7 Best Help Scout Alternatives & Competitors

1. Saufter
2. Groove
3. Kayako
4. Zoho Desk 
5. ProProfs Help Desk
6. HappyFox
7. Freshdesk

Saufter

Saufter is the best Help Scout alternative with a cloud-based, omnichannel platform that allows you to support your customers via a channel of their choice. 

Additionally, this helpdesk includes an AI system for managing returns and e-mail drafting, which can help you reduce handle and hold times. Saufter is also possibly the only platform in this space to offer Automated Agent Training, which will train and test your team members based on previous customer interactions/tickets.

Pros:

• You will have access to an e-commerce marketplace where you can hire tested customer service professionals.
• It detects delays and problems with your customers’ orders automatically.
• Your agents can view all customer interactions and information in a single window using the helpdesk.

Cons:

• Some workflow issues were discovered by users, which have since been resolved.
• There aren’t many options for visual customization

Also read: Help Scout Reviews, Pricing, and Features

HubSpot Service Hub (Overall ratings: 4.4/5⭐,1,466 reviews)

HubSpot Service Hub is one of the Help scout alternatives that offers a multitude of tools for connecting with customers and solving issues. 

Moreover, the platform includes a Conversations Inbox that consolidates all customer communication channels, including CRM software, email, live chat, forms, social media, and more. One of the most notable features of this Hubspot tool is that it automatically directs users to the appropriate members of your services team.

Pros:

• Within the HubSpot platform, your team can manage all of your key customer service functions.
• Automated ticket ratings can help you get regular feedback from your customers.
• HubSpot has a lot of customization options and a user-friendly interface.

Cons:

• Some of the workflows and chat flows can be difficult for new users to create and manage.
• The image asset management system can be a little disorganized.
• Features, such as Microsoft/Bing ads, are not compatible with HubSpot.

To know more about pricing, check: HubSpot Pricing [Complete Breakdown]

Jira Service Management (Overall ratings: 4.2/5⭐, 707 reviews)

Jira Service Desk is a full-featured service desk platform that is designed to provide efficient customer support solutions. Key features of the tool include automated routing, multi-channel communication, real-time chat, and so on.

Furthermore, their CSAT reporting can also help you better understand your service process. Another standout feature is the ability to configure a self-service portal to empower team members and enable them to find help quickly.

Pros:

• Includes numerous integrations to help you streamline your service system.
• A limited free version is available.
• Jira also includes a powerful dashboard customization tool.

Cons:

• There are no options for integrating social media.
• According to several users, there is a steep learning curve.
• If your agent deletes a ticket by mistake, it cannot be recovered.

GrooveHQ (Overall ratings: 4.1/5⭐, 49 reviews)

If your company receives customer service inquiries through multiple channels, Groove should be on your list of options to consider. 

This Help Scout alternative streamlines your customer support process by allowing your team to provide support via email, social media, live chat, phone, etc. We found that Groove has plenty of built-in dashboards to measure your results and requires no technical knowledge to manage.

Pros:

• Analytics and reporting are built in to help you understand how effective your customer service efforts are.
• Create multiple inboxes and keep track of them all in one place.
• Ability to mass email and schedule them is an added bonus. 

Cons:

• Difficult to share tasks within your organization.
• There is no simple way to remove team members from specific workflows.
• May take some time to become acquainted with the platform.

Kayako (Overall ratings: 4.1/5⭐, 212 reviews)

Kayako is yet another among the Help scout alternatives  that allows you to keep all customer conversations in one place. 

Moreover, Kayako allows for simple ticket management and the ability to escalate and de-escalate between different levels of support. Kayako helpdesk also has a low maintenance requirement and is well-known for its customization features.

Pros:

• Create individual customer profiles and keep track of all their conversations.
• Customers can access self-service support 24/7. 
• Kayako includes native mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Cons:

• Kayako lacks sufficient reporting capabilities.
• Many of the features are only available on the more expensive plans.
• During a live chat with a customer, there is no option for file uploads.

Zoho Desk (Overall ratings: 4.4/5⭐, 3,977 reviews)

Zoho Desk is an all-in-one help desk ticketing system that enables you to provide faster and more effective customer support. We discovered that it was simple to set up and highly customizable. Zoho Desk comes with an easy-to-use ticketing view that facilitates team collaboration. It also includes automation features that make it simple to scale to a large number of customers.

Pros:

• As a Help Scout alternative, Zoho desk is very reasonably priced.
• The knowledge base articles are integrated with the ticket description to provide useful articles that may answer the user’s question.
• Zoho desk includes a wide variety of customization options that can be tailored to your specific company’s requirements.

Cons:

• Because there are so many features available, it can be a little intimidating at first.
• In case you are unfamiliar with the features, it will most likely be difficult to implement some custom functions.
• There aren’t many custom fields for web forms.

ProProfs Help Desk (Overall ratings: 4.7/5⭐, 18 reviews)

ProProfs Help Desk is a great Help Scout alternative that is suitable for both small and large enterprises. This help desk ticketing system is best known for its ability to generate reports that show you how well your support team is performing and how satisfied your customers are with the support experience. You will also have access to additional tools such as a knowledge base, a survey maker, training, and so on.

Pros:

• Easily configure ProProfs’ shared inbox with your company’s email account.
• Their ticket prioritizing feature that assists in identifying the most critical issues that may impact business productivity first.
• The helpdesk has a simple layout and an easy-to-use user interface.

Cons:

• ProProfs Help Desk does not have an integrated mobile app.
• No option to merge multiple tickets.
• Options for integrating with third-party tools are limited.

HappyFox (Overall ratings: 4.5/5⭐, 125 reviews)

Happyfox is powerful, insightful, and simple-to-use cloud-based helpdesk software. You can tag customers, add private notes, assign tickets to specific team members, and even create canned responses with this helpdesk. This Help Scout alternatives best feature is its impressive user interface, which loads extremely quickly. Happyfox is also available in iOS, Android, and Windows versions, allowing for support via smartphones and tablets.

Pros:

• Happyfox provides a bunch of custom fields to allow you to tailor the platform to your specific needs.
• Your agents will find it really simple to use and it requires minimal training.
• Easy to set up different workflows.

Cons:

• Users have complained that the mobile application is severely lacking in functionality.
• Not many integration options available with the platform.
• Notification system isn’t particularly strong. It can be difficult to tell when there are new e-mails in your inbox.

Freshdesk (Overall ratings: 4.4/5⭐, 2,670 reviews)

If you are looking for a multifunctional but simple Help Scout alternative, then Freshdesk might be the platform for you. It puts customers in charge by providing the support they expect through their preferred channel. The ticket dispatch function, which uses keywords to automatically assign tickets to appropriate agents in your team, is a standout feature. Freshdesk’s helpdesk system also includes knowledge base management capabilities.

Pros:

• You can easily set up automation rules on frequent use cases.
• The platform has an excellent cost-performance ratio.
• The free version provides enough bandwidth to easily run complex operations.

Cons:

• Freshdesk’s knowledge-addition process is slightly more labor-intensive than other options on the market.
• Freshdesk’s ability to integrate into multiple channels is somewhat limited.
• Freshdesk has a steep learning curve and can be difficult to use for inexperienced users.

Choose the best Help Scout Alternative!

Hopefully, you now have a better idea of what kind of platform you will require to run a more efficient customer service system. All of the Help Scout alternatives on this list include features that will assist your team in providing the best possible customer experience.

Saufter could be the platform for you if you want to effectively answer customer questions, automate support-related tasks, and solve business challenges in your organization. If you’re starting from scratch, you can also opt for managed customer support services tailored for your business.