Agent copilots: The essential ingredient for AI success in 2025

A winning AI strategy starts with copilots. Our data shows that CX leaders successfully integrating AI are nearly three times more likely to adopt copilots, resulting in higher customer satisfaction, greater efficiency, and lower costs. Take Freedom Furniture, for example. By leveraging copilots to guide agents through complex tickets, the team has seen transformative results—achieving a 92 percent faster resolution rate and a 17 percent boost in customer satisfaction.

And the timing couldn’t be more critical. With customer interactions surging fivefold and expectations for exceptional service holding steady, 2025 is piling pressure on CX teams. Copilots are the key to bridging this gap, with 79 percent of agents reporting they enhance their ability to deliver standout experiences.

But AI tools for agents will only succeed if your agents actually use them, making their buy-in critical. Drawing from where we’ve seen our customers be most successful, here are five essential steps to not only implement AI copilots, but also ensure your agents fully embrace them.

5 steps to get your CX org AI copilot-ready

1. Audit your existing operations

Evaluate your operations to identify where copilots can provide immediate value. That includes existing friction points, but also high-volume, complex interactions that still need a human touch. Start by examining your macros and collaborating with agents to uncover cases that frequently require editing, personalization, or customization. Review your ticket data to identify queries with high resolution times, as these are prime opportunities for copilots to streamline workflows.

Your quality assurance (QA) data is another goldmine of insights. Use it to pinpoint areas where agents struggle following your business procedures or high-touch scenarios that require more guidance over their responses. These learnings can guide where copilots can drive quick wins and deliver fast ROI.

2. Treat copilots like a new teammate

Just as you onboard new hires with detailed training on your business and workflows, your copilots benefit from the same thoughtful preparation. Start by updating your existing documentation to reflect current processes. Optimize it for AI by using concise, straightforward language to define your business logic, ensuring copilots can access and interpret information quickly and accurately. Break multi-step actions into clear, sequential steps to ensure the copilot processes each task correctly without confusion.

While admins are essential for drafting CX documentation, this is another area where involving your agents is essential. They often hold untapped knowledge that hasn’t been formalized yet and firsthand insight into the latest procedures, making them essential for identifying gaps and updates. Plus, involving them in this process offers an opportunity to upskill your agents, empowering them to play a larger role in shaping your AI strategy.

3. Gather feedback early

Think of AI adoption as a marathon, not a sprint. Pilot a few of the use cases you identified in step one to gather valuable feedback before expanding to more advanced applications. A structured feedback loop is key—encourage agents to leave real-time notes in your CX system, and leverage tools like Slack channels or quick survey forms for continuous input.
Don’t stop there. Speak directly with your agents to understand their experience firsthand. Ask how often they’re making edits, what types of changes they’re making and why, and where they see room for improvement. Your ultimate goal is for your agents to confidently and consistently hit “approve,” making AI a trusted partner in their workflow.

4. Create a plan for continuous improvement

AI isn’t a “set it and forget it” solution. As your processes change, make it a priority to refresh your copilot scripts and internal documentation it relies on. Regular updates keep copilots accurate and reliable, ensuring they remain a trusted partner for your team.

Lean into QA tools to measure quality improvements over time. Focus on key metrics like customer satisfaction, average handle time, and time to resolution to capture success. Tag critical use cases to accurately track and analyze ticket data, giving you actionable insights to continuously refine and optimize your strategy.

5. Find opportunities for copilots to take the lead

Copilots don’t just guide agents through resolutions. They can also handle repetitive tasks independently, with 85 percent of CX leaders agreeing that copiloting is a critical first step towards autonomous AI. From processing refunds to updating customer details, copilots lighten your agents’ workload so they can focus on what truly matters: building deeper customer relationships.

Start by identifying areas where copilots can take direct action to save your agents even more time. That includes managing order changes, transferring data across systems, or other routine tasks. This requires seamlessly integrating copilots with your core business systems using secure, scalable middleware—proactively engage your IT and security teams early in the process to secure approvals and avoid roadblocks later.

Now is the time to act

With 73 percent of agents confident that AI copilots improve their ability to do their job, forward-thinking companies are quickly integrating this technology to surge ahead. And customers are embracing the change—75 percent support human agents using AI to draft customer service responses, recognizing its potential to enhance speed and accuracy. Now is the perfect moment to explore how AI copilots can transform your business.

Let Zendesk be your guide on this journey.

Looking to further prepare for the future of AI-powered CX? Be sure to explore the other article in this series:

• Accelerate your CX in 2025: A 5-step AI readiness checklist