Compare the Certainly and Zendesk Widgets

You have two options when it comes to using a Certainly chatbot that connects to Zendesk: using the Zendesk Widget, or using the Certainly Widget to connect to Zendesk Support.

Below, we'll explore the pros and cons of each:

Using the Zendesk Widget
Using the Certainly Widget to connect to Zendesk Support

Using the Zendesk Widget

In this option, the Zendesk Widget connects to Zendesk while exchanging data with the Certainly server.

Pros	Cons
Access to the handover functionality, which is very useful for companies that may need to hand the end user over to a human customer support professional if the bot cannot solve the end user's problem. Everything is located in the Zendesk Suite, which allows you to easily access past conversations and keep track of tickets, agents, reports, and so on.	A Zendesk Suite Enterprise-level subscription is needed, which, depending on your number of agents, can end up being a relatively pricey affair. Limitations of the Zendesk widget when it comes to styling and supporting the rendering of media elements or Cards in the chat.

Using the Certainly Widget to connect to Zendesk Support

When you use the Certainly Widget, it circumvents the need for a Zendesk Chat subscription. Instead, it makes use of Webhooks to interact with Zendesk Support to create, update, and close tickets.

Because the Certainly Widget does not connect to Zendesk Chat, that means the conversations are stored on the Certainly server and are available through the Certainly platform. If you want them to be attached to your Zendesk tickets, you can easily achieve that using Webhooks to post messages live as the conversation happens.

Pros	Cons
Full flexibility—customize the Certainly Widget to your heart's content. Ability to render many types of media elements in the chat, unlike the Zendesk Widget Less expensive, as a Zendesk Suite Enterprise-level subscription is not needed	You're not able to use the handover functionality.