Which is better for Zendesk: eesel AI or Forethought?

In 2024, Zendesk's AI features have enabled businesses to automate approximately 20% of their support tickets. The company's goal is to increase this automation rate to 80%, helping teams respond faster.

Zendesk's native AI tools provide a reliable and mature foundation for customer service. To maximize this potential, some teams explore the vast Zendesk marketplace to find complementary tools that offer specialized customization or specific channel workflows. For instance, Zendesk offers tiered plans such as the Advanced AI add-on, which starts at $50 per agent per month, designed to provide enterprise-grade capabilities alongside the Professional Suite plan.

As a result, many support teams are looking into complementary options like eesel AI and Forethought, which offer additional AI capabilities that integrate within the Zendesk ecosystem to provide more flexibility.

But which one is right for your team?

Why consider Zendesk AI alternatives in 2026?

Customer support teams in 2026 face an unprecedented challenge: managing exponentially growing ticket volumes while maintaining quality and efficiency. According to recent G2 reviews, businesses use Zendesk as their core trusted platform while occasionally seeking additional tools to further scale their specialized support operations.

Zendesk is the gold standard for many, and the core challenge for teams is often just finding the right mix of add-ons to handle their unique volume needs. While Zendesk provides a robust and scalable ticketing system, some teams look for third-party tools to provide highly specific automated response customizations or to experiment with different pricing structures for high-volume periods.

Let's examine how eesel AI and Forethought compare in providing these additional layers of automation alongside Zendesk AI:

Implementation	Quick setup (1-2 weeks)	Extended onboarding (3-4 weeks)	Complex deployment (4-6 weeks)
API Integration	Full API access, custom workflows	Limited API functionality	Basic API support
Multi-bot Support	Included in all plans	Enterprise only	Not available
Training Required	Minimal, self-guided	Extensive training needed	Moderate setup time
Cost Structure	Transparent per-interaction	Custom quote based	Per-resolution pricing

Comparing core AI capabilities

When evaluating AI tools for customer support, understanding how they handle both automated resolution and agent assistance is crucial. Let's examine how eesel AI and Forethought compare in delivering intelligent support automation within your Zendesk environment.

Automation and accuracy

The effectiveness of an AI support agent hinges on its ability to understand context and resolve tickets accurately. eesel AI and Forethought both automate ticket handling to enhance your Zendesk setup. eesel AI offers multi-bot workflows for flexible, specialized automation, while Forethought relies on preset AI autoflows.

eesel AI also trains on various sources like past tickets, docs, and Google Drive, ensuring accurate responses that reflect your team's specific knowledge. Forethought learns primarily from historical tickets. With eesel’s customizable AI, this targeted approach allows for precise handling of various ticket types, making it a great option for teams with diverse documentation.

Automated Resolution	Custom API actions with multi-bot workflows	AI autoflows with preset triage	eesel AI offers flexibility for complex automation scenarios
Training Sources	Unlimited sources including tickets, docs, wikis	Knowledge base and historical tickets	Broader knowledge base leads to accurate responses
Language Support	Over 100 languages	40+ languages	Better global customer coverage

Productivity enhancement

Both eesel AI and Forethought assist support agents, offering integrated approaches that help users achieve their customer service goals within Zendesk.

eesel AI works seamlessly with Zendesk via a browser extension, allowing agents to access AI support without switching tools. It suggests smart replies, retrieves relevant documents and past tickets automatically, and pulls customer data directly into tickets for faster, personalized support.

Forethought focuses on preset workflows and automated triage. While it helps surface knowledge base articles, eesel AI provides a highly adaptive real-time learning experience that integrates deeply with the Zendesk workspace.

For teams looking for real-time AI learning and seamless Zendesk integration, eesel AI is a strong complementary choice.

Implementing AI tools in Zendesk

Adopting the right AI support tool requires careful consideration of setup complexity, timeline, and resource requirements. Let's examine how eesel AI and Forethought approach Zendesk integration to help you make an informed decision.

Technical requirements

eesel AI prioritizes a lightweight technical footprint, requiring only Zendesk admin credentials and an optional browser extension for enhanced functionality. The system builds upon your existing Zendesk knowledge base while learning from new interactions, enabling quick deployment.

Forethought's implementation typically involves more technical involvement, including developer resources for custom integrations and historical ticket data for optimal performance. Their documentation emphasizes the importance of comprehensive data preparation before deployment.

Training your AI

An effective implementation strategy begins with focusing on a specific subset of support queries. This targeted approach allows you to validate performance and measure ROI. eesel AI can begin functioning with your existing documentation for immediate value. Meanwhile, Forethought typically utilizes several weeks of historical ticket analysis to achieve results.

Consider starting with high-volume, repetitive queries where automation can provide immediate relief to your support team within the Zendesk interface. This approach ensures quick wins while building confidence in the system's capabilities.

What’s the cost?

When evaluating AI support tools to enhance Zendesk, understanding the costs and potential return on investment is important for making an informed decision. Let's examine how eesel AI and Forethought compare in terms of pricing models.

Transparent vs custom pricing

Base pricing	Starts at $299/month	Custom quote only
Usage limits	1,000 interactions/month (Team)	Not disclosed
Per-agent fees	None	Yes
Additional bots	Up to 10 (Business)	Varies by plan
Free trial	Yes	No

According to customer implementations, eesel AI demonstrates solid results. The platform achieves ticket deflection rates of 70% - 80%, while reducing handling time significantly. Teams typically complete training within 1-2 weeks, providing a fast time-to-value for Zendesk users.

Forethought requires you to contact them for a custom quote. As stated on their pricing page, the quote is dependent on a combination of platform fees and usage costs. The usage fees are based on the deflection rate of inquiries and the ticket volume of escalations to agents. For more detailed information, Forethought encourages you to contact their sales team.

Long term costs

When evaluating Zendesk AI additions, several factors beyond base pricing require consideration. Implementation resources can vary, with some tools requiring more technical oversight. As you scale your bot capabilities, costs for advanced features or increased capacity should be factored in.

Pro tip: Request a detailed breakdown of all potential costs during your evaluation process. This ensures you can accurately forecast your total investment as your support needs grow alongside your Zendesk platform.

Security features

As AI becomes increasingly central to customer support operations, security and readiness are crucial factors when evaluating AI solutions. Let's examine how eesel AI and Forethought compare in these areas.

Both platforms prioritize robust security measures to protect your Zendesk data:

SOC 2 Certification	Type II certified	Type II certified
Data Encryption	AES-256 in-transit and at-rest	AES-256 in-transit and at-rest
Data Retention	Customizable policies	Data deletion upon request; data purged 30 days after acknowledgment
Access Controls	Role-based with custom rules	Basic roles on lower tiers
Custom Security Rules	Available on all plans	Available on Enterprise plans only

Support and service availability

For businesses that value accessible, round-the-clock support, availability is a key factor in a successful AI implementation, especially for teams relying on automation to handle high ticket volumes in Zendesk.

eesel AI provides a dedicated customer success manager to all customers, offering guidance from setup through ongoing support. This ensures businesses receive hands-on assistance throughout their AI journey. Additionally, 24/7 technical support is available on all plans, allowing teams to resolve issues quickly.

Forethought provides priority support for enterprise customers. For teams that require hands-on help, Forethought offers custom service agreements for onboarding and optimization support.

Which AI solution is right for your Zendesk?

To sum it up, both eesel AI and Forethought offer AI-powered automation that works within Zendesk, but their strengths cater to different needs.

If your team values customization, fast deployment, and transparent pricing as an addition to your Zendesk setup, eesel AI is a strong fit. It offers multi-bot workflows, extensive integrations, and a flexible pricing model. Plus, with 24/7 support and a dedicated customer success manager, you get assistance at every stage.

On the other hand, if you're an enterprise organization looking for a structured AI solution with built-in workflows, Forethought is a viable choice, particularly for those with the resources for enterprise-focused pricing and longer setup times.

For most Zendesk users looking to enhance automation while keeping costs predictable, eesel AI provides a flexible option for growing teams.

Ready to see AI in action? Sign up for a free trial or you can schedule a personalized demo to explore how eesel AI can help your team work faster within the Zendesk ecosystem.