Article • 3 min read
Zendesk update: Helping each other to keep moving forward
Here is a snapshot of what we’ve been doing to help our customers, our employees, and our global community since the COVID-19 crisis began.
By Maarten Van Horenbeeck , Chief Information Security Officer
Last updated September 2, 2020
A lot has changed since our initial COVID-19 update, but we still feel strongly that in order to make it through this crisis and keep our business moving forward, we need to prioritize the wellbeing of our customers, our employees and our communities.
We remain committed to keeping our customers at the center of everything we do. That includes investing in both our products and our people. It also includes proactive communication about how we are delivering on our promise to be good partners and provide the same excellent service as always.
Here is a snapshot of what we’ve been doing since the crisis began:
Helping customers adapt so they can compete in the marketplace of this moment:
- We’re leveraging Zendesk’s flexibility as a competitive advantage, helping businesses quickly spin up help centers, add new service channels and tame spiking tickets with tools such as Answer Bot, our self-service chatbot.
- We’re equipping our customers with the practical insights and resources they need to reimagine their CX strategies, such as COVID-19 Benchmark data showing how brands are adapting their customer service and tips to get the most from Zendesk.
- Through our virtual events, including our Mindshares and CX Moments series, we’re connecting our customers with other like-minded businesses to come up with creative solutions to the challenges we’re all facing.
Engaging our employees so we can maintain productivity and satisfaction:
- Working from home brings challenges for all of us. In response to employee feedback, we’ve curated productivity tips, expanded mental health benefits and added flexible time off through the end of Q3.
We’ve also introduced a global caregiver leave benefit through the end of 2020, along with additional resources for caregivers, so employees can be there for those who matter most to them.
- We’re prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) with our commitment to five core actions, which include training managers, investing in employee DEI education, and formalizing a Global Equity policy.
Employee surveys show that with these efforts, Zendesk teams are able to maintain good productivity and collaboration, and employees have reported high satisfaction despite challenging circumstances.
Investing to help meet the needs of the many communities we call home:
- We’re supporting the development of crucial COVID-19 resources through the Tech for Good program, which has provided 67 Zendesk instances to organizations globally.
- Our Social Impact team is connecting employees with virtual volunteering, skillsharing, and community engagement opportunities in their local communities. Zendesk employees have logged nearly 4,500 hours of virtual service since mid March.
- We’re showing our gratitude by donating directly to organizations that can help advance DEI in our communities, amounting to over a million dollars given to the following organizations:
What’s on the horizon?
We’re so grateful to our customers, employees, and partners. Thanks to you, we’ve been able to maintain high productivity and employee satisfaction while working from home.
We’re a cloud-based platform with offices worldwide, so we can be deliberate about when and how we invite employees to come back to the office. We anticipate a gradual return later in 2021, when it is safe and employees feel comfortable doing so. We also know that the situation could change, and we will be flexible in making adjustments as needed.
Until then, we’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing—helping you help your customers.
