The challenge
FreshBooks, a leading accounting software provider, serves small businesses with a mission to deliver extraordinary experiences that help owners grow. Tony Ho, Director of Support Operations and Technology, oversees the support technology stack — ensuring compliance, security, and seamless integration across business systems. Tony and the Security and Compliance team implemented SendSafely to secure FreshBooks' support operations.
FreshBooks needed a seamless way to secure sensitive customer data submitted to Zendesk, particularly for its Payroll, Bank Import, and Fraud/Risk teams. The Security and Compliance team mandated that sensitive files could not reside in Zendesk, where they would be exposed to every agent. An additional layer of separation was required to protect customer data and limit access to the minimum number of agents necessary — while staying as easy as possible for both agent and customer.
"Having documents available to everyone on my team makes it much easier to collaborate on complex cases and assist colleagues who are out of the office."
Carl Lippert · Program Lead, Payroll Support at FreshBooks
Three workflows, one standard
The requirement spanned three sensitive workflows. Payroll needed to secure the data gathered when onboarding new payroll customers. Risk/Fraud needed to protect the identity documentation agents collect when automated Know Your Customer (KYC) checks flag a business for manual review. And Bank Import needed to give customers' banking details the same protection inside Zendesk as payroll and identity documents.
The solution
After evaluating various options, FreshBooks selected SendSafely's Hosted Dropzone for its seamless Zendesk integration and ease of use for both agents and customers. The Dropzone gave agents a secure way to collect and access customer files directly within Zendesk — without ever exposing sensitive data inside the ticketing system.
Customers could submit required documents without navigating complex workflows, keeping the support experience frictionless. Sensitive data stayed outside Zendesk's ticketing system, aligning with FreshBooks' security policies, while shared access let different agents collaborate on a case without loosening security — all within budget.
One agent shared that using SendSafely's customer download notifications "feels like a cheat code" in providing fast, secure responses.
From the FreshBooks case study
