If you’re looking for a tool that can help streamline the customer support process, there are two popular options: Help Scout vs. Zendesk. Both of these products are great at what they do, but which one is best for your team? To make things easier, we’ve included a quick overview highlighting the key differences between these two popular services and our recommendation on which one you should use.

What is Help Scout?

Help Scout is an all-in-one support solution suitable for teams at every stage of their business. Making it easy to manage all your customer conversations in one place, Help Scout offers real-time data at your fingertips, so you know what needs attention. You can either manage everything from a simple email inbox to complex cases with powerful workflows or connect Help Scout to your existing software.

What is Zendesk?

Zendesk offers a ticketing system and a help desk, but it’s the support solution that many businesses rely on to manage their customer service needs. Whether you run an eCommerce store or have a B2B software business, Zendesk can help you streamline your customer support process to save precious time and money. Zendesk even features tools that allow employees to collaborate on projects with ease. This is especially useful when your team has multiple departments or employees who work remotely.

Help Scout vs. Zendesk: Comparison

Every help desk tool has varying features which need to be thoroughly evaluated when comparing Help Scout vs. Zendesk. After taking a hard look at both, we’ve decided to focus on the following criterion:

• Number of Users
• Interface
• Features
• Customer Support
• Pricing

Number of Users: Help Scout vs. Zendesk 

Help Scout A customer support tool, Help Scout, comes equipped with a shared inbox and live chat features. It is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses and ensures that your agents can easily manage customer conversations. Zendesk Zendesk is a great choice for large businesses or enterprises with a vast customer base. This tool is extremely scalable, and you will enjoy some robust features that are unique to Zendesk.

Interface: Help Scout vs. Zendesk

Help Scout Help Scout has a modern interface that’s easy for agents to use. It blends chat and email so agents can respond quickly and track the ticket in real-time (until it’s resolved or closed). The Help Scout dashboard gives agents quick access to their tickets, customer profiles & histories, along with helpful articles from the Help Scout Knowledge Base. Zendesk Zendesk is well-known for its effective onboarding process that guides new users through the complexities of the application. However, it must be said that Zendesk does not offer the easiest user experience. For example, each of its functionalities is housed in a separate window or tab, making navigation cumbersome, especially for first-time users. Furthermore, Zendesk’s user interface (UI) design is not aesthetically pleasing either, which could affect the overall user experience.

Features: Help Scout vs. Zendesk

Automated routing helps you to prioritize urgent and high-value tickets/cases and route them to the right bot or agent. Service Level Agreement (SLA) Management helps ensure that everything you agreed to in the SLA is being delivered.

Pricing: Help Scout vs. Zendesk

Help Scout With no hidden costs, Help Scout offers a transparent pricing structure where you can opt for a free trial of upto 15 days as part of their Standard and Plus plans. Plans

• Standard – $20/user/month. For individuals, small teams, and non-profits. Includes all the essential features, plus some extra tools like email forwarding and autoresponders.

• Plus – $35/user/month. For teams who need more than just the essentials — access to customer success, analytics, and other advanced features.

• Company – $60+/month/user. Annual plan for enterprise customers with very large teams (more than 50+ users).

Non-profit and startup pricing Help Scout also offers special discounted pricing plans for organizations with a focus on environmental sustainability and startups looking for a price break during the first year. Zendesk Zendesk, with a complicated pricing plan, offers enough room for add-ons and customizations. The best part is you can sign up for a free 30-day trial on the company’s website. Plans for Everyone:

• Suit Team: $49/agent/month
• Suit Growth: $79/agent/month
• Suit Professional: $99/agent/month

Plans for Enterprise: Zendesk’s Suite Enterprise, costing $150/agent/month, is a great option for large enterprises with an ever-growing customer base. This includes features such as custom team roles and permissions, advanced knowledge management, advanced reporting, and more.

It’s time to decide: Help Scout or Zendesk?

While Help Scout and Zendesk have many helpful features, Help Scout is a much better option for early-stage and small-sized businesses. It offers all the standard customer support tools for live chat, a knowledge base, a help desk, and reasonable pricing. Although, with Zendesk, you get more robust tools for customer service and sales that justify their pricing. We recommend looking at your company’s size, goals, and budget. Sign up for a free trial offer to see which of the tools matches your needs and expectation and then decide. However, If you are looking for a one-stop solution to your business needs, then HelpLama might be the perfect option. It features live chat, social media integration, data management, and shared inbox options that should meet all of your customer support communication requirements. Contact us today for a free trial.