We’ve all heard the phrase, “You’ll be able to’t be all issues to all folks.” It’s sage knowledge and likewise why there’s no H&R Block TV that information your taxes whilst you binge the newest Netflix drama (however there could possibly be…simply saying). The reality of the matter is that there’ll all the time be room for competitors as a result of nobody firm can account for all facets of a single product.
At Assist Scout we attempt to make the perfect assist desk product doable. That mentioned, we additionally acknowledge that in some instances we received’t be the precise proper match for quite a few causes. With that in thoughts, we’ve put collectively a listing of 9 Assist Scout alternate options it is best to contemplate in the event you discover that Assist Scout isn’t the proper match for you.
What are some great benefits of Assist Scout?
Though Assist Scout is probably not the proper choice in all instances, there are many instances the place it’s. Although there are an a variety of benefits, there are three we predict are related to many groups:
Ease of use — Assist Scout’s UI is extremely intuitive, that means groups can rise up and operating rapidly. Most groups are capable of set the whole lot up in lower than a day and brokers can onboard rapidly, turning into energy customers in a matter of weeks. In case you occur to have any questions, there’s a sturdy library of assist documentation you possibly can entry at your comfort. You additionally get entry to our world-class help group members, who’re all the time prepared and keen to assist out nevertheless they will.
Affordability — If you join Assist Scout you get entry to a collection of instruments to assist with e-mail, chat, and self service help at an accessible value level. There are additionally productiveness options like AI summarize and help for higher, sooner responses, collision detection to scale back duplicate work, and prebuilt analytics dashboards that will help you higher perceive efficiency and achieve perception to ship even higher buyer experiences.
Assist focus — We now have one focus: serving to you ship constantly nice experiences on your prospects. The whole lot we do and the options we construct are supposed to serve that purpose. Due to that mindset, we’ve created a device that takes not simply the shopper expertise into consideration however the agent expertise, too.
If you wish to study much more about what Assist Scout has to supply, you could find a full listing of options and performance right here.
Assist Scout FAQs
Is Assist Scout a CRM device?
Although Assist Scout has some CRM capabilities, it isn’t a CRM. In case you’re occupied with studying extra about CRMs, try this text.
Is Assist Scout free?
Assist Scout doesn’t supply a free plan at present, however we do supply a 15-day free trial. You’ll be able to study extra about our present pricing right here.
Is Assist Scout a ticketing system?
Sure. When prospects contact Assist Scout customers by means of e-mail, chat, or Fb Messenger, a ticket, or what we check with as a dialog, is generated. Brokers reply to the conversations by means of Assist Scout and are capable of monitor progress, replace statues, add notes, and even share the conversations with others.
9 Assist Scout alternate options
Though Assist Scout is a good resolution for a lot of groups, it received’t all the time be the most suitable choice. Beneath are some Assist Scout rivals to think about primarily based on value level and options.
Assist Scout alternate options: | Value: | Finest for: |
---|---|---|
Gmeluis | Begins at $15 per 30 days | Electronic mail-only help |
Entrance | Begins at $19/person per 30 days | Responding from a private e-mail handle (gross sales/ account administration focus) |
Kayako | Contact for pricing | Groups wanting an on-premise device |
Zendesk | Begins at $19/agent per 30 days | Groups supporting a number of merchandise |
Zoho Desk | Free plan out there. Paid plans begin at $14/person per 30 days | Groups wanting a free device |
LiveAgent | Begins at $9/agent per 30 days | Multi-lingual help |
SysAid | Contact for present pricing | Groups needing buyer portals |
Gorgias | Begins at $10 per 30 days | Low-volume groups |
Trengo | Begins at $18/person per 30 days | SMS buyer help |
1. Gmelius
Finest Assist Scout various for email-only help.
One of the best ways to consider Gmelius is as a Gmail extension of kinds. It provides extra performance to an present Gmail account that lets help groups do issues like assign conversations and add inner notes. You can even create templates to hurry up responses and even automate some workflows.
Gmelius permits you to tag conversations, which lets you do issues like create customized views to see emails by subject or assignee, each of which make managing incoming requests a lot easier. Although Gmelius has numerous nice options, it solely helps e-mail interactions. If you wish to present chat help or self-service content material, you’d have to purchase extra instruments.
Value: Begins at $15 per 30 days.
2. Entrance
Finest Assist Scout various for responding from a private e-mail handle.
Just like Assist Scout, Entrance is a assist desk resolution that permits groups to answer, arrange, and handle buyer requests. There are lots of related options between the 2 instruments, however Entrance does have some options that make it distinctive. The first one is the power to reply from a private e-mail handle.
Together with that functionality, there’s additionally the power to schedule conferences with prospects instantly from Entrance. Nonetheless, they do lack another extra frequent options like a information base builder (although they do point out it’s within the works). One different factor to concentrate to is that they’ve seat limits on their Starter plan. So, in the event you exceed these, it’s a must to transfer as much as a better tier.
Value: Begins at $19/person per 30 days.
3. Kayako
Finest Assist Scout various for groups wanting an on-premise resolution.
One of many greatest traits of the final decade or so in expertise has been shifting the whole lot to the cloud. There are lots of benefits to cloud-based options, which is what’s pushed people to embrace it. It’s additionally why virtually all assist desk options are cloud-based. Nonetheless, in some situations, having software program on-premise is what’s finest. For these instances, Kayako is a good choice.
Kayako affords an on-premise model on their software program, which you’ll set up by yourself servers and primarily have full management over entry. It consists of all the standard options like the power to do e-mail help, construct a information base, and so forth. Nonetheless, it’s good to do not forget that on-premise instruments do contain extra upkeep and implementation prices, so it may not be the proper match for smaller groups.
Value: Contact for present pricing.
4. Zendesk
Finest Assist Scout various for groups supporting a number of merchandise.
Zendesk is among the most recognizable names in assist desk software program. They provide quite a lot of options like omnichannel help, in addition to extra superior options like AI assistants — although these varieties of options are restricted to their highest price plans.
Nonetheless, one space the place they stand out is the power to create a number of distinct workspaces the place brokers can deal with sure requests. For groups that present help for a number of merchandise, that may be an enormous profit because it helps maintain issues separate. The principle factor to bear in mind is that Zendesk usually has a extra intensive setup and onboarding course of.
Value: Begins at $19/agent per 30 days.
5. Zoho Desk
Finest free Assist Scout various.
Many individuals know Zoho for his or her gross sales CRM, however in addition they supply a help product referred to as Zoho Desk. It has lots of the options you’d anticipate, like e-mail help and a information base builder to create self-service content material for patrons, each of that are included on their free plan.
In addition they supply some extra superior options like stay chat capabilities and workflow automations for issues like ticket routing. Nonetheless, these aren’t supplied on the free plan, which additionally has a 3 individual restrict. All that mentioned, it is among the most sturdy free choices in the marketplace at present.
Value: Free plan out there. Paid plans begin at $14/person per 30 days.
6. LiveAgent
Finest Assist Scout various for multi-lingual help.
Lately, having a world buyer base is extra frequent than ever. Offering help in somebody’s native language is an enormous assist in creating a terrific buyer expertise. LiveAgent at present affords translation help for 43 languages. It might probably additionally detect the place somebody is contacting you from and present them messages of their native language (so long as it’s one you select to help).
Together with their multi-language characteristic, LiveAgent has some extra commonplace assist desk options like e-mail and stay chat help. You can even routinely assign tickets to totally different brokers primarily based on guidelines you set. Nonetheless, these options are restricted to their larger price plans.
Value: Begins at $9/agent per 30 days.
7. SysAid
Finest Assist Scout various for IT help.
SysAid is a assist desk product usually targeted on IT groups. At its core, the product is a assist desk with options to assist with ticket and activity automation to scale back pressure on brokers and provides them extra time to deal with requests. One of many huge differentiators for SysAid is the power to create customized buyer portals the place folks can entry particular documentation and make requests.
In addition they have a ITSM AI characteristic that additional reduces ticket volumes for human brokers and empowers prospects to get solutions rapidly and on their schedule. Nonetheless, you will need to word that these options are solely supplied on their larger tier plans.
Value: Contact for present pricing.
8. Gorgias
Finest Assist Scout various for low-volume groups.
Gorgias is a assist desk product with an ecommerce focus. They’ve quite a few commonplace options like stay chat and e-mail help capabilities. You’re additionally capable of construct a information base with their software program, they usually embody productiveness options like automated workflows for assigning and tagging conversations, in addition to the power to create pre-written responses they name macros.
Together with the usual help options, Gorgias additionally consists of entry to totally different ecommerce integrations, however some are solely out there on their higher-cost plans. The ultimate differentiator, and why Gorgias is finest for lower-volume groups, is that they cost primarily based on ticket quantity. So, if in case you have very constant volumes or decrease volumes that match within the allotted quantity per plan, Gorgias could possibly be one to take a look at.
Value: Begins at $10 per 30 days.
9. Trengo
Finest Assist Scout various for groups utilizing SMS.
As help professionals know, buyer requests can come from many locations: e-mail, telephone, and social media websites to call a number of. With Trengo you’re capable of work together with prospects from all these totally different channels. You additionally get entry to different help options like the power to construct a information base and examine agent efficiency metrics — although analytics are solely included on higher-cost plans.
The actually standout characteristic for Trengo is the power to speak with prospects by means of SMS messaging (textual content messaging). You need to use it to ship proactive messages for low cost codes or to alert that an merchandise is again in inventory. You can even use SMS to deal with buyer requests, which may be very handy for patrons. Nonetheless, as it’s with different options, SMS help is proscribed to their higher-cost plans.
Value: Begins at $18/person per 30 days.
Shifting ahead
Discovering the proper assist desk on your group and its wants is actually simpler mentioned than achieved. Take time to study the choices and have a transparent understanding of what you and your group want so as to achieve success and know what issues are non-negotiable for you.
If you would like a little bit extra steerage for selecting a help device, try our Purchaser’s Information to Selecting the Proper Buyer Assist device.