Zendesk vs Intercom: Which Solution to Choose in 2024?

Zendesk vs Intercom Head to Head Comparison in 2024

intercom versus zendesk

But, if you just need a secure and quick data transfer, opt for Help Desk Migration. Pricing starts at $39 and varies based on the number of records you want to migrate. Our team is experienced in consolidating Zendesk instances and merging instances of other help desk and service desk systems. Intercom has limited scalability compared to Zendesk, which is unsuitable for large-scale enterprises. If transparency in pricing is not an issue for you and you are a small business, contact Intercom. If, after the additional prices they charge, the plan works for you, Intercom is a great way to manage your customer relationships.

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The primary function of Intercom’s mobile app is the business messenger suite, including personalized messaging, real-time support tools, push notifications, in-app messaging and emailing. Intercom also does mobile carousels to help please the eye with fresh designs. A customer service department is only as good as its support team members, and these highly-prized employees need to rely on one another.

Comparing the customer bases of Zendesk

Discover customer and product issues with instant replays, in-app cobrowsing, and console logs. Zendesk is a much larger company than Intercom; it has over 170,000 customers, while Intercom has over 25,000. While this may seem like a positive for Zendesk, it’s important to consider that a larger company may not be as agile or responsive to customer needs as a smaller company. In terms of pricing, Intercom is considered one of the hardest on your pocket. Zendesk can be more flexible and predictable in this area as you can buy different tools separately (or even use their limited versions for free). Though Intercom chat window says that their team typically replies in a few hours, I received the answer in a couple of minutes.

While both platforms focus on enhancing customer support, their approaches and specialized functionalities differ. Zendesk offers a comprehensive suite of customer service features, whereas Intercom emphasizes personalized messaging and advanced sales automation tools. The comparison of whether Intercom is better than Zendesk depends on your specific customer support and engagement needs and objectives. If you seek to enhance customer engagement through chat-based support, in-app messaging, and proactive outreach, Intercom may be the superior option.

However, if you compare Zendesk vs Intercom chat in ease of use, the letter wins. Create a chatbot with minimal coding and customize it to your heart’s content. When it comes to utility, Zendesk’s utility may not be as robust as a pure CRM solution. However, customers do have the option to go to Zendesk Sell for a more robust experience. 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. It is a reliable and effective software for businesses of all sizes.

Plus, our transparent pricing doesn’t have hidden fees or endless add-ons, so customers know exactly what they’re paying for and can calculate the total cost of ownership ahead of time. In comparison, Intercom’s confusing pricing structure that features multiple add-ons may be unsuitable for small businesses. With the base plan, you get some sweet facilities like a ticketing system, data analytics, customer chat history, and more. In comparison to that, you enjoy customized agent roles, sandbox, and skills-based routing, besides offering basic functionalities with the expensive enterprise plan. Because of its easy navigation and interface, Intercom has always received positive words from its users. We can say that Zendesk’s user interface is very clean and clear to understand.

In any case, whether you choose Zendesk or Intercom, you have wide chatting possibilities. As we delve into the features of Zendesk, we can identify the following weaknesses regarding user experience. We hope that this Intercom VS Zendesk comparison helps you choose one that matches your support, marketing, and sales needs.

Zendesk facilitates efficient ticketing, live chat, and knowledge base management, ensuring timely issue resolution. Intercom focuses on personalized messaging, effective lead nurturing, and streamlined communication, fostering a more engaging customer experience. Today, both companies offer a broad range of customer support features, making them both strong contenders in the market.

But in case you are in search of something beyond these two, then ProProfs Chat can be an option. After an in-depth analysis such as this, it can be pretty challenging for your business to settle with either option. That’s why it would be better to review where both the options would be ideal to use. Now that we know a little about both tools, it is time to make an in-depth analysis and identify which one of these will be perfect for your business.

Zendesk Offers a More Robust Ticketing System than Intercom

Though, if you compare Zendesk chat vs Intercom, the plugin is a bit hard to use as reviewed by customers. Installing it might take some technical skill and even when installed, could malfunction a bit. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) to assist customers through self-help options or access to the relevant articles before connecting them to your team. And this, undoubtedly, leaves your customer support agents free to solve urgent matters. Both Zendesk and Intercom provide a campaign tool, live chat, and a knowledge base.

Dominic’s insights provide viewers with a clear understanding of the primary focus of each platform. In this article, we will explore the key differences between Intercom and Zendesk, two popular customer support platforms. Both Intercom and Zendesk offer a range of features to help businesses manage customer interactions, but there are some distinct differences between the two.

It caters to a wide range of industries, particularly excelling in e-commerce, SaaS, technology, and telecommunications. It is favored by customer support, helpdesk, IT service management, and contact center teams. Helplama positions itself as a cloud-based helpdesk solution that helps brands turn customer service into a marketing pipeline.

intercom versus zendesk

There are several notable alternatives to Intercom in the customer support and engagement space, including Zendesk, Freshdesk, Help Scout, HubSpot, and Zoho Desk. There are several notable alternatives to Zendesk in the customer support and engagement space, including Intercom, Freshdesk, Help Scout, and Zoho Desk. HubSpot helps seamlessly integrate customer service tools that you and your team already leverage. Picking customer service software to run your business is not a decision you make lightly.

You can foun additiona information about ai customer service and artificial intelligence and NLP. This tier provides everything a small or medium-sized business will need, including better ticket management and advanced workflow automation tools. Intercom is a fully-featured customer support platform that provides powerful automation and AI tools to enable more efficient and effective customer engagement. Intercom focuses on real-time customer messaging, while Zendesk provides a comprehensive suite for ticketing, knowledge base, and self-service support. What sets Zendesk apart is its user-friendly interface, customizable workflows, and scalability.

Zendesk has traditionally been more focused on customer support management, while Intercom has been more focused on live support solutions like its chat solution. While the company is smaller than Zendesk, Intercom has earned a reputation for building high-quality customer service software. The company’s products include a messaging platform, knowledge base tools, and an analytics dashboard. Many businesses choose to work with Intercom because of its focus on personalization and flexibility, allowing companies to completely customize their customer service experience. When it comes to customer support and engagement, choosing the right software can make a world of difference.

See how Zendesk outshines Intercom

It also excels in the silo approach in a company and allows easy access to information to anyone in the company through this integration. On the other hand, Intercom’s chatbots have more advanced features but do not sacrifice simplicity and ease of use. It helps businesses create highly personalized chatbots for interactive customer communication. It allows businesses to automate repetitive tasks, such as ticket routing and in-built responses, freeing up time for support agents to deal with more crucial cases requiring more agent attention. This automation enhances support teams’ productivity as they do not have to spend too much responding to similar complaints they have already dealt with. Intercom’s live chat reports aren’t just offering what your customers are doing or whether they are satisfied with your services.

intercom versus zendesk

Explore alternative options like ThriveDesk if you’re looking for a more budget-conscious solution that aligns with your customer support needs. 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.

If you want to enjoy the benefits of both Zendesk and Intercom in one place and enjoy better value for money overall, Desku is a strong alternative. The choice between the two platforms would depend on the specific needs and preferences of each business. For businesses that want to focus on simple and effective customer engagement, Intercom is an easy choice.

For small companies and startups, Intercom offers a Starter plan — with a balanced suite of features from each of the solutions below — at $74 per month per user, billed annually. Intercom offers an easy way to nurture your qualified leads (prospects) into customers with Intercom Series. Optimizing the utilization of Zendesk and Intercom involves implementing effective strategies and best practices. Providing actionable tips for businesses to maximize the potential of these platforms enables them to leverage advanced functionalities and enhance their overall customer support operations. Zendesk’s user face is quite intuitive and easy to use, allowing customers to quickly find what they are looking for.

However, compared to the more contemporary designs like Intercom’s, Zendesk’s UI may appear outdated, particularly in aspects such as chat widget and customization options. This could impact user experience and efficiency for new users grappling with its complexity​​​​​​. Intercom also uses AI and features a chatbot called Fin, but negative reviews note basic reporting and a lack of customization. Fin is priced at $0.99 per resolution, so companies handling large volumes of queries might find it costly. In comparison, Zendesk customers pay a fixed price of $50 per agent—and only Zendesk AI is modeled on the world’s largest CX-specific dataset.

intercom versus zendesk

Just like Intercom, Zendesk can also integrate with multiple messaging platforms and ensure that your business never misses out on a support opportunity. Intercom is a customer support messenger, bot, and live chat service provider that empowers its clients to provide instant support in real-time. This SaaS leader entered into the competition in 2011, intending to help its clients reach their target audiences and engage them in a conversation right away.

For example, for businesses that want just a couple of features, there are subscription packages. Each of such packages contains a set of tools from basic to advanced features. One study found that 67% of customers prefer calling an agent to help solve their queries. Some help desk software provides call center tools as one of customer communication channels. So, let’s explore the difference between Zendesk and Intercom call center tools.

The Ideal Customer Support Platform – Zendesk vs Intercom?

When he isn’t writing content, poetry, or creative nonfiction, he enjoys traveling, baking, playing music, reliving his barista days in his own kitchen, camping, and being bad at carpentry. For standard reporting like response times, leads generated by source, bot performance, messages sent, and email deliverability, you’ll easily find all the metrics you need. Beyond that, you can create custom reports that combine all of the stats listed above (and many more) and present them as counts, columns, lines, or tables.

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Zendesk to cut about 300 jobs globally, impacting Dublin HQ.

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It’s also more exclusively focused on providing help support, whereas Intercom sometimes moonlights as being part-time sales. The result is that Zendesk generally wins on ratings when it comes to support capacity. Databeys Consultant expert will be knowledgeable about a variety of available products and can assist you in selecting the ideal one for your unique business requirements. Integration capabilities are vital for ensuring a smooth workflow across various business processes.

The ProProfs Live Chat Editorial Team is a diverse group of professionals passionate about customer support and engagement. We update you on the latest trends, dive into technical topics, and offer insights to elevate your business. 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.

Overall impression (aka very subjective take on user experience):

But Intercom’s friendliness for growing companies is something you can’t afford to ignore. If your business is established and you need to cut down on those ticket resolution times, Zendesk may be worth it. Several decision-making factors, such as budget constraints, specific business requirements, and long-term goals, influence the choice between Zendesk and Intercom. Understanding these factors assists businesses in making a well-informed decision that aligns with their unique needs and objectives. Now that we’ve covered a bit of background on both Zendesk and Intercom, let’s dive into the features each platform offers. 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.

In contrast, while Zendesk does offer some automation capabilities, it may not be as robust and customizable as Intercom. They have a dedicated help section that provides instructions on how to set up and effectively use Intercom. In this article, we comprehensively Chat GPT do a comparison of Zendesk vs Intercom, examining their key features, benefits, and industry use cases. By exploring their distinct offerings, we aim to assist businesses in making informed decisions when selecting a customer service platform.

Let’s explore how Zendesk and Intercom stack up in terms of basic functionalities required by a helpdesk software. Experience targeted communication with Intercom’s automation and segmentation features. Create personalized messages for specific customer segments, driving engagement and satisfaction. You get a dashboard that makes creating, tracking, and organizing tickets easy. Intercom allows visitors to search for and view articles from the messenger widget.

Zendesk is a customer service software company that provides businesses with a suite of tools to manage customer interactions. The company was founded in 2007 and today serves over 170,000 customers worldwide. Zendesk’s mission is to build software designed to improve customer relationships. Its chat-based approach, automation capabilities, and chatbots are ideal for handling routine inquiries efficiently. It really shines in its modern messenger interface, making real-time chat a breeze. Its multichannel support is more focused on engaging customers through its chat and messaging systems, including mobile carousels and interactive communication tools.

These features help support reps manage and organize support requests and ongoing communications so they are vital tools that will be used every day. As two of the most popular and effective customer support solutions on the market, Intercom and Zendesk often compete head-to-head to win the business of companies like yours. The Zendesk chat tool has the most necessary features like shortcuts to saved responses, chatbots, and live chat analytics. In navigating this conundrum, several digital tools can come in handy, and two of the most popular options are Intercom and Zendesk. As both platforms have their pros and cons, it can be difficult to decide which one is right for your business. To guide your decision-making, we explain the key features and qualities of each, and the role that a omnichannel conversational AI platform (Netomi!) can play, for the ultimate CX strategy.

By leveraging the out-of-the-box Netomi virtual agent integration, companies enhance both the agent and customer experience, while also reducing costs. Other chatbots don’t sit natively within the agent desk, but with Netomi, virtual and human agents work alongside each other, creating an efficient and ultra-powerful customer service team. Zendesk offers tiered pricing based on the level of service you need, the size of your teams, and other factors. Every feature is available in the broadest option, Zendesk Suite, which is the version most companies would be implementing.

Zendesk’s pricing offers a range of plans, including a tiered model with different levels of features and capabilities. While the pricing can be flexible, it may become more costly as your organization’s requirements and usage increase. Zendesk’s customer support is also very fast, though their live chat is only available for registered users.

One more thing to add, there are ways to integrate Intercom to Zendesk. Visit either of their app marketplaces and look up the Intercom Zendesk integration. Like with many other apps, Zapier seems to be the best and most simple way to connect Intercom to Zendesk.

If your company is looking for customer support software, you have likely heard of Intercom and Zendesk. You can contact the sales team if you’re just looking around, but you will not receive decent customer support unless you buy their service. Here is a Zendesk vs. Intercom based on the customer support offered by these brands. However, the best way to find the perfect match is to take a demo or a free trial.

The free Intercom Platform lets you see who your customers are and what they do in your workspace. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. They have a 2-day SLA, no phone support, and the times I have had to work with them they have been incredibly difficult to work with. Very rarely do they understand the issue (mostly with Explore) that I am trying to communicate to them.

  • The cheapest plan for small businesses – Essential – costs $39 monthly per seat.
  • The strength of Zendesk’s UI lies in its structured and comprehensive environment, adept at managing numerous customer interactions and integrating various channels seamlessly.
  • Understanding your budget constraints, specific business requirements, and long-term goals is crucial.
  • When comparing the cost of Intercom to Zendesk, it’s important to consider the pricing structures and potential variations based on your specific customer support and engagement needs.
  • When it comes to customer support and engagement, choosing the right software can make a world of difference.

Its intuitive messenger can help your business boost engagement and improve sales and marketing efforts. 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. When it comes to integrations, Zendesk and Intercom both offer diverse possibilities, but here, Zendesk takes the lead.

Is intercom like Salesforce?

The main difference between Intercom and Salesforce is that Intercom focuses more on direct customer communication, including live chat, email, and in-app messaging, while Salesforce includes a wide range of features, including analytics, sales, marketing, and customer service.

AI helps businesses gain detailed insight into consumer data in real-time. It also helps promote automation in routine tasks by automating repetitive processes and helps agents save time and errors. In addition to all these features, Suite Growth Plan offers light agents, multilingual support, multiple ticket forms, and a self-service customer portal. Zendesk’s automation features are limited to offering basic automation to streamline repetitive tasks. While Zeendesk provides automation services for ticket support systems, notifications, chatbots, etc., it may not be an extensive feature compared to Intercom.

Are intercoms still used?

Yes, intercom systems are still popular and have evolved with technology. Modern systems offer features like video communication, integration with smartphones, and even connectivity with other smart home devices.

Higher-tier plans in Zendesk come packed with advanced functionalities such as chatbots, customizable knowledge bases, and performance dashboards. These features can add significant value for businesses aiming to implement intercom versus zendesk more sophisticated support capabilities as they scale. Zendesk and Intercom offer help desk management solutions to their users. It delivers a multi-channel support system with customer service automation.

After this live chat software comparison, you’ll get a better picture of what’s better for your business. Both Zendesk and Intercom offer varying flavors when it comes to curating the whole customer support experience. Customer support and security are vital aspects to consider when evaluating helpdesk solutions like Zendesk and Intercom. Let’s examine and compare how each platform addresses these crucial areas to ensure effective support operations and data protection. Gain valuable insights with Intercom’s analytics and reporting capabilities. Track key metrics, measure campaign success, and optimize customer engagement strategies.

intercom versus zendesk

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. With Zendesk, you get next-level AI-powered support software that’s intuitively designed, scalable, and cost-effective. Compare Zendesk vs. Intercom and future-proof your business with reliable, easy-to-use software. They have great quality of support, good training material, and they still keep releasing. Embedded chats with history are quite nice, it has both the messages and notes left by the supporting team members to each other.

Zendesk also offers callback requests, call monitoring and call quality notifications, among other telephone tools. Intercom’s dashboards may not be as aesthetically pleasing as Zendesk’s, but they still allow users to navigate their tools with few distractions. As for Intercom’s general pricing structure, there are three plans, but you’ll have to contact them to get exact prices. For those of you who have been waiting for the big showdown between these two customer support heavyweights, we are glad to present the ultimate Zendesk vs Intercom comparison article.

Moreover, research says that companies can reduce customer resolution times upto a great percentage through the helpdesk software. Today, thanks to the virtual technology revolution, you can find numerous help desk software, but our vote goes for Zendesk and Intercom. It doesn’t require a team of administrators to manage and its toolset is robust without being complex. When evaluating the cost of any software tool, you have to look beyond the price tag. ROI comes down to getting the most out of the features available, so payment structures that are scaleable and flexible are a must. Its tight focus on customer support keeps things simple, especially when people are learning the software.

Who competes with intercom?

  • Zendesk Support.
  • Salesforce Service Cloud.
  • Khoros Communities.
  • Hootsuite Enterprise.
  • Pega CRM.
  • Conversocial.
  • Jive X.
  • Sparkcentral In-App Messaging.

Intercom’s tools are packaged together, limiting customization and potentially leading to higher costs if you need only specific features. Additionally, Intercom’s call center and advanced analytics rely on third-party integrations, whereas Zendesk offers solutions like Zendesk Sell, Talk and Explore. If you need a highly customizable, all-in-one platform with extensive built-in features, Zendesk may be the better choice. To begin with, efficient customer relationship management is important these days.

Essentially, Desku is not an option but a reliable replacement for Zendesk and Intercom that companies can rely on at lower costs and improved performance. Zendesk is yet another powerful way to help businesses interact with their customers. If you don’t go with https://chat.openai.com/ ActiveCampaign, then Zoho would be my second choice. But their support and quality is not as good, they feel like a new product even though they have been in business a while. You keep having to get around their bugs, which you can, it is just annoying.

Both Zendesk and Intercom have AI capabilities that deserve special mention. Zendesk’s AI (Fin) helps with automated responses, ensuring your customers get quick answers. On the other hand, Intercom’s AI-powered chatbots and messaging are designed to enhance your marketing and sales efforts, giving you an edge in the competitive market. Experience the comprehensive power of Intercom for effective customer communication, automation, support tools, integrations, and analytics.

As more organizations adopt AI, it will be critical to choose a data model that aligns with how your business operates. Customer experience will be no exception, and AI models that are purpose-built for CX lead to better results at scale. Atera is an easy-to-implement and intuitive solution for any modern IT team. The platform is intuitive, easy to use, and has a fair support service. It is not only a ticketing system, but it can also be used to push out automated installations, Windows updates, and so on. Intercom is a customer relationship management and messaging tool for web businesses.

Examine Intercom and Zendesk Chat prices and plans to make sure you get the best deal for your needs. What better way to start a Zendesk vs. Intercom than to compare their features? A free trial will give you a better look and feel of both the product. There is no harm in testing the waters before committing to one or the other, as both Zendesk and Intercom offer free trials. 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.

The Zendesk chat tool has most of the necessary features like shortcuts (saved responses), automated triggers, and live chat analytics. Intercom is more for improving sales cycle and customer relationships, while Zendesk has everything a customer support representative can dream about, but it does lack wide email functionality. On the other hand, it provides call center functionalities, unlike Intercom.

Zendesk would be a perfect option for businesses that are searching for a well-integrated support system. It offers a suite that compiles help desk, live chat, and knowledge base to their user base. This enables them to speed up the support process and build experiences that customers like. A helpdesk solution’s user experience and interface are crucial in ensuring efficient and intuitive customer support. Let’s evaluate the user experience and interface of both Zendesk and Intercom, considering factors such as ease of navigation, customization options, and overall intuitiveness.

Who competes with intercom?

  • Zendesk Support.
  • Salesforce Service Cloud.
  • Khoros Communities.
  • Hootsuite Enterprise.
  • Pega CRM.
  • Conversocial.
  • Jive X.
  • Sparkcentral In-App Messaging.

What is better than Intercom?

Kustomer is a top competitor to Intercom, best known as a CRM-focused customer service platform that integrates seamlessly with a range of customer communication channels. It effectively combines CRM, customer engagement, and helpdesk software into one unified omnichannel platform, optimizing customer interactions.

Is intercom like Salesforce?

The main difference between Intercom and Salesforce is that Intercom focuses more on direct customer communication, including live chat, email, and in-app messaging, while Salesforce includes a wide range of features, including analytics, sales, marketing, and customer service.

Which company intercom is best?

  1. DoorKing. DoorKing, also known as DKS, is a well-established manufacturer in the access control industry.
  2. 2N. 2N offers a range of intercom systems known for their innovation and flexibility.
  3. Aiphone.
  4. Avigilon.
  5. ButterflyMX.
  6. Verkada.
  7. Doorbird.
  8. Swiftlane.

Is Intercom a ticketing system?

But others can be more complex, requiring more time to resolve, or input from other teams. That's where tickets comes in. Intercom's tickets are optimized for team collaboration and real-time customer updates, so your team can resolve any type of complex query more efficiently.