The 11 Best Kayako Alternatives for Customer Support in 2023
In order to offer stellar customer support to your audience, you need the right tools for your team to quickly and efficiently respond to every customer request or issue. For some teams, that tool is Kayako.
But if Kayako isn’t the right fit for you, we’ve got a list of 11 Kayako alternatives so you can shop around for the best customer support software for your team.
Why you might want a Kayako alternative
Customer support and help desk software can make or break your team’s response time and ticket handling. Kayako is one such software solution, but it might not be the answer for your team.
Kayako’s interface isn’t as appealing or easy to use as many other tools on the market. Users report running into a lot of bugs, and the development team isn’t as on top of improvements and feature releases as many other customer support tools are.
User reviews reveal that while Kayako can manage support tickets, it has a number of cons:
Continual price increases without added value.
Poor customer service with no support.
Takes minutes to load tickets, or blocks support teams from logging into the portal.
Difficult to reply to customers.
Difficult to implement if you have an existing customer base; not good for large organizations.
Can’t create email parser rules using custom fields.
If you’re looking for a tool that’s easy to set up and use, has a plethora of features, and really helps to improve your overall customer support, you might be better off with one of these 11 Kayako alternatives.
Top 11 Kayako alternatives for customer support
Our list of Kayako alternatives has something for everyone: for sales-focused teams, for those looking for project management assistance, or for those looking for a complete customer support solution.
Help Scout
Zendesk
Freshdesk
LiveAgent
Salesforce Service Cloud
HappyFox
Zoho Desk
Intercom
TeamSupport
ProProfs
OneDesk
1. Help Scout
Best Kayako alternative for complete customer support.
Help Scout is for teams that put a heavy emphasis on customer relationships. Users say Help Scout is easier to set up, easier to administer, and better at support than Kayako. It will help you create a seamless customer experience, all the way from initial purchase through customer support.
Help Scout has a number of features that make it the best Kayako alternative for complete customer support.
Shared inboxes
Easily access all support requests in a single, universal inbox. This way, no customer communication is lost and each customer is always handled by a full-fledged support team member.
Shared inboxes also provide ways for agents to communicate behind the scenes, getting help from team members when they need it to create a streamlined customer support experience.
Get collision detection to keep two agents from working the same ticket at the same time, quickly access saved replies to send responses to frequently asked questions, and tag customer conversations to keep them organized.
Knowledge base management
Providing your customers with a self-serve option gives them agency to find solutions themselves without having to get in touch with your team.
Easily create your own knowledge base articles with copy, images, videos, tables, and links to similar instructions. Plus, populate your website’s live chat with help articles for easy access.
Customer management
Access customer data, past conversations, and customer activity — all tied to each user’s profile in Help Scout — each time you handle a support request. This helps your customers feel like you remember who they are, personalizing the user experience.
Live chat
Add a live chat widget on your website as a one-click way for your customers to reach your support team. Here, customers can access knowledge base articles or talk to a support agent if they can’t find what they’re looking for.
Automation
As you receive more customer support requests, use automation to streamline repetitive tasks and help your team accomplish more with less effort.
Workflows act based on conditions you set to do everything from simple filtering and routing to complex process wizardry. Use automated workflows to meet SLAs, bring order to chaos, and serve customers faster.
For example, you could send out automated customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys after a case is resolved. If one person were to send the surveys manually, it would take a lot of time, and they could miss a few emails along the way.
You can take this automation further with Help Scout. If a customer responds negatively to a CSAT, your help desk can automatically open a case that you can follow up on to resolve any issues. This helps you turn a dissatisfied customer into a loyal one.
Reporting
Gather in-depth insights as to how your customer support team is performing. See average response times, check the performance of your knowledge base articles, evaluate customer request volume, and more.
Light users
Grant members of your extended team access to your Help Scout data with light users. This user role enables your non-customer-facing staff to view and follow conversations, leave private notes, view reports or knowledge base articles, and create and edit Messages in Help Scout without using a paid seat.
Light users make it easy to increase transparency and promote collaboration across your organization and are included with new Plus and Pro plans.
Integrations & data migration
Choose from over 90 third-party app integrations with Help Scout. Combine the tools your team already knows and loves — like Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Gmail, etc. — with your customer support.
In addition, for those looking to make the switch to Help Scout from another platform, Help Scout’s data migration capabilities make transferring your customer data and conversation history a breeze.
Price: Starting at $20/user per month.
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Teams using Help Scout are set up in minutes, twice as productive, and save up to 80% in annual support costs. Start a free trial to see what it can do for you.
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2. Zendesk
Best Kayako alternative for enterprise companies.
Zendesk is one of the more popular tools in the customer service world, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best. It’s well-known for its expansive list of service desk features, yet it also comes with a complex setup that requires a good bit of training to use it to its fullest extent.
This is why we recommend Zendesk for enterprise companies that truly need access to those higher-level features, such as skill-based routing, premium sandbox capabilities, and advanced workflows.
If you’re looking to get your customer support outlet up and running quickly, another tool on our list might be a better fit.
Price: Starting at $19/agent per month.
3. Freshdesk
Best Kayako alternative for larger teams.
Freshdesk is a customer service software that’s part of a larger suite of tools. They offer software for sales, marketing, IT services, and HR. Because of this, Freshdesk is a solution for larger teams that need multi-faceted software.
Freshdesk’s customer support software includes features like omnichannel support, help desk ticketing, live chat messaging with chatbot functionality, and call center support.
Price: Free plan available. Paid plans starting at $15/agent per month.
4. LiveAgent
Best Kayako alternative for live chat automation.
LiveAgent is specifically for multi-channel chat support and live chat automation. If you want to reach your customers across multiple platforms and set up SLAs and workflows to improve support processes, this is a potential option for your team.
Their live chat widget has a built-in CRM and automatic chat routing. With over 190 integrations and omnichannel support, your team can also pull in support requests from social media for better incident management.
Price: Free plan with limited features available. Premium plans starting at $15/agent per month.
5. Salesforce Service Cloud
Best Kayako alternative for large businesses.
Salesforce is a comprehensive tool many sales teams use for managing contacts and sending out pitches. But while its service capabilities are more affordable, the full sales cloud comes at a much higher price point, making this more financially tenable for larger businesses.
If you’re a Salesforce user but the service options aren’t quite what you’re looking for, keep in mind that Help Scout has a Salesforce integration that can marry the two seamlessly.
Price: Starting at $25/user per month.
6. HappyFox
Best Kayako alternative for newer teams who want to set up and go.
HappyFox’s easy-to-use and visually appealing interface makes it perfect for new customer support teams or startups who need to quickly get their customer support management software up and running.
With a modern user interface, HappyFox is the software solution for small businesses that need a simple starting point.
Price: Starting at $29/agent per month.
7. Zoho Desk
Best Kayako alternative for sales-focused teams.
Zoho is another tool that’s part of a larger suite of tools, just like Zendesk, Freshdesk, and Salesforce. One of Zoho’s main offerings is their CRM, making this an ideal support solution for sales-focused teams looking for a ticketing system.
Zoho’s help desk offers a customizable interface so you can customize your support software, even if you don’t know how to code. Create reusable email and SMS templates, offer secure customer support, and set agent roles and permissions and more to give your customers a good experience.
Price: Free plan available for up to three agents. Paid plans starting at $14/agent per month.
8. Intercom
Best Kayako alternative for self-serve support.
While customer support typically means one-on-one communication with your customers, being a stellar service provider includes having several outlets for getting help in real time. This is why Intercom is one such option: It’s a self-service portal for immediate help. You can automatically resolve questions with chatbots and help articles, so customers can get faster answers.
Price: Starting at $67 per month for smaller businesses. Larger businesses are encouraged to set up a demo call for custom pricing.
9. TeamSupport
Best Kayako alternative for B2B organizations.
TeamSupport focuses primarily on helping B2B organizations provide customer support to their clientele. With a suite of tools for support, success, engagement, and analytics, this is an option for B2B companies wanting to improve their support operations.
Brands using TeamSupport can collaborate across departments to provide rapid responses, monitor and automate the customer lifecycle, and personalize chat experiences to maximize customer lifetime value.
As software specifically built for B2B, TeamSupport’s features and integrations cater to this niche of companies dealing with companies — rather than individuals.
Price: Contact TeamSupport for pricing.
10. ProProfs
Best Kayako alternative for smaller budgets.
ProProfs provides 17 business solutions, from training software to quiz makers, and a customer support software dubbed ProProfsDesk. This help desk and customer service management tool includes features like a shared inbox, automation, and reporting and analytics.
ProProfs includes customer engagement tools like a survey creator, quiz maker, and popup tool. If you’re looking to create these types of interactive experiences, ProProfs might make the most sense to use for your customer support.
Price: Starting at $10/user per month.
11. OneDesk
Best Kayako alternative for project management.
OneDesk is a dual customer service and project management tool. With features like Gantt charts, Kanban boards, and time-tracking, this is a solution for teams that need assistance with both supporting customers and internally managing projects.
Easily capture email tickets while also making sure your team keeps up with resolving customer-reported bugs and issues. OneDesk is a fit for smaller teams with heavily connected support and development teams.
Price: Starting at $9/user per month.
Buyer’s Guide to Choosing the Right Customer Support Tool
Tailored to help you identify your customer support needs, this guide will help you find the right solution, simplify your purchase decision, and get leadership buy-in.
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Find the right Kayako alternative for your business
A majority (93%) of surveyed customers reported being more likely to make repeat purchases with companies that offer excellent customer service, so don’t settle for just being mediocre.
The right customer support platform can help you provide more responsive, consistent support, collaborate with teams, and scale up your service.
With the list of Kayako alternatives above, you’re well on your way to finding a specialized customer service system that creates a better experience and improves loyalty for your customers.
Michael Keenan
