Best 20 customer service tools of 2024

Delivering great customer support experiences requires the right mix of tools. Without them, support teams can become overwhelmed by customer inquiries, leading to longer response times and frustrated customers.

With tools like AI, omnichannel ticketing, analytics, and more, agents can work more efficiently and improve the customer experience (CX). It's crucial to view these tools as interconnected parts of a greater whole, working together across the CX. Follow our guide to learn about various customer service tools, their benefits, and how to choose the right ones for your customers, admins, and agents.

In this guide:

• What are customer service tools?
• Types of customer service tools
• The 20 best customer service tools
• Benefits of customer support tools
• How to choose the right customer support tools
• Frequently asked questions
• Elevate your service with a complete set of customer support tools

Customer service tools are software applications designed to enhance customer experiences by integrating service channels, automating support, assisting agents, optimizing workflows, providing valuable insights, and more. As a result, these tools can boost customer satisfaction, increase agent efficiency, and streamline overall operations.

From assisting agents interacting with customers to offering insights to admins and managers, customer service tools provide a powerful combination of functionalities that enhance CX. Here are some of the tools your business can incorporate into its customer service operations:

• AI has many applications, but CX teams commonly use it to automate support, assist agents, and streamline workflows. For example, advanced chatbots like AI agents can automate up to 80 percent of support inquiries. Meanwhile, agent assistant tools can guide agents through customer interactions, proactively suggesting responses and actions based on each customer’s need.
• Omnichannel help desks and ticketing systems enable support teams to track, manage, and prioritize customer requests across all service channels from one central interface.
• Knowledge base and customer self-service software empower customers to find answers to common questions and troubleshoot problems independently. These resources can include FAQ pages, customer portals, and community forums.
• Messaging and live chat tools allow customers to receive quick support on your website, mobile apps, social, and business channels.
• Email management tools transform a shared inbox into a centralized hub, organizing customer support emails alongside all other support channels. Unlike traditional shared inboxes, these tools enable seamless collaboration on responses, intelligent routing of requests to the appropriate agents, and performance tracking, enhancing efficiency and customer satisfaction.
• Reporting dashboards transform complex data about customer interactions and agent performance into easy-to-understand visualizations, like charts and graphs. These insights help teams identify trends, track key customer service metrics, and pinpoint areas for improvement in real time.
• Internal communication and collaboration tools allow agents to consult with colleagues, brainstorm solutions, and share best practices.
• Customer feedback software lets you gather customer feedback through surveys, data analysis, and more. This feedback can be about product features, customer support experiences, or general satisfaction.
• Quality assurance (QA) software leverages AI to evaluate customer interactions, flag churn risk, and identify areas for agent improvement.
• Workforce management (WFM) tools help you optimize support team members' schedules and performance. Using AI, these tools empower managers to forecast staffing needs based on historical data, so that the appropriate number of agents are available to handle customer inquiries. They can also facilitate time tracking to ensure agents work efficiently and adhere to their schedules.

The best customer service solutions provide a comprehensive suite of tools, not just a single feature. These all-in-one solutions include everything necessary to deliver an excellent customer experience, minimizing the total cost of ownership by avoiding the need for numerous add-ons.

Now that you understand the different types of customer service tools, check out some of the software providers.

1. Zendesk

Use case: All-in-one solution for AI-powered customer service tools

Zendesk offers the most complete collection of customer service tools for the AI era. All our tools are fast to implement and easy to use, maximizing agent productivity and time to value. As a comprehensive customer service platform, Zendesk also provides scalability that one-dimensional solutions can’t offer growing businesses.

Zendesk AI tools are purpose-built for CX and trained on the industry’s largest dataset. With Zendesk AI, teams can:

• Automate customer experiences with Zendesk AI agents that autonomously resolve routine and complex customer requests.
• Optimize workflows with tools like intelligent triage and AI-powered knowledge base software.
• Assist agents with the Zendesk agent copilot, which anticipates the next steps and offers suggestions to agents, speeding up the resolution process—it’s the perfect blend of AI and human expertise.

Zendesk AI is also integrated into our omnichannel ticketing system, consolidating customer interactions from every channel into a unified view. AI equips agents with complete context for each interaction within their workspace, including the customer’s intent and sentiment, a summary of their request, similar tickets, and relevant macros and knowledge. This information enables agents to resolve issues faster and more efficiently.

Additionally, the reporting and analytics tools from Zendesk provide actionable, in-depth insights into key performance metrics, empowering teams to optimize their entire service operations. With Zendesk WFM, managers can forecast staffing needs and use those insights to schedule agents effectively. Meanwhile, Zendesk QA automatically reviews all customer interactions—including those with AI agents—to reduce customer churn and spotlight team coaching opportunities.

Pricing: Plans start at $19 per agent/month, billed annually. A 14-day free trial is available.

Explore more Zendesk pricing plans.

2. Help Scout

Use case: Shared inbox

Help Scout offers a shared inbox that allows support teams to manage and collaborate on customer emails and other channels. Internal notes and tagging features enable team members to communicate privately about customer issues and categorize tickets for easier management. Additionally, Help Scout's automation tools can assign agent tickets and send follow-up emails.

Another customer service tool within Help Scout is its knowledge base, which lets businesses create and help center content. Businesses can also use analytics and reports to get insights into customer engagement.

Pricing: Plans start at $22 per user/month, billed annually. A 15-day free trial is available.

Recommended reading: Learn how Zendesk vs. Help Scout compare.

3. HubSpot Service Hub

Use case: Email marketing integration

While HubSpot tends to be known for its email marketing software and sales CRM, it also offers customer support tools. Its ticketing system, HubSpot Service Hub, lets support teams track, manage, and resolve customer issues. Businesses can also build ticket workflows that automate ticket assignments, follow-up emails, and status updates.

HubSpot Service Hub allows businesses to gather insights directly from customers using feedback tools like customer satisfaction (CSAT) and Net Promoter Score® (NPS) surveys. Users can incorporate feedback tools into email templates with pre-written responses.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $15 per seat/month, billed annually. A free plan is available.

Recommended reading: Learn how HubSpot integrates with Zendesk and how Zendesk vs. HubSpot compare.

4. Drift

Use case: Conversational marketing and sales

Drift customer support tools can integrate into marketing and sales initiatives. Its live chat feature allows agents to reach out to customers based on their behavior on the website, such as time spent on a page or specific actions taken. Drift's email and video tools enable support teams to continue conversations beyond the chat window without disrupting the conversation.

Chatbots can handle routine inquiries, schedule meetings, and gather customer information. Bots can also qualify leads and schedule meetings on agents’ behalf.

Additionally, Drift lets businesses manage the customer journey using data and insights gathered from interactions.

Pricing: Plans start at $2,500 per month, billed annually.

5. Intercom

Use case: Shared inbox

Intercom offers a shared inbox with AI features that support various communication channels. For example, businesses can deploy the Intercom live chat tool on websites or apps, and it comes with chatbots to handle and route inquiries. The software also includes reporting and analytics tools for these channels.

Additionally, Intercom provides tools for building targeted messaging campaigns. Businesses can leverage automated messages triggered by specific customer actions or behaviors. Intercom even offers features for creating product tours and walkthroughs, providing customer self-service options.

Pricing: Plans start at $39 per seat/month. A 14-day free trial is available.

Recommended reading: Learn how Intercom integrates with Zendesk and how Zendesk vs. Intercom compare.

6. LiveAgent

Use case: Live chat and messaging

LiveAgent offers different customer service tools for communicating with customers over various support channels: a call center tool, a knowledge base tool, a social media tool, and most notably, a live chat tool (where the company got its name). Additionally, LiveAgent supports automation rules to prioritize and route tickets based on pre-defined criteria.

Its live chat functionality includes real-time visitor monitoring, proactive chat invitations, and customizable chat windows. LiveAgent also provides call routing, an IVR, and call recording features. The software’s knowledge base and customer portal allow companies to create self-service resources.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $9 per agent/month, billed annually. A free plan and a 14- or 30-day free trial are available.

Recommended reading: Learn how Zendesk vs. LiveAgent compare.

7. Helpjuice

Use case: Knowledge base

Helpjuice's customer service tools primarily center around creating and managing knowledge base content. Its knowledge editing tool lets businesses organize and update articles and match them to their brand's look and feel. It supports rich text formatting, multimedia, and collaborative editing.

The knowledge base search functionality helps customers and employees find information regardless of spelling accuracies. Additionally, Helpjuice provides analytics and reporting tools that track how users interact with the knowledge base. It also offers integrations with customer service tools like Zendesk.

Pricing: Plans start at $120 per month for up to four users. A 14-day free trial is available.

Recommended reading: Learn how Helpjuice integrates with Zendesk.

8. Document360

Use case: Knowledge management

Document360 is another support tool that offers a knowledge management platform. Businesses can use it to author various content formats, including articles, FAQs, and step-by-step guides. Features like collaborative editing and version control ensure content accuracy and maintain a history of revisions.

Beyond content creation, Document360 also includes features to control user access. Businesses can choose between internal knowledge bases for employee training or customer-facing portals. Granular access controls ensure information reaches the right audience, while features like embedded search bars and customizable widgets allow for integration of the knowledge base within existing workflows.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $149 per project/month, billed annually. A free plan and a 14-day free trial are available.

Recommended reading: Learn how Document360 integrates with Zendesk.

9. Loom

Use case: Video messages

Loom has various tools for visual communication. Agents can create video recordings—including screen captures, webcam footage, or a combination—to produce step-by-step tutorials, walkthroughs, and responses to customer inquiries. Employees can share videos via links, embed them in emails, or integrate them into help center articles.

Loom also provides viewer insights, such as who has watched the video and how much of it they viewed. This can help teams gauge the effectiveness of their responses and identify areas for improvement. Additionally, the platform supports team collaboration, letting multiple team members comment and provide feedback on videos.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $12.50 per creator/month, billed annually. A free plan and a 14-day free trial are available.

10. Kayako

Use case: Shared inbox for SMBs

Kayako offers a cloud-based customer support platform along with a ticketing system that allows customer service teams to manage inquiries from various sources. The platform features a visual timeline so agents can see customer interactions with the business, including visits, purchases, and shipping history.

Its help center can include self-help articles, videos, and FAQs. The business can use analytics to identify content gaps and revise articles. Kayako offers live chat, and agents can use proactive messaging to initiate conversations based on customer behavior, such as time spent on a particular page.

Pricing: Contact Kayako for pricing. A 14-day free trial is available.

Recommended reading: Learn how Zendesk vs. Kayako compare.

11. Front

Use case: Multichannel inbox

Front provides tools for sales, operations, account management, and customer service. Its customer service tools include a shared multichannel inbox, live chat, chatbots, a knowledge base, and integrations. Multiple agents can collaborate on tickets, leave comments, and track conversations to avoid duplicate responses.

Front allows businesses to automate repetitive tasks such as sorting and tagging emails, assigning conversations to the appropriate team members, and setting up automated responses. Front also offers reporting and analytics features, enabling customer service teams to track metrics. Businesses can manage service level agreements and receive breakdowns of team productivity.

Pricing: Plans start at $19 per seat/month. A seven-day free trial is available.

Recommended reading: Learn how Zendesk vs. Front compare.

12. HappyFox

Use case: Ticketing system

HappyFox provides cloud-based help desk management software. Its ticketing system supports multiple customer communication channels and uses automated workflows to categorize and route inquiries. Agents can set due dates and times for their work and create reusable task templates.

The platform offers features for internal ticket discussions to keep agents on the same page. Additionally, HappyFox reporting and analytics tools provide insights into various metrics, such as ticket resolution times, customer satisfaction, and agent performance. It also supports integrations with other customer service tools, such as Zendesk.

Pricing: Plans start at $29 per agent/month, billed annually. A free trial is available.

Recommended reading: Learn how HappyFox integrates with Zendesk.

13. Hiver

Use case: Gmail management

Hiver provides customer service tools for Gmail. Its shared inbox lets agents work together on customer inquiries directly from their individual Gmail accounts. It features email tagging, notes, and collision detection to prevent duplicate responses.

Hiver automation rules can categorize and assign emails based on specific criteria to direct each query to the right team member. Pre-built email templates and pre-written responses can assist agents in responding to common requests. Additionally, Hiver provides reporting features, enabling teams to track overall email volume.

Pricing: Plans start at $19 per user/month, billed annually. A seven-day free trial is available.

14. Bitrix24

Use case: CRM integration

Bitrix24 offers a range of tools that businesses can apply to their customer service operations, including a CRM, contact center, and task manager. It also provides features for managing email, live chat, social media inquiries, and telephony.

Bitrix24 workflow automation tools help handle repetitive tasks. Businesses can set up automated rules to trigger actions based on specific events, such as sending automatic replies to emails or assigning tickets based on keywords. Internal communication tools like group chats and project management tools can keep agents informed and allow them to work together.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $49 per organization/month, billed annually. A free plan is available.

15. Slack

Use case: Direct messaging

Slack is widely used as a direct messaging platform, and it has additional tools for customer support. Agents can create dedicated channels for specific customer issues or projects, allowing for information sharing, brainstorming solutions, and keeping team members informed. Agents can also share files and resources from a shared knowledge base through these channels.

Teams can use drag-and-drop workflow builders to automate processes. Task lists allow agents to track project progress without jumping between different systems. Slack can integrate with full-service customer service platforms, like Zendesk, to connect ticketing systems and other tools.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $8.75 per month, billed annually. A free plan is available.

Recommended reading: Learn how Slack integrates with Zendesk.

16. Sprout Social

Use case: Social media management

Sprout Social provides tools for managing social media channels and the customer experience. Its Smart Inbox shows messages from Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other platforms. Additionally, Sprout Social supports message tagging, filtering, and assignment, which helps organize and prioritize responses.

Sprout Social analytics deliver insights into social media performance, audience engagement, and campaign effectiveness. Users can generate customized reports that track metrics such as reach, impressions, and engagement rates. Additionally, Sprout Social’s scheduling and publishing tools allow teams to plan and automate posts.

Pricing: Plans start at $199 per seat/month, billed annually. A 30-day free trial is available.

Recommended reading: Learn how Sprout Social integrates with Zendesk.

17. Typeform

Use case: Customer forms

Typeform provides customer service tools for creating interactive forms and surveys. The drag-and-drop form builder allows users to design forms without coding knowledge and supports various question types, including multiple-choice and open-ended questions, as well as rating scales. The forms are mobile-responsive so they work across different devices.

In addition to surveys, Typeform offers templates for quizzes, polls, applications, and orders. It also provides analytics that allows users to track response rates, completion times, and individual question performance.

Pricing: Paid plans start at $25 per month, billed annually. A free plan and a free trial are available.

Recommended reading: Learn how Typeform integrates with Zendesk.

18. SaneBox

Use case: Email management

Sanebox uses automation and organization tools to manage email inboxes. The SaneLater folder filters less important emails out of the main inbox, prioritizing critical messages. BlackHole helps users avoid unsubscribing from spam senders by removing them from the inbox, and Snooze delays emails until agents are ready for them.

The Reminder tool can act as a personal assistant by alerting agents if an email hasn’t received a response within a set time frame. The Daily Digest summarizes the emails the user hasn’t opened yet to prevent messages from being buried.

Pricing: Plans start at $59 per year. A 14-day free trial is available.

19. Forumbee

Use case: Community forums

Forumbee provides customer service tools for managing online communities and discussion forums. Businesses can create branded community spaces where users engage in discussions, ask questions, and share knowledge. The platform supports various types of content, including discussions, Q&A, and articles.

Forumbee also features moderation tools that enable administrators to manage user participation and enforce community guidelines. Its analytics deliver insights into community activity, user engagement, and content performance.

Pricing: Plans start at $250 per month. A 30-day free trial is available.

20. Statuspage

Use case: Incident management

Statuspage provides tools that help businesses communicate the status of their services to customers and stakeholders. Status pages can display information about current incidents, scheduled maintenance, and historical uptime data to keep customers informed during disruptions.

Statuspage also supports multiple communication channels—including email, SMS, and webhooks—so users can receive timely notifications about incidents and updates through their preferred medium. Statuspage also has incident management capabilities, including incident reporting, tracking, and resolution.

Pricing: Plans start at $29 per month. A free plan is available.

Recommended reading: Learn how Statuspage integrates with Zendesk.

Customer support tools offer a treasure trove of benefits beyond simply managing tickets. Here are some key advantages businesses gain from using the right mix of service tools.

Enhanced customer satisfaction

Customer service tools empower businesses to deliver a frictionless customer experience, increasing customer satisfaction in numerous ways:

• Omnichannel ticketing systems allow customers to reach support over their preferred channels—like live chat, text, email, and social media.
• AI agents deliver immediate, 24/7 support.
• Knowledge bases empower customers to avoid wait times and find solutions independently. For example, by providing a robust help center, software provider Veeva achieved a 97 percent CSAT.
• Customer profiles enable agents to personalize interactions by providing them with key customer context across business systems—like a customer’s order history or loyalty status.

Better team collaboration

Customer service tools enhance team collaboration by centralizing communication and streamlining workflows, ensuring all team members are aligned and informed. Ticketing systems with collaboration tools enable agents to involve teammates to help resolve issues without leaving the ticket. For instance, Zendesk allows agents to collaborate via email or Slack, with the entire conversation linked to the ticket.

Real-time updates and notifications keep everyone in the loop, preventing tasks from falling through the cracks and ensuring timely responses to customer inquiries.

Improved efficiency

AI-powered customer service tools can significantly enhance efficiency, enabling support teams to manage higher volumes of support requests without compromising service quality.

For example, the online fashion company Motel Rocks deployed an AI agent to respond to customers faster, reducing ticket volume by 50 percent and improving CSAT by 10 percent. AI agents can further boost productivity by analyzing your support data and suggesting which types of customer requests to automate.

AI can also intelligently triage and route customers to the right agent based on their sentiment, intent, and language, saving agents time from manually tagging, prioritizing, and assigning tickets.

Greater cost savings

In addition to improving efficiency, AI-driven customer service tools can lower operational costs. AI agents can autonomously resolve routine and complex customer inquiries, reducing the workload on human agents and leading to substantial cost savings. AI agents also operate 24/7, eliminating the need for after-hours staffing while ensuring continuous service availability and cutting operational expenses even further.

Take Hello Sugar, for example. The fastest-growing Brazilian wax and sugar salon in the U.S. used an AI agent to automate 66 percent of customer queries, saving the team $14,000 per month and enabling the brand to double the number of salons without doubling headcount.

Informed decision-making

Customer service analytics and reporting tools empower businesses to make data-driven decisions that enhance performance. By aggregating and analyzing data from customer interactions in real time and historically, these tools provide valuable insights into trends and common issues. Detailed reports on metrics such as response times and resolution rates enable managers to identify areas for improvement and develop targeted training programs for support agents.

Customer support tools have many use cases, so choosing the right ones depends on your unique business needs. But the following five criteria are important to consider across the board:

• Choose an AI-powered solution: AI allows you to offer instant, 24/7 support. It also improves efficiency by freeing agents from unnecessary tasks and supporting them during customer interactions.
• Ensure it’s fast to set up and easy to use: This will improve your time to value by minimizing onboarding and training timelines. User-friendly tools also boost agent productivity by eliminating issues that arise from clunky and complex software.
• Assess its scalability: Selecting software that scales alongside your business ensures it can adapt to accommodate a growing customer base and evolving needs. This flexibility means your team can continue to deliver efficient service without being bogged down by limitations.
• Look for a low total cost of ownership: Opting for a comprehensive platform that integrates multiple functionalities, like ticketing, AI, and knowledge base management, provides greater value than purchasing tools individually. This also allows you to avoid hidden costs and maintenance fees from managing multiple programs.
• Prioritize security: Customer support tools often handle sensitive customer data like names, contact information, and financial details. Secure tools protect this data from unauthorized access, breaches, or leaks. Strong encryption, access controls, and regular security updates are crucial to safeguard customer data privacy and build trust with your clientele.