Business Development Representative

CX-News: August 13, 2026 - smarter channel routing withless management. Posted by: Brett Rush August 13, 2026 Customer Experience News is a weekly newsletter about the most important news and discussions for Customer Experience and Customer Support Leaders. Intercom adds channel routing and Telegram support. News Summary Intercom, a customer service platform combining shared inbox, ticketing, and AI powered Agents, announced two updates. Teammates can now route work by channel without splitting their inbox, choosing exactly which channels they handle, including email, Messenger, SMS, and phone, in any combination. Telegram is also now a supported channel, letting teams connect a Telegram bot and manage Telegram conversations alongside every other channel in the inbox. Operational Impact Support Specialists can specialize in the channels they know best while the team keeps one shared queue with assignments balanced across every channel, cutting down the coordination work of managing separate inboxes per channel. The Telegram addition extends that same shared inbox to one more channel, and Fin can resolve Telegram questions automatically, extending automated deflection to a channel that previously required a manual workaround. Implementation Considerations Each teammate needs to set their own channel selection from their profile or the Inbox Dashboard Teammate View, so rollout benefits from a short internal announcement. Teams with layered routing rules, such as language or product based specialization, should confirm the new channel selection interacts correctly with those rules. Teams that already run automated workflows and CSAT collection on other channels need to confirm those workflows also apply correctly to Telegram, and brands with a meaningful Telegram audience should weigh setup time against actual message volume before prioritizing it over other backlog work. Zendesk adds live transcription for Voice Agents. News Summary Zendesk, a customer service platform used across support, sales, and IT teams, announced live call transcription for Voice Agents. Agents can now view real time transcripts during voice calls, with speaker labels, searchable text, timestamps, and language switching. Operational Impact Support Specialists no longer need to rely on memory or post call notes to capture what a customer said, since the transcript is visible while the call happens. Searchable, timestamped transcripts also make it easier to pull up a specific moment in a call for coaching or dispute resolution instead of re-listening to a full recording. Implementation Considerations Live call transcription is available for Zendesk Voice with the Copilot add-on, so teams without that add-on need to confirm licensing before planning around this feature. Teams operating in multiple languages should test the language switching behavior on real calls, since transcription accuracy on accented speech or mixed language conversations varies and is worth verifying before frontline reliance. Gorgias ships chat discovery and agent statuses. News Summary Gorgias, a customer service platform built for ecommerce and Shopify brands, announced two updates. Shoppers can now explore similar products with one tap inside chat, seeing a More Like This option when the Agent recommends a product. Admins and team leads can also add custom agent unavailable statuses, such as Lunch, Break, In A Meeting, or In Training, instead of a single generic offline status. Operational Impact Support Specialists benefit indirectly from the product discovery feature, since shoppers can browse alternatives themselves within the conversation instead of asking an agent for more options or leaving the chat to search the site separately. The custom statuses give team leads visibility into why someone is unavailable rather than only that they are offline, which helps with staffing decisions during high volume periods. Implementation Considerations The product discovery feature depends on the Agent already having accurate product catalog data, so brands with incomplete or outdated product feeds may see irrelevant suggestions. Teams should review a sample of recommendations after rollout to confirm they match brand merchandising intent. For custom statuses, admins need to create them in Settings under Agent Unavailability before teams see any difference from the current single offline status, and teams should agree on a consistent status list across the organization before rollout. Help Scout adds Twilio SMS support. News Summary Help Scout, a shared inbox platform built for SaaS and growing support teams, announced support for connecting a Twilio number directly to Help Scout. Teams can now manage two way SMS conversations alongside email, chat, and social channels from the same shared inbox. Operational Impact Support Specialists can reply to SMS conversations from the same interface they already use for email and chat, rather than switching to a separate SMS tool and losing conversation history in the process. Live character counts show exactly how many messages a reply will send as before hitting send, which helps avoid the extra cost or fragmented delivery of an unexpectedly long SMS reply. Implementation Considerations Teams need their own Twilio account and number before connecting the channel, so this is not a zero setup integration. Organizations relying heavily on SMS for time sensitive updates should confirm their existing automation, tagging, and reporting rules extend correctly to the new channel rather than assuming SMS behaves identically to email inside Help Scout. Kustomer streamlines company hierarchy editing in sidebar. News Summary Kustomer, a customer support platform built around a unified customer timeline, announced an update that lets Support Specialists edit a company's hierarchy directly from the sidebar. Assigning and managing company relationships now happens without navigating away from the sidebar's current view. Operational Impact Support Specialists working with multi entity accounts, such as franchises or parent and subsidiary organizations, can update relationship data in the moment a conversation surfaces it, rather than stepping out of the ticket to make the change elsewhere. Keeping hierarchy edits inside the sidebar also reduces the chance of losing context on the company a Support Specialist was originally viewing. Implementation Considerations This update matters most to teams that actively maintain company hierarchies as part of their support workflow, such as B2B support teams tracking parent accounts and subsidiaries. Teams that do not use the Hierarchy tab today will not see a meaningful change, so this is a smaller quality of life update rather than a workflow overhaul. Gleap brings AI Agents into ticket conversations. News Summary Gleap, a customer support and product feedback platform, announced that AI Agents now work directly inside support tickets rather than in a separate panel. Support Specialists can mention an Agent in the composer to hand off a task, watch its steps appear in the conversation timeline, and step in if the Agent needs input. Operational Impact Support Specialists no longer need to leave the ticket to see what an Agent tried or asked, since agent runs now appear as messages in the same timeline as human replies. A full activity log for any run, available in one click, also makes it easier to catch an Agent that is heading in the wrong direction and stop it before it responds incorrectly to a customer. Implementation Considerations The update also introduces reply threading, a rebuilt conversation view, and a keyboard driven command palette, so teams should expect a short adjustment period alongside the AI Agent changes. Teams with existing automations or Agent permission rules should confirm those carry over as expected before rolling this out broadly, since a redesign this size touches most of the day to day inbox experience. Now this is: Strategic support for CX Leaders. You've got ambitious Support targets and new metrics but you're not sure what to prioritize first. The list is long, the queue is getting longer, and you don't have time to step back and think about CX strategically. What if you could pressure test your thinking with someone who has spent 20 years building Customer Support operations? No pitch, just a conversation.

Epicor to Zendesk integration. August 12, 2026 Updated onAugust 18, 2026 Epicor manages the operational side of the business: orders, inventory, customer records, invoices, and financials. Zendesk manages the customer-facing side: support tickets, agent workflows, and service communications. When the two systems run independently, support agents work without the context they need. They cannot see order status, invoice history, or account details without leaving Zendesk and logging into a separate system. That gap slows resolution times, frustrates customers, and creates unnecessary back-and-forth between support and operations teams. Integrating Epicor with Zendesk through Epicor Automation Studio closes that gap. It surfaces operational data from Epicor directly inside Zendesk, giving support agents the information they need to resolve tickets faster without switching systems. Why your support team needs Epicor data in Zendesk. Manufacturers and distributors running Epicor alongside Zendesk consistently run into the same set of problems when the two systems are not connected: * No order visibility in support tickets: Agents handling a delivery or billing inquiry have to contact operations or log into Epicor separately to find order status, ship date, or invoice details. Every extra step adds time to the resolution. * Duplicate data entry: Customer records created in Zendesk are not connected to Epicor customer accounts, leading to inconsistencies and manual reconciliation between teams. * Reactive customer service: Without access to order history or account standing, agents cannot anticipate customer needs or provide proactive updates on open issues. * Disconnected reporting: Management cannot see the relationship between operational performance and support volume. If a fulfillment issue is generating a spike in tickets, that connection is invisible without integrated data. The data that closes these gaps is already in Epicor. The integration makes it available where support agents actually work. Common data flows between Epicor and Zendesk include customer records and account details, order status and shipping information, invoice history and outstanding balances, product and part information, and event-driven ticket creation triggered by Epicor transactions such as order placements or shipment delays. How the integration works. API-Driven connectivity. Epicor's open API architecture allows data to flow in and out of Epicor without requiring fragile UI-level customization. Zendesk's API supports tickets, organizations, users, and custom fields, making it straightforward to map Epicor data into the fields support agents see on every ticket. Customer IDs from Epicor map to Zendesk organization records, creating a reliable link between operational and support data. Epicor Automation Studio workflows. Epicor Automation Studio is the recommended tool for building and managing the integration on the Epicor side. Built on Workato and embedded natively in Epicor, Automation Studio uses a recipe-based, low-code approach to define how data moves between systems. Workflows can be triggered by events in Epicor, such as a new order, a shipment update, or an invoice posting, and push the relevant data to Zendesk automatically. Because workflows run server-side and outside the UI layer, they remain stable through Epicor upgrades. Error handling and monitoring. A reliable integration requires more than moving data. Failed transactions need to be detected and corrected before they affect support operations. A well-designed Epicor to Zendesk integration includes automated monitoring that logs errors, flags failed syncs, and alerts the right people when intervention is needed. Without this layer, data discrepancies accumulate quietly until a support agent notices something is wrong during a live customer interaction. Epicor Automation Studio: Connecting Epicor and Zendesk without custom code. Automation Studio gives organizations access to a library of pre-built connectors and workflow templates, including Zendesk, without requiring custom development for every integration point. It is embedded directly in Epicor and powered by Workato, which provides access to over 500,000 community recipes and connectors across hundreds of platforms. For an Epicor to Zendesk integration, Automation Studio handles the workflow logic: which customer records to sync, when to push order updates to Zendesk ticket fields, how to handle exceptions, and how to trigger ticket creation from Epicor events. The recipe-based interface means business users and IT teams can build and modify workflows without writing code, and without creating customizations that break when Epicor releases updates. Automation Studio brings together integration, automation, and AI into a single platform, with pre-built Epicor connectors, recipe-based workflow design, a wide variety of triggers, error alerts, and an extensive library of templates. For organizations already using Automation Studio for other integrations, adding a Zendesk connection is a natural extension of the same toolset. How to build a reliable integration. Define which system owns each data element. Epicor should own customer master data, order records, invoice details, and product information. Zendesk should own ticket workflows, agent communications, and support history. Mixing ownership creates conflicts and overwrites that are difficult to resolve after go-live. Establishing clear data ownership before building any workflow prevents the most common integration problems. Focus on high-value data flows. Not every field in Epicor needs to appear in Zendesk. Focus on the data that directly helps support agents resolve tickets: order status, ship dates, invoice balances, and account standing. Syncing unnecessary fields adds complexity, increases maintenance overhead, and makes the integration harder to troubleshoot when something goes wrong. Design for upgrade safety. Both Epicor and Zendesk release updates regularly. Integrations built on UI-level scripts or point-to-point connections break when either system updates. Using Automation Studio's server-side workflows and Zendesk's published REST APIs ensures the integration continues to function as both platforms evolve. Plan for ongoing monitoring. Integration performance should be reviewed regularly, not just at go-live. Error logs, sync frequency, and data accuracy checks catch drift before it becomes a support problem. Assign clear ownership for monitoring the integration and establish a process for reviewing performance as ticket volumes or business processes change. What can go wrong and how to avoid it. * Treating the integration as a one-time project rather than an ongoing operational process * Allowing duplicate customer records to persist across Epicor and Zendesk * Building workflows that depend on UI-level logic and break during upgrades * Syncing too much data too early, creating noise in Zendesk that slows agents down rather than helping them * Skipping user training, leaving support teams unsure how to use the Epicor data that now appears in their tickets * Failing to monitor error logs, allowing data discrepancies to surface during live customer interactions Partner with EC Solutions for Epicor to Zendesk integration. Connecting Epicor with Zendesk requires more than mapping fields between two systems. It requires a clear understanding of how support workflows operate, which operational data actually helps agents resolve tickets, and how to build workflows that remain reliable as both platforms evolve. EC Solutions specializes in Epicor integrations for Canadian manufacturers and distributors. EC Solutions help organizations design Automation Studio workflows that are upgrade-safe, properly scoped, and aligned with real support and operational processes. From initial assessment and data mapping to implementation, testing, and ongoing monitoring, EC Solutions guide the integration from start to finish.

PDQ expands endpoint management and vulnerability capabilities. PDQ has introduced new capabilities that help IT teams resolve support issues more quickly, strengthen vulnerability management across Windows and macOS devices, and integrate endpoint data with existing enterprise systems. The release includes new ticketing integrations, macOS vulnerability management, and expanded APIs that unify support, security, and endpoint management workflows. New ticketing integrations with Zendesk, ServiceNow, and Halo bring device information and common endpoint actions directly into the ticket, expanding PDQ's existing integrations with Jira, Freshservice, and Freshdesk. The release also extends PDQ's vulnerability management workflow to macOS and introduces APIs for custom fields, vulnerability data, and deployment statuses. Together, the updates reduce the time technicians spend looking up devices, switching between tools, and moving information manually across support, security, and endpoint management workflows. The latest updates let sysadmins: * See a ticket requester's device details without leaving the ticket * From the ticket, deploy software, open a device in PDQ, or launch remote access * View and prioritize vulnerabilities across Windows and macOS devices from one interface * Remediate supported third-party application vulnerabilities across both operating systems * Bring PDQ assets, vulnerability, and deployment data into external systems and automated workflows * Streamline vulnerability reporting and administration with bulk actions and group-scoped reports * Customize your view of PDQ's visual dashboard with adjustable lookback times * Gain additional macOS process visibility "IT teams lose valuable time when the information they need is spread across ticketing, endpoint management, and security tools," said Mark Littlefield, VP of Product at PDQ. "These updates bring device context and action closer to where work is already happening, while giving teams a more consistent way to manage vulnerabilities across Windows and macOS." Resolve tickets without leaving the ticket. PDQ is expanding its ticketing integrations with new support for Zendesk, ServiceNow, and Halo. These additions join existing integrations with Jira, Freshservice, and Freshdesk, giving more technicians access to PDQ device information and actions directly inside the tools they already use. Authorized technicians can then: * Deploy any package available to them in PDQ * Open the device's details in PDQ * Launch a remote desktop session By reducing manual device lookups and tool switching, the integrations help technicians avoid targeting errors, resolve tickets faster, and maintain service-level performance. Ticketing integrations are available to PDQ Premium customers. macOS vulnerability management. PDQ now extends its existing vulnerability management workflow to macOS devices, giving IT teams one place to identify and prioritize risk across their Windows and Mac fleets. Vulnerability views now include devices running both operating systems, and CVE details indicate whether a vulnerability affects Windows, macOS, or both. Admins can investigate vulnerable software, review affected devices, and deploy available fixes using the same workflows they already use for Windows. When a supported macOS Package Library package is available, teams can use PDQ's remediation recommendations and deployment workflows to address vulnerable third-party applications. A single deployment can remediate supported applications across both Windows and macOS devices. Existing vulnerability management capabilities, including automation, role-based access controls, audit logs, and reporting, also apply to macOS devices. This gives IT teams one consistent way to manage devices, understand risk, coordinate remediation, and track activity across mixed operating system environments without context switching. New APIs for connected IT workflows. PDQ's new APIs provide deeper access to the data that supports everyday IT operations. Premium customers can now manage custom fields through the API, retrieve vulnerability data, and access deployment results and statuses programmatically. The Custom Fields API allows external systems to update or retrieve device metadata stored in PDQ. Teams can use it to synchronize information such as device ownership, business context, email addresses, or asset data from configuration management databases, asset management platforms, directories, and internal systems. The Vulnerabilities API lets teams bring vulnerability data into reporting, ticketing, compliance, security, and automation workflows. This can help organizations incorporate endpoint risk into broader operational and remediation processes without relying on repeated manual exports. The Deployment Status API gives external systems access to deployment results, including success and failure information. Teams can use this data to track outcomes, create reports, and trigger follow-up actions when deployments require attention. All three APIs will also be available through PDQ's Zapier integration, giving teams additional ways to build workflows without developing integrations from scratch. Additional platform updates. The release also includes several updates designed to make common endpoint management, vulnerability management, and remote support workflows more efficient: * macOS Processes tab: Admins can view running processes on individual Mac devices directly in PDQ. * Bulk vulnerability ignoring: Teams can ignore multiple vulnerabilities at once instead of updating each vulnerability individually. * Group-scoped vulnerability reports: Admins can limit vulnerability reports to selected device groups, making it easier to share relevant findings with specific teams, departments, customers, or business units. * Customizable lookback window: Teams can adjust the timeframe used to review. * CSV group creation: Admins can create device groups using CSV data, reducing the effort required to organize large sets of devices. Together, these updates expand PDQ's support for mixed Windows and macOS environments while helping IT teams connect vulnerability management, deployment, support, and reporting workflows.