Kayako

What is Kayako

Kayako is an AI-first help desk and customer support platform designed to reduce repetitive work, accelerate response times, and keep human agents focused on complex or high-value customer interactions. The platform combines automated triage, AI-assisted responses, shared inboxes, and agent tooling into a single system that sits between customers and support teams. Kayako is positioned for support leaders at mid-market and enterprise companies who need to scale support operations without proportionally increasing headcount.

The vendor emphasizes a phased implementation model: start with AI triage to organize and prioritize tickets, move to AI-generated draft responses for high-volume cases, and then enable continuous learning so the system improves from human resolutions. That phased approach is designed to lower risk during AI adoption by delivering measurable outcomes (shorter ticket age, higher first-response rates, improved CSAT) before broader automation is applied.

Kayako integrates with common communication channels (email, web forms, chat, social channels) and with third-party CRMs, collaboration tools, and knowledge bases. For teams that need compliance, auditability, and role-based access, Kayako provides enterprise features and professional services to configure workflows and governance. See Kayako's case studies for examples of operational improvements and ROI in production environments: their detailed examples are available in the Kayako case studies section (https://www.kayako.com/case-studies).

Kayako features

Kayako combines a range of features organized around ticket intake, automation, agent assistance, reporting, and integrations. The platform is built to both reduce manual labor through automation and preserve agent control and visibility where human judgment is required. Key capabilities include:

• Automated triage that auto-classifies, prioritizes, and routes tickets based on customer data, intent, and business rules
• AI-generated draft replies that propose accurate, context-aware answers or follow-up questions for agent review
• Continuous learning that updates models from resolved cases and reduces future manual intervention
• Shared inbox and collision detection so teams don't duplicate work and can collaborate on complex tickets
• Context enrichment by attaching customer history, product usage, and CRM records to tickets for faster resolution
• Role-based permissions, audit trails, and enterprise governance features for compliance and reporting

Kayako is frequently described by vendors as a three-phase AI deployment:

• Phase 1: AI Triage — Auto-classifies, prioritizes, and routes tickets; enriches tickets with context to reduce manual sorting; shortens first-response time and reduces backlog.
• Phase 2: AI Answers — Drafts replies or follow-up questions for common issues; automates repetitive cases and reduces handle time while preserving agent oversight; improves speed and consistency of responses.
• Phase 3: AI Continuous Learning — Escalates edge cases to agents seamlessly; learns from human resolutions to expand coverage; compounds efficiency gains over time.

What does Kayako do?

Kayako centralizes inbound customer requests across channels and applies AI to both organize and respond to those requests. It reduces the manual work needed to sort, prioritize, and draft replies, while maintaining human-in-the-loop controls so agents can approve, edit, or take over conversations. This approach reduces average ticket age, increases first-response rates, and helps teams maintain or raise CSAT.

Operationally, Kayako is used as the primary ticketing layer for support teams: it captures interactions, enriches tickets with customer context from integrated systems, applies business rules for priority and routing, and either automates resolution for standard cases or supplies agents with AI-drafted replies and relevant knowledge base content. For managers, the platform provides dashboards and KPIs (first contact resolution, average handle time, backlog size, agent utilization, CSAT) to guide staffing and process decisions.

Kayako also supports extensibility: APIs, webhooks, and integrations allow teams to sync customer records with CRMs, push automated updates to external systems, and feed the AI with product-specific training data. Implementation services are offered to tune automations and align the platform with existing escalation paths and SLAs.

Kayako pricing

Kayako offers flexible pricing tailored to different business needs, from individual users to multi-team enterprise deployments. Their pricing structure typically includes monthly and annual billing options with discounts for yearly commitments, and enterprise quotes that include professional implementation and service tiers. Typical vendor patterns include per-agent or per-seat licensing for help desk features plus additional costs for advanced AI modules, add-on integrations, and implementation services.

Most organizations considering Kayako will encounter:

• Free Plan: entry-level functionality (often limited seats or channels) for evaluation or very small teams
• Starter: essential ticketing and basic automation for small teams
• Professional: expanded automation, reporting, and integrations suited for growing support operations
• Enterprise: advanced security, SSO, custom SLAs, dedicated support, and implementation services

Exact monthly and annual prices are quoted on request for enterprise tiers and can vary based on number of agents, channels, and AI capabilities enabled. For current, officially published numbers and plan details, check Kayako's published pricing: Kayako pricing (https://www.kayako.com/pricing). Visit their official pricing page for the most current information.

How much is Kayako per month

Kayako offers competitive pricing plans designed for different team sizes. Monthly billing is available for most help desk vendors; Kayako’s listed monthly fees (where available) will vary by plan level, number of seats, and which AI modules and integrations you enable. Organizations often choose monthly billing for pilot phases and switch to annual billing once adoption is proven.

For an accurate monthly quote specific to your team size and required AI features, consult Kayako's pricing page and request a tailored estimate: Kayako pricing (https://www.kayako.com/pricing). Visit their official pricing page for the most current information.

How much is Kayako per year

Kayako offers competitive pricing plans with discounts typically applied to annual commitments. Yearly billing generally reduces per-seat costs compared to month-to-month pricing and may include implementation credits or bundled onboarding services for larger purchases. Savings for annual contracts vary by plan and vendor promotions.

To understand potential annual savings and the exact yearly cost for the features you need, review Kayako's annual plans and contact their sales team through the Kayako pricing page: Kayako pricing (https://www.kayako.com/pricing). Visit their official pricing page for the most current information.

How much is Kayako in general

Kayako pricing ranges from entry-level free options to enterprise-level annual contracts. Entry-level plans support small teams or trials, while professional and enterprise offerings scale with features like advanced automation, SLAs, and implementation services. Final pricing depends on agent counts, channel volume, AI modules, and custom services.

If you need a ballpark for budgeting, plan on evaluating both per-agent licensing and implementation costs; ask for TCO figures that include expected reduction in headcount or handle time to estimate ROI. Visit Kayako's pricing page for current plan comparisons and to request a quote: Kayako pricing (https://www.kayako.com/pricing). Visit their official pricing page for the most current information.

What is Kayako used for

Kayako is used to operate customer support desks that handle high volumes of inbound inquiries while maintaining measurable quality and SLAs. Common use cases include email and chat support, customer onboarding and troubleshooting, refunds and returns processing, and support for SaaS products where quick, context-aware responses are critical. The platform supports both reactive ticket handling and proactive customer outreach when integrated with product telemetry or CRM triggers.

Support managers use Kayako to reduce backlog and average ticket age through automation, to standardize responses with AI-drafted templates linked to a knowledge base, and to measure team health with dashboards that surface KPI trends. Product teams use support data captured in Kayako to prioritize bugs and feature requests because the ticket records include contextual metadata and customer history.

Enterprises frequently use Kayako for centralized governance: role-based controls, audit logs, single sign-on, and data retention policies help align support operations with security and compliance requirements. The platform is also used as a staging ground for digital transformation where AI can replace repetitive tasks and free agents for higher-value interactions.

Pros and cons of Kayako

Pros:

• Kayako's AI triage and drafting features reduce manual sorting and initial reply time, helping teams focus on complex interactions.
• Phased AI deployment reduces risk by allowing teams to measure outcomes (backlog reduction, CSAT improvements) before expanding automation.
• Integration capability with CRMs and knowledge bases preserves customer context and improves resolution speed.
• Implementation services and enterprise features support governance, reporting, and compliance for larger organizations.

Cons:

• As with many AI-enabled support platforms, initial setup and tuning are required to avoid incorrect automations; you will need to invest time or professional services to reach high coverage.
• Costs can increase with additional AI modules, high-volume channels, or extensive implementation services; total cost of ownership should include expected savings in handle time and headcount.
• Teams that rely on custom, highly domain-specific knowledge may need additional training data and iterative tuning to reach desired automation accuracy.

Operational considerations include the need to monitor model performance, design safe rollback paths for incorrect automations, and ensure the knowledge base is maintained so AI-drafted replies remain accurate. For teams migrating from an older ticketing system, plan for data migration, automation mapping, and agent training.

Kayako free trial

Kayako typically provides a trial or demo period to evaluate core ticketing and automation features. Trials allow teams to test channel intake, automation rules, AI-assisted responses, and integrations in a controlled environment before a full rollout. The trial period is useful to measure baseline KPIs like first response time, backlog volume, and agent handle time so you can compare before-and-after results.

During a trial, focus on a representative subset of tickets (for example, a single product line or a support channel) so you can measure outcomes without risking service quality for your entire customer base. Use the trial to validate triage accuracy, draft-reply relevance, and escalation behavior. Capture sample metrics to build a business case for broader deployment.

To start a trial or request a personalized demo, Kayako publishes options on their site and sales teams can provide pilot programs and implementation support. See Kayako's contact and demo page for trial arrangements: Kayako pricing and demos (https://www.kayako.com/pricing). Visit their official pricing page for the most current information.

Is Kayako free

Kayako commonly offers an entry-level free option or trial for evaluation purposes. The free option is usually limited in seats, channels, or automation capacity and is designed for small teams or proof-of-concept pilots. For production use, paid plans are recommended to unlock AI automation, integrations, and enterprise controls.

If your goal is to prove AI value quickly, use the free option for a narrow pilot and collect metrics (ticket age, first-response time, CSAT) to justify expansion into a paid tier. For exact details about what is included in the free tier, review Kayako's plan comparison and trial terms: Kayako pricing (https://www.kayako.com/pricing). Visit their official pricing page for the most current information.

Kayako API

Kayako provides APIs and webhooks to integrate help desk workflows with CRMs, product telemetry, and internal systems. Typical API capabilities include ticket creation and updates, user and organization management, attachments handling, and webhook events for ticket lifecycle changes. These interfaces allow teams to automate cross-system workflows, such as creating tickets from product alerts or synchronizing support status with account health dashboards.

The API is useful for building custom integrations when out-of-the-box connectors are not available. For example, teams often use APIs to push contextual product data into tickets, trigger proactive outreach from product events, or export support metrics to business intelligence tools for long-term trend analysis. Webhooks support near-real-time notifications so downstream systems can react quickly to status changes.

For developer documentation and API reference, consult Kayako's developer resources and documentation to confirm supported endpoints, rate limits, authentication methods, and SDK availability: Kayako developer documentation (https://developer.kayako.com). Implementers should verify API SLAs and security measures when designing integrations for production use.

10 Kayako alternatives

When evaluating Kayako, consider these alternatives across paid commercial offerings and open source projects. Each alternative has different strengths in automation, pricing, integrations, and enterprise controls.

Paid alternatives to Kayako

• Zendesk — Enterprise-grade support platform with broad channel support, a large ecosystem of apps, and advanced reporting and admin controls. Strong for organizations that want mature integrations and marketplace options.
• Freshdesk — Cloud help desk with multichannel support, automation rules, and AI modules. Typically attractive for mid-market teams looking for a balance of features and cost.
• Intercom — Messaging-first customer engagement platform that blends live chat, bots, and product tours with help desk workflows; well-suited to product-led businesses that want in-app support.
• Help Scout — Email-first help desk for small to mid-size teams focused on simple workflows, shared inboxes, and customer-centric conversation history.
• Zoho Desk — Part of the Zoho suite; offers flexible automation, multi-channel support, and attractive pricing for organizations invested in the Zoho ecosystem.
• Salesforce Service Cloud — Highly configurable enterprise service solution with deep CRM integration and advanced automation, ideal for organizations already on Salesforce.
• Gladly — Customer-centric support platform focused on conversational history and personalized interactions; geared toward retail and service brands with relationship-based support.

Open source alternatives to Kayako

• osTicket — Lightweight, widely used open source ticketing system suitable for organizations that prefer self-hosting and customization.
• Zammad — Modern open source help desk with a clean UI, multi-channel support, and elasticsearch-based search; useful for teams wanting an on-premise or cloud-hosted open source solution.
• Request Tracker (RT) — Mature ticketing system with powerful customization for workflows and extensive community support; best for organizations comfortable with technical configuration.
• UVdesk — Open source help desk that can be self-hosted and extended with PHP-based integrations; fits teams that want to own and modify the platform.
• Helpy — Rails-based open source help desk focused on community and knowledge base integration; useful for organizations that rely heavily on documentation-driven support.

Frequently asked questions about Kayako

What is Kayako used for?

Kayako is used for customer support and help desk operations. It provides ticketing, AI-assisted triage and replies, shared inboxes, and integrations to manage multichannel customer communications. Support teams use it to reduce backlog, speed response times, and measure KPIs like CSAT and first-response time.

How does Kayako's AI triage work?

Kayako's AI triage automatically classifies, prioritizes, and routes tickets. It uses customer context and historical patterns to suggest routing and priority and can enrich tickets with relevant metadata. Teams tune the triage rules during implementation to align with business SLAs and escalation policies.

Does Kayako integrate with CRMs?

Yes, Kayako integrates with common CRM systems. Integrations let you surface account information and interaction history inside tickets so agents have context without switching tools. Integration methods include native connectors, APIs, and middleware platforms.

Can Kayako generate automated replies with AI?

Yes, Kayako can draft automated replies for routine requests. The platform proposes context-aware replies or follow-up questions that agents can edit or send directly; over time, continuous learning increases the percentage of cases eligible for automation. You control which templates or scenarios are fully automated versus human-reviewed.

Is there a Kayako free plan?

Kayako commonly offers an entry-level free option or trial for evaluation. The free tier is limited in seats or automation and is intended for pilots or very small teams. For production and AI features, most organizations move to a paid tier.

Why choose Kayako over other help desks?

Kayako positions itself around AI-first automation and phased implementation. Organizations that want to adopt AI while limiting risk may prefer Kayako’s methodical rollout (triage, answers, continuous learning) and implementation support. The right choice depends on integration needs, existing toolstack, and tolerance for implementation effort.

When should a team consider Kayako for support automation?

Consider Kayako when ticket volume is growing faster than headcount and repetitive tickets consume significant agent time. Teams that want measurable reductions in backlog and average ticket age benefit from a phased AI approach and a pilot that proves automation value before broad rollout.

Where can I find Kayako's developer documentation?

Kayako publishes developer documentation and API references for integrations. The developer docs cover REST endpoints, webhooks, authentication, and sample integrations to help teams build custom workflows; see Kayako developer documentation (https://developer.kayako.com) for details.

How much can Kayako reduce support costs?

Kayako claims substantial reductions in repetitive work, often cited in vendor materials as significant percentage decreases in manual tickets. Actual savings depend on ticket mix, automation coverage achieved, and implementation quality; organizations should run a pilot and model expected cost savings against implementation and subscription fees.

Does Kayako provide enterprise security and compliance features?

Kayako offers enterprise-grade controls such as role-based access, audit logs, and SSO options. For specific compliance certifications and security practices, review Kayako's security and trust documentation: Kayako security (https://www.kayako.com/security). Ensure the platform meets your organization’s regulatory requirements before deployment.

Kayako careers

Kayako, like most growing SaaS vendors, publishes open roles for product, engineering, customer success, and sales. Careers pages typically list locations, remote options, and descriptions of role responsibilities and required experience. Candidates can expect positions that focus on product development, machine learning for support automation, and professional services to help customers implement AI triage and automation.

When considering roles at a vendor like Kayako, look for clarity around career progression, remote/hybrid options, and how the company supports learning—particularly for teams working on AI and data-driven products. Glassdoor and LinkedIn often contain employee reviews and salary ranges that can help candidates evaluate fit before applying.

For the most current openings and application instructions, consult Kayako's careers page or company profile on major job boards: Kayako careers (https://www.kayako.com/company/careers).

Kayako affiliate

Kayako may run partner and reseller programs that allow agencies and integrators to refer customers, resell subscriptions, or offer implementation services. Affiliate or partner arrangements often provide referral fees, co-selling support, and technical onboarding resources for partners to implement and manage Kayako for their customers.

If you are an agency or systems integrator interested in partnering, ask about partner tiers, margin structures, and technical enablement. Partnership teams typically provide partner portals, sales collateral, and training to help resellers demonstrate ROI and deliver pilots. Contact Kayako's partner team to explore affiliate or partnership programs: Kayako partners (https://www.kayako.com/partners).

Where to find Kayako reviews

Independent reviews and user feedback are available on industry review sites such as G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius where customers post ratings and detailed comments about implementation experience, product capabilities, and support. These platforms let you filter reviews by company size, industry, and use case to find organizations similar to yours.

Additionally, consult Kayako's published case studies and testimonials for vendor-provided success stories, and reach out to references during procurement to verify claims such as backlog reduction percentages and cost savings. For aggregated user reviews consult G2 and Capterra and for vendor case studies see Kayako case studies (https://www.kayako.com/case-studies).