Introduction
Here's the deal: your customer support team is the backbone of your organization. Your product and marketing and product will do nothing for your business if you don’t actively prioritize customer satisfaction. And that's where customer service software tools come in.
But there’s no shortage of good customer service tools today.
With so many options, the Scribe team got down together to compile a list of the best customer service solutions that are worth your time. From tracking and responding to customer inquiries to gathering valuable data on customer interactions to sending self-help guides, we've got something for every use case.
Let’s dive right into it.
TL;DR: Best customer service software tools in 2024
- Zendesk
- Scribe
- Help Scout
- Help Docs
- Sprout Social
- MailChimp
- SurveyMonkey
- Slack
- Hubspot Service Hub
- Salesforce Service Cloud
- Jira Service Management
- Zoho Desk
- Olark
What is customer service software?
Customer service software refers to a set of tools designed to aid organizations in offering prompt and efficient support and guidance to current and potential customers.
Its primary objective is to create a centralized system for service agents to track, prioritize, manage, respond to and resolve customer queries.
But you'll also find other customer service software tools like:
- Knowledge bases and free SOP software.
- Process documentation tools.
- Messaging apps.
- Automation software.
- Analytics dashboards.
... and other tools that quickly and efficiently help you deliver the best possible customer service.
Top customer service software tools of 2024
Now, let's get into why you're here. Presenting Scribe's top picks for the best customer service software tool.
1. Zendesk
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G2 Rating: 4.3 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 4.3 out of 5
Zendesk Pricing: Zendesk’s pricing for sales starts at $49 per month and increases according to the features.
Zendesk Overview
Zendesk is a cloud-based customer service software tool that helps organizations manage and improve their customer service operations.
It provides a comprehensive platform for managing and improving customer service operations and a generous feature offering, including a ticketing system, live chat, email management, knowledge bases, analytics and more.
As a customer service solution, Zendesk helps businesses create a unified customer service experience by connecting customer service agents with customers through multiple channels like phone, email, live chat and social media.
You can also take advantage of the other products offered by Zendesk, such as Support, Chat, Talk and Guide based on your needs. Zendesk also offers different pricing plans and free trials, so you can choose the plan that best fits your budget and customer service requirements.
2. Scribe
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G2 Rating: 4.8 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 4.9 out of 5
Scribe Pricing: Scribe offers a free plan and paid plans starting from $23 per user per month.
Scribe Overview
Scribe is a cloud-based tool that makes knowledge management and sharing easy. It's a process documentation tool that records your online workflows and turns them into visual, step-by-step guides, complete with text and annotated screenshots.
You can use Scribes to:
- Onboard clients with customizable, templated training content.
- Upskill your customer service and success teams to quickly troubleshoot and respond to queries.
- Build FAQs, how-to guides and an external knowledge base — all in one platform.
... and so much more.
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Scribe's process recorder works on Chrome, Edge and your desktop (for Pro users) so that you can document any process without writing one word. Scribes are automatically converted into step-by-step guides, complete with annotated screenshots and explanations, so the reader knows what's happening at all times.
That's not all —you can also customize these guides to add more depth and detail by including custom branding, text, blur and annotations. Once done, share instantly via the platform, as a PDF or link, or embed it in any of your favorite tools.
Don't take our word; here's what Claire Mai C. has to say about Scribe versatile features and simplicity:
“I use Scribe often as a way to share knowledge with different teams across my company. It’s very easy to use the tool and it’s saved our teams a lot of time.”
Scribe Pages is another handy feature of Scribe that lets you create extensive knowledge base articles by embedding multiple Scribes, images and videos. You can use it to build comprehensive user manuals, templates and just. so. much. more.
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3. Help Scout
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G2 Rating: 4.4 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 4.7 out of 5
Help Scout Pricing: Help Scout has reasonable prices starting from $20 per user per month.
Help Scout Overview
Help Scout is a customer service software tool that helps organizations manage and improve their customer service operations.
Its email management features allow customer service agents to manage and respond to customer inquiries sent via email. Integrate it with the ticketing system to provide a seamless customer service experience across multiple communication channels.
Help Scout also offers self-service resources like knowledge bases and FAQs. Customers can use these to find the answers they need quickly and easily without contacting customer service, thereby reducing the workload on customer service agents.
4. Help Docs
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G2 Rating: 4.4 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 4.1 out of 5
Help Docs Pricing: Pricing starts from $69 per month.
Help Docs Overview
Help Docs is a customer service software tool that helps organizations build and manage their knowledge bases and documentation. It lets you create and organize articles, guides and other resources your customers can use to find answers to common questions.
Help Docs has a built-in analytics feature that allows customer service managers to track and analyze customer usage data, including which articles and guides are most viewed and which aren't. It's a handy feature to make data-driven decisions about the articles and guides to create, update or discard.
You can also use Help Docs's live chat and employee monitoring feature to monitor customer interactions.
Sprout Social
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G2 Rating: 4.3 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 4.4 out of 5
Sprout Social Pricing: Sprout Social starts with a 30-day free trial, after which you'll have to get a paid plan starting at $99 per user per month.
Sprout Social Overview
Sprout Social is a customer service software tool that helps organizations manage and improve their customer service operations on social media platforms. It offers a variety of features and capabilities that can be used to monitor, engage and analyze social media interactions.
For instance, the Listening feature allows you to monitor conversations and mentions of your brand across multiple social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. This helps you to quickly respond to customer queries, complaints and other interactions on social media.
Sprout Social's also offers powerful analytics that let you track and analyze social media data, including metrics such as engagement, reach and sentiment, to identify trends and make data-driven decisions about your company's social media strategy.
A range of collaboration tools—team inbox, message tagging and assignments—further help customer service teams to share and delegate tasks and customer interactions efficiently.
6. MailChimp
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G2 rating: 4.2 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 4.5 out of 5
MailChimp Pricing: Choose a paid plan starting from $9.37 based on the number of contacts you’ve in your email list or opt for the free basic plan.
MailChimp Overview
MailChimp is an email marketing software tool that helps organizations create and manage email campaigns. Its email design and template creation feature allows users to create visually appealing and professional-looking emails using a drag-and-drop editor or pre-designed templates.
Use list management to segment your organization's email lists and target specific groups of subscribers with personalized campaigns. Sending relevant content to the right people at the right time can increase open rates and engagement.
MailChimp also offers a range of integrations with other tools and apps, such as Salesforce, Shopify and Magento.
7. SurveyMonkey
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G2 Rating: 4.4 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 4.6 out of 5
SurveyMonkey Pricing: Pricing starts from a free forever plan, after which you can upgrade starting at $32 per month, according to your needs.
SurveyMonkey Overview
SurveyMonkey is a web-based survey software that allows users to create, send and analyze surveys.
SurveyMonkey is a web-based survey software that enables users to create, send and analyze surveys. The platform offers many features, including customizable survey templates, question types and data analysis tools.
You can create surveys using a variety of question types, including multiple-choice, open-ended and rating scale questions, followed by distributing them via email or social media — or embedding them on a website. This will help you capture customer queries and complaints easily and in a structured manner.
8. Slack
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G2 rating: 4.5 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 4.7 out of 5
Slack Pricing: Slack starts with free forever pricing, but you can upgrade to a $5.08 plan — or higher — depending on your need.
Slack Overview
Slack is a real-time messaging and collaboration tool that allows teams to communicate and share information in a centralized location. It's primarily used for workplace communication but can also be used for other types of groups or communities — and in this case, to offer streamlined customer service.
You get various features, including the ability to create channels for specific topics or teams, direct messaging, file and document sharing and integration with other customer service tools. Slack also offers a mobile app and desktop notifications, which allow users to stay connected and receive updates even when they are away from their computers.
A searchable archive of all conversations and files provides customers and teams easy access to critical information.
9. Hubspot Service Hub
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G2 rating: 4.4 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 4.4 out of 5
Hubspot Service Hub Pricing: The Professional package for Hubspot Service Hub starts at $800 per month, plus you can also compare different packages and products.
Hubspot Service Hub Overview
HubSpot Service Hub helps businesses provide better customer service and support. The software is built on the HubSpot CRM platform, which allows companies to access customer information, interactions and history in one place.
It has several features like ticketing, a knowledge base, live chat and customer feedback. You can use it to create and manage customer service teams, set service level agreements and assign tasks to team members.
Integrations with other tools like Slack, Zendesk and Salesforce are great for streamlining your customer service operations.
10. Salesforce Service Cloud
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G2 Rating: 4.2 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 4.4 out of 5
Salesforce Service Cloud Pricing: Pricing starts at $25 per month.
Salesforce Service Cloud Overview
Part of the Salesforce platform, Salesforce Service Cloud enables companies to better manage customer interactions and support. It includes a variety of features that make it a customer favorite.
Its best and most used parts are:
- The ticketing system allows businesses to manage customer inquiries and requests through a centralized inbox.
- The knowledge base will enable companies to create and organize articles and resources to help customers quickly find the answers they need.
- The live chat feature lets companies connect with customers in real time and provide immediate assistance.
- The customer feedback feature will enable companies to gather and analyze customer feedback to improve their service.
Service Cloud also allows businesses to create and manage customer service teams, set service level agreements and assign tasks to team members. It allows access to customer information, interactions and history in one place and it's also integrated with Salesforce Sales, Marketing and Commerce Cloud.
11. Jira Service Management
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G2 Rating: 4.2 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 4.4 out of 5
Jira Service Management Pricing: You can start with Jira at $0 and can upgrade as needed at reasonable prices (starting at $21 per user per month).
Jira Service Management Overview
Jira Service Management is a service management software part of the Jira platform.
You can use it to manage customer requests, incidents and problems better. Jira Service Management provides a centralized platform for creating, tracking and managing service requests, incidents and problems and allows teams to collaborate on resolving them promptly.
It also allows businesses to create and manage their customer service teams, assigning and prioritizing tasks and helping streamline customer service operations.
12. Zoho Desk
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G2 rating: 4.4 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Zoho Desk Pricing: Start with a free trial before upgrading to a paid package, starting at $20 per month per agent.
Zoho Desk Overview
Zoho Desk also allows businesses to create and manage customer service teams, set service level agreements and assign tasks to team members. It also offers various integrations with other tools, allowing businesses to streamline their customer service operations.
A mobile app and an AI-powered virtual assistant are other handy additions that help provide efficient customer service on the go and automate routine tasks, respectively.
Overall, Zoho Desk makes an excellent choice for any business looking to provide better customer service, increase customer satisfaction and improve team collaboration.
13. Olark
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G2 rating: 4.3 out of 5
Capterra Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Olark Pricing: You can get started for free and upgrade to a paid package at $29 monthly.
Olark Overview
Olark is a live chat software that allows businesses to communicate with website visitors in real time. It's designed to help companies increase sales and provide better customer service by enabling them to engage with website visitors.
The software offers a simple and easy-to-use interface for businesses to communicate with visitors through a chat widget that can be placed on the website. It also allows companies to collect and store visitor information, view chat transcripts and track visitor behavior on the website.
With Olark, you can proactively initiate chats with visitors and set up automatic greetings to engage visitors as soon as they arrive on the website. It also allows businesses to set up an offline form visitors can fill out when the chat is unavailable.
Types of customer service software tools
There are several different types of customer service tools, each with specific features and capabilities. In general, you're looking to choose a tool that addresses your needs or shortlist the ones that tackle your problem.
Here are the most common types of customer service software tools:
- Live chat software: Allows customers to communicate with customer service agents in real time through a chat interface on a website or mobile app.
- Process documentation tools: Provides customers self-help step-by-step guides to shorten time to value.
- Knowledge bases and FAQs: Self-service resources that your customers can use to find answers to common questions without contacting customer service.
- CRM software: Helps customer service teams organize and access customer data, including purchase history and previous interactions.
- Call center software: Allows your customer service team to manage and route phone calls to the appropriate agent or department.
- Surveys and feedback tools: Helps companies gather customer feedback and improve their service.
- Automation software: Automates repetitive tasks, allowing customer service agents to focus on more complex customer issues.
Why you need customer service software tools
There are several reasons why you should leverage customer service software in your business — whether you're an enterprise, SMB or mighty team of one.
1. Boost efficiency
Customer service software centralizes customer service inquiries and interactions, helping organizations streamline and automate their customer service operations. This also enables customer service agents to handle more inquiries in less time.
2. Improve customer service
Customer service software tools have features like live chat, email management and knowledge bases that can help you provide faster, more accurate and highly personalized customer service.
3. Increase customer satisfaction
Customer service software can help organizations increase customer satisfaction and loyalty by providing fast, efficient, and accurate service.
4. Better data management
CRMs help organizations store and manage customer data, including purchase history and previous interactions, allowing customer service agents to understand customer needs and concerns better.
Furthermore, customer service software is also helpful for automating repetitive tasks, identifying areas for improvement and providing multichannel support to your customers without burning a hole in your pocket.
Signing off…
Phew, that was a lot.
Investing in the best customer service software tools can significantly improve the overall customer experience, increase efficiency and provide valuable insights.
Use customer service tools to:
- Automate repetitive tasks.
- Develop, share and store process documentation.
- Quickly respond to customer inquiries.
- Create a more personalized and engaging experience.
But get this: you don’t need to have every tool we listed above. Instead, understand your customer service requirements and choose one that matches your needs and budget. Making the right choice will help your customer service team resolve customer issues faster, increase customer satisfaction and drive more sales.
