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Service desk solutions, also known as agent desks or support suites, play a pivotal role in elevating the customer journey, expanding interactions across various channels, and trimming down expenses associated with customer service. Choosing the appropriate customer service software is crucial for enterprises to effectively handle and address customer queries, problems, and grievances. It simplifies the customer support procedure by furnishing a centralized system for overseeing communication channels, monitoring customer appeals, and arranging support assignments.

Here ‘Zendesk' and 'Freshdesk' stand out as well-established rivals frequently subjected to comparison among this domain's highly reputable ticket management software platforms. These platforms are adopted by countless enterprises worldwide, serving as solutions for customer support software and help desk services.

Both present an array of advanced functionalities, with certain overlaps and distinctions, which aid agents in expediting issue resolution. Additionally, they enhance the ease and convenience of customer support interactions for clients. When confronted with choosing between Freshdesk and Zendesk, determining the most suitable platform for your business requirements can be intricate. To facilitate a more knowledgeable decision-making process, we've compiled some notable features, pros, and cons of both Freshdesk and Zendesk for your consideration. Let’s start the comparison of Freshdesk vs Zendesk and see who is the best.

Freshdesk vs Zendesk: Everything You Need to Know

Freshdesk and Zendesk are responsible for fueling the online ticketing systems for numerous enterprises. As two dominant figures within support ticket solutions, both offer businesses of diverse scales a chance to provide swiffer, improved, and more streamlined customer support experiences. Freshdesk has a 4.4/5 star rating based on feedback from 2,947 positive reviews. In contrast, Zendesk Support Suite attains a 4.3/5 star rating, drawing from 5,698 positive reviews. 

These scores are meticulously computed using up-to-the-minute insights from confirmed user evaluations. It ensures that the users can confidently determine the optimal selection between these alternatives and discern which aligns more suitably with the business requisites. Thus, contrasting these two titans of help desk software requires more than a mere blind taste trial. So let's delve into the attributes of Freshdesk vs Zendesk and unveil which competitor claims success.

Top-Notch Features Freshdesk Zendesk
Access permissions/controls Yes N/A
Activity tracking Yes Yes
Activity dashboard Yes Yes
Remote control/access Yes N/A
Analytics/reporting Yes N/A
Cloud, SaaS, web-based deployment Yes Yes
In-person training N/A Yes
Free option for team collaboration Yes N/A
App store Yes Yes
Community forums Yes N/A
Knowledge base for multiple use cases/brands N/A Yes
SMS hosted support N/A Yes
Private notes in tickets Yes N/A
Zendesk macros N/A Yes
Conversation routing Yes Yes
SLA management Yes Yes
Knowledge base Yes Yes
Customer Portal Yes Yes
Multiple custom ticket status Yes N/A
Conversational intelligence N/A Yes

What’s Under the Hood of Freshdesk?

Freshdesk is an unchanged user-friendly software with advanced AI capabilities. It empowers customer service, IT, and CRM software that maintains its ease of use while receiving a boost from generative AI enhancements. Users can select any option that suits their needs—one or all. And they can witness the improvement in customer relationships and employee satisfaction, all without the burden, complexity, and costs often associated with standard business software. 

Moreover, its Freddy AI will provide ample support along the way. Many leading industry experts recommend it, including Gartner Peer Insights, G2, TrustRadius, and FORRESTER. With that said, let's look at some of the remarkable features of Freshdesk:

Collaborative Ticketing Experience

Freshdesk is meticulously designed to propel the efficacy of agents and ensure swift responsiveness to customer needs. Agents can effortlessly maintain command over all tickets and engage in seamless collaboration with fellow customer support team members, thereby expediting the resolution of customer concerns. In that case, customer matters originating from any communication channel can be seamlessly transformed into tickets. This meticulous approach guarantees that no customer interactions fall by the wayside, fostering comprehensive management of conversations.

Seamless Conversational Flow

Freshdesk can streamline correspondence spanning Google's Business Messages, WhatsApp, Apple Messages for Business, and additional platforms. It can interact with user clientele on the messaging channels they favor, fostering significant connections regardless of location. It maintains reliability by assisting customers precisely when they require aid, facilitated by user-secure and dependable Messaging API. Hence, it delivers flawless conversational encounters to enhance agent efficiency and elevate the customer journey by enabling context-rich conversations across widely used messaging platforms.

Distinctive Interface

Freshdesk provides distinct interfaces tailored for each communication channel, such as phone, chat, and ticketing. However, this fragmented setup results in a disconnected encounter for agents, necessitating constant switching between applications, tabs, and systems to access the pertinent information or context essential for assisting the customer. Thus, in the Freshdesk interface, individuals must navigate among three applications (Freshdesk, Freshcaller, and Freshchat) to access data from various channels.

Proven AI Solution

Freshdesk presents Freddy AI functionalities that boast straightforward integration; most lack pre-configured models specifically designed for customer experience optimization. Consequently, Freshdesk users must hinge on the manual configuration to guarantee their automated bots' precision. Freddy AI is uniquely tailored and effortlessly operational from the get-go. Prepare to guide in a genuine revolutionary business influence. Users can harness the power of Freddy AI to amplify efficiency, direct tailored encounters, and cultivate swift innovation.

Collaborative Ticketing

Freshdesk can engage in detailed discussions and collaborative gatherings about ticket components with specialists from various corners of any organization. It can collectively take responsibility to distribute ticket ownership amongst multiple customer support teams. And can connect correlated tickets to monitor widespread concerns effectively and tackle intricate problems in hierarchical ticketing by breaking them into more minor, interconnected child tickets. Moreover, it also has an effective ticket management system for agent collision detection, SLA management, team inbox, custom ticket status, canned responses, and help desk automation.

What’s Under the Hood of Zendesk?

Zendesk can step into the shoes of its agents, and they can explore Zendesk as they want. Its customer service solution encompasses all the necessary elements to deliver outstanding support experiences. And in the pursuit of enduring loyalty, its customers can feel like a unique priority. Zendesk for service equips users with the essential support capabilities required to draw customers back consistently. It has 286% Mean ROI (Accompanied by customers within three years), $20 Million (Net present value accumulated by customers throughout three years), and 2 Months (Elapsed time for customers to recoup their investment).

Furthermore, being the globe's most extensive and highly relied upon software marketplace, Zendesk secures the top position in three distinct categories from G2 (Best Software Award - 2023), including Number 1 Best Customer Service Product, Number 1 Best Software Product, and Number 1 Product for Mid-Market (businesses with 51-1,000 workers). With that said, let's move on to some of the outstanding features of Zendesk:

Core Ticketing System

Zendesk embarks on the journey to forging an exceptional customer experience begins with implementing a seamlessly unified ticketing system. It is a pivotal core, aggregating all customer inquiries, appeals, and concerns. Most significantly, it furnishes a comprehensive overview of each customer, empowering users to deliver tailored support. So whether customers initiate contact through chat, email, phone, or any mobile, online, or social platform, each interaction triggers the creation of a ticket, subsequently joining a queue for attention.

Offer Conversational Interactions 

Boost agent effectiveness and enhance the customer voyage by enabling contextually enriched conversations across extensively utilized messaging avenues. Users can elevate the agents' capabilities by using Zendesk bots to address common inquiries preemptively. These bots provide instantaneous responses around the clock across all user service channels, eradicating the need for customers to tolerate waiting times.

Omni-Channel Interface

Zendesk introduces Agent Workspace, a consolidated interface that merges information from diverse channels into a unified hub. This comprehensive view presents the customer journey, and prior engagements, encompassing dialogue history, resolved support tickets, historical transactions, and additional details. It can be equipped with this customer context and data, so the agents can expedite issue resolution and deliver individualized support. The Zendesk Agent Workspace furnishes a consolidated perspective encompassing valuable customer data, discussions, and engagements across all communication channels.

Rich AI Power

Diverging from alternative offerings in the market, Zendesk AI is uniquely pre-trained and customized specifically for customer experience and simplified setup, resulting in heightened precision, upkeep, and amplified cost-effectiveness. At the same time, the implementation of Zendesk AI is expedited and requires minimal to no technical assistance. Enterprises gain access to robust AI functionalities encompassing agent support and productivity aids, intelligent workflow enhancements, machine learning predictions, and advanced bot capabilities–all streamlined through a singular platform, poised for immediate deployment from the outset.

Agent Collaboration

Zendesk can grant specific agents restricted permissions, allowing users to offer specialized insights and recommendations through private remarks. It can empower agents to involve individuals from internal and external teams for collaborative and parallel dialogue efforts. And can incorporate both carbon copy (CCs) and observers sections. Moreover, it also has an effective ticket management system for SLA management, centralized inboxes, macros, help desk automation, custom and conditional ticket fields, and agent collision detection.

Freshdesk vs. Zendesk: Pros Comparison

Freshdesk–Predefined Arrangement

Freshdesk streamlines the creation and arrangement of predefined responses, making it effortless to manage them. Users can swiftly search for and incorporate canned responses and solution articles by employing quick actions within ticket replies, leading to accelerated resolution times.

Freshdesk–Self-Assessment Routes

Customers sometimes prefer self-assistance avenues, and Freshdesk provides various resources to cater to this need. These resources include a Knowledge Base accessible through their website, mobile application, or chat interface. Additionally, community forums serve as an alternate method for customers to engage in self-service, fostering interactions where users can seek assistance.

Zendesk–Side Conversations

Within Zendesk, side conversations offer dedicated spaces within a ticket where agents can consume in-distinct dialogues with specific groups or focus on particular subjects or action plans. These conversations help organize pertinent information linked to the ticket.

Zendesk–Mode of Communication

Zendesk offers comprehensive omnichannel management that merges embeddable functionalities and messaging capabilities, empowering customers to choose their favored mode of communication. This strategy simultaneously enables businesses to ensure a uniform experience across all channels.

Freshdesk vs Zendesk: Cons Comparison

Freshdesk–Interaction Facility

Live chat facilitates immediate interaction with visitors on user websites, enhancing real-time customer support. Unlike Freshdesk, which lacks built-in live chat capabilities, customers must acquire Freshchat separately.

Freshdesk–Conversational Intelligence

Leveraging conversational intelligence within support centers enhances agent efficiency, comprehends commonly posed customer inquiries, and addresses complex customer issues. This data is harnessed to refine agent training, create resources for agents, and produce content for agents and customers. However, it's worth noting that Freshdesk does not include conversational intelligence capabilities as part of its features.

Zendesk–Chatbot Utilization

Chatbots are pivotal in enhancing customer interaction by providing prompt guidance and allowing agents to concentrate on vital responsibilities. However, it's important to note that in the case of Zendesk, customers must incorporate their chatbots or utilize a third-party chatbot builder, often necessitating additional add-ons.

Zendesk–Customer Satisfaction Surveys

CSAT Surveys quantify the contentment or satisfaction customers experience with the service, product, or support interaction they receive. In Zendesk, users are empowered to generate CSAT surveys. However, users generally need to integrate and implement APIs to create personalized surveys or enhance existing survey choices.

Freshdesk vs Zendesk: Packages & Price Plans

Here are some plans and packages for both of them:

Attractive Suit Plans—Zendesk

The comprehensive package of Zendesk encompasses ticket management, a help center, messaging, voice communication, and robust AI capabilities with the below-mentioned details:

  • Users can get the Suite Team package at $55 per agent/month along with the ticketing system, help center, prebuilt analytics, pre-defined (macros) responses, online support, email, voice, chat, social messaging, standard bots, 1,000+ integrations and apps, custom business rules (automation & triggers), adoption resources and digital onboarding.
  • Users can get a Suite Growth package at $89 per agent/month along with multiple ticket forms, light agents, service level agreements (SLA), customer satisfaction score (CSAT), multilingual content and support, self-service user portal, interaction hours, and more.
  • Users can get a Suite Professional plan at $115 per agent/month along with live analytics and custom, skills-based routing, side conversations, facts and location choices, integrated community forums, HIPAA compliance, suitable for advanced AI add-on, a ticket to sunshine conversations, and more.
  • In the Suite Enterprise plan of Zendesk, users can get custom quotes, integrated with community forums, data location options, HIPAA compliance, access to sunshine conversations, eligible for advanced AI add-on, sandbox, AI-powered content cues, content blocks, custom agent roles, contextual workspaces, and more.

Effective & Popular Plans—Freshdesk

Freshdesk seamlessly integrates top-tier ticket management, self-help resources, and reporting capabilities with the below-mentioned packages:

  • For the starter package, users can get a free trial for up to 10 agents, along with integrated ticketing across social media and email, trend ticket report, 24x7 email support, dispatch tickets, effective team collaboration, knowledge base, data center location, and out-of-the-box reporting and analytics. 
  • Users can get industry-leading and intuitive help for the growth package at $15 per agent per month, billed annually with automation, 24x5 phone support, and collision detection. Also, easily track time users spend on tickets, 1000+ marketplace apps, custom SSL, in-depth helpdesk report, ticket fields & status, SLA management & business hours, custom ticket views, custom email server, and more.
  • For the pro (popular) package, users can get an advanced automation facility for high performance at $49 per agent per month, billed annually with community forums, report sharing, and extendable API Limits. Also, custom metrics, CSAT surveys & reports, average handling time (AHT), multiple SLA policies & business hours, custom apps, SLA reminder & escalation, multilingual knowledge base, and more.
  • For the enterprise package, users can fully get advanced features with chatbots for enterprise-level support at $79 per agent per month, billed annually with an assist bot, email bot, IP range restriction, and auto-triage. Also, flexible knowledge base hierarchy, article suggestion, knowledge base approval workflow, canned response suggestions, unlimited products, sandbox, and more.

Try the More Affordable Customer Service Software with Top Notch Features (3x Customer Service Efficiency)

It's often difficult to find the most suitable customer service software among hundreds. By analyzing various customer service software available in the market, Caffeinated CX AI is designed to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes. It has all the features to solve customer tickets 3x faster and make customers feel valued.

Start a free 14-day trial to see Caffeinated CX in action! To know more (Case Studies) about Caffeinated CX, click here

Freshdesk vs Zendesk Bottom Line—Delight Your Customer with the Best CS Software!

Businesses leverage many outstanding customer support chatbots for customer service that can effectively augment the overall customer experience. Ticket management solutions such as Caffeinated CX and Zendesk can significantly enhance the agent workflow and reduce resolution durations. 

Read our other helpful guides here

AI For Customer Support: The Future Of Customer Service

Providing Multilingual Customer Service with AI: Everything You Need to Know

Best AI Chatbot For Customer Service

Maximize Efficiency with AI Customer Service Chatbot: An Ultimate Guide

How to Use AI to Improve the Customer Experience: An Ultimate Guide

Harnessing the Power of AI for Customer Service in this Digital Age: Your Ultimate Guide 

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