Help Scout on the other hand can be best described as a customer-centric tool. They have done an incredible job at building somewhat of a community around their software. Basic service`s feature is a huge number of out-of-the-box integrations.

So yeah, two essential things that Zendesk lacks in comparison to Intercom are in-app messages and email marketing tools. Intercom on the other hand lacks many ticketing functionality that can be essential for big companies with a huge customer support load. Zendesk’s customer support is also very fast, though their live chat is only available for registered users. All interactions with customers be it via phone, chat, email, social media, or any other channel are landing in one dashboard, where your agents can solve them fast and efficiently. There’s a plethora of features to help bigger teams collaborate more effectively — like private notes or real-time view of who’s handling a given ticket at the moment, etc.

Help Scout vs. Zendesk vs. Intercom vs. Front (What Help Desk Software Should I Use?)

The admin and manager dashboard provides a zoomed-out view of all activity taking place in each inbox, for whole departments and individual agents. Agents can respond in any channel by typing in the text box and have access to deep customer experience history and background in the right-hand column. Intercom wins the reporting and analytics category due to its unique visualization and display formats for contact center and article data.

Zendesk and Intercom also both offer analytics and reporting capabilities that allow businesses to analyze and monitor customer agents’ productivity. As a result, companies can identify trends and areas for improvement, allowing them to continuously improve their support processes and provide better service to their customers. Users can benefit from using Intercom’s CX platform and AI software as a standalone tool for business messaging. Why don’t you try something equally powerful yet more affordable, like HelpCrunch? It combines live chat, chatbot, knowledge base, in-app messenger, and auto message functionality with help desk features like shared inbox, customer profiles, tags, etc.

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If you’re looking for a Zendesk alternative that’s easy to use and cost-effective, Groove might be a great fit for your business. Front is an all-in-one customer service platform that helps teams provide personalized and efficient customer service. With Front, you can manage different channels from one central hub, allowing teams to quickly respond to inquiries and collaborate with each other for a streamlined workflow. Additionally, Front allows customers to self-serve with its self-service portal feature which can be customized to match your brand’s look and feel. Intercom’s intuitive design makes for a seamless user experience— from onboarding to  daily use.

If you’re an enterprise organization and need an all in one customer support solution,

Zendesk would be a great fit. Jetdocs is a collaborative ticketing solution that is integrated into Microsoft Teams and Slack. We empower your teams to create no-code workflows that standardize your processes and connect your teams. No single software package can meet the needs of every business, which is why there are so many different options presented in this comparison. If you are interested in affordable alternatives to Intercom, it is your safest bet. Interestingly enough, many small businesses prefer instant messaging tools powered by Facebook.

Reasons Why You Might Need an Intercom Alternative

The customizable live chat tool also stands out with features such as auto-reply and canned replies. The platform, which stands out with its easy use, has been developed for businesses to professionally manage instant customer communications. Gist not only has a support system but also a marketing automation platform (sold separately), they are very close to Intercom in what they do and have similar features. One thing unique about Gist is while their base plan starts at $29/mo with 5 users included, their $99/mo plan includes unlimited users making it a perfect and affordable suite for large teams. They have been around for years, are reliable and many large enterprises use them.

In the decision stage, it is necessary to consider the size of the company, its goals, and its needs. It’s especially not right for you if customers need

to be able to login to something to see the status of their requests. Enchant also

doesn’t have certain features like metadialog.com public discussion boards. Enchant, on the other hand, is made for small and medium businesses. We have all the functionality

you need, in a powerful and affordable solution. Zendesk targets enterprise organizations, which have both unique requirements and large budgets.

Other alternatives to Intercom

Lots of users complain that Intercom support is not available most of the time, so you’re forced to repeat your question over and over again to a bot. And when they do answer, they’re usually not even helpful or will try to transfer you to the sales department right away. If you thought that Zendesk prices were confusing, let me introduce you to the Intercom charges.

Like with many other apps, Zapier seems to be the best and most simple way to connect Intercom to Zendesk. The main idea here is to rid the average support agent of a slew of mundane and repetitive tasks, giving them more time and mental energy to help customers with tougher issues. Every single bit of business SaaS in the world needs to leverage the efficiency power of workflows and automation. Customer service systems like Zendesk and Intercom should provide a simple workflow builder as well as many pre-built automations which can be used right out of the box. As for the category of voice and phone features, Zendesk is a clear winner. Zendesk Support has voicemail, text messages, and embedded voice, and it displays the phone number on the widget.

Self-service saves time for you and your customers

To sum things up, one can get really confused trying to make sense of the Zendesk suite pricing, let alone to calculate costs. If you’d want to test Intercom vs Zendesk before deciding on a tool for good, they both provide free trials for 14 days. But sooner or later you’ll have to decide on the subscription plan, and here’s what you’ll have to pay.

Use its desktop or mobile app for your team and easily access a number of their features without having a premium plan. This is a great solution if you’re looking to set up, expand, or manage your own call center. Easily buy a new number, manage your call center team, and access features that can help your team support its customers. Freshdesk is a more unique Intercom alternative, as it offers the functionality to support businesses that use call centers for customer support.