Zendesk raises $60M in VC funds; rebuilds customer service interface

It's a big day for Zendesk. The cloud-based customer service software provider is launching the next version of its customer engagement platform today, which Zendesk describes as a result of the consumerization of enterprise apps.

Described to be "rebuilt from the ground up," Zendesk Apps consists of a new set of features and an application framework to enable businesses to be able to interact with their customers in a conversational way without sacrificing scalability or automation.

Here's a rundown on some of the improvements and added features:

• Tabs: Customer service agents can move quicker among several customer service inquiries via in-product tabs. Sub-tabs also mean customer service agents can view more detailed information about a customer to contextualize the issue for better responses.
• Instant results: Customer service agents can search through their organization’s knowledge base with results appearing instantly as an agent is typing.
• Multi-channel support: Integration of live chat, social media, online forums, and phone support into a single interface.
• API: The Zendesk Apps API is being released to enable businesses to develop their own integrations.

Zendesk Apps is also intended to extend Zendesk’s functionality with internal and third-party systems for integrating other business critical applications.

Furthermore, Zendesk has closed a large round of venture capital funding that resulted in $60 million of new financing. Led by Redpoint Ventures, other VC and financial firms involved with this round include Index Ventures, Goldman Sachs, and Benchmark Capital, among others.

Screenshots via Zendesk