Zendesk Acquires Estonian AI Startup Klaus
Zendesk, a leading global customer service platform, has acquired Klaus, an Estonian startup established in 2019 to support customer service agents. The acquisition, for an undisclosed sum, is a step forward in Zendesk’s commitment to offering innovative solutions in the realm of customer service.
The acquisition of Klaus adds to Zendesk’s Workforce Engagement Management (WEM) portfolio, highlighting the growing importance of AI-powered solutions in the customer service industry. Adrian McDermott, Zendesk’s chief technology officer, expressed enthusiasm about the integration, stating,
“With Klaus as part of our WEM portfolio, we can empower businesses with the best AI-powered automated quality assurance in the market.”
Initially conceived to assist customer service agents, Klaus evolved into a comprehensive Quality Assurance platform driven by AI. Co-founders Kair Käsper and Martin Kõiva transitioned from their roles at Estonian unicorn Pipedrive to launch a “conversation review and QA tool for support teams” in 2019.
Klaus gained significant attention from investors, securing a total of $19.3 million from prominent firms such as Global Founders Capital, Acton Capital, Icebreaker.vc, and Creandum. The startup’s success attracted noteworthy clients like Automattic, Wistia, and Soundcloud, leading to substantial funding rounds, including a $1.9 million seed round led by Creandum and a subsequent €12 million (~$11.49 million) Series A equity round led by Acton Capital in 2022.
By the time of its Series A funding, Klaus had advanced its AI algorithms to automate various tasks crucial to customer-agent interactions. These tasks included categorizing customer comments, sorting conversations based on complexity, and conducting sentiment analysis in multiple languages. These capabilities aim to enhance the overall quality of customer service operations.
The acquisition of Klaus by Zendesk represents a significant advancement in the realm of customer service solutions. By integrating Klaus’s AI-driven Quality Assurance platform into its offerings, Zendesk aims to further enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of customer support operations, catering to the evolving needs of businesses in today’s competitive landscape.
