Customer service software lets businesses store customer data and resolve requests in the same system. These products can be a standalone solution or a specific module within customer relationship management (CRM) software. The best customer service platforms offer agents essential tools, like ticket management, at a reasonable price while maintaining strong product usability scores. Based on our evaluation of dozens of providers, the eight best customer service software for small business include:
Best Customer Service Software Compared
*Based on monthly price per user, billed annually; monthly billing is available for slightly higher rates.
**Starting plan doesn’t allow annual billing.
Freshdesk: Best Customer Service Software for Small Business Overall
Pros
- Free plan supports 10 users and a solid arsenal of service features
- Lots of native integration options to expand use cases into IT help desk and technology service operations
- Strong product usability ratings despite all the advanced features
Cons
- AI tools can be costly
- Service level agreement (SLA) tracking features aren’t available for free
- Customer surveys aren’t available until Pro plan
- You need free customer support tools: Freshdesk is included in our list of the best free customer service software. The features are available for up to 10 users—giving them capabilities like ticket management, canned response, task tracking, basic workflow automations, live chat engagement, and social media support through Twitter and Facebook at no cost.
- You are an IT management company: IT help desk services and managed service providers (MSPs), in particular, can get more value from Freshdesk than other customer service software products on this list. Users can integrate Freshdesk with Freshservice, native software for managing IT assets, and customer technical issues. This lets teams receive IT service tickets from the Freshdesk platform, where they can also oversee resolution processes.
- You want low-cost AI in your customer support software: Artificial intelligence (AI) is useful for receiving suggestions on how to improve service and automating communication with customers. While Freshdesk offers these capabilities, users must subscribe to the expensive Enterprise plan for $79 per user, monthly.
- Alternative: Zoho Desk begins offering AI capabilities for $40 per user, monthly.
- You need free SLA management capabilities: SLAs must be monitored to ensure support and product uptimes meet contract requirements. Unfortunately, Freshdesk does not begin offering SLA tracking, escalation, and violation notifications until the paid plans.
- Alternative: Zoho Desk begins offering free SLA monitoring for tickets on its Free plan.
Freshdesk Pricing Plan & Overview*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per user, month breakdown. Monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. Pricing is reflected at the time of this publication. We update pricing information regularly but encourage readers to check current pricing here.
Freshdesk ticket dashboard (Source: Freshdesk)
Our Expert Opinion
Freshdesk is the ultimate solution combining cost-friendliness, advanced features, and an excellent user experience in one platform. Even its free plan is more sophisticated than many other customer service software providers on this list. While it has many industry use cases, the major standout was its ability to double as an IT help desk tool through native integration with Freshservice. We also liked Freshdesk’s multi-range communication options through phone, email, chat, text, and artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot.
Need more insights? Check out our in-depth Freshdesk review to see if it’s right for your business.
Zoho Desk: Best Low-cost Tools
Pros
- Free and cost-friendly options for business at all stages
- Free option includes ticket tracking, basic SLA management, and internal knowledge base
- Omnichannel support options through email, phone, live chat, messaging apps, and social media
Cons
- Poor usability ratings for setting up and navigating the customer service system
- Live chat support channels aren’t available until the Enterprise plan
- Expensive AI features
- You’re seeking the most cost-friendly customer service software: Like its native Zoho CRM product, Zoho Desk is a highly cost-effective and scalable option. Businesses of all sizes find that at least one of the five plans, including a free-forever option, will suit their feature needs and user requirements. None of the paid plans will break the bank, with pricing ranging from just $7 to $40 per user, monthly.
- You want to support customers using all communication channels: Zoho stands out for its multi-range engagement options. Teams can receive tickets and resolve customer issues through all channels, including email, phone, web forms, social media messaging, instant messaging apps, and live chat.
- You want low-cost live chat support channels: One of the anomalies of Zoho Desk is the live chat communication channel, something typically included in a customer service platform’s lower-tiered plans, isn’t available until the Enterprise plan for $40 per user, monthly.
- You need a simple interface to navigate service tools: Zoho Desk can perform many customer service and communication functions. That said, its interface tends to be clunky because of the complex menu buttons and navigation options.
- Alternative: HubSpot Service Hub has the cleanest interface of all the customer service products and is especially simple for new users to navigate.
Zoho Desk Pricing Plan & Overview*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-user monthly breakdown. Monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. Pricing is reflected at the time of this publication. We update pricing information regularly but encourage readers to check current pricing here.
Zoho Desk multi-channel ticket support (Source: Zoho Desk)
Our Expert Opinion
It’s clear Zoho Desk is the most cost-effective product on this list, no matter which plan you’re subscribed to. What isn’t initially obvious is how robust the customer service platform is. Between its built-in tools, third-party integrations, and native software connections, Zoho Desk can handle everything. Users can manage all types of ticketing functions, service level agreement (SLA) requirements, and collaboration efforts, and use the system as a centralized communication source for every channel imaginable.
Zoho Desk is one of the finest options for customer service software for small businesses. See if it’s right for you by checking out our Zoho Desk review.
LiveAgent: Best Free Ticket Management Tools
Pros
- Free plan offers robust ticket management features and gamification
- Scalable paid plans
- Low-cost customer satisfaction surveys
Cons
- Poor ratings for product ease of use
- Expensive SLA features
- Customer service performance and activity reporting aren’t available until Medium Business plan
- You need robust ticketing for free: LiveChat stands out with its free plan that includes all ticket management capabilities. Users can track history, split and merge tickets, add tags and notes, customize ticket fields, attach files, perform mass actions, and deploy ticket satisfaction surveys after resolution, all at no cost.
- You want to boost service performance through gamification: Customer service teams can use LiveAgent to maximize performance through the product’s built-in gamification tools. This lets managers assign badges, rewards, and experience levels, create performance leaderboards, and provide recognition to agents for fast and quality customer responses in a game-like setting.
- You need a simple customer service system: LiveChat offers tons of modules and tools for teams to provide exceptional service to their customers. Unfortunately, LiveChat falls short in the product usability category as users find the platform tough to operate and set up a new system.
- You want a cost-friendly method to monitor service operations: One of the strange downsides of LiveAgent is the reporting features. Users cannot generate any reports or obtain a dashboard overview of customer service activity and performance until the Medium business plan.
LiveAgent Pricing Plan & Overview*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-user monthly breakdown. Monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. Pricing is reflected at the time of this publication. We update pricing information regularly but encourage readers to check current pricing here.
LiveAgent filtering tickets (Source: LiveAgent)
Our Expert Opinion
LiveAgent’s primary value is the advanced ticketing available on the Free plan. Users can use this customer service product for gamification, multi-channel customer engagement, and automating ticket management workflows. Overall, LiveAgent makes up for its poor usability ratings by offering businesses cost-friendly subscription plans and robust team collaboration tools. It also makes its mark with its solid customer surveying capabilities, accessible for free.
Intrigued by LiveAgent’s features? We invite you to our LiveAgent review for full details on its capabilities and pricing.
HubSpot Service Hub: Most User-friendly Solution
Pros
- Free plan for unlimited users includes conversational bots, ticket management, and canned responses
- Software provides robust workflow automation and automated communication tools plus payment processing tools
- Strong platform usability ratings all around
Cons
- Only one ticket pipeline available on the Free plan
- Relatively expensive telephonic capabilities
- SLA management requires Professional plan
- You need a free, easy-to-use customer service software: HubSpot is well-known for its product simplicity—offering a simple CRM, content management system (CMS), marketing platform, and yes, customer service software. It also provides one of the best overall free customer service products that supports unlimited users, ticket management, canned responses, and a conversational bot for ticket creation and meeting scheduling.
- You want to manage customer payments: One of the unique features HubSpot Service offers is the payment processing capabilities. This not only allows users to send invoices and collect payments through the software via Stripe or automated clearing house (ACH), but also issue refunds and receipts to customers. That particular tool is a simple one-click action directly from the payment record, which does not add processing fees for refunds.
- Your startup sells multiple product lines: Despite HubSpot’s brilliant free plan, the ticket management capabilities are limited to one pipeline. This is not ideal for startups that might sell multiple product lines, such as software and professional implementation services, and utilize different customer service processes for each one.
- Alternative: LiveAgent is the best alternative that has ticket management on the Free plan, as well as options to oversee up to three departments and subsequent ticketing processes.
- You need low-cost SLA management tools: SLA management is crucial to staying within the bounds of your contact expectations. Unfortunately, HubSpot has one of the most expensive SLA features on this list at $450 per month for five users.
HubSpot Service Hub Pricing Plan & Overview*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on monthly breakdown. Monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. Pricing is reflected at the time of this publication. We update pricing information regularly but encourage readers to check current pricing here.
HubSpot Service Hub’s drag-and-drop ticket management system (Source: HubSpot Service Hub)
Our Expert Opinion
Based on our evaluation, HubSpot Service Hub takes the top spot for the most user-friendly solution in this list. It has an intuitive interface and drag-and-drop ticket management system that makes it easy for beginner-level users to learn and operate. In addition, it has the most advanced workflow automation and the best free customer support platform. This platform helps small businesses to efficiently manage their customer interactions, organize their contact records, and track performance metrics.
HubSpot’s service tools pair nicely with its other native tools for sales, marketing, and content management. Check out our HubSpot Service Hub review to see if it’s right for your business.
EngageBay Service Bay: Best All-in-One Solution
Pros
- Free plan includes all-in-one sales, marketing, and service modules
- Users can integrate with email platforms to use Gmail and Outlook for free
Cons
- Only one ticket pipeline available on the Free plan
- Relatively expensive telephonic capabilities
- SLA management requires Professional plan
- You’re seeking a CRM system with free service ticket management tools: EngageBay offers a free Service Bay module that supports 15 users and allows you to store customer data, track customer activity, and manage service tickets. If you want to manage tickets within your CRM, you can opt for the free tier of its All-in-One product, which also includes the Service Bay module.
- You need an all-in-one solution with sales, marketing, and service tools: EngageBay offers modules for sales, marketing, and service teams across all of its plans. This allows you to generate leads, close leads, promote your brand, and provide support to your customers using a single platform.
- You need to automate workflows: Unfortunately, EngageBay’s automation for task workflows and campaigns are relatively expensive. You can get these capabilities starting at $45.99 per user, monthly.
- Alternative: Freshdesk allows ticket trigger-based automations on its Free plan, which supports up to 10 agents.
- You want more data capacity: With EngageBay’s freemium products, there’s a storage cap of 250 contacts and 1,000 emails.
- Alternative: HubSpot Service Hub has the best capacity on its Free plan. It lets you store up to 1,000,000 records and send 500 emails per day.
EngageBay Service Bay Pricing Plan & Overview*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per user, month breakdown. Monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. Pricing is reflected at the time of this publication. We update pricing information regularly but encourage readers to check current pricing here.
EngageBay Service Bay contact filtering (Source: EngageBay)
Our Expert Opinion
EngageBay has data capacity restrictions for its freemium plan, but it’s a great option for startups that need an all-in-one platform with sales, marketing, and service tools. You get plenty of customer support ticketing features, plus marketing outreach and deal management functionalities.
Gorgias: Best for Ecommerce Businesses
Pros
- Most features, including automation and ticket management, are available on the Starter plan
- Integrates with ecommerce tools like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento and allows multi-store management
- Highly scalable as plans are dictated mostly by ticket volume
Cons
- Expensive revenue reporting features
- Self-service resources for customers and support automation require paid add-on
- Telephone and text features require an add-on and subscription to the Basic plan
- You are an ecommerce business: Gorgias stands out for its integrations with major ecommerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, and Magento. Users can oversee multiple online stores within Gorgias. They can also complete many service functions from the platform, like creating tickets, receiving orders, communicating with customers, issuing product refunds, and sending order and order cancellation confirmations.
- You want a scalable ticket management solution: One of the unique things about Gorgias is that most of the features are available on the Starter plan, and pricing is mostly based on the number of managed tickets per month. This helps with a smooth scaling process as teams can upgrade plans as their business grows and need to handle more ticketing requests.
- You want omnichannel support options automatically included: Gorgias does have a range of communication channels included in the product. However, engagement and ticket-creation sources like telephone and text messaging require a paid add-on.
- Alternative: Freshdesk has the best omnichannel communication options, in which most are included for free or on the Growth plan for just $15 per user, monthly.
- You need combined CRM and customer service software: Gorgias is exclusively a customer service tool that doesn’t have traditional CRM features or native integration to a CRM.
Gorgias Pricing Plan & Overview*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a monthly breakdown. Monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. Pricing is reflected at the time of this publication. We update pricing information regularly but encourage readers to check current pricing here.
**Monthly billing only.
Gorgias refunding a Shopify order from the system (Source: Gorgias)
Our Expert Opinion
Based on our evaluation, Gorgias offers an easy-to-use, robust customer service solution for businesses of all sizes. We appreciate its unique pricing model that structures its costs based on monthly tickets created—ideal for those deep into the scaling process. We also liked the ecommerce-focused integrations and features as well as the low-cost support channels commonly used for online retailers like live chat, Facebook, and Instagram.
Pro tip: Online retailers benefit from obtaining buyer data and profile analytics to help market their other products to their customers. Our full guide on customer intelligence will tell you everything you need to know about collecting customer data for insights to help drive better decision-making.
Zendesk: Best for Managing Service Agent Staff
Pros
- Unique features for managing customer service staff
- Solid ticketing automation and SLA management tools
- Low-cost social media, email, and live chat support tools
Cons
- No free plan
- Not considered an intuitive system for operating the features
- Expensive features for obtaining customer feedback
- You want to manage your agent workforce: One of the intriguing aspects of Zendesk customer service software is its unique tools for overseeing reps and operational change. It has an agent workspace with a one-page overview of tickets and tasks across channels. There’s also a staff management system providing users with knowledge, resources, and features for handling staff scheduling and capacity planning based on ticket volume.
- You need to deploy tons of service automation: Similar to its CRM counterpart, Zendesk offers software automation within its product. Users can configure trigger automation to assign tasks, create tickets, or send emails based on status changes or time-based triggers. There are also conditional automated notifications and responses based on SLA requirements with contracts, and macro tools for automatically sending predefined responses to commonly asked questions.
- You need free customer service tools: Zendesk is one of the few products that does not have a set free-forever plan—just a free trial and a six-month free option for startups.
- You want a low-cost solution for obtaining feedback: Zendesk offers tools to obtain customer satisfaction ratings and feedback. Those capabilities, however, are not available until the Professional plan for $49 per user, per month.
- Alternative: Zoho Desk offers customer satisfaction surveys and feedback for $7 per user, monthly.
Zendesk Pricing Plan & Overview*
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per user, month breakdown. Monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. Pricing is reflected at the time of this publication. We update pricing information regularly but encourage readers to check current pricing here.
Zendesk creating agent capacity rules (Source: Zendesk)
Our Expert Opinion
Compared to the other providers on this list, Zendesk has particular use cases as it is not ideal for businesses needing a free plan, simple interface, or robust communication features. We liked the emphasis put on staff management, helping service department managers prevent burnout among their teams through proper capacity and agent status planning. Zendesk is also great for automating a support operation, reporting and analyzing performance, and handling ticket service level agreements (SLAs).
Be sure to check out our Zendesk review for in-depth details on product features, integrations, and pricing.
BoldDesk: Best Plans With Unlimited Agents
Pros
- Offers plans for unlimited agents
- User-friendly interface and intuitive navigation
- Wide range of customization options
Cons
- Limited third-party integrations (only Zapier is available in entry-level plan)
- No custom email templates in the Starter plan
- Workflow automation is not available until the second-level tier
- You are a startup seeking an affordable yet comprehensive help desk solution: BoldDesk offers a low-priced entry-level plan at $12 per agent, monthly, which includes basic email ticketing, a knowledge base, and ticket auto-assignment. When you are ready to scale up, you may opt for its higher tiers or subscribe to a plan with unlimited agents starting at $199 per month.
- You’re looking for a cost-effective SLA management solution: BoldDesk allows you to manage SLA rules across all of its plans. Multiple SLA rules are available, starting with its Growth plan.
- You are looking for a help desk solution with lots of integration options: BoldDesk directly integrates with less than a dozen apps, which include Salesforce, Dropbox, and Microsoft Teams. You’ll have to use Zapier to find more integration options.
- Alternative: Zoho Desk integrates with various apps within its own Zoho ecosystem. It also offers a wide variety of integrations with CRMs, telephony apps, and productivity tools.
- You need robust help desk workflow automation: BoldDesk’s automations are limited to ticket auto-assignments. Its higher plans offer multiple SLA rules, time-based triggers, and business hours automation.
- Alternative: HubSpot Service Hub not only provides you with robust workflow automation, but it also offers automated communication tools.
BoldDesk Pricing Plan & Overview*
BoldDesk also offers the following plans with unlimited agents that have the same feature inclusions as the agent-based plans above.
- Standard: $199 with 12,000 tickets per year
- Pro: $499 with 30,000 tickets per year
- Business: $999 with 120,000 tickets per year
*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown. Monthly billing is also available for a higher cost. Pricing is reflected at the time of this publication. We update pricing information regularly but encourage readers to check current pricing here.
BoldDesk ticket classifications (Source: BoldDesk)
Our Expert Opinion
BoldDesk is best for startups and small teams looking for a help desk solution with comprehensive features and customization options at a great price point. What sets it apart from other providers in its list is its set of plan offerings for unlimited agents. These plans make it more affordable for small and midsize businesses to scale up. Other attractive attributes are its user-friendly interface and SLA management feature for all plans.
How We Evaluated the Best Customer Service Platform for Small Business
To determine the best customer service software, we evaluated the specific features relevant to assisting with customer requests and providing quality support. A ticket management system with a trackable case waiting queue, for instance, is crucial to facilitating an efficient support operation. We also looked at other critical product attributes, including price, customer support, and general software capabilities, such as a mobile application and a customizable system interface.
The tabs below offer insight into our evaluation process of the best small business customer service software:
20%
Niche/Advanced Features
20% of Overall Score
Pricing considered the availability of a free plan and cost-friendly paid options businesses could afford as they grow. We also looked at the availability of multiple billing options, such as a subscriber to either paying monthly or saving by paying annually. Lastly, we looked at the costs of the customer service tools and management tools, their availability on the lower-tiered plans, and whether or not users need to purchase an add-on.
25% of Overall Score
We examined overall features essential to any business software system, regardless of its primary use case, such as sales, marketing, or customer service. For instance, third-party integration options allow service agents to expand their customer support system to other functional needs and data workflows. We also wanted to see the providers offer a wide range of system customization options, solid activity reporting and analytics tools, and a robust mobile application to handle customer cases on the go.
20% of Overall Score
We evaluated niche features specifically for company reps and service agents to assist customers with their inquiries and questions. An integrated ticketing system with queue management, for example, let teams track, assign, and resolve customer cases as they come in. We also wanted to see each product offer a robust contact management database and integrate or share features with a CRM system.
20% of Overall Score
Extensive resources and service help prevent poor user experiences when utilizing any of these customer support software products. We evaluated this category in terms of customer service hours and whether support via phone, live chat, and email is available. Additionally, we examined resources users can access in the self-service center, such as tutorials, forums, or training courses.
15% of Overall Score
In addition to firsthand experience with these service and customer support management products, we evaluated what actual users say about each provider according to reviews. These criteria consider how real customers feel to gain insight into value for the price paid, ease of use when operating and navigating the modules, and how users feel about the customer service tools.
*Percentages of overall score
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Customer service software is a system that lets businesses manage customer inquiries and support or help desk operations. It’ll have modules specific to tracking cases and engaging with customers through multiple channels, like live chat, email, phone, instant message, and social media. While this kind of software can be a standalone, specialty product, many providers either include customer service features in their CRM system or offer a separate native product to connect with their CRM.
When looking for customer service software, ensure the product meets your feature, budgetary, and usability requirements. Each provider has strengths and weaknesses—making some better suited for you than others. At a minimum, your support software should fall within your budget and provide a solid user experience. It should also have features like ticket management to receive and track cases, multiple communication channels, and offer integrations with your favorite business tools.
The quick answer is sometimes. Customer service products often double as a CRM system by offering ticket management tools within the CRM. Also, many CRM providers offer native customer service software for seamless integration to connect data and workflows between systems.
Bottom Line
Customer service software helps teams manage inquiries and engage customers through channels like email, phone, live chat, and social media. While Freshdesk is our pick for the best customer support system overall, other products could better fit your business depending on features or product attribute needs. LiveAgent, for example, stands out for its free and robust ticketing management capabilities, while Zoho Desk is the most cost-friendly option.
