Top 45 Customer Service Software (Jun 2024)

Customer Service Buyer's Guide

Overview

Customer service software is a category of technology solutions designed to help businesses manage and improve their interactions with customers. It encompasses a range of tools and platforms that enable organizations to streamline customer support processes, enhance customer satisfaction, and build stronger relationships with their customer base.

What is Customer Service Software and Why Businesses Need It

Customer service software is essential for businesses looking to deliver exceptional customer support in todays competitive market. It helps organizations to efficiently handle customer inquiries, resolve issues in a timely manner, and provide personalized assistance to enhance the overall customer experience. By centralizing customer interactions and data, businesses can improve their responsiveness, consistency, and effectiveness in addressing customer needs.

Main Features

Key features of customer service software typically include ticket management, live chat support, knowledge base management, self-service portals, social media integration, reporting and analytics, CRM integration, and multichannel support to engage with customers across various touchpoints.

Main Business Processes Customer Service Software Can Help With

Customer service software can assist businesses in streamlining various processes, such as:

• Managing customer inquiries and support tickets
• Providing real-time assistance through live chat
• Creating and maintaining a knowledge base for self-service
• Tracking and analyzing customer interactions and feedback
• Integrating with CRM systems to access customer data
• Monitoring and engaging with customers on social media

Steps on How to Buy Customer Service Software

When considering purchasing customer service software, businesses should follow these steps:

1. Assess your specific customer service needs and objectives
2. Research different customer service software options and vendors
3. Request demos or trials to evaluate the softwares features and usability
4. Consider scalability, integration capabilities, and customization options
5. Review pricing plans and choose a solution that fits your budget
6. Seek references or reviews from existing customers
7. Negotiate terms and finalize the purchase
8. Implement the software with proper training and support
9. Monitor performance and gather feedback for continuous improvement

Things to Consider

When selecting customer service software, businesses should consider factors such as:

• Scalability and flexibility to adapt to changing business needs
• Ease of use for both customers and support agents
• Integration capabilities with existing systems and software
• Security measures to protect customer data and privacy
• Vendor reputation, customer support, and training options
• Cost of implementation, licensing, and ongoing maintenance

Most Popular Vendors and Market Share

Some of the most popular vendors in the customer service software category include Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud, Freshdesk, Intercom, LiveChat, Help Scout, and Zoho Desk. According to recent market research, Zendesk and Salesforce Service Cloud are among the top vendors with significant market share in the customer service software space.

Trends and Next Steps in the Customer Service Software Category

Emerging trends in customer service software include the adoption of AI and chatbots for automated customer support, omnichannel communication to provide a seamless customer experience across channels, and a focus on proactive customer engagement and personalization. The future of customer service software is likely to involve more advanced analytics, AI-driven insights, and integration with emerging technologies like IoT and AR/VR for enhanced customer interactions.

10 Questions to Ask Customer Service Software Vendors During a Demo

1. How does your software handle multichannel customer interactions?
2. Can the software integrate with our existing CRM system?
3. What self-service options does the software offer for customers?
4. How does the software assist in tracking and analyzing customer feedback?
5. What security measures are in place to protect customer data?
6. Is the software scalable to accommodate our growing customer base?
7. What level of customization is possible with the software?
8. How does the software support collaboration among support agents?
9. What reporting and analytics tools are available for performance tracking?
10. What ongoing training and support options do you provide for customers?

Head to head Customer Service software leaders comparisons:

List of Customer Service Software:

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software Price Range

Most CRM software in the market are priced on a per-user, per-month basis; hence, businesses can expect to pay between the range of $10 to $200 per user monthly. There are also some CRM products with yearly pricings and others with perpetual licenses.

The above price range depends on the sophistication of the CRM products feature-wise, as well as the number of user accesses or accounts paid for. Some CRM software within the above price ranges are Zendesk Sell, which starts from $19 monthly per user, FreeAgent CRM pricing starts from $25 monthly per user, and GreenRope costs between $149 for up to 1,000 contacts to $699 for up to 50,000 contacts.

In addition, CRM products target different sizes of organizations, and their price ranges are as follows:

• Small Businesses can expect to pay between the range of $10 to $25 for CRM software. The prices are set on a per user per month basis. For example, Zoho CRM costs $12 per user per month, Fresh Sales costs $13 per user, per month, and Copper pricing starts $19 per user per month. In addition to this, some products offer small businesses very basic packages which can be gotten for free.
• Medium Businesses can expect to pay between $25 to $50 for CRM software. While most products for medium-sized businesses are priced on a per user, per month basis, the number of employees or registered users will determine the prize of the software per user. For example, Hubspot costs up to $30 per user monthly but $50 monthly for two users. Others are Benchmark ONE, which costs $40 monthly per user, and Skynamo, which is priced at $46 per user monthly.
• Large Businesses can expect prices that fall within $50 to $200 for CRM products. CRM offerings for large business organizations typically come with more features; hence, there may be separate fees for installation, setup, or training. Some CRM software within this tier are FreeAgent CRM, which costs $130 price monthly per user; GreenRope costs between $149 for up to 1,000 contacts to $699 for up to 50,000 contacts , and Quick Base pricing falls around $500 monthly for a number of users.

CRM best of breeds and their price ranges are as follows:

• Marketing Automation Software Marketing automation products can be divided into three tiers, each carrying prices that range from $0 to $19, $19 to $50, and $50 upwards, respectively. For instance, Active Campaign pricing starts from $15 monthly per user, Hubspot Marketing Automation costs up to $50 per user monthly, and Integrated Marketing Portal pricing is around $50 per user monthly.
• Lead Management Software The pricing for Lead management products in the market usually varies between $11 and $60 upwards. These price ranges depend on the level of the products offerings and the number of registered users per month. For example, SalesExec pricing starts from $65 per user monthly, Salesforce Essentials costs around $25 per user monthly, and Lead Capsule pricing starts from around $500 per month for a number of years.
• SalesForce Automation Software SalesForce automation products pricing ranges from $13 to $50 upwards, depending on the level of their offerings and the number of registered accounts per month. The prices are set per user, per month; hence, SAA software pricing like Really Simple System starts from $14 per user monthly, Pepperi pricing is around $48 per user monthly, and Cliently costs up to $39 per user per month.
• Contact Management Software Most contact management products in the market are priced on a per month basis, and there are typically set limits to the number of contacts each user can manage on the software. Depending on the level of offers, prices may fall between $0 to $14, $14 to $25, and $25 to $400. For example, Infloflo pricing starts from around $100 per month, DejaOffice PC CRM costs up to $50 monthly, and AirTable pricing starts from $14 per month.
• Email Marketing Software Email marketing products are priced per month, and there are usually limits on the number of subscribers or emails for each user monthly. The prices range from $0 and $30 upwards, depending on the package level. For example, Constant Contact pricing starts from $20 per month, SendinBlue pricing starts from $25 per month, and Campaigner costs around $19 per month.