How to use Freshdesk AI chatbots to deflect tickets in 2026

If you're on a support team, you know the feeling: the ticket queue is always growing, and your agents are stretched thin. Freshdesk is a powerful partner in this journey, offering its own AI chatbots to provide quick answers for customers and streamline repetitive questions for your team. It’s an impressive ecosystem designed to help you scale efficiently.

In this guide, we'll get into the nitty-gritty of using Freshdesk AI chatbots to deflect tickets. We’ll look at how its native AI, Freddy, operates, explore how to get the most out of its features, and walk through how you can build a truly smart automation system by adding a dedicated AI tool that plays nicely with everything you already use.

Understanding Freshdesk AI chatbots

Before we jump into the deep end, let's get on the same page. It’s important to understand what Freshdesk’s built-in AI actually is and why it's a leader in "ticket deflection."

Meet Freddy AI, Freshdesk’s native bot

Freddy AI is the brain behind Freshworks' customer service tools, including Freshdesk. It’s a mature, reliable engine designed to automate chats, give agents response suggestions, and pull insights from your support data. For a customer, Freddy is usually the helpful first point of contact. It can answer common questions, point them to the right knowledge base article, or, if the issue requires more detail, create a ticket for them. The main idea is to offer a robust self-service option that empowers customers to find answers themselves.

What's the big deal with ticket deflection?

Ticket deflection is about giving customers the power to find answers instantly, which in turn frees up your agents to tackle the tricky problems that need a human touch. When you use Freshdesk to get deflection right, you'll see some pretty great results:

• Lower costs: Automation allows your agents to focus their time on more complex tasks.

• Faster answers for customers: People get help 24/7 without having to wait for an agent to be available.

• Happier customers: A smooth self-service experience is a huge driver of customer satisfaction (CSAT).

• More productive agents: Your team can focus their brainpower on high-value issues where they can make a real difference.

How native Freshdesk AI chatbots work

Freshdesk gives you a suite of built-in tools to get a chatbot up and running. They’re designed to be straightforward, so you can start your automation journey quickly. Here’s a rundown of the key parts.

Key self-service features

Freddy AI mainly works by using the content you already have in Freshdesk to hold a conversation. The core features include:

• Figuring out what people mean: The AI uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to understand a customer's question. It then matches what the user wants (their "intent") with the right answer or workflow.

• Tapping into your knowledge base: The chatbot’s main source of truth is your Freshdesk knowledge base. It scans your help articles to pull out helpful answers.

• Creating tickets when needed: When a problem requires more specialized attention, it smoothly hands things off by creating a ticket, gathering the basic details from the customer first.

• Working across different channels: You can put Freddy AI to work on your website, in your mobile app, or even on platforms like WhatsApp. This gives customers a consistent experience no matter how they reach out.

The no-code bot builder

One of the big draws of Freshdesk is its user-friendly, no-code bot builder. It’s a visual, drag-and-drop tool that lets you map out conversation flows. You can build out decision trees, decide which questions the bot should ask, and set rules for when a conversation needs to be passed to a live agent. It’s a great way to get a basic FAQ bot online fast.

Considerations for scaling your Freshdesk AI chatbot

Freshdesk's built-in AI is an excellent place to start. As you grow and your automation needs become more complex, you might look for ways to expand its capabilities. The simplicity that makes it easy to set up is one of its strengths, though teams with more intricate requirements often look to complement it with additional tools.

Expanding beyond a single knowledge source

Freddy AI is highly optimized to learn from your Freshdesk knowledge base. However, many companies have valuable knowledge scattered across other areas:

• Past ticket conversations with unique solutions.

• Internal how-to guides in Google Docs or Notion.

• Technical documentation in Confluence.

• Agent notes and macros.

Connecting your AI to these additional sources can help it provide even more comprehensive answers and further improve your deflection rates.

Advanced customization and workflows

The no-code builder is excellent for standard question-and-answer flows. For teams that need highly specialized logic - like handling VIP customers differently or checking order statuses in Shopify in real-time - adding a tool like eesel AI can provide a completely customizable workflow engine. This allows you to set up super-specific automation rules, define custom personas, and connect to any external tool to pull data. It works alongside Freshdesk to give you even more control over the experience.

Refining and testing your setup

Before going live, it's always helpful to know how your chatbot will perform. While Freshdesk provides testing tools, eesel AI offers a powerful simulation mode that lets you test your setup against thousands of past tickets. You can see a forecast of your deflection rate and pinpoint any knowledge gaps before your customers interact with the bot, ensuring a high-quality experience from day one.

Supercharging Freshdesk for ticket deflection: How to get it right

To move from deflecting simple questions to automating a significant chunk of your workload, you can enhance Freshdesk with a specialized AI layer. This isn't about replacing your helpdesk; it's about adding a complementary "brain" that provides additional intelligence and control to your existing setup.

Why look beyond the built-in AI?

Teams that complement Freshdesk with third-party AI tools usually do so for three key reasons:

1. Deeper knowledge: Accessing information across all company tools, not just the help center.

2. More control: Building highly specific workflows for unique customer segments.

3. Smarter actions: Automating complex tasks like routing tickets or updating external systems based on conversation context.

The eesel AI advantage: Bringing all your knowledge together

This is where a platform like eesel AI fits in perfectly. With its one-click Freshdesk integration, eesel AI works within the Freshdesk ecosystem to unify your knowledge. It can learn from past Freshdesk tickets to adopt your brand's tone while also connecting to tools like Confluence, Google Docs, and Notion. This gives your AI a full picture, allowing it to provide detailed answers that solve problems and help your deflection rates grow.

Getting full control with a customizable workflow engine

With eesel AI, you have a flexible partner for your Freshdesk setup. You can decide exactly which tickets the AI should handle, starting small and expanding as you see success. The prompt editor lets you fine-tune the AI's personality and define custom actions, such as escalating tickets to specific teams or connecting to an external API. This level of customization makes the AI feel like a natural extension of your Freshdesk team.

Comparing pricing: Native AI vs. a dedicated AI layer

Understanding the pricing structures of different tools helps you find the best fit for your budget and goals.

How Freshdesk prices its AI

Freshdesk uses a session-based model for its AI features, like the Freddy AI Agent. This is a clear, usage-linked approach where a "session" represents a conversation. Many teams appreciate this model as it scales with their actual usage. The AI Copilot for agents is typically a separate per-agent add-on.

Plan	Base Price (Annual)	Freddy AI Agent (Chatbot)	Freddy AI Copilot (Agent Assist)
Growth	$15/agent/month	Not included	Not included
Pro	$49/agent/month	500 sessions included, then $100/1000 sessions	$29/agent/month add-on
Enterprise	$79/agent/month	500 sessions included, then $100/1000 sessions	$29/agent/month add-on

eesel AI's simple, predictable pricing

Alternatively, eesel AI offers transparent, plan-based pricing. Plans include a generous monthly number of AI interactions, which provides budget predictability for teams with high volumes. All core tools, including the AI Agent, Copilot, and Triage, are included in the plans.

Plan	Monthly Price (Annual)	AI Interactions/mo	Key Features
Team	$239	Up to 1,000	Train on docs, Copilot, Slack integration
Business	$639	Up to 3,000	Train on past tickets, AI Actions, Simulation
Custom	Contact Sales	Unlimited	Advanced security, custom integrations

Moving from basic answers to smart automation

Using Freshdesk AI chatbots to deflect tickets is a smart strategy for any support team. The native Freddy AI and its no-code builder provide a solid foundation for automating repetitive questions and improving efficiency.

As you look to the future, you can build on this foundation. The future of customer support is about intelligent automation that understands the full context of your business.

By adding a complementary AI layer like eesel AI, you can turn your Freshdesk setup into a truly context-aware support machine. It works alongside Freshdesk to unify your knowledge and provide the control you need to build a customer experience that is both efficient and deeply helpful.

Ready to supercharge your ticket deflection?

Empower your agents and streamline your support. See how eesel AI can help you automate inquiries and unify your company knowledge while working seamlessly within your Freshdesk environment.

Start your free trial or book a demo to see it in action.

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