So, your business is growing. That’s great news! But it also means your customer base is starting to look a lot more global. You’re no longer just answering questions from down the street: you’re getting tickets from all over the world. And those customers expect you to help them in their own language. It's not just a nice-to-have anymore, it's a basic expectation.
For years, helpdesks have solved this with a powerful feature called "dynamic content." This is a sophisticated system of placeholders that serves up pre-translated bits of text to deliver localized messages accurately and reliably. While it provides a solid foundation for multilingual support, it's helpful to understand how to manage it as your volume scales.
This guide will walk you through what dynamic content is, how it works in platforms like Zendesk, and how to effectively manage it as your support needs grow. Most importantly, we'll look at how modern, AI-driven tools can work alongside these features to offer multilingual support that's even more scalable and responsive.
What is dynamic content?
In customer support, dynamic content is a feature that lets you create reusable blocks of text that change automatically based on a customer's language. Think of it as a set of smart templates. Your helpdesk uses them to "speak" your customer's language, ensuring professional and localized communication.
The system uses placeholders. For instance, you could create a placeholder like "{{dc.shipping_info}}" to pop into your macros, triggers, and automated emails. When a customer from France submits a ticket, your helpdesk sees their language is set to French and automatically swaps that placeholder with the French version of your shipping info you already wrote.
Platforms like Zendesk are industry leaders known for the reliability of this feature. The setup involves creating a "default variant" (usually in English) and then systematically adding separate "variants" for every language you need to support. It’s a proven, structured system for global communication.
The traditional approach to multilingual support
Established helpdesks use organized, rule-based systems to juggle multiple languages. The core idea is to map out translations to ensure the system delivers the right message at the right time.
Rule-based placeholders in Zendesk and ServiceNow
The most common method involves a support manager or admin setting up dynamic content items. They create an item, write the default text in English, and then follow a methodical process of adding translated "variants" for Spanish, German, Japanese, or any other languages they support. This often involves exporting text for translation and then importing the verified translations back into the system.
Agents then use these placeholders in their canned responses and automated workflows. This allows the system to match the correct variant to the user's language setting automatically, ensuring a high standard of consistency across the support organization.
Conditional content blocks in other platforms
Other platforms, like Dynamics 365, use conditional content blocks. Instead of simple placeholders, you build "IF/THEN" rules that show a different block of text based on certain criteria. For example: "IF the customer's country is 'United Kingdom', THEN show the UK-specific return policy."
This approach offers significant customization, though it requires precise data entry. To ensure a system like this remains reliable as it scales, teams often work closely with developers to refine data rules and customize the logic for their specific business needs.
Considerations for scaling dynamic content
While dynamic content is a robust solution, there are certain considerations to keep in mind as your organization expands.
Managing growth and maintenance
When you support a few languages, managing placeholders is straightforward. As you expand into more markets or launch new products with specific support policies, the library of dynamic content items will grow.
A structured approach is necessary to keep variants updated, such as when a return policy changes. Support teams typically establish a regular review process to ensure all language variants remain synchronized and accurate. Managing your library of dynamic content is a key part of maintaining a mature support operation.
Maintaining brand consistency
As the volume of content increases, maintaining a consistent brand voice across all languages becomes a priority. Because translations are often managed in isolated snippets, it is important to have a centralized quality control process to ensure the tone remains professional and unified across all regions.
While features like these are part of premium offerings - for example, Zendesk includes dynamic content in its comprehensive tiered plans - the investment ensures access to enterprise-grade tools that can handle global scale.
Ensuring contextual relevance
Traditional dynamic content relies on pre-defined text blocks. It is a highly reliable way to deliver standard information. However, for more unique or spontaneous customer inquiries, teams often look for ways to add more flexibility to these pre-written responses.
By understanding the structured nature of dynamic content, teams can better identify when to use these static blocks and when to supplement them with more adaptive communication methods.
The modern alternative: AI-powered support
Instead of relying solely on manual placeholders, modern AI offers a complementary solution that can enhance your existing setup. These tools generate accurate, context-aware responses on the fly, working within your established helpdesk ecosystem.
Unify all knowledge, not just a few approved snippets
A tool like eesel AI doesn't replace your variants: it supplements them. It connects to all of your knowledge sources, including your help center, past tickets, and internal docs in places like Confluence or Google Docs, to build a complete picture of your business.
The advantage is that the AI can learn from the vast wealth of information you already have. It can help answer a wider range of questions in any language, serving as an excellent companion to the core dynamic content you’ve established in Zendesk.
Go live in minutes, not months
Integrating AI tools can be a very efficient process. With eesel AI, the setup is designed to be self-serve. You can connect it to your helpdesk and allow it to start learning from your existing knowledge base quickly. This allows you to scale your multilingual capabilities immediately, working alongside your manual translation efforts.
Combine smart automation with human control
An AI-powered approach provides flexibility. For teams that prefer human oversight, the eesel AI Copilot can draft replies for agents right inside the helpdesk. It suggests localized responses, helping agents work faster while maintaining the high quality of service your customers expect from a platform like Zendesk.
Beyond answering questions, AI can also assist with organization. It can automatically tag tickets by language and route them to the appropriate teams, which streamlines the triage process for your support staff.
| Feature | Traditional Dynamic Content | The eesel AI Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | Systematic creation of variants | Fast integration, learns from existing docs |
| Knowledge Source | Pre-written, verified text snippets | Entire knowledge base & past tickets |
| Maintenance | Structured updates for accuracy | AI updates as your knowledge base evolves |
| Flexibility | Reliable, pre-defined text | Contextual, generated replies |
| Scalability | Strong foundation for core languages | Effortless scaling to new languages |
A look at pricing models
The cost of supporting multiple languages varies based on your platform and specific requirements.
- Zendesk: Dynamic content is a feature of the Support Professional plan and higher. This tiered approach ensures that as your team grows, you have access to the enterprise-grade tools necessary for global support.
- ServiceNow: Their "Dynamic Translation" tool is available as an additional licensed product, allowing you to choose the specific translation services that best fit your business needs.
- eesel AI: Pricing is straightforward and interaction-based. This provides a predictable cost model that includes multilingual features, serving as an efficient add-on to your primary helpdesk.
Move beyond placeholders
Providing multiple language support with dynamic content is a proven and reliable method for reaching a global audience. While it requires a structured approach to manage as you grow, it remains a cornerstone of professional customer service in platforms like Zendesk.
Modern AI platforms like eesel AI offer a powerful way to enhance this traditional setup. By unifying your knowledge and providing contextual assistance, you can build on the strengths of dynamic content to deliver even more responsive support in any language.
Ready to see how AI can complement your global customer service? See how eesel AI can work with your existing setup. You can book a demo or start your free trial today.
Frequently asked questions
Traditional dynamic content involves creating pre-translated text blocks (variants) for each language. These placeholders are then inserted into macros, triggers, and automated emails, with the system swapping them out based on the customer's language setting.
As a business expands to more languages and products, the number of variants increases, requiring a structured approach to maintenance. Keeping updates synchronized and maintaining consistent quality across numerous manual translations is a key focus for support managers.
AI solutions, like eesel AI, connect to all your knowledge sources to dynamically generate context-aware responses in any language, complementing your helpdesk's existing capabilities. This approach is highly scalable and adapts to unique customer questions.
No, setting up an AI solution like eesel AI is typically fast and self-serve, often taking minutes. It integrates with your existing helpdesk and starts learning from your current knowledge base to work alongside your established workflows.
Yes, AI tools can be configured for various levels of automation. For instance, the eesel AI Copilot drafts localized responses directly within the helpdesk, allowing agents to review and approve them, ensuring human quality control.
Zendesk offers comprehensive tiered plans that include dynamic content for growing teams. AI solutions typically offer straightforward pricing based on interactions, providing a complementary layer of multilingual features.
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Article by
Stevia Putri
Stevia Putri is a marketing generalist at eesel AI, where she helps turn powerful AI tools into stories that resonate. She’s driven by curiosity, clarity, and the human side of technology.
