AWS used this year’s re:Invent event to unveil a new Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with Zendesk, signaling a tighter alignment aimed at accelerating the development and adoption of AI-powered contact center technologies.
Under the agreement, Zendesk will integrate Amazon Connect voice capabilities, along with conversational and sentiment analytics, directly into its contact center platform.
The move supports Zendesk’s ambition to bring voice, digital, and AI automation together within a single environment.
Adrian McDermott, CTO at Zendesk, positioned the collaboration as a response to growing operational strain across service teams, stating:
“Our collaboration with AWS addresses a critical industry challenge: contact centers are drowning in fragmented systems that create friction instead of resolution.”
He added that the companies aim to build “the next generation of agent-centric solutions, where AI is seamlessly integrated — not bolted on — ensuring every interaction across channels, agents, and systems drives resolution.”
The announcement follows rising pressure on enterprises to modernize customer service infrastructure. Many contact centers still operate with disconnected tools, making it difficult to deliver consistent service across channels.
Zendesk and AWS believe that combining Amazon Connect’s voice stack with Zendesk’s AI for customer service will give organizations a more cohesive foundation for handling calls, messaging, and automated support.
Pasquale DeMaio, Vice President of Amazon Connect at AWS, noted that the agreement extends a long-running partnership.
“Zendesk’s recognition as AWS’ Customer Experience Partner of the Year (Technology) – Global showcases their commitment to contact center innovation on AWS,” he said.
The SCA, he continued, “deepens our partnership by connecting Amazon Connect’s AI capabilities—including agents that reason and assist representatives—with Zendesk’s automation platform.
“Together, we’re empowering human-AI collaboration to enhance customer experiences, improve efficiency, and build trust.”
So, let’s take a closer look at how the SCA plans to deliver on DeMaio’s promises.
Unpacking the SCA
Zendesk Contact Center already runs on Amazon Connect, supported by the AI-first Zendesk Resolution Platform.
The platform is positioned to unify channels, data, and agent workflows while helping organizations retire fragmented legacy architectures.
Zendesk highlights its ability to drive faster resolutions across voice, self-service, and digital touchpoints.
Early customer outcomes are feeding momentum behind the joint approach. TELUS Digital recently supported a telecommunications client using Zendesk Contact Center deployed on AWS infrastructure.