Zendesk vs Intercom: Which Is Right For Your Business in 2023?

Email marketing, for example, is a big deal, but less so when it comes to customer service. Still, for either of these platforms to have some email marketing or other email functionality is common sense. For Intercom’s pricing plan, on the other hand, there is much less information on their website. There is a Starter plan for small businesses at $74 per month billed annually, and there are add-ons like a WhatsApp add-on at $9 per user per month or surveys at $49 per month. While Intercom offers unique feature options that weave together well into campaigns and series, it lacks voice calling–a critical feature–and spreads its more advanced features out too much among plans.

But since we must crown a winner, we’d say that Freshdesk tops Intercom when it comes to streamlining communication through automation. The key to using a software system as effectively as possible lies in its simplicity. Intercom is regarded as quite an intercom versus zendesk easy toolkit that can still offer powerful help desk solutions. The Starter plan costs $74 per month, billed annually, and is good for two users. Then there are Pro and Premium plans, but you will have to calculate the exact price through their website.

Zendesk customers have spoken

This 24/7 support model is designed to provide continuous, real-time solutions to clients, enhancing the overall reliability and responsiveness of Hivers’ services. Moreover, for users who require more dedicated and personalized support, Zendesk charges an additional premium. These premium support services can range in cost, typically between $1,500 and $2,800. This additional cost can be a considerable factor for businesses to consider when evaluating their customer support needs against their budget constraints.

Intercom also does not offer a free trial period for users to examine the software prior to joining up for their services. That being said the customer support for both Zendesk and Intercom is lacking. However, this is somewhat subjective, and depending on your business needs and favorite tools, you may argue we got it all mixed up, and Intercom is truly superior. Some startups and small businesses may prefer one app, while large companies and enterprise operations will have their own requirements.

Zendesk vs. Intercom: Which is better?

Sendcloud is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that allows users to generate packing slips and labels to help online retailers streamline their shipping process. Businesses should always consider a tool’s TCO before committing to a purchase. Many software vendors aren’t upfront about the cost of using their products, maintenance costs, or integration fees. Altogether, this can significantly impact affordability in the long term. Intercom is the new guy on the block when it comes to help desk ticketing systems. This means the company is still working out some kinks and operating with limited capabilities.

• Sales and CRM integrations are Salesforce, Hubspot, Aircall, and Google Calendar.
• These automations save both your agents and customers valuable time and improve the customer experience.
• With Messagely, you can increase your customer satisfaction and solve customers’ issues while they’re still visiting your site.
• Intercom’s UI excels in modern design and intuitive functionality, particularly noted for its real-time messaging and advanced features.
• It can be classified as a chatbox for average users, just like the ones found on a variety of websites.

Zendesk and Intercom offer help desk management solutions to their users. On the contrary, Intercom is far less predictable when it comes to pricing and can cost hundreds/thousands of dollars per month. But this solution is great because it’s an all-in-one tool with a modern live chat widget, allowing you to easily improve your customer experiences. At the same time, Zendesk looks slightly outdated and can’t offer some features.

Pricing & Scalability

That being said, in your search for the best customer support tool, you must have come across Zendesk and Intercom. In today’s hyper-competitive, hyper-connected globalized economy, customer experience has become a fundamental differentiator. As customers’ needs are constantly evolving, businesses must adapt and keep up to guarantee the best customer experience and satisfaction.

One of the things that sets Zendesk apart from other customer service software providers is its focus on design. The company’s products are built with an emphasis on simplicity and usability. This has helped to make Zendesk one of the most popular customer service software platforms on the market.

By learning more about your customers and how to communicate with them, you can create message-based conversations that feel personal, friendly, and convenient. Intercom isn’t as great with sales, but it allows for better communication. With Intercom, you can keep track of your customers and what they do on your website in real time. Like Zendesk, Intercom allows you to chat with online visitors and assist with their issues. Both Zendesk and Intercom have knowledge bases to help customers get the most out of their platforms.

But this also means the customer experience ROI tends to be lower than what it would be if you went with a best-in-class solution like Zendesk. If a customer starts an interaction by talking to a chatbot and can’t find a solution, our chatbot can open a ticket and intelligently route it to the most qualified agent. When it comes to automation, Ada can help companies automate up to 80% of their customer inquiries.

Zendesk’s Admin Center provides tools that automate agent ticket workflows. While Intercom lacks some common customer-service channels like voice calling and video conferencing, it supports other unique features that transfer across channels. The Agent Workspace highlights tickets based on the issue and urgency, assigning each one a priority–agents can also tag tickets based on recency, hold-vs-open status, and urgency. Use HubSpot Service Hub to provide seamless, fast, and delightful customer service. Test any of HelpCrunch pricing plans for free for 14 days and see our tools in action right away. You can publish your self-service resources, divide them by categories, and integrate them with your messenger to accelerate the whole chat experience.

Intercom focuses on real-time customer messaging, while Zendesk provides a comprehensive suite for ticketing, knowledge base, and self-service support. Two leading contenders in the customer service platform space, Zendesk and Intercom, have transformed businesses’ customer engagement by offering powerful software solutions that enhance support systems. To select the ideal fit for your business, it is crucial to compare these industry giants and assess which aligns best with your specific requirements.