Zendesk vs Helpshift

In today's digital world, where customer experience can make or break a business, companies are constantly seeking the best tools to provide seamless and efficient support. Whether it's through email, phone, chat, or mobile apps, ensuring that customers can easily connect with a business is essential for building loyalty and satisfaction. Zendesk and Helpshift are two powerful platforms that have become leaders in this space, each offering unique features to meet varying business needs.

Zendesk is a well-established, all-in-one customer service platform that provides multichannel support and AI-powered automation. It’s designed to help businesses manage customer inquiries across multiple channels—from email and phone to social media—making it an ideal choice for teams with diverse communication needs.

On the other hand, Helpshift takes a mobile-first approach, focusing on in-app support and messaging. Known for its AI-driven automation and proactive engagement tools, Helpshift is perfect for businesses that prioritize mobile app users and web-based customer interactions. It allows companies to meet customers where they are, offering fast and efficient support directly through their apps.

In this article, we’ll dive into a detailed comparison of Zendesk and Helpshift, breaking down their features, pricing, and benefits, so you can make an informed decision on which platform aligns best with your business’s customer support strategy.

Feature Comparison Table

Feature Zendesk Helpshift
Customization Customizable workflows, ticket forms, help centers, and dashboards Customizable AI-powered workflows, issue-based messaging, and brand-aligned support
Automation Advanced automation with workflows, triggers, and AI-powered tools (Answer Bot) AI-driven automation for messaging, ticketing, and routine issue resolution
Reporting & Analytics Real-time dashboards, customizable reports, and advanced analytics Reporting on engagement performance, issue tracking, and customer satisfaction
Chatbots & AI Answer Bot for automating responses and self-service AI-powered messaging bots for mobile and web-based customer interactions
Help Center & Knowledge Base Multilingual help centers, customizable knowledge base Centralized knowledge hub with proactive, AI-guided user support
Ticketing System Fully integrated ticketing system across email, chat, social media, and phone Issue-based ticketing system optimized for mobile apps, web, and messaging support
Team Management Custom roles, permissions, workload management, and advanced security Scalable support teams with 24/7 customer engagement, moderators, and community managers
Multichannel Support Email, chat, phone, social media, and SMS Messaging-based support for mobile apps, websites, and proactive user engagement tools
Integrations CRM systems, telephony, third-party apps, and productivity tools Integrates with CRM, eCommerce platforms, and automation tools
Pricing Starts at $19/month per agent (Team Plan) Custom pricing based on enterprise needs and engagement requirements

Pros and Cons Analysis

Zendesk

Zendesk is a leading customer support platform that provides AI-powered automation, multichannel communication, and customizable workflows. It helps businesses manage customer interactions across multiple channels like email, chat, phone, and social media, while offering advanced automation tools such as Answer Bot to streamline routine queries and ticket handling.

Pros:
  • Comprehensive Automation: Zendesk offers advanced workflow automation that reduces manual tasks and enhances efficiency, especially with tools like Answer Bot.
  • Multichannel Support: Zendesk’s platform integrates email, chat, phone, SMS, and social media, providing businesses with a centralized space for customer interactions.
  • Robust Reporting: Real-time analytics and customizable dashboards offer valuable insights into customer satisfaction and agent performance.
Cons:
  • Costly for Advanced Features: Although Zendesk’s base plan is affordable, adding advanced features such as AI tools and detailed reporting increases the overall cost.
  • Complex Setup for Small Teams: The extensive feature set may be overwhelming for smaller teams, requiring significant time and technical resources for proper implementation.

Helpshift

Helpshift is a mobile-first customer engagement platform designed to manage customer interactions through AI-powered messaging and issue-based ticketing. Helpshift is ideal for businesses that rely on mobile and web-based customer support, offering proactive engagement tools and scalable, 24/7 customer service management.

Pros:
  • AI-Powered Messaging: Helpshift’s platform is optimized for mobile apps and web-based interactions, with AI bots handling routine tasks and automating issue resolutions.
  • Mobile-First Platform: The platform excels in supporting customer engagement through mobile apps, making it an excellent choice for businesses with a strong mobile presence.
  • Scalable Engagement: Helpshift offers 24/7 support teams that scale with your business, ensuring round-the-clock customer service availability.
Cons:
  • Custom Pricing: Helpshift’s pricing model is customized for each business, making it less accessible for smaller companies that prefer transparent, fixed pricing.
  • Less Comprehensive Multichannel Support: While Helpshift excels in messaging and mobile support, it lacks native support for channels like phone and email, which are included in Zendesk’s offerings.

Key Feature Comparison

1. Automation and AI

Zendesk: Offers AI-driven automation through Answer Bot, which automates routine ticket handling and provides self-service options for customers.

Helpshift: Uses AI-powered messaging bots to handle common customer inquiries, particularly through mobile apps and web-based platforms. The automation is designed to streamline customer issue resolution.

Key Difference: Zendesk’s Answer Bot focuses on automating self-service across multiple channels, while Helpshift’s automation is more targeted at mobile and web-based support with proactive messaging bots.

2. Multichannel Support

Zendesk: Provides support across email, chat, phone, SMS, and social media, allowing businesses to manage customer interactions in one unified platform.

Helpshift: Specializes in mobile app and web-based messaging, offering proactive engagement and issue-based ticketing but does not include native phone or email support.

Key Difference: Zendesk offers broader multichannel support, while Helpshift excels in mobile-first support and proactive messaging.

3. Customization and Flexibility

Zendesk: Provides extensive customization options for workflows, ticket forms, help centers, and dashboards, offering flexibility for complex customer service setups.

Helpshift: Focuses on customizable AI-powered workflows and messaging-based support, ensuring that interactions reflect the brand’s voice and values.

Key Difference: While Zendesk provides broader customization for multichannel support, Helpshift focuses on delivering consistent, brand-aligned messaging through mobile and web-based interactions.

4. Reporting and Analytics

Zendesk: Provides real-time dashboards and customizable reports that allow businesses to track performance across multiple support channels and optimize customer service processes.

Helpshift: Focuses on reporting for mobile-first engagement, including issue tracking, customer satisfaction metrics, and engagement performance.

Key Difference: Zendesk offers more comprehensive reporting across all communication channels, while Helpshift is optimized for tracking and improving mobile-based customer engagement.

Pricing Comparison for Different Business Sizes

Business Size Zendesk Price Helpshift Price
Solopreneur (1 Seat) $19/month (Team Plan) Custom pricing available
Small Business (2 - 5 Seats) $49 - $79/month per agent Custom pricing based on business needs
Medium Business (5 - 10 Seats) $79 - $150/month per agent Custom pricing based on engagement requirements

Conclusion and Recommendations

Both Zendesk and Helpshift offer powerful customer engagement platforms, but they are designed for different business needs:

  • Choose Zendesk if your business requires multichannel support, advanced AI-driven automation, and detailed reporting. Zendesk is ideal for companies with complex customer service needs across email, chat, phone, and social media, providing a unified platform for customer interactions.
  • Choose Helpshift if you are focused on mobile-first customer engagement and need a platform that offers AI-driven messaging and issue-based ticketing. Helpshift is perfect for businesses that primarily interact with customers through mobile apps and websites, offering scalable, 24/7 customer support.

Your choice will depend on your business size, the channels you support, and whether your customer interactions are more mobile-focused or require multichannel flexibility.