Zendesk Experience Research Panel Review (Details + Rating)

The Zendesk Experience Research Panel sounds appealing. It claims that if you join, you can give feedback and perhaps earn something for your time. But like with any “get-paid to give feedback” opportunity, the details matter.

How it works, what you can actually earn, who can join, those are the key questions.

In this Zendesk Experience Research Panel review, I’ll walk you through all of that, so you can decide if this one’s a good fit for you.

So, let’s dive in.

What is Zendesk Experience Research Panel, and what does it offer?

The Experience Research Panel is a program by Zendesk where you register as a participant, and then you may be invited to user experience research studies to help shape future Zendesk products. So, to be clear, you’ll mostly be testing the Zendesk user interface.

Now, in case you are wondering, yes, it is legit because it is from one of the largest, well-known software companies that provides customer service and support solutions to businesses around the world. But is it worth it, though?

Well, the only way to find out is to examine the earning opportunity it offers. That way, you will have a clear idea of how good it is. So, here’s how you can potentially earn from the Zendesk Experience Research Panel.

The earning opportunity – Research studies

The only way you can potentially earn from it is by participating in research studies. I say “potentially” because some research studies don’t offer any rewards. The way it works is that once you join the panel, you will receive an email invitation from a zendesk.com email address.

The invite will contain the full details of the study, including whether or not it offers any compensation. If you decide to accept the invitation, you just reply to the email and tell them you accept. Once that’s done, all that’s left is to do what it is asking you to do by following the instructions given to you.

As for the type of studies you will have to work on, it’s quite varied. As you can see in the photo above, it can be anything from usability testing, diary studies, interviews, and online surveys. Some studies will be done remotely, while others will require you to go to a certain location.

There are even studies where a Zendesk representative will be the one to go to your location. Now, one thing you can expect from these tests is that, if it’s not an online survey opportunity, then it will require quite some time to complete.

Most usability testing or interview opportunities can take up to around 30 to 60 minutes to complete, so make sure you have ample time to complete one before you accept the invitation. Now, keep in mind that all the studies will involve testing their proprietary software, so if you are looking to test various types of software, this is not your best option, in my opinion.

As for the availability of its studies, here’s what you need to know. The website says they will only contact you for research-related opportunities, no more than once every two months. Aside from that, you also have to keep in mind that not all studies offer rewards. So, the opportunities to earn will be quite limited.

So, if you are looking for something you can regularly earn from, this is not for you, in my opinion. When I tested the panel, I didn’t get any invite even after a couple of weeks, so you have to be very patient.

Recommended: Check Out the Best User Testing Sites That Pay

How do you get paid?

Now, here’s where Zendesk is not quite clear with what it offers. It says on its website that paid research studies will reward you with either digital gift cards or a Zendesk swag bag. As to what the contents of the swag bag are, they don’t say.

Usually, based on my experience, they are things like a coffee mug with a Zendesk logo, or maybe even a Zendesk shirt. Again, I’m just guessing here because they don’t tell you exactly what the rewards are.

What I’m sure about is that they don’t offer any cash rewards. So, if your goal is to earn extra cash, then this is not for you.

Overall, I would say its reward system isn’t that great because you don’t exactly know how it works right from the start. It would have been better if they had at least explained how the reward system works. That way, you would know exactly what you are getting into.

If you prefer sites that use a convenient payout method, or if you are looking to earn cash, I recommend you check out the top sites that pay via PayPal instead.

How much money can you make?

I will tell you right now that the Zendesk Experience Research Panel is not a great platform for those looking to earn extra cash. The main reason why I say this is that the earning opportunities are quite limited.

As mentioned earlier, you should only expect to receive study invites once every two months, which is a very low rate, in my opinion. The main value it offers is that it lets you help shape the future products of Zendesk.

If that doesn’t sound appealing to you, then you should not join this platform.

Can you use it on mobile?

Zendesk Experience Research Panel doesn’t have a member dashboard you can log in to. As explained earlier, the invitation will be sent via email. So, you can check if there are opportunities for you using your mobile phone, since you can easily check your email inbox from your phone.

But that’s about the only thing you can do on your phone. For the work that needs to be done, you’ll need to sit in front of a computer. Unless the study requires you to use a mobile phone, you’ll really need to use a computer.

Who can join the Zendesk Experience Research Panel?

Zendesk mainly looks for people who already use their products in a professional setting. That includes support agents or admins from companies with over 100 employees, as well as in-house or commercial developers who actively work with Zendesk tools.

But even if you don’t fit that exact profile, you can still sign up, since it is available worldwide. Zendesk encourages all customers to join the panel. You might still get invited if your background matches what they need for a particular study.

To register, you must answer the registration survey. It only takes a couple of minutes to do so. After that, Zendesk will ask you if you are willing to answer an additional survey that can help match you with research studies.

I suggest you do so to increase your chances of getting matched. It won’t take that long to finish. Once you are done, you’ll be included in their participant database. Then, all that’s left is to wait for an invite from Zendesk.

It’s a fairly straightforward process, in my opinion.

Can you get support?

Zendesk Experience Research Panel has an FAQ you can check out, but it only discusses some of the basic topics of the program. It has a Help Center, but it mainly focuses on questions regarding the Zendesk platform and not about the research panel.

So, if you have questions about the panel, you’ll have to get in touch with the support department. To do so, just click the Message icon at the lower right-hand corner of the Help Center page. Then, you will be able to communicate with its AI agent.

Overall, I would say it does provide decent support to its members. After all, Zendesk specializes in providing customer support. That being said, I wish they would at least be transparent with the rewards they offer, so that interested individuals will know exactly what they are getting if they sign up for the panel.

Final Verdict

Zendesk Experience Research Panel is a legit platform that will let you potentially earn rewards by providing feedback regarding its products. It has some decent features, but it also has certain limitations you must consider.

To help you with your decision, here’s a summary of its pros and cons, so you can see a clear overview of what it offers.

In my opinion, Zendesk Experience Research Panel is not for everyone. If your goal is to earn extra cash, this is not the best option because of the limited earning opportunities available. It also doesn’t help that it is not transparent with its reward system.

But if the quality of Zendesk products matters to you, then joining this site is a great way to help ensure that, which, in my opinion, is the true purpose of this platform.

Now, if you are looking to earn extra cash, I recommend you check out the top survey and GPT sites in your country instead. The sites and apps on this list all have good earning potential, so you can earn a decent amount quickly.

If you have any comments, questions, or experiences with Zendesk Experience Research Panel, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.