factual and short. Remove personal customer details except the account ID [ID]. List anything missing that engineering will ask for.

Thread:
[PASTE]

Tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot

How to automate this task

Task 9 · typically 20 min, every day

Wait on other teams for an answer to give the customer

Process fixBest fix

Agree response times and one channel for internal questions

Questions to other teams get stuck in DMs. A single channel or queue with an agreed response time, and a named owner each week, cuts the waiting.

Typically saves about 30% of the time45 min to set up
  1. 1Create one channel or queue per team you rely on (billing, product, engineering).
  2. 2Agree a response target, for example four working hours.
  3. 3Ask each team to name a weekly on-call person for support questions.
  4. 4Track repeat questions and turn the answers into internal articles.

Tools: Slack or Teams channels · Jira Service Management · Zendesk side conversations

One more way to fix it
Software feature

Link tickets to Jira or Linear issues instead of retyping them

The Jira, Linear and Azure DevOps integrations create the issue from the ticket, link every affected customer to it, and show status changes back in the helpdesk.

Typically saves about 40% of the time45 min to set up
  1. 1Install the Jira, Linear or Azure DevOps app in your helpdesk.
  2. 2Agree a bug template with engineering (steps, expected, actual, account, screenshots).
  3. 3Create or link the issue from inside the ticket.
  4. 4Link new reports of the same bug to the existing issue instead of filing new ones.

Tools: Jira integration · Linear integration · Azure DevOps integration · Zendesk, Intercom or Freshdesk

How to automate this task

Task 10 · typically 15 min, every day

Send status updates to customers waiting on a fix

AutomationBest fix

Update waiting customers automatically when the issue changes

When the linked Jira or Linear issue moves to fixed, a trigger notifies every linked ticket. A status page covers outages so you are not answering one by one.

Typically saves about 60% of the time2 h to set up
  1. 1Link tickets to issues using your helpdesk's Jira or Linear integration.
  2. 2Add a trigger: when the linked issue is resolved, send a macro and set the ticket to pending.
  3. 3Use a status page (Atlassian Statuspage, Instatus, Better Stack) for incidents.
  4. 4Send a bulk update to all linked tickets during an incident instead of individual replies.

Tools: Zendesk or Intercom triggers · Jira or Linear integration · Atlassian Statuspage · Instatus

One more way to fix it
Software feature

Turn your most-typed answers into macros

Macros (saved replies) fill in the answer, set the tags and change the status in one click. Most helpdesks can now suggest the right macro too.

Typically saves about 35% of the time2 h to set up
  1. 1Pull a report of your top 15 ticket reasons.
  2. 2Write one macro for each, with placeholders for the customer's name and details.
  3. 3Have each macro also set tags and status.
  4. 4Turn on macro suggestions if your helpdesk has them, and review macros quarterly.

Tools: Zendesk, Intercom, Freshdesk, Gorgias, Help Scout, HubSpot Service Hub or Salesforce Service Cloud

How to automate this task

Task 11 · typically 20 min, every day

Write up notes after phone calls

Software featureBest fix

Let the phone system write the call summary into the ticket

Aircall, Dialpad, Talkdesk, Zendesk Talk and Five9 now transcribe and summarize calls and attach the summary to the ticket.

Typically saves about 65% of the time30 min to set up
  1. 1Ask your admin to turn on AI call summaries or transcription.
  2. 2Tell callers the call is recorded, as your policy requires.
  3. 3After each call, check the summary, fix any errors and set the ticket fields.
  4. 4Stop writing notes from memory.

Tools: Aircall AI · Dialpad Ai · Talkdesk · Zendesk Talk · Five9 · Genesys Cloud

How to automate this task

Task 12 · typically 30 min, every day

Copy the same information between systems or spreadsheets

AutomationBest fix

Connect the two systems so data moves itself

A Zapier, Make, n8n or Power Automate flow copies new records from one system to the other the moment they appear.

Typically saves about 80% of the time2 h to set up
  1. 1Write down the trigger ("new row in", "new form submission", "deal marked won") and where it should go.
  2. 2Check if the two tools already have a built-in integration; turn it on if so.
  3. 3If not, build a two-step flow in Zapier, Make, n8n or Power Automate.
  4. 4Run it next to your manual process for a week, then stop copying by hand.

Tools: Zapier · Make · n8n · Microsoft Power Automate

One more way to fix it
AI

Have AI pull the details out into a table you can paste

Paste emails, PDFs or forms and get back clean rows in the exact columns your system needs.

Typically saves about 60% of the time5 min to set up
  1. 1Collect the source text (emails, PDFs, screenshots).
  2. 2Give the AI the column names you need.
  3. 3Paste the table into your spreadsheet or import file.
  4. 4Spot-check a few rows against the source.
Prompt to copy
Extract the following fields from the text below into a table with exactly these columns: [COLUMN 1], [COLUMN 2], [COLUMN 3]. One row per [ITEM]. Leave a cell blank if the value is not stated. Do not guess.

[PASTE TEXT OR ATTACH FILES]

Tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot

How to automate this task

Task 13 · typically 45 min, once a week

Sit in status or update meetings

Process fixBest fix

Replace the status meeting with a written update

Everyone posts three lines in a shared thread before a set time; you only meet when something is blocked.

Typically saves about 60% of the time15 min to set up
  1. 1Agree a format: done, next, blocked.
  2. 2Create a channel or a thread that repeats every week.
  3. 3Ask everyone to post by a set time; the lead reads them and replies to the blockers.
  4. 4Keep a shorter meeting only for the blockers, or cancel it outright.

Tools: Slack, Teams or email

How to automate this task

Quick wins

Have you tried…

Have you let an AI notetaker write your meeting notes and action items?
Tools like Copilot in Teams, Zoom AI Companion or Otter join the call, write the summary and list who owes what. You just check it and send.
Have you connected two apps so information copies itself between them?
Tools like Zapier, Make or Power Automate watch for something new in one app and create it in the other, so nobody retypes it.
Have you tried running your standup as a written check-in in chat instead of a call?
Bots like Geekbot or a Slack or Teams workflow ask everyone the same three questions each morning and post the answers. You only meet when someone is blocked.
Does an AI agent answer your common customer questions before they reach you?
Tools like Fin by Intercom, Zendesk AI agents or Gorgias AI Agent reply to routine questions using your help articles, and pass anything tricky to a person.
Have you used the AI draft or summarize button inside your helpdesk?
Most helpdesks now have an AI assistant that reads the ticket and your help articles, summarizes long threads and drafts a reply you can edit.
Do you use macros that fill in the answer and set the tags in one click?
A macro is a saved reply that also updates the ticket fields. Setting up your top 15 can save several minutes on each common ticket.
Does your helpdesk tag and route tickets automatically using AI?
AI triage reads each new ticket, works out what it is about and how urgent it is, and sends it to the right queue, so nobody sorts the inbox by hand.
Can you see the customer's orders or account details right inside the ticket?
Helpdesk apps for Shopify, Stripe, Salesforce and others show account details next to the conversation, so you stop switching between tabs.

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