Concept2 takes exceptional CX to extraordinary with Zendesk AI

Concept2 makes high-quality oars, rowing equipment, and exercise machines. Since its founding in a Vermont barn in 1976, the company has become an industry leader and the Gold Standard for college rowing teams and Olympic athletes worldwide.

But Concept2 isn’t just a manufacturer—it’s a global rowing community where people come together to train, learn, and compete. Anyone who uses Concept2 products is a member. Helping unite this community is the company’s steadfast dedication to customer service, a core value from day one.

Serving a growing global customer base

“Concept2 is dedicated to exceeding our customers’ expectations,” says Business Development Specialist Geoff Brasse. “Which means serving customers 24/7, no matter their time zone.”

As Concept2’s global customer base expanded and the number of CX inquiries increased, the company needed to scale its support capabilities

Queries range from straight-forward questions about orders or product warranties, to more complex subjects like troubleshooting repairs. The surge in tickets made delivering the world-class CX the company is known for more challenging.

“We want to respond to customers as quickly as possible so they can get back to attaining their fitness goals,” explains Nathan P. in Technical Support.

Globalizing service with AI agents

To scale its customer service, Concept2 implemented a hybrid approach using AI agents. The strategy integrates the power of generative AI with the precision of conversation flows.

First, the team optimized the company’s existing knowledge base articles. Next, Concept2 introduced an AI agent, Row-Bot, that taps the knowledge base to tackle customer FAQs. Now, whether it’s product specs, return policies, or other common questions, customers can find answers on their own—anytime, day or night—without needing to wait for assistance.

For more complex issues, customers are guided step-by-step to a resolution, and escalated to human agents when needed. “With Zendesk’s tools and AI capabilities, we can support customers worldwide and ensure a consistent and high-quality experience,” says Brasse. “Zendesk AI has completely changed our ability to serve customers after hours.”

Easing burdens for agents

AI agents are resolving roughly 280 tickets per day, helping Concept2 serve more customers and free up their human agents to work on more complex tasks. To further support their teams, Concept2 has also adopted a variety of Zendesk AI copilot tools that help agents work smarter, not harder. For instance:

– Ticket summarization helps agents get up to speed faster by recapping the key details of an incoming ticket.
– Macros save time and effort by letting agents reply to queries with a single, prepared answer or action.
– Tone shift capabilities help agents deliver responses in a consistently on-brand voice.

Today, more than half the team actively use AI copilot tools. This has unlocked an entirely new level of efficiency: agents resolve more tickets, the number of one-touch tickets is up, and return rates are down.

Meeting customers where they are

Concept2 rolled its AI agents out globally to fantastic results.

Over 30 percent of tickets are now resolved through self-service. AI agents are handling more than 80 percent of customer requests. And despite a recent 37 percent jump in overall inquiries, the company is serving 30 percent more customers—through their preferred channels.

“Since implementing Zendesk AI, self-service has skyrocketed,” says Brasse. “Overall, reopened tickets are down five percent, weekend response times are often halved, and satisfaction is soaring.”

And when customer requests require a more human touch, Concept2’s agents are set up for success to resolve tickets faster using the AI agent copilot tools.

“Zendesk AI has helped me provide the world-class customer service and support our customers depend on and have come to expect from our brand,” says Nathan P. “With automatic summaries of tickets displayed in an easy-to-use format and tools to help me fine-tune my messages, I can easily handle at least 25 percent more tickets every month.”

With Zendesk AI driving efficiency and scalability, the company is meeting its customers’ evolving needs. “And we’re just getting started!,” says Brasse.