.jpg)
August 6, 2024
Whether you are planning to add a customer support management platform to your marketing tools or already using one, chances are you have come across Intercom.
Intercom is a fantastic customer support platform that comprises ticketing automation, customer engagement, and sales conversion. But it isn't the only tool on the market.
In this post, we will look at 5 best Intercom alternatives, including their features, cost, and perfect applications, so you can choose the best platform for your company.
To begin, let's explore some of the reasons why you might consider an Intercom alternative:
One of the biggest operational challenges with Intercom is its cluttered UI.
With the sheer number of interface elements available in the opening window, users need to click several times to reach significant features. This can confuse new users, especially those with no background or limited exposure to technology.
Businesses often need to offer an extensive amount of training to their team members before they can start using the platform.
Here is what small business owner Angela M has to say about Intercom interface:
Some aspects of Intercom are quite a learning curve, unfortunately. Creating workflows, organising users and companies, and trying to add certain automations can be difficult to learn and time-consuming.
Intercom pricing can bite your finances if you are a small-to-midsize business.
While their pricing model starts at $39, to use Intercom to its full potential, you may need to subscribe to the $99 plan.
Besides that, getting the add-ons and extra team seats can skyrocket your subscription cost significantly.
Here is what customer operations lead Krystal T. has to say about the pricing plan:
My primary dislike would be the costs. While the basic features cover most needs, some of the more advanced capabilities and integrations will come with additional costs. As you start adding more advanced features to your contract, it's easy to begin to feel like you're being nickeled and dimed.
A notable limitation of the Intercom lies within its search feature.
Whenever an user initiates a search for an old ticket or specific customer information, the search box prematurely closes itself. This can hinder the flow of work and prolong the response time.
Another downside of Intercom is, ironically, its customer support.
Many users have reported that it takes days, or even weeks, for the Intercom support team to respond to their queries. Even then, customers don't receive the appropriate answer, hampering their work flow.
Here is what a G2 review has to say:
It is difficult to talk to support; each person comes back with a different answer, and sometimes it takes days to get a response back or no response at all when trying to contact a human.
While Intercom offers a multitude of options when it comes to integration, companies may need external help to fully integrate the platform with other databases.
These integration steps can be costly and might consume a tonne of your time as well.
Here are some intercom alternatives that are worth looking into for improved customer support:
Mevrik is a customer experience management platform that stands out from the rest due to its ability to handle communication across several channels, including emails, messaging, live chat, and social media. Mevrik provides you a proactive customer support.
It elevates the traditional ticketing system with its AI offerings such as chatbots, virtual assistants, and text generation tools, making it the ideal solution to engage with customers effectively.
Plus, an interactive report dashboard makes it easier to see how your team performs from day one.
See all pricing options here : Mevrik pricing
Source: Zendesk
Of course, no Intercom alternative list would be complete without mentioning Zendesk. Â
It's a widely popular cloud-based customer support platform that is ultimately designed for large enterprises.Â
At its core, Zendesk offers several help desk tools, such as auto-routing inquiries, centralising interactions, and managing conversation history.
There’s also a set of collaboration tools that help your team members communicate more effectively, like private notes, tagging, and a real-time view of how the given task is progressing.
‍
Source: Freshworks
If you’re in search of a powerful customer support platform that won’t break your bank, then Freshworks just might be your answer.
With a free version and paid plans starting at $15, Freshwork offers a centralised inbox that gathers inquiries from multiple channels, including the web, email, phone, and social media.
Plus, with its AI facilities—AI chatbot Freddy, knowledgebase builder, and integration with third-party tools—Freshdesk facilitates highly personalised support on the spot.
‍
Source: Front
Front is another cloud-based customer support platform that positions itself as an affordable intercom alternative. But, unlike some of the other platforms in the list, Front uses the simplicity of an email inbox and combines it with support desk tools.
It puts you in complete control of support operations by centralising messages from multiple channels, collaborating in real time, and tracking marketing campaigns.
‍
Source: Sprinklr
Most customers now prefer to engage with brands through social media channels. So if you are looking for a solution that combines the best of both worlds: social media management and customer support, Sprinklr might be your right call.
On the surface, the platform manages all aspects of digital marketing campaigns, including scheduling, drafting, editing, publishing, and tracking of social posts.
However, it also offers support tools like a unified agent desktop, automated call routing, and a chatbot, making it a good option for any side of your business.
You should pick Mevrik over Intercom for the following reasons. Let's dig deep!
Mevrik’s unified inbox is a feature that lets you view customer interaction from multiple channels on a single screen. It gives you an unified customer experience. You don't need to create an additional ticket when an inquiry arrives, as it’s conversational ticketing system makes it possible for you to address the queries in real time through the chat window itself.
Plus, you get access to a series of smart features in the right sidebar to personalise the support. Some of the unique features include:
Mevrik comes with a suite of social media management tools that lets you connect with multiple platforms, including Facebook (business pages),Instagram (business accounts), and Whatsapp( business and personal accounts).
After connecting with the social accounts, you can either reply, delete, or bulk delete comments from one unified inbox.
It's also got a feature that lets you directly address any questions raised via Instagram stories. This is a feature that none other platforms offer and can be extremely appealing to customers who are looking for a more casual and impermanent way of communicating.
Though Intercom has its own set of AI features that they are constantly trying to improve, nothing can beat the wide range of AI features that Mevrik provides.
For its AI assistance in emails and chats, Mevrik offers:
And when it comes to the self-service option, Mevrik offers AI chatbots that can easily identify the language, context, and intent of the customers, so that customers can receive personalised suggestions 24/7.
Delighting customers is what has always defined Mevrik. And nothing could reflect this motto better than inviting your customers to a clean and interactive UI that they can easily navigate.
Once a customer onboards Mevrik, they can access all the available features, including the unified inbox, channels, CRM, CSAT, knowledgebase, and settings, from the left sidebar.
And, if a person is still having trouble navigating around the platform website, they can quickly self-serve themselves through the Mevrik chatbot or send an email to customer support through the help feature.
Mevrik is considered one of the most affordable options when it comes to customer experience management, compared to Intercom. Mevrik's pricing plans start at $41 per user per month. But it includes more features and functionalities than Intercom with its starting pricing.
When customers reach out to a business for assistance, they expect to speak with someone who understands what they’re talking about. However, with Intercom, the process can be lengthy and is often unsatisfactory.
In contrast, Mevrik has always put customer needs at the forefront. We have a group of friendly and courteous support staff that goes above and beyond to offer satisfactory responses to any complex customer queries, and that too within a day. Plus, you can self-service yourself with chatbot facilities, which are super responsive 24/7.
Just click on the Mevrik widget from the homepage, and you can either self-service yourself or send us an email for personalised support.
If you still feel undecided, take each platform for a spin. It’s the best way to find the ideal customer service platform for your business.
Start a free trial or subscribe to a free plan to look around the platform. You’ll quickly start to notice the differences and know which one meshes the best with your team's workflow.
Ready to test? Start a free trial with Mevrik, the #1 Intercom alternative. From basic conversation to analysing customer feedback, manage everything from one platform.
‍
Ready to thrive on the customer experience and increase sales & support?
AI-Powered all-in-one platform to connect, engage, and delight customers across digital channels.
© 2024 Mevrik. All Rights Reserved.
