The 8 Finest Customer Service Software program for 2023

How often have you heard about the importance of “improving customer experience”? It sounds redundant and intuitive until you actually have to do it.

Optimizing your customer service is crucial whether you’re a small business owner or a large enterprise. This article will provide an in-depth analysis of the best customer service software available in 2023, helping you enhance customer satisfaction. We’ll explore intuitive chatbots, comprehensive helpdesk platforms, and other cutting-edge tools that can revolutionize your customer support operations and drive your business toward greater success.

What is customer service software?

Customer service software is any technological tool or platform designed to enhance customer interactions, streamline service operations, and foster improved customer satisfaction. The main objective of this type of software is to manage and process customer inquiries, support requests, or complaints effectively and efficiently, from initial contact to resolution.

Customer service software typically includes the following features:

• Ticketing system: This allows businesses to track customer requests and interactions.
• Knowledge base: This gives agents access to information about products, services, and policies.
• Chat and email integration: This allows agents to communicate with customers through various channels.
• Reporting and analytics: This provides businesses with insights into customer interactions and performance.

When utilized effectively, customer service software can greatly improve the relationship between a business and its customers. For instance, a customer may submit a support request through a website form, an email, or a social media message. The software would then create a ‘ticket’ for this request, which could be automatically routed to the appropriate department or employee based on predefined criteria. As the issue is being resolved, all correspondence, progress updates, and pertinent information are tracked within the ticket, ensuring a cohesive and informed approach to resolution. This ultimately leads to a quicker response and resolution time, enhancing the customer’s overall experience.

The use of analytics and reports generated by these systems can provide businesses with valuable insights about common customer issues, response and resolution times, and overall customer satisfaction, driving continuous improvement in their customer service operations.

What are the benefits of customer service software?

There are many benefits to using customer service software for your business. Some of these benefits include:

• Efficiency and Productivity: Customer service software automates routine tasks like ticket creation, routing, and certain responses, freeing up customer service representatives (CSRs) to focus on more complex issues. This automation increases the efficiency of the customer service team and allows them to handle more queries in less time, leading to enhanced productivity.
• Improved Customer Experience: By providing multiple communication channels (e.g., live chat, email, social media), customer service software allows customers to engage with a business using their preferred method. Furthermore, the quick and accurate response to customer queries, facilitated by ticketing and automation features, can significantly improve the customer experience.
• Centralized Information: Customer service software collects and stores all customer interactions in one place, ensuring that CSRs have a complete view of a customer’s history with the business. This feature enables CSRs to provide personalized and informed service, improving customer satisfaction.
• Data-Driven Decisions: The analytics capabilities of customer service software provide valuable insights into customer behavior, common issues, response times, and overall customer satisfaction. This data can be used to identify areas of improvement, optimize processes, and make informed strategic decisions, ultimately leading to improved customer service performance.
• Scalability: As a business grows, so does the volume of customer inquiries. Customer service software can easily scale to handle this increased demand, ensuring that the quality of customer service remains consistent. This scalability allows businesses to grow without worrying about a proportional increase in customer service resources.
• 24/7 Customer Support: Many customer service software solutions offer self-service options, such as knowledge bases and AI-powered chatbots, that can provide support even when human agents are unavailable. This feature allows businesses to offer round-the-clock customer support, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

How to choose the best customer service software?

When selecting customer service software for your business, there are several key considerations to keep in mind.

• The nature of your business and its specific needs – For instance, a small startup may not require an overly complex system with advanced features, whereas a larger corporation may need robust software that can handle a high volume of customer inquiries across multiple channels.
• How aligned the software is to your customer service strategy: whether it’s providing self-service options, prioritizing social media interactions, or focusing on personalized service.
• Ease of use and integration capabilities: The software must be intuitive and user-friendly for your customer service team and customers. This is especially important if you plan on using a self-service portal or other customer-facing features.
• How seamlessly the software integrates with your existing systems: such as your CRM or sales software, to ensure a unified and efficient workflow.
• Cost: While investing in a solution that can effectively meet your needs is important, it’s also crucial to consider the return on investment. This includes not only the upfront and ongoing costs of the software but also potential savings from increased efficiency and improved customer satisfaction.

Selecting the right customer service software is a strategic decision that can significantly impact your business’s customer satisfaction and overall success. The right software should scale with your business, accommodating increased customer inquiries and additional features as needed. This ensures that your investment remains valuable and relevant over time.

The best customer service software for 2023

The most sought-after customer service software on the market share several key attributes that make them excellent choices for businesses of all sizes. These solutions are recognized for their robust and flexible features, including multichannel support, ticketing systems, and automation capabilities. They offer a variety of communication channels, such as email, live chat, social media, and phone, ensuring that customers can reach out through their preferred method.

Additionally, these platforms come equipped with powerful analytics and reporting tools, enabling businesses to derive actionable insights from their customer interactions. The ability to scale as a business grows is another common trait, making these solutions adaptable to the changing needs of an organization.

Zendesk

G2 Rank: 4.3/5 stars

Zendesk, a market leader in the customer service software realm, has earned its esteemed reputation due to its highly intuitive interface, robust set of features, and customizable integrations. The platform’s ease of use allows for a streamlined experience that doesn’t require an extensive tech background, making it accessible to a wide range of users.

What distinguishes Zendesk is its flexibility and scalability. Whether it’s a small business just getting its feet wet in customer support or a large corporation looking to refine its already sophisticated operations, Zendesk can be tailored to fit the unique needs of any organization.

Its powerful analytics and reporting tools provide invaluable insights that empower companies to continuously refine and improve their customer service strategies. Thus, Zendesk’s potent combination of functionality, versatility, and user-friendly design rightfully places it at the forefront of customer service software solutions.

Unique features of Zendesk include:

• Omnichannel support: Zendesk provides a unified platform that allows customer service teams to manage interactions across email, chat, phone, social media, and other channels seamlessly.
• Customizable and scalable: The software can be adjusted to fit the needs of businesses of all sizes and industries.
• Powerful analytics tools: These tools provide insights into customer service performance and customer behavior, helping businesses improve their support strategies.
• AI-powered automation: Zendesk uses artificial intelligence to automate responses to common customer inquiries, freeing up customer service agents to handle more complex issues.
• AI-powered automation: Zendesk uses artificial intelligence to automate responses to common customer inquiries, freeing up customer service agents to handle more complex issues.
• Integration capabilities: Zendesk can be integrated with numerous other software applications, including CRM systems, to provide a holistic view of customer interactions.

Zendesk’s software primarily caters to:

• Small to medium-sized businesses looking to establish a professional and efficient customer service operation.
• Large corporations that require a robust and customizable customer service software solution to manage a high volume of customer interactions across multiple channels.
• Businesses across all industries that value data-driven insights and are looking to improve their customer service strategies based on comprehensive analytics.

What languages does Zendesk support?

Zendesk supports many languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, and Portuguese.

For more information on what languages Zendesk supports, please visit Zendesk’s support page.

Which currencies does Zendesk accept?

As of May 2023, Zendesk supports the U.S. Dollar (USD), Euro (EUR), and British Pound (GBP).

You can find more payment details by visiting Zendesk’s support page.

What is the entry price point for Zendesk?

The entry price point for Zendesk’s primary product, Zendesk Support, starts at $49 for the Suite Team, billed annually. Zendesk also offers other products like Zendesk Chat, Zendesk Talk, and Zendesk Guide, each with its pricing structure. There’s also a bundled package known as the Zendesk Suite, which combines multiple products and starts at a higher price point.

For more up-to-date pricing information, visit Zendesk’s Pricing Page.

Does Zendesk integrate with ActiveCampaign? 

Yes, Zendesk integrates with ActiveCampaign. This integration allows for seamless data transfer between the two platforms, enabling businesses to track customer interactions and automate workflows more effectively.

For full details, visit ActiveCampaign and Zendesk integration.

Freshdesk

G2 Rank: 4.4/5 stars

Freshdesk holds its position among the industry’s best due to its comprehensive feature set, user-friendly interface, and commitment to customer satisfaction. One of Freshdesk’s standout qualities is its streamlined ticketing system, which organizes customer inquiries from various channels into a single, manageable interface. This feature enhances efficiency and ensures that no customer query goes unanswered.

The platform is highly customizable, allowing businesses to tailor it to their needs and aesthetic preferences. Freshdesk’s offers are its multi-channel support allows businesses to manage customer interactions across email, chat, phone, and social media. This feature and the platform’s AI-powered automation capabilities enable companies to provide responsive and consistent customer service. The platform also provides powerful analytics tools that help businesses identify areas of strength and areas for improvement.

Unique features of Freshdesk include:

• Multi-channel support: Freshdesk allows businesses to manage customer interactions across various channels from a single platform.
• AI-powered automation: Freshdesk uses artificial intelligence to automate responses to common customer inquiries and efficiently sort and assign customer inquiries.
• Customizable: Businesses can adjust the look and feel of their helpdesk to align with their brand identity.
• Powerful analytics tools: Freshdesk provides insights into customer service performance, helping businesses improve their support strategies. 

This software primarily caters to:

• Small to medium-sized businesses that require a robust yet easy-to-use customer service solution.
• Large corporations in need of a customizable and efficient customer service software solution to handle a high volume of customer interactions across multiple channels.
• Businesses across all industries that want to leverage data-driven insights to continuously improve their customer service strategies.

What languages does Freshdesk support?

Freshdesk supports multiple languages. Some of these include English, Arabic, Chinese, Chinese (Traditional), Italian, Japanese, Korean, French, and Spanish.

For a list of Freshdesk’s supported languages, visit its Help Center page.

What currencies does FreshDesk Accept?

Freshdesk supports a broad range of languages to accommodate its diverse customer base. Some of its supported languages include English, Spanish, Polish, Italian, Swedish, Norwegian, and Japanese.

You can visit its support page for the full list of languages Freshdesk supports.

What is the entry price point for Freshdesk?

Freshdesk offers a free account with limited capabilities. This includes up to 10 agents, integrated ticketing across email and social, access to its knowledge base, ticket dispatch, and a few other perks.
The “Growth” plan starts at $15 per agent per month when billed annually. Features include everything from the free plan plus automation capabilities, collision detection, custom email server, ticket views, and SSL.

For more information on pricing, visit Freshdesk’s pricing page.

Does Freshdesk integrate with ActiveCampaign? 

Yes, Freshdesk integrates with ActiveCampaign. The integration allows users to automate contact details based on ticket events in Freshdesk.

For more features and information, you can visit the ActiveCampaign and Freshdesk integration page.

Zoho Desk

G2 Rank: 4.4/5 stars

Zoho Desk’s strength lies in its ability to centralize customer support activities, thus promoting efficiency and a seamless customer service experience. With its robust ticketing system, Zoho Desk ensures that every customer query is appropriately tracked and addressed, improving customer satisfaction rates.

One of Zoho Desk’s standout features is its context-aware functionality, which gives customer support agents a full view of previous interactions, purchases, and preferences for each customer. This feature enables agents to provide personalized service and make informed decisions. Furthermore, its powerful analytics and reporting capabilities allow businesses to track performance metrics and derive actionable insights, contributing to data-driven decision-making.

Other unique features of Zoho Desk include:

• Context-aware customer service: Zoho Desk provides a comprehensive view of each customer’s history, helping to personalize responses and improve customer satisfaction.
• AI-powered automation: Zoho Desk uses artificial intelligence to automate responses to common customer inquiries and efficiently sort and assign customer inquiries.
• Powerful analytics tools: Zoho Desk provides insights into customer service performance, enabling businesses to identify areas for improvement and monitor the effectiveness of their support strategies.

Zoho Desk software primarily caters to:

• Small to medium-sized businesses seeking a comprehensive yet user-friendly customer service solution.
• Large enterprises that require robust and efficient customer service software to manage a high volume of customer interactions.
• Businesses across all industries that want to leverage data-driven insights to continuously improve their customer service strategies.

What languages does Zoho Desk support?

As of May 2023, Zoho Desk supports 17 different languages. Including English, Chinese, French, Dutch, Swedish, Spanish, Japanese, Czech, Polish, and Korean.

For more information on what languages Zoho Desk supports, visit its Help Center.

What currencies does Zoho Desk accept? 

Zoho Desk accepts multiple currencies across all of its different product lines. For Zoho Desk, it accepts US Dollars (USD), Euro (EUR), British Pound (GBP), Australian Dollar (AUD), and a few others.

For more details on payment options, visit Zoho Desk’s pricing page.

What is the entry price point for  Zoho Desk?

As of May 2023, entry-level pricing for Zoho Desk starts at $14 (USD). This includes 5 email channels, 1 feedback widget, 5 advanced web forms, and access to 1 social media account. The professional plan starts at $23 (USD) and includes 10 channels, 1 department feedback widget, 10 department web forms, and 1 social media account. 

For more pricing information, visit Zoho Desk’s pricing page.

Does Zoho Desk integrate with ActiveCampaign?

You can integrate Zoho Desk with ActiveCampaign via Zapier.

For more details, please visit the ActiveCampaign and Zoho Desk integration page.

Salesforce

G2 Rank: 4.3/5 stars

Salesforce, a world leader in Customer Relationship Management (CRM), is frequently regarded as one of the best customer service software due to its robust suite of features, scalability, and user-friendly interface. Salesforce Service Cloud, the company’s customer service platform, provides a comprehensive toolset for businesses to manage and optimize their customer service operations. It’s powered by advanced AI technology and is designed to help businesses deliver faster, personalized customer service across multiple channels.

Among the platform’s unique features is its omnichannel support, which allows businesses to manage customer interactions across various channels, including phone, email, social media, and instant messaging, all from a single interface. The platform’s AI-powered chatbot, Einstein Bots, can automate responses to common customer inquiries, freeing agents to handle more complex issues.

Furthermore, Salesforce’s detailed analytics and reporting features give businesses valuable insights into their customer service performance, helping them make data-driven decisions.

Unique features of Salesforce Service Cloud include:

• Omnichannel support: Salesforce allows businesses to manage customer interactions across various channels from a single platform.
• AI-powered Einstein Bots: Salesforce uses artificial intelligence to automate responses to common customer inquiries, improving efficiency and customer satisfaction.
• Powerful analytics tools: Salesforce provides in-depth insights into customer service performance, enabling businesses to identify areas for improvement and monitor the effectiveness of their support strategies.

Salesforce’s software primarily caters to:

• Medium to large-sized businesses that need a robust and scalable customer service solution.
• Businesses across all industries that want to leverage artificial intelligence and data-driven insights to optimize their customer service operations.
• Companies looking for a customer service platform that can seamlessly integrate with other Salesforce products and services, creating a comprehensive and unified business solution.

What languages does Salesforce support?

Salesforce supports a wide range of languages to cater to its diverse user base. Some of the main languages include English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Greek, Romanian, Turkish, Arabic, and Japanese. 

For more details on which languages Salesforce supports, visit its Help Center.

What currencies does Salesforce accept?

Salesforce accepts numerous currencies for payment, including the US Dollar (USD), Euro (EUR), British Pound (GBP), Australian Dollar (AUD), and Canadian Dollar (CAD).

For more payment details, visit Salesforce’s supported currencies page.

What is the entry price point for Salesforce?

Salesforce provides a variety of pricing plans based on what part of the business you are using Salesforce for. Service Cloud pricing begins at $25 per month for support teams when billed annually. This includes simple case and knowledge management.

Because Salesforce pricing can widely vary based on your business needs, please consult Salesforce’s pricing page for more details.

Does Salesforce integrate with ActiveCampaign?

Yes, ActiveCampaign integrates with Salesforce. By integrating Salesforce with ActiveCampaign, you can automatically update contact information in ActiveCampaign based on changes in Salesforce, ensuring your customer data is always current. This can also enable you to segment your audience and send targeted marketing messages based on interactions with your sales and customer service teams.

For more details, visit the ActiveCampaign and Salesforce integration page.

HubSpot Service Hub

G2 Rank: 4.4/5 stars

HubSpot, a leader in the field of inbound marketing, has also significantly impacted customer service with their Service Hub. It’s widely regarded as one of the best customer service software due to its comprehensive feature set, seamless integration with other HubSpot hubs, and emphasis on creating delightful customer experiences. It offers tools for managing customer communications, ticketing, feedback, and knowledge base creation, all aimed at improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Unique features of HubSpot Service Hub include:

• Conversations tool: A unified inbox that combines customer interactions from various channels, ensuring a complete view of each customer’s history.
• Automation capabilities: The ability to automate standard responses and tasks, improving efficiency and response times.
• Integration with HubSpot CRM: Seamless integration with HubSpot’s CRM platform allows a full view of customer interactions across sales, marketing, and service teams.

The software primarily caters to:

• Small to medium-sized businesses looking for a comprehensive customer service solution that integrates seamlessly with their CRM and marketing tools.
• Larger enterprises that want a robust and efficient customer service platform to manage high volumes of customer interactions.
• Businesses across all industries looking to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty through efficient and personalized customer service.

What languages does HubSpot Service Hub support?

HubSpot offers services in multiple languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Korean, Chinese (Simplified), and Chinese (Traditional).

For more information on supported languages, you can visit HubSpot’s Knowledge Base.

What currencies does HubSpot accept?

HubSpot accepts multiple currencies for payment, including US dollars (USD), euros (EUR), British pounds (GBP), and Japanese Yen (JPY). 

For more currency details, visit HubSpot’s Knowledge Base.

What is the entry price point for HubSpot Service Hub?

HubSpot offers a range of pricing plans for their Service Hub to cater to businesses of various sizes and needs. As of May 2023, the Starter CRM Suite starts at $30/mo if you pay annually. This gives you basic access to 1 shared inbox, 5,000 email templates, calling SDK, mobile inbox, conversation routing, and several other features. 

For more information, you can visit Hubspot’s pricing page.

Does HubSpot integrate with ActiveCampaign? 

No, ActiveCampaign does not integrate with HubSpot.

Intercom

G2 Rank: 4.4/5 stars

Intercom is widely recognized as one of the leading customer service software due to its innovative and comprehensive approach to customer interaction. Positioned as a Conversational Relationship Platform (CRP), Intercom redefines traditional customer service, providing businesses with tools to engage, support, and retain customers through personalized and real-time communication.

One of Intercom’s standout features is its chatbot, Operator, which can handle routine customer inquiries, book meetings, and qualify leads, freeing agents for more complex tasks. The platform also offers a shared inbox, ensuring all customer inquiries are centralized in one place for efficient handling. Intercom’s product tours feature allows businesses to create interactive, step-by-step guides for their products or services, enhancing customer engagement and user experience.

Unique features of Intercom include:

• Operator chatbot: A chatbot capable of handling routine customer inquiries, qualifying leads, and booking meetings.
• Shared inbox: A feature that centralizes customer inquiries from various channels into one place for efficient management.
• Product tours: The ability to create interactive, step-by-step guides for products or services, enhancing customer engagement and understanding.

Intercom’s software primarily caters to:

• Small to medium-sized businesses looking for an efficient and personalized way to engage with customers.
• Larger enterprises that require a robust and scalable solution to manage high volumes of customer interactions.
• Businesses across all industries are keen to leverage artificial intelligence and real-time communication to optimize their customer service operations.

What languages does Intercom support?

Intercom provides services in many different languages. Some languages include English, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, Dutch, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese (Simplified).

For more information, visit Intercom’s Help Center.

What currencies does Intercom accept?

Intercom primarily accepts United States dollars (USD), Euros (EUR), and British pounds (GBP).

What is the entry price point for Intercom?

Intercom offers a variety of packages to cater to businesses of different sizes and with varying needs. Intercom’s basic Starter Package starts at $74 (USD) per month, which includes Intercom Messenger, shared inbox, conversation routing, saved replies, and behavioral analytics. 

For more pricing information visit Intercom’s pricing page.

Does Intercom integrate with ActiveCampaign? 

ActiveCampaign can integrate with Intercom via a two-way Zapier integration. For more information, visit the ActiveCampaign and Intercom integration page.

Help Scout

G2 Rank: 4.2/5 stars

Help Scout is widely recognized as a top customer service software solution, known for its user-friendly design and emphasis on creating a personalized customer experience. With a philosophy that every customer interaction is an opportunity to create a lasting impression, Help Scout provides tools for managing customer conversations, creating knowledge bases, and analyzing customer satisfaction.

One of the unique features of Help Scout is its shared inbox functionality, which keeps team collaboration simple and efficient. All emails, chats, and calls come into one place where they can be easily managed and assigned. Another standout feature is the Beacon, a flexible embeddable tool for websites that can provide live chat, articles from the knowledge base, and customer messaging in a single interface. Additionally, Help Scout’s reporting capabilities are robust, providing detailed insights into team performance, customer satisfaction, and conversation trends.

Unique features of Help Scout include:

• Shared Inbox: A functionality that centralizes all customer interactions in one place, enhancing collaboration and efficiency.
• Beacon: An embeddable tool providing live chat, access to knowledge base articles, and customer messaging in one interface.
• Reporting Capabilities: Powerful analytics tools providing insights into team performance, customer satisfaction, and conversation trends.

Help Scout primarily caters to:

• Small to medium-sized businesses seeking a user-friendly solution to manage customer interactions efficiently.
• Larger enterprises that value a personalized approach to customer service and need a scalable solution.
• Businesses across all industries that want to create a better customer experience while gaining valuable insights from their customer service data.

What languages does Help Scout support?

Help Scout is slightly more limited in languages, as it only directly supports English. Help Scout offers several options to integrate with translation services such as Weglot and Transifex to translate content into your customers’ language. 

For more information, visit Help Scout’s article on translation services.

What currencies does Help Scout accept?

Help Scout accepts US dollars (USD), euro (EUR), and British pounds (GBP).

What is the entry pricing for Help Scout?

Help Scout’s “Standard” plan is designed for small teams aiming to deliver excellent customer support and is priced at $20 per user per month as of May 2023. This includes 2 mailboxes, 1 Docs site, email and live chat, customer reports, the Beacon help widget, and several other features.

For more information, visit Help Scout’s pricing page.

Does Help Scout integrate with ActiveCampaign? 

Yes, Help Scout integrates with ActiveCampaign via Zapier. This integration allows you to synchronize your customer data between both platforms, enhancing the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and customer support. 

For more details, visit the ActiveCampaign and Help Scout integration page.

LiveAgent

G2 Rank: 4.5/5 stars

LiveAgent is acclaimed as one of the top customer service software solutions, recognized for its robust feature set and its focus on real-time customer interaction. By integrating multiple channels like email, live chat, phone, and social media into a single interface, LiveAgent provides a comprehensive platform for customer service management.

One unique aspect of LiveAgent is its universal inbox feature, which amalgamates all customer interactions from multiple channels into a unified interface, streamlining communication and ensuring no query goes unanswered. Another standout feature is its real-time live chat, which includes a chat embedded on your website, chat invitations, and a real-time typing view. Additionally, LiveAgent offers video call capabilities, allowing for a more personalized and interactive customer service experience.

Unique features of LiveAgent include:

• Universal Inbox: A feature that consolidates all customer interactions from different channels into one place.
• Real-Time Live Chat: An embedded website chat with invitations and real-time typing view.
• Video Call Capabilities: Allows a more personalized and interactive customer service experience.

LiveAgent primarily caters to:

• Small to medium-sized businesses looking for a comprehensive, real-time solution to manage customer interactions.
• Larger enterprises requiring a robust and scalable solution for managing high volumes of customer inquiries.
• Businesses across various industries wanting to integrate multiple customer service channels into a single platform.

What languages does LiveAgent support?

As of May 2023, LiveAgent supports 43 languages, including English, Arabic, Korean, Japanese, French, German, Italian, and Brazilian Portuguese.

For more information, visit LiveAgent’s supported languages page.

What currencies does LiveAgent accept?

LiveAgent accepts the US dollar (USD), euro (EUR), and British pound (GBP).

What is the entry pricing for LiveAgent?

As of May 2023, LiveAgent’s “Small” business plan starts at $9 per agent per month when billed annually. This includes 1 incoming email account, 3 outgoing email accounts, 10 departments, 1 live chat button, 1 API key, and chat satisfaction surveys.

For more details, visit LiveAgent’s pricing page.

Does LiveAgent integrate with ActiveCampaign?

Yes, LiveAgent has a custom integration with ActiveCampaign. LiveAgent’s ActiveCampaign plugin helps you bring some of the great functionalities of ActiveCampaign into your dashboard. 

For more details, visit the ActiveCampaign and LiveAgent plugin page.