HelpDesk vs. Intercom features and capabilities — how to choose the best tool for your service?
HelpDesk offers ticketing, automation, reporting, and collaboration tools to streamline the customer support process and ensure timely resolutions. Their software is designed to improve customer satisfaction, boost team productivity, and optimize support operations. Overall, HelpDesk aims to help businesses build stronger customer relationships through exceptional support experiences.
Intercom also offers features such as automated messaging, customer data integrations, and customer support tools. They aim to help businesses build strong customer relationships and improve customer engagement and satisfaction.
Let's compare the features offered by both tools.
HelpDesk features
- Ticketing system: A ticketing system allows users to easily submit technical issues or service requests to the help desk team. Each ticket is logged, assigned a priority level, and tracked until resolved.
- Remote desktop support: Remote desktop support enables help desk agents to connect to a user's computer remotely to troubleshoot issues, provide real-time assistance, and resolve technical problems without needing in-person visits.
- Reporting and analytics: Reporting and analytics tools provide valuable insights into help desk performance metrics such as ticket volume, resolution times, customer satisfaction scores, and agent productivity, allowing organizations to identify trends, monitor performance, and make data-driven decisions.
- Self-service portal: A self-service portal allows users to access a range of resources, submit tickets, track ticket status, and find solutions to common issues without needing to contact the help desk directly, increasing efficiency and reducing the workload on help desk agents.
- Integration with other systems: Integration with other systems such as CRM, WordPress, Webflow, and monitoring tools enables seamless data sharing, enhances collaboration between teams, and streamlines workflows for more efficient issue resolution and customer support.
- Multichannel support: Multi-channel support ensures that users can contact the help desk through various communication channels such as phone, email, chat, or social media, providing flexibility and convenience for users to reach out for assistance in their preferred way.
Intercom features
- Automated messaging: Users can create automated messages to send to website visitors, such as welcome messages, product recommendations, or follow-up messages after a specific action is taken.
- Team collaboration: Intercom offers tools for team collaboration, such as assigning conversations to team members, internal notes, and shared inboxes.
- Analytics and reporting: Intercom's analytics and reporting tools allow users to track key metrics related to customer engagement, conversation volume, conversion rates, and more.
- Customization: Intercom allows users to customize the look and feel of their messaging widgets, email templates, and other communication tools to match their brand's style.
- Multichannel support: Intercom supports communication through various channels, including live chat, email, and social media, to reach customers wherever they are.
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Pricing and plans comparison
HelpDesk pricing and plans
HelpDesk offers a flexible pricing structure based on your team's needs. They offer three plans: Team, Business, and Enterprise. You can also try HelpDesk for free during the 14-days trial. Check more information on the pricing page: https://www.helpdesk.com/pricing/
Intercom pricing and plans
Intercom offers several pricing plans tailored to different business sizes and needs. Read more here: https://www.intercom.com/help/en/collections/3866057-plans-pricing
Integrations comparison: HelpDesk vs. Intercom
HelpDesk integrations
It's possible to integrate HelpDesk with many tools.
- LiveChat: Integrates with LiveChat to provide seamless real-time customer communication directly from the HelpDesk interface. This allows support agents to handle tickets and live chats in one place, improving response times and customer satisfaction.
- ChatBot: This integration works with ChatBot to automate customer interactions using AI. It enables businesses to set up automated responses, handle common inquiries, and reduce the workload on support teams by filtering and resolving issues without human intervention.
- WordPress: The WordPress integration allows HelpDesk forms to be embedded directly onto WordPress sites. This makes it easy for customers to submit tickets or requests without leaving the website, enhancing user experience and ensuring that support requests are seamlessly captured.
- Zapier: By connecting with Zapier, HelpDesk can integrate with over 3,000 different applications. This integration is highly versatile, allowing businesses to automate tasks, such as syncing customer data between HelpDesk and CRM systems or triggering alerts based on ticket status.
- Slack: The Slack integration sends ticket notifications and updates directly to Slack channels. This allows support teams to stay informed about ticket statuses and collaborate effectively without leaving their preferred communication tool.
- Jira: Integrating HelpDesk with Jira facilitates smooth issue tracking and management for technical teams. Tickets from HelpDesk can be directly linked to Jira issues, enabling better coordination between customer support and development teams.
Intercom integrations
- CRM integrations: Intercom integrates with popular CRM platforms such as Salesforce, HubSpot, and Marketo. It allows businesses to easily sync customer data between Intercom and their CRM, ensuring a unified view of customer interactions and enabling more personalized communication and targeted marketing efforts.
- Marketing automation integrations: Intercom offers integrations with marketing automation tools like Mailchimp and Marketo, enabling businesses to create targeted email campaigns and automation sequences based on customer interactions and behaviors in Intercom. This integration helps companies to deliver personalized messaging, improve engagement, and drive conversions.
- Analytics integrations: Intercom offers integrations with analytics tools such as Google Analytics and Mixpanel, enabling businesses to track and analyze customer data, behavior, and interactions across multiple channels. These integrations allow companies to gain insights into customer engagement, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions to improve customer experience and drive growth.
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Read the guideWhat are the key differences between HelpDesk and Intercom?
If you need the perfect tool for customer support, choose HelpDesk for its user-friendly interface and efficient ticketing system.
Should I choose HelpDesk or Intercom?
HelpDesk is a traditional ticketing system that manages and resolves customer support requests through a centralized platform. It typically involves creating and tracking tickets, assigning them to the appropriate team members, and providing updates on the issue's status until it is resolved. HelpDesk is more focused on internal communication within a company's support team. Conversely, Intercom is a customer messaging platform that facilitates real-time communication between businesses and their customers. It includes live chat, email marketing, and customer support automation. Intercom is designed to streamline customer interactions and provide personalized support at scale. Unlike HelpDesk, Intercom is more customer-facing and aims to enhance the overall customer experience. In summary, the critical differences between HelpDesk and Intercom are:
- Focus: HelpDesk is more internally focused on managing and resolving customer support tickets, while Intercom is customer-facing and facilitates real-time communication with customers.
- Features: HelpDesk typically includes ticketing and tracking capabilities, while Intercom offers live chat, email marketing, and automation tools.
- Customer experience: Intercom aims to improve the overall customer experience by providing personalized support and communication, while HelpDesk focuses on managing support requests efficiently within a company's support team.
Choosing the best help desk for your business
When choosing the right help desk tool for your business, several factors must be considered. First, consider the size of your business and the level of support you will need. Consider the features and functionality of the help desk tool, such as the ticketing system, automation capabilities, and reporting. Look for a tool that integrates well with your existing systems and software. Consider the cost of the tool and whether it fits within your budget. Finally, consider the reputation and track record of the help desk tool provider to ensure you are getting a reliable and effective solution for your business.
How to Transition Smoothly to a HelpDesk Tool
Transitioning to a new helpdesk tool can be challenging, but with careful planning and execution, you can ensure a smooth migration of your tickets and data.
Migrate to HelpDesk
We're here to support you during the entire migration process, offering information about any related costs and, if possible, covering them for you.
