Zendesk is a service-first CRM company that builds software to improve customer relationships. It’s an industry leader in customer service solutions and allows businesses to view all their customer interactions in a single, dynamic interface.
Zendesk holds about 77% of the help desk market share. Moreover, the tool has been in the market for so long because of its security and stability. But what is the reason behind its dominance? What makes Zendesk so popular?
For one, it offers integrated customer support, knowledge base, smart self-service, ticketing, CRM, and live chat, etc. It also offers extensive performance reports that make it even more popular.
But no tool is perfect. Every business has specific requirements and so there is a need for specific tools. If you are one such business looking for Zendesk alternatives then we have you covered.
In this article, we’ll look for 5 such Zendesk alternatives that can be ideal for your business.
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Need for Zendesk alternatives
Zendesk has an SW score of 87% on SaaSworhty. It has also won the SaaSworthy Highly Rated Software award in the Help Desk category for Q1 2021. But despite the praise coming its way, there are a few complaints that users have with Zendesk.
Some of the common issues that people have with Zendesk are –
1. Zendesk’s overall interface looks outdated and overloaded as compared to other modern help desk tools.
2. Zendesk separates chats and email tickets. This separate management denies users the opportunity to answer customer requests in one queue.
3. Unlike in many similar tools, there is no email automation functionality in Zendesk. This lack of automated email marketing means that users cannot set automated mail sequences for customers.
4. Many new help desk tools are now offering out-of-the-box features which are not present in Zendesk.
5. Zendesk can be a little pricey for some people as the premium plans of Zendesk are on the higher side.
Top 5 Zendesk alternatives
Without any further ado, let’s quickly jump to the top 5 Zendesk alternatives.
In this article, we’ll cover the following Zendesk alternatives –
1. Freshdesk
2. Zoho Desk
3. ThriveDesk
4. Help Scout
5. Intercom
1. Freshdesk
Freshdesk is arguably the top alternative for Zendesk. If you are looking for something identical to Zendesk then Freshdesk is an obvious choice. It has similar features and even similar pricing to Zendesk.
Freshdesk focuses on usability and affordability. It allows organizations to set up automation for handling specific customer inquiries. It can perform automatic delivery of help desk tickets, prioritize inquiries based on severity, and automate responses.
It also updates real-time information and documentation so that multiple agents do not accidentally work on the same inquiry.
Freshdesk pros
a. Easy-to-use ticketing system
b. Helpdesk automation
c. Modern and intuitive design
d. Self-service experience with a knowledge base
e. Reporting and analytics feature to track metrics
f. Omnichannel support
Freshdesk cons
a. Poorer analytics
b. Limited dashboard customization
c. Can feel disintegrated compared to all-in-one solutions
d. Minor issues with automation
e. Unclear distribution of features among subscription plans
Freshdesk pricing
Its plans start at $15/agent/month (billed annually).
2. Zoho Desk
Zoho Desk is a feature-rich customer service software that is a good alternative for Zendesk. This AI-based and context-aware software is a great tool for increasing productivity. It includes an automation-powered ticketing system, making it easy to assign tickets to the right agent and informing customers automatically about ticket progress.
Zoho Desk provides an integrated support center approach, allowing organizations to offer omnichannel support.
Zoho Desk pros
a. It has an AI called Zia built for customer service teams
b. Automated ticket assignment
c. Time tracking, reports, and dashboards
d. CRM integration
e. Ticketing workflows and customized layouts
Zoho Desk cons
a. Steep learning curve
b. Limited customization in live chats
c. Settings can be confusing for some users
d. Could be a little expensive for very small operators
e. Search can be finicky at times
Zoho Desk pricing
Its plans start at $14/agent/month (billed annually).
3. ThriveDesk
ThriveDesk is an affordable and simple-to-use Zendesk alternative. It is an ideal solution for bootstrapped SaaS startups, eCommerce businesses, and small businesses. It helps easily track conversations and improve responsiveness with built-in functionalities like CRM, live chat, shared inbox, knowledge base, and a lot more.
Being a comparatively newer entrant in the market, ThriveDesk is continuously coming up with new features and integrations.
ThriveDesk pros
a. Single shared inbox for managing emails
b. CRM integration
c. Live chat, chatbot, and knowledge base
d. Automated replies from knowledge base
e. Email with unlimited addresses and email signatures
ThriveDesk cons
a. No mobile app
b. Not much tested since it’s new in the market
c. Lack of enough peer reviews
d. Search ticket and ticket merging features not available
e. Lack of markdown support
ThriveDesk pricing
Its plans start at $25/month for 5 users and 3 mailboxes.
4. Help Scout
Help Scout features in many Zendesk alternatives lists because of its robust features and ease of use. It is super accessible and effortless to set up.
It offers a shared inbox that supports tagging and collision detection and thus prevents multiple support agents to respond to the same customer request. It also offers a knowledge base, built-in messaging, and a live chat feature.
Help Scout also makes it easy for organizations to track engagement with specific customers.
Help Scout pros
a. Easy and intuitive to use
b. Outstanding customer support
c. Real-time reporting
d. Integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, Jira, and more
e. Integrated knowledge base and shared inbox
Help Scout cons
a. Knowledge base is difficult to edit
b. The tagging function takes a while to set up
c. The mobile app isn’t as good as the desktop version
d. Uploading and downloading documents can be time-consuming
e. No free version available
Help Scout pricing
Its plans start at $20/user/month (billed annually) or $25/user/month (billed monthly).
5. Intercom
Intercom is a flexible Zendesk alternative that allows organizations to build authentic relationships with their clients. It offers many innovative features for not only customer support but also for sales and marketing. This is something that Zendesk lacks since it’s only about customer support.
Users can utilize Intercom to communicate with their customers via email, live chat, in-app messaging, push notifications, etc. It also allows users to create knowledge bases.
Once a client issue has been resolved, Intercom creates a report for the company about the issues at hand. This allows them to revisit their knowledge base and make appropriate changes.
Intercom pros
a. Targeted outbound chat
b. Automated assignment rules
c. Ticketing workflows
d. Both mobile and desktop apps are on par with one another
e. Modern and incredibly easy-to-use interface
Intercom cons
a. Can get very expensive if you need advanced features or detailed reports
b. Doesn’t outperform other tools in this domain
c. Pricing can be confusing for users
d. Additional charges for active contacts
e. Limited reports
Intercom pricing
Its plans start at $59/month/1 seat.
Conclusion
So that was our list of Top 5 Zendesk alternatives. While choosing a help desk software for your business, it’s important to understand the objective of each of these tools and figure out the value it brings to your organization.
While some organizations would prefer a simple and straightforward tool, others might need an all-in-one software. Keep that in mind while choosing a Zendesk alternative for your business.
In case you need any help with choosing other SaaS tools, then check out SaaSworthy.
