Customer support isn’t just about answering emails anymore. These days, it’s all about being fast, accurate, and using automation to handle the load. That’s why AI tools are becoming pretty standard, and Freshworks’ Freddy AI is one of the big names you’ll hear. It promises to automate a ton of your support work and give your team some breathing room.
But what does it actually do? And is it the right tool for your team? We’re going to get into all of it. We’ll break down what you need to know about Freddy AI agents, covering their key features, what it takes to get them running, how much they cost, and where you might run into some trouble. By the end of this, you should have a much clearer idea of whether Freddy AI is what you’re looking for.
What are Freddy AI agents?
So, what exactly are Freddy AI agents? Freshworks calls them "autonomous digital teammates." Think of them as AI bots designed to handle customer and employee questions around the clock, without a human needing to step in. They operate within the Freshworks world, mainly with Freshdesk for customer support and Freshservice for internal IT help.
Their main job is to manage the whole support process for common questions. They can ask a user for details, figure out what they need, and then actually do something to fix the problem. We’re talking about things like processing a refund, tracking down an order, or answering a question about a company policy. They’re built to be always available, work across different channels like email and chat, and be smart enough to know when an issue needs to be handed off to a human agent (with all the context included, which is a nice touch).
Key features and capabilities of Freddy AI agents
To really understand what Freddy AI can do, you have to look past the marketing slogans and dig into its actual features. Here’s a look at what it brings to the table.
Conversational AI that takes action
Unlike a basic chatbot that just pulls answers from a list, Freddy AI is designed to connect to your other systems and actually get things done. This is where it starts to feel less like a simple bot and more like a real part of your team.
Freshworks gives you an "AI Agent Studio" to build these agents, and it comes with pre-built skills for common tools like Shopify and Stripe. This means your AI agent can handle real tasks right in the middle of a conversation.
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Order Management: It can look up an order, check on its shipping status, or even process a return or refund without needing to escalate the ticket.
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Lead Generation: If a customer asks about a product or wants a demo, the AI can recognize this and automatically create a new lead in your CRM.
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Account Support: It can walk customers through common problems like getting locked out of their account or help them securely update their profile information.
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Appointment Scheduling: For businesses that rely on bookings, it can reschedule appointments by looking at calendar availability and sending out confirmations.
Omnichannel and multilingual support
Freddy AI is set up to give customers a consistent experience, no matter how they contact you. Whether it’s through webchat, email, WhatsApp, or social media, the agent can pick up the conversation without losing track of what’s going on. This is a huge help for creating a smooth customer journey.
It also works in multiple languages, which is a must-have for any business with international customers. One of its neatest features is the "Email AI agent," which is built specifically to read, understand, and solve email tickets on its own. That could seriously cut down the time your team spends just managing the inbox.
The challenge: When your knowledge is scattered
But let’s talk about a common snag with many built-in AI tools. Freddy AI is pretty powerful inside its own ecosystem and has some good integrations out of the box. The problem is, most companies have their information stored all over the place. You might have troubleshooting guides in Google Docs, internal policies in Confluence, and product details in Notion.
Getting an AI to learn from all those different sources can be a massive headache. It often means you have to manually move all your content or even hire developers to build custom integrations. This is where you can start to feel a bit stuck.
This is a problem newer platforms are trying to solve directly. For example, eesel.ai is built from the ground up to connect all your knowledge sources instantly. With one-click integrations, it can link to your helpdesk, internal wikis, and document apps, learning from the content you already have without making you move a single file.
An infographic showing how eesel.ai connects to various knowledge sources like Google Docs, Confluence, and Notion to provide comprehensive answers, a key advantage over siloed Freddy AI agents.How to set up and implement Freddy AI agents
Alright, so what does it take to actually get Freddy AI up and running? The setup is a big factor for any team, especially if you don’t have a dedicated IT crew ready to jump in.
The Freshworks setup process
Getting Freddy AI live isn’t as simple as flipping a switch. It takes a few steps that an administrator has to work through. First, you have to go into your Plans & Billing section to buy the right add-on, which will be either Freddy Self-Service or AI Copilot.
Once that’s done, you have to assign the licenses to specific agents on your team. After that, you can head over to the Freddy admin page to turn on and configure the features you want to use. If you’re connecting it with a tool like Slack, there’s another installation process to go through, which involves setting up test groups to try it out before you release it to the whole company. It’s a well-defined process, but it definitely takes some admin work to get going.
A simpler alternative: AI without the heavy lifting
That multi-step, admin-heavy process can be a real hurdle for teams that just want to get moving. If you’re looking to dip your toes into AI, you probably don’t want to get stuck in a long setup cycle before you can even see if it’s going to work for you.
This is where a self-serve tool can make a huge difference. With a platform like eesel.ai, you can be up and running in minutes, not days. You can sign up on your own, connect your helpdesk (like Freshdesk) with a single click, and immediately start running simulations on your past tickets. This lets you see the potential return on investment and adjust how the AI behaves before it ever talks to a real customer. You can do it all from a simple dashboard, with no sales demos or complicated admin configuration required.
A screenshot of the eesel.ai platform showing the simulation mode, which allows users to test the AI on past tickets before deployment, a simpler alternative to the setup of Freddy AI agents.Freddy AI agents pricing
Pricing for AI tools can be confusing, and Freddy AI is no different. Its cost is wrapped up in Freshworks’ plans and add-ons, so it’s not just one simple number.
Based on Freshworks’ own documentation, Freddy AI agents are mostly available with the Enterprise plan for Freshservice. For Freshdesk, it’s a paid add-on. The pricing is based on "sessions," and a session is counted any time a unique user interacts with the AI in a 24-hour window.
Here’s a rough breakdown:
| Plan / Product | Availability | Pricing Model |
|---|---|---|
| Freshservice | Included in Enterprise Plan | 1,200 sessions per year, per license |
| Freshdesk | Paid Add-on | Purchased in packs of 1,000 sessions |
A session-based model can have some real consequences. Your costs might be hard to predict and could jump during busy seasons or after a successful marketing campaign brings in a flood of questions. Freshworks does offer an "auto-recharge" feature for session packs, which is handy, but it can also lead to some surprise bills if you aren’t keeping a close eye on your usage.
In contrast, a tool like eesel.ai offers more straightforward and predictable pricing. Plans are based on a set number of AI interactions per month (an interaction is a reply or an action the AI takes), and you don’t pay extra per resolution. This means your bill stays consistent even if you have a high-volume month, and you can get started with a flexible month-to-month plan. It’s just a simpler way to budget for AI.
The flexible, self-serve alternative to Freddy AI agents
So, what’s the final verdict? Freddy AI is a capable and deeply integrated tool if your team is already fully committed to the Freshworks ecosystem. It can take real action and offer a consistent experience across channels. The trade-offs are a fairly involved setup process and a usage-based pricing model that might not work for every team.
The main things to keep in mind are the potential for knowledge gaps if your info is stored outside of Freshworks, an implementation process that requires an admin, and the risk of unpredictable costs.
For teams that need more flexibility, control, and simplicity, eesel.ai presents a strong alternative. It’s designed to tackle these exact problems.
Here’s a quick recap of what that looks like:
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Get started in minutes: It’s a true self-serve platform that you can set up entirely on your own, no long onboarding required.
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Bring all your knowledge together: Easily connect your helpdesk, internal wikis, Google Docs, and more without a complicated migration project.
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You’re in the driver’s seat: You get to decide exactly which tickets get automated and can customize the AI’s personality, tone, and actions.
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Test it out with zero risk: The simulation mode lets you see how it would have performed on past tickets, so you can forecast the ROI before you turn it on for customers.
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Clear, predictable pricing: Simple, tiered plans with a fixed number of interactions mean no surprise fees on your monthly bill.
At the end of the day, you have to pick the tool that fits how your team works and what your budget looks like. If you need an AI solution that plays nicely with all your existing tools, offers a quick setup, and comes with predictable costs, it’s worth checking out a more modern, flexible option.
Ready to see how AI can automate your support without all the complexity? Start your free eesel AI trial and see it in action on your own data in just a few minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Setting up Freddy AI agents involves several administrative steps, including purchasing add-ons, assigning licenses, and configuring features. It’s a well-defined process but requires dedicated admin work, especially for integrating with tools like Slack.
While Freddy AI is powerful within the Freshworks ecosystem, connecting it to disparate knowledge sources often requires manual content migration or custom integrations. This can be a challenge if your information isn’t centralized within Freshworks.
Freddy AI agents are usually available with the Freshservice Enterprise plan or as a paid add-on for Freshdesk, based on a session-based model. Costs can become unpredictable during high-volume periods, as a session is counted for each unique user interaction within 24 hours.
Freddy AI agents are designed to take action by connecting to other systems. They can manage orders (lookup, track, process refunds), generate leads in your CRM, assist with account support, and schedule appointments by checking calendar availability.
Yes, Freddy AI agents are built for omnichannel support, ensuring a consistent customer experience regardless of how customers contact you. They can seamlessly pick up conversations across webchat, email, WhatsApp, and social media.
Yes, alternatives like eesel.ai offer more flexibility, allowing quick setup and integration with various existing knowledge sources. These platforms often provide predictable pricing and enable you to test AI performance on your data without complex onboarding.
