Every month, Zendesk rolls out dozens of product updates. For enterprise support teams with dedicated admins, it’s part of the routine. But for SMBs, scanning through pages of feature notes can feel like information overload.
So we’ve simplified the August 2025 release to highlight the updates that matter most for SMB support teams. Features that can save time, reduce admin overhead, and improve customer experiences without extra complexity.
1. Draft Mode by Default
Admins can now enable draft mode for ticket comments across the entire account. No more relying on each agent to toggle draft mode individually. This prevents premature ticket updates, reduces mistakes, and gives agents time to refine responses before customers see them.
👉 How to implement:
In Admin Center Objects & Rules > Tickets > Settings > Draft Mode, switch the setting to “On by Default” for all agents.
📖 Learn more here
2. Approvals Built into Tickets
Agents can send approval requests directly from a ticket which keeps approvals visible and centralized in Zendesk.
👉 How to implement:
Enable Approval Requests in Admin Center > Workspaces > Agent Tools > Approval Requests. Then train agents to use the “Request Approval” option in the ticket sidebar.
📖 Learn more here
3. Side Conversations on Mobile
Agents can now access side conversations in the mobile app which lets teams collaborate on the go.
👉 How to implement:
Ensure the Zendesk Support mobile app is updated. Android and iOS. Ensure email based side conversations are enabled in Admin Center > Workspaces > Agent Tools > Side Conversations.
📖 Learn more here
4. Communication Guidelines for AI Copilot (requires AI Copilot Addon)
Define brand-specific guidelines that shape AI response suggestions. This keeps AI-generated content aligned with your tone of voice.
👉 How to implement:
Add your brand’s style rules under Admin Center > Agent copilot > Writing tools. Once enabled, you can manage your brand guidelines.
📖 Learn more here
5. Intelligent Triage Gets Smarter (requires AI Copilot Addon)
Now supports synonyms and weekly intent suggestions. This improves accuracy of AI-driven routing without manual oversight.
👉 How to implement:
Go to Admin Center > Intelligent triage > Entity. Now access the Settings > Values for any entity and add synonyms.
📖 Learn more here
6. AI Agents for Email and Web Forms
AI Agents (Essential) now work on email and web form channels. This leverages your help centre to automate replies for routine queries and works on all plans. It saves your team time and increases customer satisfaction.
👉 How to implement:
Admin Center > AI Agents, create a new agent, assign it to “Email” and/or or “Web Form”. This will automatically create a trigger which you can later edit and enhance with additional features.
📖 Learn more here
7. Knowledge Multi-placement (requires Enterprise)
One article can now appear in up to 10 sections across brands. This can seriously cut down knowledge base duplication, maintenance overhead and accuracy of automated responses.
👉 How to implement:
Admin Center > Knowledge (from the app selector in top right corner). Access an article > Placements > Manage Sections.
📖 Learn more here
8. Real-Time Monitoring Dashboards (Professional or Enterprise)
Dashboards now combine real-time and historical data. This lets small teams react quickly to spikes in ticket volume.
👉 How to implement:
Register for Early Access Preview (EAP). Then click the app tray (top right corner) and select Analytics. You should see three new pre-built dashboards: Incoming tickets, Ticket progress & Agent productivity.
📖 Learn more here
9. Security Enhancements That Protect SMBs
Includes file-type restrictions, encryption, and PII masking. This helps strengthen security and maintain compliance without extra IT resources.
- File upload restrictions: Admins can now control which file types agents and customers are allowed to upload in tickets, reducing risks and keeping your system more secure.
- Advanced encryption: With the Advanced Data Privacy and Protection add-on, sensitive details like email addresses and social profiles can be encrypted, giving your business an extra layer of security.
- Data masking: A new feature lets admins decide which agents can see personally identifiable information (like names, emails, and phone numbers), helping you protect customer privacy and stay compliant.
📖 Learn more here
Final Thoughts
Zendesk’s August 2025 updates show a clear focus on making support smarter, safer, and easier to manage.
From AI agents that can now resolve routine email and web form requests, to knowledge multiplacement that saves hours of admin work, to security enhancements like file restrictions, encryption, and data masking.
These changes are designed to help even the leanest SMB teams deliver enterprise-level customer service. The key is not just knowing what’s new, but enabling the features that will have the biggest impact on your customers and your team’s efficiency. With the right setup, small businesses can punch well above their weight in customer experience.
