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In an increasingly connected world, providing world-class customer service is important for businesses. To accomplish this, many turn to customer service solutions like Freshdesk that offer automation tools. However, while Freshdesk can be a comprehensive tool for some, it might not be the perfect fit for every business. Different businesses have varying needs, and what works for one might not necessarily work for another.
There are numerous great customer service software alternatives to Freshdesk. In this article, we delve into the 4 best Freshdesk alternatives for customer service software.
What is customer service software?
Customer support software, sometimes known as customer service software, is a specialized platform utilized by companies to manage customer conversations and address their support requests. This software typically encompasses a broad range of features, including:
- Systems for managing tickets
- Live chat options
- Omnichannel support across email, SMS, and telephone
- Integration with social media
- The ability to establish a knowledge base
The main aim of such software is to streamline the process of addressing customer queries and complaints, thereby improving the service quality and customer engagement.
Employing customer service software has numerous advantages:
- It enables the streamlined and centralized handling of customer inquiries, thereby shortening response times and elevating service standards.
- It facilitates comprehensive analytics and reports, allowing businesses to monitor service quality, pinpoint recurring problems, and enhance overall customer satisfaction.
- It automates routine customer service operations, allowing customer support agents to concentrate on more challenging issues and a shortened customer service education.
Key components of customer service technology
Two primary technological solutions integral to effective customer service are:
1- Customer service software
Providing customer support across multiple platforms and keeping up with rising customer demands can be demanding for customer service teams. To counter this issue, many companies employ a customer service software solution. These tools streamline support tasks, boost response speed, and augment customer satisfaction.
It is not possible to list all the features of a customer service platform in an article, as these are complex tools that include a variety of features. However, typically, customer service software includes these main features:
- Omnichannel support
- Ticketing system
- Automated intelligent routing
- Integration with CRM
- Live chat and chatbots
- Reporting and analytics of customer data
- Customization
Nevertheless, additional unique features are necessary to choose the best software from a sea of options. Some extra features that could serve as selection criteria include:
2- Customer self service tools
Customer self-service tools are designed to empower customers to access information and complete tasks without the need for live interaction with a customer support team. These tools can either be integrated into customer service software or used separately. They encompass:
- Automated responses
- Knowledge base articles
- Customer forums
- Chatbots
- A customer portal
The primary benefit of these tools is their ability to provide immediate assistance. There are also additional software solutions such as help desk software, contact center software, etc. for customer service operations other than customer service software.
Given these points, below we assessed Freshdesk’s customer service software and its alternatives.
Freshdesk Evaluation
Features
- Intelligent chatbots
- Customer feedback and survey tools
- 1000+ software integrations
- 50+ supported languages
- Self service options
- Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, LinkedIn integration
User ratings (out of 5)
Pricing
- Starting from $15 per seat/month
- 21 days free trial
Cons
- Some users find Freshdesk’s customization very limited.
- Although Freshdesk’s starting price looks cheaper compared to the other 5 alternatives, users complain that it gets very expensive when integrating additional features and increasing the agent number.
Best Freshdesk Alternatives
1- Salesforce Service Cloud
Features
- Intelligent chatbots (in premium plans)
- Customer feedback and survey tools (in premium plans)
- Software integrations (not detailed)
- 30+ supported languages
- Self service options (add-on)
- Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube integration
User ratings (out of 5)
Pricing
- Starting from €25 per seat/month
- 30 days free trial
Pros
- Free trial period is longer than the other alternatives.
- Salesforce Service Cloud has a wide range of social media integration opportunities.
- The platform offers generative AI assistance to its users, which is appreciated by its users.
Cons
- Salesforce Service Cloud can require additional packages for having the best of its capabilities.
- Small business users have difficulty in using Desk.com, which is a small business version of Salesforce Service Cloud.
- Some users find it hard to set up and get used to the platform.
Sponsored:
Salesforce is the CRM market leader and Salesforce Service Cloud platform designed specifically for customer service and support with AI-driven assistants. Service Cloud enables workflow automation for many branches of the customer service by streamlining customer support processes, managing cases, and providing an exceptional customer experience by centralizing customer interactions and data in one unified platform.
2- Hubspot Service Hub
Features
- Intelligent chatbots
- Customer feedback and survey tools (in premium plans)
- 1000+ software integrations
- 10+ supported languages
- Self service options
- Facebook integration
User ratings (Out of 5)
Pricing
- Starting from $150/month (up to 5 seats)
- Free version available
Pros
- HubSpot Service Hub offers integration possibilities with other business apps and software.
- Users find HubSpot’s knowledge base very successful.
Cons
- Hubspot Service Hub’s social media integrations are limited.
- Its multilingual options are limited.
- Users complain that the interface is too complicated to proceed smoothly.
3- Intercom
Features
- Customer feedback and survey tools (add-on)
- 350+ software integrations
- 35+ supported languages
- Self service options
- Facebook and Instagram integration
User ratings (Out of 5)
Pricing
- Contact Intercom for pricing
- 14 days trial for 2 seats
Pros
- Users state that the Intercom platform has a user friendly interface and it is easy to navigate.
Cons
- Pricing policy is not transparent.
- Intercom doesn’t offer intelligent chatbots, which are important tools for today’s customer service.
- Some users indicate that the tool can slow down occasionally.
4- Zendesk
Features
- Intelligent chatbots
- Customer feedback and survey tools (in premium plans)
- 1000+ software integrations
- 40+ supported languages
- Self service options
- Facebook, Instagram, Twitter integration
User ratings (out of 5)
Pricing
- Starting from $49 per seat/month
- 14 days free trial
Pros
- Users generally find Zendesk easy to use and user friendly.
Cons
- Some users find Zendesk’s out of the box functionality and customization flexibility restrictive.
- Tickets can be suspended from time to time according to some users.
For more on customer service
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Cem has been the principal analyst at AIMultiple since 2017. AIMultiple informs hundreds of thousands of businesses (as per similarWeb) including 55% of Fortune 500 every month.
Cem’s work has been cited by leading global publications including Business Insider, Forbes, Washington Post, global firms like Deloitte, HPE and NGOs like World Economic Forum and supranational organizations like European Commission. You can see more reputable companies and resources that referenced AIMultiple.
Throughout his career, Cem served as a tech consultant, tech buyer and tech entrepreneur. He advised enterprises on their technology decisions at McKinsey & Company and Altman Solon for more than a decade. He also published a McKinsey report on digitalization.
He led technology strategy and procurement of a telco while reporting to the CEO. He has also led commercial growth of deep tech company Hypatos that reached a 7 digit annual recurring revenue and a 9 digit valuation from 0 within 2 years. Cem’s work in Hypatos was covered by leading technology publications like TechCrunch like Business Insider.
Cem regularly speaks at international technology conferences. He graduated from Bogazici University as a computer engineer and holds an MBA from Columbia Business School.
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