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Top 10 customer support platforms for small businesses in 2024

Unlike large corporations where there are many layers between management and the public, in small businesses, people at all levels of the organization interact with customers. This is a unique opportunity to build personal relationships and get direct feedback on a product or service. However, for all growing companies, there comes a point where allowing customers to contact employees directly becomes problematic. Email volumes increase, inquiries get lost, and tracking individual conversations across multiple inboxes becomes increasingly difficult. With the advent of omnichannel, the problem is even more acute.

If these problems are familiar to you, it may be time to think about a specialized support tool — like a customer support system for your team.

The 10 best customer support programs for small businesses

If your small business is ready to give customer support software a try, here are ten great options for growing companies:

  1. Usedesk
  2. Help Scout
  3. HappyFox
  4. Hiver
  5. Cayzu
  6. Zendesk
  7. Crisp
  8. HelpDesk
  9. Zoho Desk
  10. Tidio

The best all-in-one customer support program for small businesses.
Usedesk is a communications platform that allows businesses to communicate effectively and productively with their customers and communities across multiple communication channels

Organize and improve teamwork
Working from a shared Gmail or Outlook inbox can hinder effective collaboration. Usedesk’s omnichannel inbox makes teamwork and keeping things organized easier. Support your customers not only in email, but also in Whatsapp, Instagram, Facebook, and other messengers.

Messages go to one central place where they can be assigned to the best person or team to complete a task, and you can use message statuses, tags, and custom fields to organize and track issues to completion.

Collaboration features like saved replies and internal comments help your team work together more efficiently than in a traditional inbox. You can even discuss customer issues between departments by adding internal users to your subscription at no additional cost. The internal user role is ideal for employees who don’t work directly with customers, but frequently interact with your team on customer issues.

Provide innovative, comprehensive support and streamlined processes
If you’re ready to push your support beyond the inbox, Usedesk offers built-in live chat, accessible from any page on your website via a help widget. Manage inbound chats from your company’s omnichannel inbox for a quick response.

For those worried about the number of inquiries, Usedesk helps guide customers to the right answers before they even reach out to your team. Usedocs, Usedesk’s knowledge base building tool, allows you to publish a customized help center with answers to frequently asked questions without the need for programming. The messaging tool helps you provide proactive support by suggesting relevant articles from Usedocs if a customer seems confused. You can also use this feature for announcements and collecting feedback from customers.

In addition to self-service channels, Usedesk reduces the burden on your team with customizable workflows. Workflows are simple "if this, then that" conditions that allow you to automate repetitive tasks such as message tagging, appointments, and escalations.

Remove barriers and support business decisions with data
Usedesk is a web-based support system that integrates with many popular applications and services such as CRMs, e-commerce platforms, and project management software, keeping everyone on your team on track. This not only improves visibility, but also allows your team to provide better customer support by having a complete picture of the situation in every conversation.

In addition to importing valuable information into Usedesk, your conversations with customers are also full of useful insights. The platform is equipped with reporting tools that help you track conversation volume, agent performance, and product issues. Use the data to make business decisions like hiring and product development, and show how support is impacting your business results.

Usedesk is a great choice for both established companies and those just starting out, looking for customer support software that can grow with their team.

Price: Plans start at $ 20 per user per month.

For support for businesses

Help Scout is a communications platform that helps small businesses communicate effectively with customers. It offers:
  • Organize and improve teamwork: Shared inbox for assigning tasks, using tags, message statuses and custom fields. Collaboration features such as saved replies, collision detection, and internal notes make it easy to work together.
  • Comprehensive support and process optimization: Built-in live chat, knowledge base, and proactive support through the Beacon widget. Automation tools for repetitive tasks.
  • Data and integration: Integration with popular applications and services (CRM, e-commerce platforms). Reports to track performance and make business decisions.

Price: Free trial, plans start at $ 22 per user per month.

For large teams focused on customer support

HappyFox offers everything you need to manage support requests, including powerful automations available in higher subscription plans. Support through HappyFox can be delivered through a variety of channels including email, chat, social media, and phone.

Task management and automation
HappyFox uses workflows and automation to simplify tasks and increase efficiency. Workflows help automate repetitive tasks and procedures, which frees up your team’s time to tackle more complex issues. Automation rules allow you to automatically assign tasks, categorize requests, and prioritize them.

Real-time support and knowledge base
HappyFox includes a real-time chat feature that helps your customers get immediate help. A knowledge base tool is also available that allows customers to find answers to frequently asked questions on their own. This reduces the burden on your support team, allowing them to focus on more complex queries.

Reporting and analytics
The reporting system in HappyFox provides useful information about team performance, request volumes, and product issues. Analytics helps your team make informed decisions and improve support quality.

Integration and scalability
HappyFox integrates with many popular applications and services such as CRM systems, e-commerce platforms, and project management software. This makes it a great choice for large teams that need comprehensive support and a scalable solution.

Price: A free trial is available, with plans starting at $ 29 per user per month.

For teams using Gmail

Hiver integrates with Gmail, turning your inbox into a powerful customer support system. It’s a great option for companies that are already using Google Workspace and want to improve their customer support without changing platforms.

Organize and manage requests
With Hiver, you can organize requests, assign them to team members, and track their progress right in your Gmail inbox. Tools like tags, request status, and internal notes help keep things organized and ensure tasks are completed on time.

Collaboration features and automation
Hiver provides features such as response templates, collision detection, and internal comments that simplify collaboration within your team. Automation tools are also available to simplify repetitive tasks and processes.

Reporting and analytics
Hiver offers reporting tools that help you track team performance, request volume, and product issues. Analytics allows your team to make informed decisions and improve support quality.

Integration and ease of use
Hiver integrates seamlessly with other Google Workspace apps and services, making it a great choice for companies already using the platform. This makes it easy to implement and use the system, and allows you to quickly adapt to changes.

Price: A free trial is available, with plans starting at $ 12 per user per month.

For teams that work with remote employees

Cayzu offers robust customer support software specifically designed for small teams that need to manage customer inquiries from anywhere. This cloud-based solution provides all the features you need to effectively manage customer support, including multi-channel support, automation, and powerful reporting tools.

Request management and collaboration
Cayzu allows teams to manage customer requests from a single interface. Messages can be assigned to specific agents or teams, helping to distribute the workload and ensure timely completion of tasks. Built-in collaboration tools such as internal comments and notifications help teams work together effectively.

Multi-channel support and automation
Cayzu supports multiple communication channels including email, chat, social media, and phone. This allows your customers to choose a method of communication with your team that is convenient for them. Automation in Cayzu simplifies repetitive tasks such as classifying requests, assigning agents, and setting priorities.

Reporting and analytics
Reporting in Cayzu provides detailed information about team performance, request volumes, and product issues. This helps your team make informed decisions and continuously improve support quality.

Integration and flexibility
Cayzu integrates seamlessly with many popular applications and services, such as CRM systems and e-commerce platforms. This makes it a great choice for teams that need flexibility and scalability in their customer support solution.

Price: A free trial is available, with plans starting at $ 4 per user per month.

For scalability and advanced functionality

Zendesk is one of the most popular customer support solutions suitable for companies of all sizes, including small businesses. Zendesk offers many features to manage customer inquiries, automate processes, and provide support across multiple channels.

Request management and workflows
Zendesk allows teams to manage customer requests from a single interface. Requests can be assigned to specific agents or groups, helping to distribute workload and ensure timely completion of tasks. Workflows and automation in Zendesk simplify repetitive tasks and processes.

Multi-channel support and self-service
Zendesk supports multiple communication channels including email, chat, social media, and phone. This allows your customers to choose a method of communication with your team that is convenient for them. Zendesk also offers powerful tools for creating knowledge base and self-service portals, which helps customers find answers to frequently asked questions on their own.

Reporting and analytics
Zendesk provides extensive reporting and analytics capabilities that help you track team performance, request volumes, and product issues. This data allows your team to make informed decisions and continuously improve support quality.

Integration and extensibility
Zendesk integrates seamlessly with many popular applications and services, such as CRM systems, e-commerce platforms, and project management software. This makes it a great choice for companies that need a scalable solution with advanced features.

Price: A free trial is available, with plans starting at $ 19 per user per month.

For startups and small teams

Crisp is a modern customer support software that offers a simple and intuitive solution for small teams and startups. Crisp provides all the tools you need to manage customer inquiries, including live chat, knowledge bases and automation.

Request management and multi-channel support
Crisp allows teams to manage customer requests from a single interface. Messages can be assigned to specific agents or groups, helping to distribute the workload and ensure timely completion of tasks. Crisp supports multiple communication channels including chat, email and social media.

Real-time chat and knowledge base
Crisp offers a real-time chat feature that allows your customers to get immediate help. Knowledge base tools help customers find answers to frequently asked questions on their own, reducing the burden on your support team.

Automation and bots
Crisp provides automation capabilities such as chatbots and automated responses that help speed up the processing of queries and improve the quality of support. Chat bots can handle simple requests, freeing up your team’s time for more complex issues.

Reporting and Integration
Crisp offers reporting tools that help you track team performance and request volumes. The platform also integrates with many popular applications and services, such as CRM systems and e-commerce platforms.

Price: A free trial is available, with plans starting at $ 25 per user per month

For companies looking for a simple and affordable solution

HelpDesk offers a simple and affordable way for small teams to manage customer inquiries. With its help, companies can efficiently organize inquiries, improve collaboration and increase customer satisfaction.

Request management and automation
HelpDesk allows teams to centrally manage customer requests. Requests can be assigned to specific agents or groups, helping to distribute workloads and ensure timely completion of tasks. Automation simplifies repetitive processes such as task assignment and prioritization.

Collaboration tools and response templates
HelpDesk offers tools to improve team collaboration, such as internal comments and response templates. These features help your team resolve customer inquiries faster and more efficiently.

Reporting and analytics
HelpDesk provides reporting tools that help you track team performance, request volumes, and identify issues. Analytics allows your team to make informed decisions and improve support quality.

Integration and ease of use
HelpDesk integrates with many popular applications and services, such as CRM systems and e-commerce platforms. This makes it a great choice for smaller companies looking for a simple and affordable solution to manage customer support.

Price: A free trial is available, with plans starting at $ 4 per user per month.

For companies looking for integration with other business applications

Zoho Desk is a powerful customer support software that integrates with other Zoho products and popular business applications. This makes it a great choice for companies that are already using Zoho or are looking for a comprehensive customer support management solution.

Request management and multi-channel support
Zoho Desk allows teams to manage customer requests from a single interface. Messages can be assigned to specific agents or groups, helping to distribute workload and ensure timely completion of tasks. Zoho Desk supports multiple communication channels including email, chat, social media and phone.

Automation and self-service
Zoho Desk provides powerful automation tools that help simplify repetitive tasks and processes. A knowledge base tool is also available that allows customers to find answers to frequently asked questions on their own, reducing the burden on your support team.

Reporting and analytics
The reporting system in Zoho Desk provides extensive capabilities to track team performance, request volumes, and problem identification. This data allows your team to make informed decisions and continuously improve support quality.

Integration and extensibility
Zoho Desk integrates seamlessly with other Zoho products and many popular business applications such as CRM systems and e-commerce platforms. This makes it a great choice for companies looking for a comprehensive and scalable customer support management solution.

Price: A free trial is available, with plans starting at $ 14 per user per month.

For companies that want to improve customer interaction through chat

Tidio is a modern customer support software that focuses on chat-based interactions. It offers powerful tools to manage customer requests, automate processes and provide support across multiple channels.

Live chat and chatbots
Tidio provides a real-time chat feature that allows your customers to receive immediate assistance. Chatbots in Tidio can handle simple requests, freeing up your team’s time to handle more complex issues.

Multi-channel support and request management
Tidio supports multiple communication channels including chat, email, and social media. This allows your customers to choose a method of communication with your team that is convenient for them. Requests can be centrally managed from a single interface, assigning them to specific agents or groups.

Automation and knowledge base
Tidio provides automation features such as automated responses and chatbots to help speed up query handling and improve support quality. A knowledge base tool is also available to help customers find answers to frequently asked questions on their own.

Reporting and Integration
Tidio offers reporting tools that help track team performance and request volumes. The platform also integrates with many popular applications and services, such as CRM systems and e-commerce platforms.

Price: A free trial is available, with plans starting at $ 18 per user per month.
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