Effective customer support is the backbone of any successful business, akin to frying eggs for the perfect omelette. This is where software platforms such as Zendesk and Intercom come into play, offering customer-centric tools like ticketing, issue resolution, automation, and messaging. But with each software boasting its unique strengths, which one should you choose? Let’s dive in and dissect the two, based on an in-depth trial experience.
Overview of Zendesk and Intercom
Zendesk and Intercom are both high-quality customer relationship management (CRM) solutions, offering baseline features like live chat, help desk, and a knowledge base. With user-friendly interfaces and reasonable pricing, both platforms cater to a broad spectrum of businesses. However, there are distinct differences in their focus:
- Zendesk: Primarily positioned for customer support, Zendesk excels in areas like ticketing and collaboration.
- Intercom: Offering a wider range of sales and marketing features, Intercom provides a more holistic solution for managing customer relationships.
Zendesk vs Intercom: Feature-by-Feature Comparison
Let’s delve deeper into their features to see how they fare in various categories.
Zendesk vs Intercom: Ticketing
Zendesk is exceptional when it comes to ticketing. The platform’s omnichannel dashboard provides a seamless experience for agents, enabling streamlined resolution processes. Zendesk’s ticketing system allows for support tickets to be generated, tracked effectively, and routed to the most appropriate support team agent.
Intercom, while it doesn’t offer an omnichannel dashboard, is still robust in its ticketing capabilities. Intercom offers extensive automation features for ticket management, enabling businesses to streamline and speed up their customer service.
Winner: Zendesk
Zendesk’s omnichannel dashboard and streamlined resolution processes give it a significant advantage over Intercom in the ticketing category.
Zendesk vs Intercom: Messaging
Both Zendesk and Intercom provide omnichannel messaging dashboards, which allow companies to communicate with customers through various channels in a seamless manner.
Zendesk’s dashboard is responsive and has a sleek interface, which facilitates smoother interactions. On the other hand, Intercom’s dark mode is a noteworthy aesthetic feature, providing a visually appealing interface for users who prefer darker hues.
Winner: Zendesk
Although it’s a close call, Zendesk’s responsive and sleek interface gives it an edge in the messaging category.
Zendesk vs Intercom: Help Center
The Zendesk Help Center allows for the easy creation and grouping of resources, offering customizability to match your brand. It’s a comprehensive knowledge base where customers can find answers to common questions, reducing the need for direct customer support.
Intercom’s help center, while not as customizable, still provides a user-friendly platform for content creation, helping customers self-serve their queries effectively.
Winner: Zendesk
Zendesk’s customizable Help Center makes it the better choice for businesses wanting to tailor their self-service portals to their brand.
Zendesk vs Intercom: Chatbots
Zendesk’s chatbots are simple to deploy and are highly effective in providing automated customer support. They can handle simple queries, freeing up your support agents to deal with more complex issues.
Intercom, on the other hand, goes a step further. Intercom’s chatbots not only provide automated customer support but also come with advanced features and customizability without sacrificing simplicity.
Winner: Intercom
Intercom’s advanced chatbots, coupled with customizability, give it an edge over Zendesk in this category.
Zendesk vs Intercom: Automation
Intercom excels in this category, offering more automation features than Zendesk. These features make routine tasks more efficient for agents, thus saving time and resources.
Zendesk also provides automation features, but they aren’t as extensive as Intercom’s. However, they still effectively streamline workflow processes.
Winner: Intercom
Intercom wins the automation round due to its extensive range of automation features.
Zendesk vs Intercom: CRM Utility
Zendesk provides a good set of tools for managing customer relationships, but it requires additional enrollment in ‘Sell’ for a comprehensive CRM solution.
Intercom can function as a standalone CRM, allowing businesses to track and manage customer interactions efficiently. However, larger businesses might need to supplement it with additional services for a more comprehensive solution.
Winner: Intercom
Intercom’s standalone CRM capability gives it an advantage over Zendesk in this category.
Zendesk vs Intercom: Reporting and Analytics
Zendesk’s ‘Explore’ feature offers robust reporting capabilities, providing insights into various aspects of customer service operations. This allows businesses to identify trends, monitor agent performance, and make data-driven decisions.
Intercom also offers reporting features, but they aren’t as extensive as Zendesk’s. They are, however, adequate for most users, providing essential insights into customer service operations.
Winner: Zendesk
Zendesk’s extensive reporting capabilities make it the stronger choice for businesses that heavily rely on data and analytics.
Zendesk vs Intercom: Pricing
Zendesk offers various pricing tiers depending on the functionalities needed, with plans ranging from $49 to $215 per agent per month. This gives businesses the flexibility to choose a plan that best suits their needs and budget.
Intercom’s pricing isn’t very transparent, with the starter pack costing $74 per month for two seats. The lack of transparency can make it harder for businesses to determine the actual costs and compare different plans.
Winner: Zendesk
The clear and flexible pricing structure of Zendesk gives it an edge over Intercom in this category.
Zendesk vs Intercom Comparison Table
| Features | Zendesk | Intercom |
|---|---|---|
| Ticketing | ★★★★★ (5/5) – Streamlined resolution processes – Omnichannel dashboard | ★★★★☆ (4/5) – Automation features – Easy ticket management |
| Messaging | ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) – Sleek and responsive interface | ★★★★☆ (4/5) – Omnichannel dashboard – Dark mode for aesthetics |
| Help Center | ★★★★☆ (4.5/5) – Customizability to match brand – Easy creation and grouping of resources | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) – Easy content creation – Limited customization |
| Chatbots | ★★★★☆ (4/5) – Easy to deploy – Effective for customer interactions | ★★★★★ (5/5) – Advanced features – High customizability |
| Automation | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) – Basic automation features | ★★★★★ (5/5) – Extensive automation capabilities – Efficiency in routine tasks |
| CRM Utility | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) – Strong CRM with additional ‘Sell’ enrollment | ★★★★☆ (4/5) – Can function as a standalone CRM – Might need additional services for larger businesses |
| Reporting & Analytics | ★★★★★ (5/5) – Robust reporting capability with ‘Explore’ | ★★★★☆ (4/5) – Adequate for most users – Not as extensive as Zendesk’s |
| Pricing | ★★★★★ (5/5) – Various pricing tiers – Ranges from $49 to $215 per agent per month | ★★★☆☆ (3/5) – Less transparent pricing – Starter pack costing $74 per month for two seats |
Zendesk vs Intercom: Which Software Is Right to Support Your Customers?
Zendesk is perfect for businesses looking for comprehensive customer support tools. Its primary focus on ticketing and a robust help center makes it a good fit for companies with heavy customer interaction.
Intercom is a great choice for companies seeking a more rounded solution for managing customer relationships, with strong sales and marketing features. Its extensive automation capabilities are a bonus for businesses seeking to streamline their customer interactions.
Key Takeaways
- Zendesk which it’s robust ticketing features is a great fit for businesses looking for solid customer support functionalities.
- Intercom shines for businesses seeking comprehensive sales and marketing tools, along with CRM functionalities.
- Zendesk’s reporting capabilities outshine Intercom’s.
- Intercom offers more advanced automation features than Zendesk.
While Intercom and Zendesk both offer robust features, they may not be the perfect fit for everyone. To help you explore more options, we’ve put together a list of the best Zendesk alternatives as well as the best Intercom alternatives you might want to consider.
