In today’s world, there is a critical demand for brands that are providing excellent customer service and business management solutions. In this crowded market, there are several platforms in India that have carved a place for themselves. One of them is Freshdesk, a brand that provides modern, powerful, and intuitive helpdesk software.
What is Freshdesk ?
Freshdesk is an online cloud-based platform that provides customer service and helpdesk solutions to companies of all shapes and sizes. In addition, the brand also offers automation and ticketing support. Freshdesk is a popular choice for companies that are looking to increase their customer engagement and experience. The brand's main goal is to render reliable feature-rich software consistently to its customers. Freshdesk prides itself on its ability to seamlessly boost the productivity of a company with its intuitive solutions.
Benefits of Freshdesk
To understand a little bit more about why many companies prefer Freshdesk, it's important to learn about its benefits. The most critical ones are listed below:
Incident Management Features
Freshdesk is known for providing one of the best ticketing and support services. The platform helps businesses create customized ticketing and directory solutions. From service task organizing, automated responses & screencasts to SLA management, the platform covers all the fundamental aspects of a helpdesk. The platform also allows companies to create multi-tier ticket systems with various response levels. By offering an in-depth view of the tickets, managers can review them easily and efficiently.
Free Plan
The fact that Freshdesk has a decent free plan that covers some of the most essential helpdesk features is one of the main reasons why many companies choose the platform. For small and medium businesses, Freshdesk's free plan can help track, prioritize and categorize customer support requests and resolve them efficiently. It also offers basic automation and report generation support, which can be invaluable to many new companies.
Ease-of-Use
Freshdesk has a simple yet efficient interface that allows customers to navigate easily. In addition, it is very easy to set up and use the platform. Tasks like ticket creation, request handling, and workflow creation can be handled easily. In addition, the cloud-based software also offers a host of self-help options like guides & FAQs. Keeping a log of all the tickets and support requests and prioritizing the critical ones is also easy with the platform.
Integration Opportunities
Freshdesk’s ticketing and helpdesk systems can be custom-built and integrated with a host of essential CRMs and support tools including Zoho, Nimble, Google Analytics, Mailchimp, etc. This allows companies to streamline their business processes and make them more flexible and productive. In addition to this, the brand provides enterprises with the opportunity to make better use of the chat application and create powerful real-time conversations with their customers and employees.
Limitations of Freshdesk
While Freshdesk provides several beneficial features to businesses across domains and regions, it is not perfect. Much like other brands in the field, Freshdesk also has some limitations. We can look at the major ones here:
Limited Support
Although Freshdesk provides self-help tools, its support system leaves much to be desired. Many clients have provided feedback that they weren't able to reach a qualified customer service agent promptly. There's also an extensive list of FAQs on the support page but it still doesn't seem sufficient. In addition to this, Freshdesk also doesn't innovate sufficiently in regards to its support system.
Automation & Analytics
Freshdesk doesn’t support extensive automation features or innovative capabilities that many of its competitors offer. Since Freshdesk's services are focused on helpdesk solutions, other automation features like lead automation, social media automation, sales outreach, etc., are not well defined. Unlike several of its competitors, the brand also doesn’t support a wide breadth of data analytics and reporting features. Lack of integration with enterprise tools like Sharepoint, Power BI, etc., is also a major factor as it severely limits advanced analytics opportunities.
Niche-Oriented
It is important to understand that Freshdesk is primarily a helpdesk and customer support assistant, while most of its competitors offer an entire range of enterprise solutions. Therefore, there is a disparity in scope and features. The brand offers basic integration support that could satisfy small businesses but growing enterprises might require more cross-channel support with some of the latest platforms and tools.
Price
For the number of features that the platform offers, Freshdesk's price is on a higher note. While many small business owners use the brand's free version, the paid version is not affordable to most of them. When your business grows, the budget will increase and you might have to choose a more affordable option. This might set back your brand's performance and decrease your revenue opportunities. It is also critical to note that there are several alternatives in the market including Zoho, Zendesk and Gallabox that provide enhanced support and enterprise solutions for a much cheaper price.
Suggested Read: Top 12 Twilio alternatives for WhatsApp APIs
Top 9 alternatives to Freshdesk for customer support (Free & Paid)
Now that you’ve learnt the benefits and limitations of using Freshdesk, you might be wondering if there are other alternatives in the current market that would help your company grow. That’s why we have compiled a list of alternate platforms. They are:
Gallabox
Gallabox is one of the leading no-code workspace providers in India. The brand primarily delivers custom WhatsApp API & chatbot solutions for businesses. It is committed to ensuring a seamless customer experience for businesses by providing affordable solutions to engage with their customers.
Pros:
- The dashboard is highly intuitive and the tools are easy to set up & integrate. In fact, you can set up a chatbot in minutes using Gallabox.
- The platform is highly affordable and is focused on helping small businesses succeed.
- Complete Suite of WhatsApp Solutions that can be easily integrated with your existing CRM databases, e-commerce stores, and payment & logistic partners.
- Multilingual support for customers across India.
Cons:
- Since it is an evolving company, the enterprise management solutions that it offers might feel limited.
- Currently, Gallabox only supports WhatsApp solutions but is planning to expand.
Price: Starts from ₹2000/- per month.
Zendesk Support Suite
Zendesk is a SaaS company that was formed with the goal of creating personalized customer support software. The platform is well-known for providing a variety of ticketing and customer service solutions for small businesses. Zendesk provides one of the best live chat support with features like file sharing, visitor/behavioral tracking, etc.
Pros:
- Provides self-help support to customers and regularly updates FAQs with most asked questions.
- Excellent omnichannel communication support that integrates 1000s of apps and platforms.
- Provides excellent workflow automation support that enables small businesses to streamline operations.
Cons:
- The platform is not fluid and intuitive in nature. This makes it difficult to navigate.
- It is expensive and there is also a lack of free plans.
- Lack of collaborative features and tools that are mostly present in many of its competitors.
Price: Plans start from ₹3880.56 per agent/month
Zoho Desk
Zoho Desk is the helpdesk support service provided by Zoho, one of the leading CRM and email support providers in India. Zoho Desk provides all the necessary helpdesk and customer support tools that are offered by Freshdesk and it also has a free plan that is designed to assist small businesses.
Pros:
- Zoho’s other platforms make it easier for businesses to integrate all of their business functions under the same umbrella.
- Offers call-center and telephonic functionality for small businesses.
- A free plan is present for small businesses that want to try it.
Cons:
- The pricing of its paid plans is considered more expensive by many customers.
- The user interface is considered to be outdated when compared to most of its competitors.
- SMS notifications need a Twilio account, which might hinder businesses that aren’t using the platform.
Price: Free plan available. Prices start from ₹950 per agent/month
Front
Front is a tool that provides omnichannel customer communication solutions to businesses. It acts as a communication hub for businesses and combines the information from various apps, platforms and emails to a single screen. While the tool might be simple in nature, Front has been providing efficient tailor-made communication solutions to businesses since 2013. Explore more on alternatives like Interakt alternative.
Pros:
- The shared inbox feature combines communications from emails, apps and other platforms.
- Ability to tag and label customer communications allow seamless integration between teams.
- Flexibility to scale as your business grows. You can add features and functionality as and when you need them.
Cons:
- While the pricing is not that high, the cost for enabling key features & functionalities is high.
- Front’s processes are not flexible and intuitive in nature. Many customers have also noted that there are issues with email sync and notifications.
- While there are self-help options, the tool is hard to get used to. It is also important to note that there is a lack of creative service mentality.
Price: Prices start from ₹1500 per agent/month
Help Scout
Help Scout is a global helpdesk software provider that offers email-based customer support solutions, knowledge base tools and embedded widgets for businesses. While it doesn’t offer a wide range of customer support features, the ones that it provides are meaningful and useful. Help Scout also has a clean interface and simple yet efficient workflow, which bodes well with businesses that are looking to scale globally.
Pros:
- A simple and clutter-free interface that suits the needs of growing businesses.
- Comes with a knowledge base feature that can host FAQs for business sites.
- Has one of the best tracking and reporting features in the current market. Helps track SLAs, intent, satisfaction, etc., easily.
Cons:
- When you increase your staff, your expenses might increase. When your business scales up, Help Scout’s plans might become expensive as it is dependent on the number of users.
- Doesn’t support adding multiple stores or business locations to the same account/screen. Multi-location/multi-level businesses need to switch between accounts frequently.
- One of the main issues with Help Scout is their support. Instead of providing clear and tailored solutions, the team provides predefined replies for all queries.
Price: Prices start from ₹475 per agent/month
HubSpot Service Hub
As one of the major CRM service providers, HubSpot is well-known around the world. The HubSpot Service Hub is a part of the CRM platform that connects all customer service channels. By consolidating all customer service data, businesses can support, retain, and grow their customer base easily. Explore more on alternatives like Verloop alternative.
Pros:
- As a global platform, Hubstaff’s CRM solutions support multiple languages.
- The API interface is highly flexible and can be customized to suit specific business needs.
- One of the very few platforms that offer JIRA integration for smooth ticketing and customer support process.
Cons:
- The Service Hub is intended to be used with HubStaff CRM. However, HubStaff’s pricing varies based on the number of features a business uses. Thus, small businesses might find it expensive to integrate it as the backbone of their service offerings.
- Since HubStaff provides a host of services and provides too much information about all the services, many customers have reported that it's hard to find specific information about critical processes.
- Many of the services and features like attribution are only available in the higher-end packages.
Price: Free plan available. Prices start from ₹3500 per agent/month
LiveAgent
LiveAgent is a FreshDesk alternative that provides customer service, ticketing and chatbot solutions. The platform offers 130+ ticketing features and integrations to 200+ tools including SalesForce, Squarespace, Google Analytics, etc. LiveAgent is the first service to offer personalized real-time live chat widgets to businesses. Its simple yet powerful interface is considered one of its USPs.
Pros:
- Ability to set up support and chat widgets in multiple languages.
- Offers fast live chat integration with customized workflows and functionalities.
- Provides call center and customer knowledge-base features.
Cons:
- LiveAgent’s interface is clunky and not versatile when compared to many of its competitors.
- The reporting and analytics features are not well-defined. This makes process improvements a little more challenging for businesses.
- There are issues with customer support and many customers have reported that issues are not resolved in a timely manner.
Price: Free plan available. Prices start from ₹1800 per agent/month
ProProfs Help Desk
ProProfs Help Desk offers centralized information and support management services for businesses. The company’s goal is to provide software that can not only act as a one-stop point of contact but also help automate repetitive tasks, collaborate better, and make data-driven decisions. In addition to the Help Desk, ProProfs also offers ProProfs Chat, ProProfs Knowledge Base, and ProProfs Survey Maker to offer a comprehensive & seamless customer support solution for businesses.
Pros:
- The platform provides excellent ticket routing and SLA management support.
- ProProfs helps agents seamlessly communicate using internal notes and chats.
- Businesses can use a common dashboard to collaborate and solve challenging issues, share notes, prioritize conversations, and track every single support ticket.
Cons:
- Tickets are not assigned to specific agents but are assigned to any available agent. This might not help specific business processes and might even result in delayed resolutions in some cases.
- The user interface of ProProfs Help Desk is not user-friendly and customizable in nature.
- Automated responses cannot be personalized for specific circumstances. This is a major drawback for emerging businesses.
Price: Free plan available. Prices start from ₹790 per agent/month
Intercom
Intercom is a software company that helps businesses generate quality customer experiences with superior customer support software. It builds industry-leading support systems that are capable of offering three layers of human, self-serve, and proactive support to customers. In addition to helpdesk support, the company enables businesses to launch marketing campaigns, onboard customers, and share proactive messages with their customer base.
Pros:
- Helps businesses offer omnichannel support through multiple channels including websites, mobile apps & social media platforms.
- Offers several self-help articles and in-app tours to help customers familiarize themselves with the products and features.
- Provides marketing and sales support in addition to customer service solutions. This greatly benefits small businesses.
Cons:
- While it provides marketing/sales support, Intercom’s plans are expensive when compared to other alternatives like Gallabox.
- Their notifications are not highly responsive and many customers have reported missed opportunities due to this issue.
- Their analytics and reporting systems are not robust and it is confusing at times. This might result in a lack of valuable insights.
Price: Free plan available. Prices start from ₹6250 per agent/month
Suggested Read: WhatsApp Business API: All you need to know!
The best alternative to Freshdesk - Gallabox
While there are several alternatives for FreshDesk that you could choose from, Gallabox would be the best to choose - especially if you are based in India. As an emerging customer support and ticketing service provider, Gallabox streamlines customer support processes using WhatsApp-based tools, functionalities and chatbots. The company has helped scale several businesses with their customized no-code workspaces. Some of the unique features that are offered by Gallabox include but are not limited to:
- No-code chatbot building and integration support.
- WhatsApp broadcast and template message assistance.
- Shared inbox support to streamline customer support processes.
- Multilingual chatbot support across several Indian languages.
- Advanced customer segmentation support through tagging/labelling of contacts.
- Quick Replies & other WhatsApp automation features.
- Insightful reports and actionable dashboards.
With these features, your business can reach greater heights even with a limited number of workers. Check out our products page to know more about our offerings.
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