In today’s fast-paced business environment, delivering exceptional customer service is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. As customer expectations rise, businesses are increasingly turning to automated solutions to streamline their customer care centers. Automation not only enhances efficiency but also empowers agents to provide quicker, more personalized support. To help you navigate the landscape of available options, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the best tools to automate your customer care center tools list and elevate your customer support strategy.
1. Zendesk
Zendesk stands out as award-winning customer service software designed to enable businesses to deliver rapid, personalized customer support at scale. It’s a comprehensive solution aimed at maximizing agent productivity and ensuring a swift response to customer needs.
Agents benefit from a unified workspace that allows them to seamlessly manage customer inquiries across various channels, eliminating the inefficiency of switching between different platforms. This centralized approach provides a 360-degree view of the customer, incorporating past support interactions and offering over 1,500 readily available integrations to further enrich customer profiles. Collaboration is also streamlined, with direct integration with tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams, facilitating teamwork across departments without leaving the Zendesk interface.
Artificial intelligence is deeply integrated into the agent workspace, playing a crucial role in managing high ticket volumes while maintaining customer satisfaction. Zendesk AI intelligently identifies and categorizes incoming tickets based on priority, intent, sentiment, and language, as well as agent capacity and skill sets, ensuring tickets are routed to the most appropriate agent. Real-time AI guidance assists agents by providing ticket summaries and suggesting improvements to the tone of their responses. Leveraging data from over 18 billion real customer service interactions, Zendesk’s AI is built to understand the nuances of customer service, enabling personalized support from the outset.
Furthermore, Zendesk offers advanced reporting and analytics tools that provide insights into operational efficiency and evolving customer needs, enabling businesses to adapt proactively. Enterprise-grade security features are also in place to safeguard customer data, ensuring trust and compliance. Zendesk is designed for ease of use, promoting rapid deployment and a quick return on investment, without requiring extensive development resources or third-party consultants.
Pricing: Plans begin at $19 per agent per month, with a 14-day free trial available for exploration.
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2. Intercom
Intercom’s customer support solution focuses on leveraging automation and messaging to empower internal customer service teams. Intercom Messenger functions as an extension to existing business support systems, offering intelligent routing to direct inquiries to agents based on their expertise, availability, and customer history.
The platform creates tickets from interactions in Messenger and other channels like email, consolidating them into a shared inbox for efficient management. Messenger facilitates both live chat support and self-service options, allowing customers to find solutions independently at their own pace.
Intercom’s AI tool, Fin, provides conversational support by addressing frequently asked questions and suggesting relevant help center articles. Fin also enhances agent efficiency by summarizing conversations in the inbox and automatically filling in ticket details. The Intercom marketplace offers over 350 integrations, expanding its functionality and connectivity.
Pricing: Plans start at $39 per seat per month, with a 14-day free trial for evaluation.
Recommended reading: Learn about the Intercom integration for Zendesk and a comparison of Zendesk vs. Intercom.
3. Salesforce Service Cloud
Salesforce Service Cloud delivers a robust customer service platform that equips agents with an omnichannel workspace for comprehensive customer support. Agents can access relevant context for each ticket, including customer contact details, past interactions, and purchase history, all within their unified workspace. The Swarming feature enhances team collaboration by enabling agents with specialized skills to join dedicated Slack channels for specific cases.
Salesforce Service Cloud allows for workflow customization and automated ticket routing to ensure inquiries reach the appropriate support agent efficiently. Pre-built dashboards within the reporting and analytics features enable managers to monitor team performance across different channels. Swarming metrics, such as top responders and case resolution rates, are also available in reports.
However, it’s worth noting that Salesforce can be complex and may require a longer learning curve for users. Given that Salesforce is not solely a customer experience tool but a broader suite for sales and marketing, businesses primarily focused on enhancing customer service might find solutions specifically designed for customer experience to be more streamlined and goal-oriented.
Pricing: Plans begin at $25 per user per month, with a 30-day free trial available.
Recommended reading: Discover how Salesforce integrates with Zendesk and a comparison between Zendesk vs. Salesforce.
4. Front
Front offers a customer service solution focused on enabling users to configure automated workflows and integrate multiple channels into a unified shared inbox. This shared inbox centralizes customer inquiries, automatically consolidating communications from various channels and routing messages to the most suitable agent.
Each customer interaction is logged, providing agents with access to a complete customer history for informed support. Front incorporates collaboration features to facilitate team communication on tickets and unified reporting for analytics on team performance and customer satisfaction.
Businesses can also establish a help center within Front to support customer self-service. Knowledge base administrators have control over user permissions, determining who can create, edit, and publish content. The help center is integrated with the live chat system, allowing customers to easily switch between self-service and direct customer support.
Pricing: Plans start at $19 per seat per month, with a 7-day free trial available.
Recommended reading: Explore a comparison of Zendesk vs. Front.
5. Tidio
Tidio is a customer service platform tailored for small to midsize businesses, featuring a help desk ticketing system that allows users to organize and manage customer requests in a shared inbox. It can convert emails, live chats, and social media messages into tickets that are directed to the team inbox for centralized handling.
Tickets in Tidio are customizable, allowing users to add notes and create custom tags for better organization. The system can automatically assign tickets to agents and close them upon resolution. Automated satisfaction surveys can also be sent post-interaction to gather customer feedback.
Tidio’s live chat tool includes prewritten responses to help agents quickly address common questions. The chat window provides a real-time view of customer typing, enabling agents to prepare responses proactively. Lyro, Tidio’s conversational AI chatbot, is also available to provide automated customer support.
Pricing: Plans start at $29 per month, with a free plan and a 7-day trial option.
6. Bitrix24
Bitrix24 provides online customer support software that enables teams to offer omnichannel support and manage customer requests from a single platform. It can be configured to queue requests by channel and offers customizations like prewritten responses and wait time rules.
Every customer interaction across all channels is logged into the integrated CRM system. Bitrix24 collects customer data and automatically creates new leads for customers without existing profiles. Pre-built and customizable activity reporting features are also available.
Bitrix24’s built-in video calling functionality allows for face-to-face interactions between agents and customers for issue resolution. Features like screen sharing and recording enable agents to demonstrate solutions and provide step-by-step guidance, with session recording for future reference or training. Videoconferencing is also available for broader team collaboration, supporting group discussions with up to 48 participants.
Pricing: Plans begin at $49 per organization per month, with a free plan and a 15-day free trial offered.
7. HappyFox
HappyFox is a customer service solution and help desk management software provider that features a ticketing system designed to help teams organize requests. It offers a single customer view for omnichannel support, and through automation, customizable workflows, and AI-powered chatbots, HappyFox aims to automate routine tasks.
Managers can utilize HappyFox to manage work schedules, defining team work hours and configuring schedules to meet service level agreements. The system can also factor in non-working hours when calculating time-based conditions.
HappyFox also provides self-service options like an online knowledge base, empowering customers to find answers independently without needing to submit a support ticket. Customers can track support tickets, participate in community forums, and access help center articles and FAQs within a unified self-service portal.
Pricing: Plans start at $29 per agent per month, with a free trial available.
Recommended reading: Explore how HappyFox Workflows integrates with Zendesk.
8. Zoho Desk
Zoho Desk offers customer support software equipped with tools and automation features designed to streamline agent workflows. It delivers omnichannel support through a single-view dashboard, enabling agents to manage customer issues in one place. The ticket management system allows for organization based on status, due date, and priority.
Additional features of Zoho Desk include self-service resources, SLAs, AI capabilities, an advanced response editor, and integrated analytics. The platform enables tracking of customer data and report generation with key performance metrics. Users can also create dashboards to visualize and monitor specific ticket metrics.
Zoho Desk incorporates Zia, an AI-powered assistant, which can detect customer sentiment based on their language and automatically route tickets to agents with this context. Zia can also auto-tag tickets and alert agents to unusual activity in the ticket workflow.
Pricing: Plans begin at $7 per user per month, with a free plan and a 15-day free trial option.
Recommended reading: Learn about Zoho’s integration with Zendesk and a comparison of Zendesk vs. Zoho.
9. ServiceNow
ServiceNow is a cloud-based customer service tool designed for enterprise-level operations. It features a customer self-service portal that allows customers to create service requests or access help center articles without direct agent interaction. Customers can also engage in community forums to ask questions and share experiences.
Businesses can automate workflows within ServiceNow to assist agents with repetitive tasks. Users can design processes for incident identification, logging, resolution, and closure to minimize redundant data entry. Cross-enterprise workflows can also be created to provide end-to-end process visibility.
ServiceNow includes customer service management (CSM) tools with generative AI technology. The Now Assist tool offers AI-driven response suggestions, and ServiceNow’s AI provides recommendations to guide agents toward ticket resolution.
Pricing: Contact ServiceNow for pricing details.
Recommended reading: See a comparison of Zendesk vs. ServiceNow.
10. LiveAgent
LiveAgent is a customer service tool with a strong focus on live chat functionality. Key features include real-time typing view, customer service website monitoring for proactive chat engagement, and proactive chat invitations based on agent availability. LiveAgent’s universal inbox collects help requests and routes them to appropriate agents.
Beyond live chat, its help desk includes built-in call center software with inbound and outbound call capabilities, a ticketing system, a knowledge base, and reporting and analytics tools. Businesses can record calls, set up IVR flows, and monitor activity in real time. A callback request feature allows customers to retain their place in the queue without waiting on hold.
Users can configure LiveAgent’s workflow automation tools using the Rules feature to automate routing, tagging, and ticket resolutions. LiveAgent also offers customization through a library of integrations to connect with third-party applications.
Pricing: Plans start at $9 per agent per month, with a free plan and free trials of 7 or 30 days available.
11. Freshdesk
Freshdesk, a customer service product from Freshworks, offers a platform for support teams to manage, prioritize, and respond to customer requests from a central location. Its ticketing system directs requests from various channels to a team inbox, and trend reports help teams analyze ticket activity.
Users can customize ticket fields to automate routing, categorization, and prioritization of incoming requests. Custom ticket statuses can be created to provide agents with clear ticket stage visibility. The system can also detect when a customer concludes a conversation with a “Thank you,” preventing accidental ticket reopening.
However, it’s important to note that the Freshworks platform is composed of three separate systems: Freshdesk, Freshchat, and Freshcaller, each with its own workspace. This separation may require agents to navigate between different tabs to access complete customer information, potentially slowing down service and increasing the risk of overlooking crucial details.
Pricing: Plans begin at $15 per agent per month, with a free plan and a 14-day free trial available.
Recommended reading: Compare Zendesk vs. Freshdesk.
12. Hiver
Hiver is a multichannel customer service help desk specifically designed to integrate with Google Workspace. Instead of introducing a completely new platform, Hiver extends the functionality of existing Google tools with customer service features, including shared inboxes, analytics, and SLAs. This makes Hiver a suitable option for businesses already invested in the Google ecosystem seeking to enhance their customer service capabilities without a major system overhaul.
Hiver’s shared inbox offers customizable views, allowing users to select conversation categories and filters for personalized email management. Conversation ID enables tracking of email threads by assigning a unique number for easy retrieval. Notes and @mentions facilitate internal team collaboration without needing to forward or copy emails.
Additionally, businesses can create a knowledge base in Hiver to house FAQs, instructions, and troubleshooting guides. Customers can navigate these articles using an embedded search bar, and if they cannot find the necessary information, they can submit a support ticket directly from within the knowledge base.
Pricing: Plans start at $15 per user per month, with a 7-day free trial.
13. ProProfs Help Desk
ProProfs Help Desk provides software for managing customer support, enabling teams to manage, track, and resolve tickets. It includes a shared inbox for team collaboration, allowing agents to view conversations in a unified space. Agents can prioritize tickets, automate tasks, and tag teammates into conversations for efficient teamwork.
Agents have access to customer ticket history and can export conversations as PDFs. Private notes facilitate internal collaboration through side conversations, and collision detection helps prevent multiple agents from simultaneously working on the same ticket.
ProProfs also offers additional features, including a self-service knowledge base for customer self-help and live chat software for real-time support via a web widget. Customer feedback and satisfaction (CSAT) can be collected through integrated surveys.
Pricing: Plans start at $19.99 per operator per month, with a free plan and a 15-day free trial.
Recommended reading: Learn about ProProfs integration with Zendesk.
14. Help Scout
Help Scout’s customer care software consolidates customer data, interactions, and history into a shared inbox, providing agents with comprehensive context for each request. The inbox includes features like private notes for internal communication and collision detection to prevent overlapping work on the same issue.
Help Scout’s AI tools, AI Summarize and AI Assist, enhance agent productivity. AI Summarize condenses email threads into bullet points, while AI Assist suggests text completions during reply composition. AI Assist can also refine content, adjust tone, and translate text into different languages.
Businesses can deploy short-form surveys and collect customer satisfaction ratings on their website or within their app. Help Scout also maintains an apps and integrations directory offering over 100 integrations for support, marketing, e-commerce, communication, CRM, and analytics.
Pricing: Plans start at $20 per user per month, with a 15-day free trial.
Recommended reading: See a comparison of Zendesk vs. Help Scout.
15. HubSpot Service Hub
HubSpot Service Hub provides a shared inbox that equips agents with customer history, ticket information, and queue details. It integrates with HubSpot’s CRM to synchronize data across its suite of tools. Agents can also utilize a mobile inbox for on-the-go accessibility.
With HubSpot Service Hub, businesses can create customer portals and customized feedback surveys. The customer portal allows customers to view, open, and respond to their support tickets and access the company knowledge base.
Users can automate follow-up responses based on survey results to gather deeper insights on specific topics. Key performance metrics, including rep productivity, response time, and support volume, are accessible through the reporting and analytics dashboard, which can house up to 30 reports per dashboard.
Pricing: Plans start at $18 per month for two users, with a free plan option available.
Recommended reading: Learn about HubSpot for Zendesk and a comparison of Zendesk vs. HubSpot.
16. Kustomer
Kustomer is a customer service platform designed to assist support teams in managing customer interactions efficiently. It consolidates customer data from various sources into a timeline view, giving agents a chronological thread of customer history, preferences, and interactions. Agents have access to prewritten replies, suggested actions, and ticket tagging options.
Kustomer’s AI tools utilize natural language processing to discern customer intent, analyze conversations, and track customer sentiment to identify both satisfied and dissatisfied customers. Support teams can also use Kustomer’s AI to categorize and route conversations based on historical customer data.
The platform includes live reporting and analytics dashboards that display real-time customer service metrics. Kustomer can retain data for reporting purposes for up to two years, and users can perform one-time data exports or schedule recurring report exports.
Pricing: Plans start at $89 per user per month.
Recommended reading: Explore a comparison of Zendesk vs. Kustomer.
17. Gorgias
Gorgias is a customer service software solution offering a help desk with a shared inbox system for collaborative management of customer queries. It integrates with e-commerce platforms like Shopify, enabling agents to access customer details such as customer data, order information, and order history directly within the support interface.
The software provides automation features like AI-powered responses, prewritten answers for FAQs, and templates to handle repetitive inquiries. AI scans incoming tickets to identify intent, automatically closing spam messages and responding to legitimate requests like order status inquiries.
Gorgias offers a customizable interface, allowing businesses to design workflows that automatically assign, tag, and close tickets. Prewritten responses enable agents to provide consistent answers, and rules can be set to identify and prioritize VIP customer requests.
Pricing: Plans start at $10 per month, with a free trial available.
Recommended reading: See a comparison of Zendesk vs. Gorgias.
Conclusion
Choosing the right customer care center tools is crucial for businesses aiming to enhance customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. This list provides a starting point for exploring solutions that can automate your customer care center tools list, streamline workflows, and empower your support team to deliver exceptional customer experiences. Each platform offers unique features and pricing structures, so evaluating your specific business needs and trying out free trials is recommended to find the best fit for your organization.
