A practical guide on how to use Freshdesk AI chatbots to deflect tickets

If you’re in customer support, you know the feeling: the ticket queue is overflowing, customers expect answers yesterday, and you can't just throw more people at the problem. It’s a tough spot to be in.

This is exactly why so many teams are looking at AI. The idea is pretty simple: let a chatbot handle the easy, repetitive questions so your team can focus on the stuff that actually requires a human brain.

This guide will walk you through exactly how to use Freshdesk AI chatbots to deflect tickets, focusing on their built-in tool, the "Freddy AI Agent features and capabilities." We’ll go through the setup step-by-step.

Freshdesk’s tools provide a strong foundation, and understanding how to optimize them is key to success. We’ll also talk about how to build on these features to ensure you're effectively reducing your ticket volume and creating a seamless customer experience.

What you'll need before you start

Jumping straight into building an AI without a little prep is a recipe for a frustrating afternoon. Before you start clicking around in the settings, you’ll want to have a few things lined up.

Here’s a quick checklist of what you'll need:

• A Freshdesk Pro or Enterprise plan: The Freddy AI features we're talking about are part of Freshdesk's paid plans. If you're on a higher-tier plan, you'll see these options in your admin settings.

• A decent knowledge base: This one is a big deal. Most AI bots, Freshdesk's included, learn from your help articles. By ensuring your documentation is up to date and comprehensive, you empower your AI to perform at its best.

• Clear goals for what you want to achieve: Don't just aim for "fewer tickets." Get specific. A much better goal is something like, "Deflect 20% of our 'password reset' questions within the first month." That gives you something real to measure your success against.

• Admin access to your Freshdesk account: Pretty straightforward, you’ll need the right permissions to actually get in and set everything up.

Setting up your Freshdesk AI chatbot: A step-by-step guide

Got all your prep work done? Great. Let's get this bot built. Here’s how to get your Freshdesk AI chatbot running and ready to start deflecting tickets.

Step 1: Turn on your Freshdesk AI agent

Your first move is to find and activate the AI. In your Freshdesk admin panel, head over to the "AI Agent Studio." This is where you’ll manage all your automation.

You’ll be prompted to create a new agent. It’s a simple process: give your bot a name (something friendly that fits your brand voice) and pick its main language. This whole initial setup should only take a minute or two.

Step 2: Connect your knowledge sources

Now it's time to teach your AI. By default, Freshdesk’s AI Agent learns from the solution articles you have in your help center. You just need to connect it to your existing knowledge base. You can also add other public URLs, like a blog or an FAQ page from your main website.

Step 3: Tell the bot when to jump in

You don't want your AI popping into every single conversation. You need to give it some rules of engagement. In Freshdesk, you do this by setting up trigger rules.

These rules are based on ticket details. For example, you can tell the AI to activate only when an email ticket comes in with words like "refund," "password reset," or "order status" in the subject. You can get creative and use other things too, like where the ticket came from or any custom fields you have set up.

My advice? Start with one high-volume, low-effort ticket type. Get that one working perfectly, then add more. This helps you build a highly effective bot that provides precise answers.

Step 4: Give the AI some personality

Your bot should sound like it belongs on your team, not like a generic robot. Go to the "AI Agent Responses" section to tweak its messages. You can edit the welcome message, the "how did I do?" feedback request, and the classic "I'm not sure, let me get a human for you" message.

Matching your brand's voice is key for a good customer experience. But just changing a few lines of text only gets you so far. The best AI doesn't just share articles; it actually does things. For that kind of flexibility, you might consider platforms that can take action. For instance, the AI Agent from eesel AI lets you build custom actions that connect to your other systems through APIs. That means your bot can do things like check an order status in Shopify or look up user details in your own database, giving real-time, personalized answers alongside your Freshdesk help docs.

Step 5: Plan the handoff to a human

No AI is perfect, and your customers should never feel like they're stuck in a loop with a bot. Having a clear and easy way to talk to a person is absolutely essential.

In Freshdesk's settings, you can set up this handoff. You can customize the message the bot sends when it’s transferring the chat and make sure the ticket gets sent to the right agent or team. The smoother this process is, the happier your customers will be.

Best practices and common mistakes

Just getting the AI turned on is only half the battle. To make it great at deflecting tickets, you need to manage it well. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind and some common mistakes you’ll want to steer clear of.

Start small, then build on your wins

A common pitfall for teams is trying to automate everything on day one. It's a tempting idea, but focusing on a few areas first often leads to better results.

Instead, pick one or two of your most common and repetitive ticket types. Think "where is my order?" or "how do I reset my password?" Pour all your effort into making the AI an absolute expert at solving just those issues. Watch its performance, get feedback, and make adjustments. Once it's successfully deflecting a high percentage of those tickets, you can move on to the next category. This slow-and-steady approach builds momentum and ensures you're always providing a great experience.

Test it safely before you go live

Launching a new AI can feel a bit scary. What if it starts giving out wrong answers? It's a legitimate concern. Freshdesk allows you to test with live customer segments, which gives you direct insight into how the AI performs in real-world scenarios.

Another way to approach this is to simulate performance before going live. This is where dedicated platforms can complement your setup. For example, eesel AI has a simulation mode that lets you test your AI against thousands of your real, historical tickets in a safe environment. You can see exactly how it would have replied to past customer questions, spot any areas for improvement, and get a data-backed prediction of your deflection rate. This can give you even more confidence as you launch your Freshdesk automation.

Keep an eye on performance and your knowledge base

An AI isn't a "set it and forget it" kind of tool. You have to keep tabs on how it's doing. Use Freshdesk's analytics to watch key numbers like your ticket deflection rate, first-contact resolution, and customer satisfaction scores for conversations with the bot.

Pay special attention to the chats where the bot referred the user to a human. These instances are a goldmine of insights. They usually point to a gap in your knowledge base. Modern AI tools can help with this too. eesel AI can automatically spot these knowledge gaps and even help you write new documentation by drafting articles based on successful solutions from your human agents. This helps you keep your Freshdesk knowledge base as robust and useful as possible.

How Freshdesk's built-in AI powers ticket deflection

Freshdesk's Freddy AI is a reliable choice for teams looking to implement automation. It's built right into the platform, and for handling common questions by referencing a knowledge base, it's highly effective. As your automation needs evolve, many teams find that pairing it with specialized tools can further enhance their results.

Here’s a quick comparison of how Freshdesk's native AI stacks up alongside a complementary platform like eesel AI.

Feature	Freshdesk native AI (Freddy)	eesel AI
Setup time	Offers deep configuration for precise results.	Live in minutes with a self-serve dashboard and a one-click Freshdesk integration.
Knowledge sources	Optimized for help center articles and public URLs.	Trains on past tickets, help centers, Google Docs, Confluence, PDFs, and 100+ other sources.
Testing and validation	Real-world testing with targeted live customer segments.	Offers risk-free simulation on thousands of historical tickets before you go live.
Custom actions	Optimized for actions within the Freshdesk ecosystem.	Connects to any API for real-time data lookups and actions (e.g., check order status).
Pricing model	Included in high-tier plans for a comprehensive experience.	Transparent, predictable plans with no hidden fees per resolution.

Freshdesk is highly effective at delivering knowledge base information directly to your users. If you want to build on that by adding more automated workflows, eesel AI can serve as a powerful addition. Together, they can look up dynamic information, update tickets, and talk to your other tools to solve problems right away.

Finally, consider your budget. While Freshdesk provides excellent value in its tiered plans, eesel AI's transparent pricing offers a flat, predictable fee, which some teams prefer for easier scaling.

Deflecting tickets the smart way

Setting up a Freshdesk AI chatbot to deflect tickets is a smart way to scale your support. It's all about activating the Freddy AI Agent, connecting it to your knowledge sources, defining your rules, and ensuring there’s always an easy handoff to a human agent.

Remember, great ticket deflection is a process of constant improvement. By monitoring and tweaking your approach in 2026, you can ensure your customers always get the help they need. While Freshdesk's own tools give you a strong starting point, teams looking for even more control and automation power may find that adding a dedicated platform into the mix is the perfect way to optimize their support stack.

Ready to see what’s possible for your support team? eesel AI lets you simulate an AI agent on your real support tickets and gives you a personalized deflection report in minutes. You’ll see exactly which tickets you can safely automate away. Start your free trial with eesel AI today.