Support Coach vs Zendesk QA: before the reply or after it
Zendesk QA reviews conversations after they close. Support Coach checks the reply before it's sent.
They work at opposite ends of the conversation.
| Feature | Support Coach | Zendesk QA |
|---|---|---|
| When it acts | Before the reply is sent | After the conversation has happened |
| Who sees it first | The agent, in the reply box | A reviewer or manager, in a dashboard |
| What it reads | Only the agent's draft | The conversation |
| Coverage | Every reply the agent chooses to check | Automatic scoring of every conversation |
| Scorecards and calibration | No | Yes, with disputes |
| Reporting across the team | Coaching activity and trends in the Support Coach Dashboard | QA reporting across agents and teams |
| Works in | Zendesk, Intercom, Zoho SalesIQ (Chrome extension) | Zendesk |
| Price | $15 per agent per month, or $120 per year | $35 per agent per month, billed yearly, added to a Zendesk plan |
| Trial | 14 days, no card | On request from Zendesk |
| Setup | Install the extension, sign in | Turn on automatic reviews in Zendesk and set up a scorecard |
Zendesk QA details are from its own website, checked on November 11, 2026, and can change. Check the current details there: Zendesk QA product page, Zendesk pricing, Zendesk QA admin guide.
Choose Zendesk QA if
you need a formal QA program: scorecards, reviewer workflows, calibration, and reporting you can take to leadership.
Choose Support Coach if
your team is small, nobody has time to review conversations every week, and the problem you feel is the reply that should never have been sent.
Use both if
you already run QA and keep finding the same tone problems in review. QA tells you the pattern; a pre-send check interrupts it.
What Support Coach does not do
It doesn't score closed conversations, it doesn't replace a reviewer, and it won't give you a QA score per agent.