Intercom vs Zendesk 2023: A Comprehensive Comparison

ThriveDesk is a help desk software tailor-made for businesses seeking extensive features and a powerful yet simple live chat assistant. Even better, it’s the most cost-effective, lightweight, and speedy live chat solution available for Shopify business owners. When comparing Zendesk and Intercom, evaluating their core features and functionalities is essential to determine which platform best suits your organization’s customer support needs. Let’s explore how Zendesk and Intercom stack up in terms of basic functionalities required by a helpdesk software.

Pipedrive offers access to app integrations built by Pipedrive and third-party vendors, including Zendesk. But unlike the Zendesk sales CRM, Pipedrive does not seamlessly integrate with native customer service software and relies on third-party alternatives. With Sprinklr Reporting and Analytics, you can map your end-to-end customer journey and monitor, respond to, or mitigate critical events in real time. You can even monitor conversations happening in real-time across 30+ channels, analyze your team’s performance, identify skill issues and coach your teams with targeted insights.

You’d probably want to know how much it costs to get each platform for your business, so let’s talk money now. You can publish your self-service resources, divide them by categories, and integrate them with your messenger to accelerate the whole chat experience. Well, I must admit, the tool is gradually transforming from a platform for communicating with users to a tool that helps you automate every aspect of your routine.

• In this article, we’ll compare Zendesk vs Intercom to find out which is the right customer support tool for you.
• Core features include automated support powered by a knowledge base, a streamlined ticketing system built around messaging, and a powerful inbox to centralize all customer queries.
• It will seamlessly integrate with Slack and offers everything you need for your favorite communication platform.
• Additionally, the platform allows users to customize their experience by setting up automation workflows, creating ticket rules, and utilizing analytics.

Zendesk, on the other hand, has revamped its security since its security breach in 2016. With Zendesk, you can anticipate customer questions, allowing for shorter reply periods. With its CRM, you have the ability to place your clients in your sales funnels and follow through with them until conversion. Finally, you’ll have to choose your reporting preferences including details about what you’ll be tracking and how often you want to be reported of changes. As an avid learner interested in all things tech, Jelisaveta always strives to share her knowledge with others and help people and businesses reach their goals. You can foun additiona information about ai customer service and artificial intelligence and NLP. Discover how this Shopify store used Tidio to offer better service, recover carts, and boost sales.

Best Hiver Alternative Platforms for Customer Support Teams in 2023

Businsses need to do a cost analysis whenever they select customer service software for their business. You cannot invest much in this software if you are a small business, as it would exceed the budget requirements. Intercom also provides fast time to value for smaller and mid-sized businesses with limitations for large-scale companies.

Learn about features, customize your experience, and find out how to set up integrations and use our apps. If you require a robust helpdesk with powerful ticketing and reporting features, Zendesk is the better choice, particularly for complex support queries. To make your ticket handling a breeze, Customerly offers an intuitive, all-in-one platform that consolidates customer inquiries from various channels into a unified inbox. As the name suggests, it’s a more sales-oriented solution with robust contact and deal management tools as well.

Their basic plan is cheaper than Zendesk, but you’ll not get to use any of their AI-powered add-ons. Intercom, on the other hand, is a better choice for those valuing comprehensive and user-friendly support, despite minor navigation issues. If you’d want to test Zendesk and Intercom before deciding on a tool for good, they both provide free trials. Intercom has a standard trial period for a SaaS product which is 14 days, while Zendesk offers a 30-day trial. If I had to describe Intercom’s help desk, I would say it’s rather a complementary tool to their chat tools.

Which offers more customization, Intercom or Zendesk?

First, you can only talk to the support team if you are a registered user. On the other hand, Intercom enables agents to convert a conversation into a ticket with one click. This helps support teams to resolve customer issues without losing context. Handle conversations, manage tickets, and resolve issues quickly to improve your CSAT.

One place Intercom really shines as a standalone CRM is its data utility. Intercom’s chatbot feels a little more robust than Zendesk’s (though it’s worth noting that some features are only available at the Engage and Convert tiers). You can set office hours, live chat with logged-in users via their user profiles, and set up a chatbot.

If you’re a really small business or a startup, you can benefit big time from such free tools. Intercom is a great choice for companies seeking a more rounded solution for managing customer relationships, with strong sales and marketing features. Its extensive automation capabilities are a bonus for businesses seeking to streamline their customer interactions. Intercom bills itself first and foremost as a platform to make the business of customer service more personalized, among other things.

If you own a business, you’re in a fierce battle to deliver personalized customer experiences that stand out. Keep up with emerging trends in customer service and learn from top industry experts. Master Tidio with in-depth guides and uncover real-world success stories in our case studies.

The cheapest (aka Essential) ‘All of Intercom’ package will cost you $136 per month, but if you only need their essential chat tools only, you can get them for $49 per month. Intercom wins the automation round due to its extensive range of automation features. Zendesk’s omnichannel dashboard and streamlined resolution processes give it a significant advantage over Intercom in the ticketing category. As for Intercom’s general pricing structure, there are three plans, but you’ll have to contact them to get exact prices.

By team

With a mix of productivity, collaboration, eCommerce, CRM, analytics, email marketing, social media, and other tools, you get the option to create an omnichannel suite. Zendesk is an AI-powered service solution that’s easy to set up, use, and scale. It works out-of-the-box and is easy to modify when changes arise, helping businesses move faster. In leveraging cutting-edge AI, Zendesk empowers service teams to resolve customer issues more quickly and accurately. Founded in 2007, Zendesk started off as a ticketing tool for customer support teams. It was later when they started adding all kinds of other tools like when they bought out Zopim live chat and just integrated it with their toolset.

They can help you track every step a customer takes, from browsing to buying, spotting any bumps along the way. Fixing these friction points not only makes the journey smoother but also increases the chances they’ll hit “buy” and come back happy for more. Here’s a collection of customer experience software for you to evaluate and choose from.

Our robust, no-code integrations enable you to adapt our software to new and growing use cases. Compared to Zendesk, Intercom offers few integrations, which may hinder its scalability. Both Zendesk and Intercom offer customer service software with AI capabilities—however, they are not created equal.

So, bringing CX into the fold with your brand’s core promise is downright essential, not just nice-to-have. Ever find yourself scrambling to remember all the great things you did at work when performance review time rolls around? How do you handle an inbox overflowing with fan queries, brand deal offers, collaboration requests, and the occasional… Moreover, these are new prices as they’re in the middle of changing their pricing policy right now (and they’re definitely not getting cheaper). If you thought Zendesk’s pricing was confusing, let me introduce you to Intercom’s pricing.

However, businesses must choose between Chat GPT based on their needs and requirements. They have a dedicated help section that provides instructions on how to set up and effectively use Intercom. Intercom is better for smaller companies that are looking for a simple and capable customer service platform.

Still, considering that such companies do not have a large budget for investing in CRM software, they should carefully consider all plans. On the other hand, Intercom may have a lower ROI when compared to Zendesk due to the limited depth of features it offers. Although it provides businesses with valuable messaging and automation tools, they may require more than this to achieve a higher level of functionality. Companies might assume that using Intercom increases costs, potentially impacting businesses’ ROI.

While it’s a separate product with separate costs, it does integrate seamlessly with Zendesk’s customer service platform. If you want to get to the nitty-gritty of your customer service team’s performance, Zendesk is the way to go. Traditional ticketing systems are one of the major customer service bottlenecks companies want to solve with automation. Intelligent automated ticketing helps streamline customer service management and handling inquiries while reducing manual work. If you’re here, it’s safe to assume that you’re looking for a new customer service solution to support your teams and delight your audience. As two of the giants of the industry, it’s only natural that you’d reach a point where you’re comparing Zendesk vs Intercom.

The Zendesk marketplace is also where you can get a lot of great add-ons. There are also several different Shopify integrations to choose from, as well as CRM integrations like HubSpot and Salesforce. No matter what Zendesk Suite plan you are on, you get workflow triggers, which are simple business rules-based actions to streamline many tasks. The learning and knowledgebase category is another one where it is a close call between Zendesk and Intercom.

Considering all the features of Zendesk, including robust ticketing, messaging, a help center, and chatbots, we can say that Zendesk excels in being the top customer support platform. With a multi-channel ticketing system, Zendesk Support helps you and your team to know exactly who you’re talking to and keep track of tickets throughout all channels without losing context. The setup is designed to seamlessly connect your customer support team with customers across all platforms. The customer support platform starts at just $5 per agent per month, which is a very basic customer support tool. If you want dashboard reporting and integrations, you’ll need to pay $19 per agent per month.

Their template triggers are fairly limited with only seven options, but they do enable users to create new custom triggers, which can be a game-changer for agents with more complex workflows. In a nutshell, none of the customer support software companies provide decent user assistance. Often, it’s a centralized platform for managing inquiries and issues from different channels.

With Zendesk, even our most basic plans include a robust selection of features, including custom data fields, sales triggers, email tracking, text messaging, and call tracking and recording. In addition to third-party integrations, Zendesk offers a range of native integrations with its products, including Zendesk Support, Zendesk Chat, and Zendesk Talk. These integrations allow businesses to streamline workflow and provide a seamless customer experience across multiple channels. In addition to Intercom vs Zendesk, alternative helpdesk solutions are available in the market. ThriveDesk is a feature-rich helpdesk solution that offers a comprehensive set of tools to manage customer support effectively.

As we explore the latest CX trends for 2024, there’s a need to bridge the gap between what businesses perceive and what customers actually experience. Our ebook delves into these discrepancies and walks you through the precise way you can use AI and automation to bring your experiences at par with what your customers expect. This means smoother transitions, interfaces that are a breeze to navigate and features that make sense for on-the-go users. Customer experience tools use analytics to turn data into a goldmine of insights that help you get ahead. CX tools help visualize and analyze the entire customer journey, identifying bottlenecks or drop-off points.

Intercom is praised as an affordable option with high customization capabilities, allowing businesses to create a personalized support experience. Although the interface may require a learning curve, users find the platform effective and functional. However, Intercom has fewer integration options than Zendesk, which may limit its capabilities for businesses seeking extensive integrations. A helpdesk solution’s user experience and interface are crucial in ensuring efficient and intuitive customer support.

If you are looking for a comprehensive customer support solution with a wide range of features, Zendesk is a good option. If money is limited for your business, a help desk that can be a Zendesk alternative or an Intercom alternative is ThriveDesk. Choose the plan that suits your support requirements and budget, whether you’re a small team or a growing enterprise. Streamline support processes with Intercom’s ticketing system and knowledge base. Efficiently manage customer inquiries and empower customers to find answers independently.

Features typically include customer self-service, feedback collection and omnichannel customer service. Overall, both Intercom and Zendesk are reliable and effective customer support tools, and the choice between the two ultimately depends on the specific needs and priorities of the user. They offer an omnichannel chat solution that integrates with multiple messaging platforms and marketing channels and even automates incoming support processes with bots.

Both the platforms offer valuable automation features, and the optimal choice depends on your business’s specific needs. That makes the design very familiar and user-friendly, for both customers and agents. When you’re choosing the right tool that can help you do this, Zendesk and Intercom are two popular names that are likely to come up. Both are known for their range of https://chat.openai.com/ features – AI, analytics, automation, and ticketing, amongst others. Their help desk is a single inbox to handle customer requests, where your customer support agents can leave private notes for each other and automatically assign requests to the right people. Intercom is 4 years younger than Zendesk and has fancied itself as a messaging platform right from the beginning.

If I had to describe Intercom’s helpdesk, I would say it’s rather a complementary tool to their chat tools. Intercom primarily focuses on messaging but offers limited channel breadth compared to Zendesk, requiring paid add-ons for critical channels like WhatsApp. Leave your email below and a member of our team will personally get in touch to show you how Fullview can help you solve support tickets in half the time.

Both tools can be quite heavy on your budget since they mainly target big enterprises and don’t offer their full toolset at an affordable price. You can use both Zendesk and Intercom simultaneously to leverage their respective strengths and provide comprehensive customer support across different channels and touchpoints. Missouri Star Quilt Company is one of the world’s largest online retailers of fabric and quilting supplies, shipping thousands of orders a day. After struggling with different customer service solutions, Missouri Star Quilt Company turned to Zendesk for service and sales.

The dashboard follows a streamlined approach with a single inbox for customer inquiries. Here, agents can deal with customers directly, leave notes for each other to enable seamless handovers, or convert tickets into self-help resources. As the place where your agents will be spending most of their time, a functional and robust Helpdesk will be critical to their overall performance and experience.

Intercom also charges additional charges for specific features, such as charging $0.99 for every resolution. This eventually adds to overall business costs, so they carefully need to consider all plans and budgets before making a decision. Easily reply to customer conversations and manage workload in a smart & automated way. Personalized messaging, in-app messaging, product tours, and chatbot capabilities set Intercom apart from Zendesk. Here is a Zendesk vs. Intercom based on the customer support offered by these brands. Intercom users often mention how impressed they are with its ease of use and their ability to quickly create useful tasks and set up automations.

With all accounted for, it seems that Zendesk still has a number of user interface issues. Since Zendesk has many features, it takes a while to learn how to use the options you’ll be needing. When it comes to Intercom, it reserves SSO and identity management for its higher-priced tier plan as an add-on. Customerly’s reporting tools are built on the principle that you can’t improve what you can’t measure. What’s more, we support live video support for moments when your customers need in-depth guidance.

Automated triggers, saved responses, and live chat analytics are all baked in. The only other downside is that the chat widget can feel a bit zendesk vs intercom static and outdated. When comparing chatbots, it’s important to consider their level of intelligence, “trainability,” and customization.

• Not to mention its advanced reporting capabilities, customizable dashboards, and seamless mobile app experience for an always-on approach to service.
• Zendesk and Intercom are both incredibly powerful customer support tools, and they have their own strengths and weaknesses.
• Whether it’s the platform’s security or response needed in times of crisis, Sprinklr’s Trust Center ensures you’re ever ready to combat any mishaps with stealth and precision.

Though Intercom chat window says that their team typically replies in a few hours, I received the answer in a couple of minutes. Their agent was always trying to convert me into a lead along the way, but heck, that’s a side effect of our job. What can be really inconvenient about Zendesk, though is how their tools integrate with each other when you need to use them simultaneously. As I’ve already mentioned, they started as a help desk/ticketing tool, and honestly, they perfected every bit of it over the years. As it turns, it’s quite difficult to compare Zendesk against Intercom as they serve different purposes and will fit different businesses. Although it’s a close call, Zendesk’s responsive and sleek interface gives it an edge in the messaging category.

Zendesk excels in traditional ticket management and offers a robust set of feature. On the other hand, Intercom’s cutting-edge AI capabilities and in-app messaging features help companies provide a more intuitive and on-the-go customer support. On the contrary, Intercom’s pricing is far less predictable and can cost hundreds/thousands of dollars per month. But this solution wins because it’s an all-in-one tool with a modern live chat widget, allowing you to improve your customer experiences easily.