SupportBee has consistently been rated one of the best integrations for Basecamp users, and that’s probably because we share some goals with the project management software -- like teamwork, efficiency, and progress. SupportBee integrates with Basecamp Classic, Basecamp 2 and Basecamp 3, which turns the customer support emails you get through our platform into to-do items and team chats in your Basecamp hub.
While we’re happy to say Basecamp was one of the first partners we added to our list of third-party software integrations, we also know there are many other useful (and free) tech tools out there that can make the life of a customer service agent so much easier. But getting there isn’t always easy.
First, there’s the search for the right tool. While bigger companies pay people to vet and select practical applications for them, small and medium businesses (SMBs) are stuck doing their own time-heavy research. To boot, half of the tools are useful to them--most SMBs don’t need coding tools to build bespoke customer support apps, for example. Then, there’s the process of finding apps that are onboarding-friendly enough to introduce to the team.
That’s why we’ve decided to spare you the headache (and the hours), and list our top Basecamp integrations for every aspect of small and medium businesses’ customer service operations. We focused on integrations that are free (or very affordable), a breeze to set up, learn, and use (software engineers need not apply).
But first! Make sure you have everything ready to go. Watch this video on setting up Basecamp in SupportBee, and follow these instructions for integrating your SupportBee account with Basecamp Classic, Basecamp 2 and Basecamp 3.)
The Best Integration For Everything
It’s almost as if there’s nothing Zapier can’t do. Zapier is the Renaissance Man of integrations, with the ability to tie SupportBee to 71 other apps--Basecamp included. Using an “if this, then that” logic, Zapier creates triggers that let Basecamp and SupportBee talk to each other in an actionable way--like create and assigning new tasks (and generate to-do lists), and create tickets in SupportBee stemming from Basecamp activity (like a new account or new comment).
The Best Integration for Organization & Delegation
At first glance, Trello seems too simple to be as useful as it is. It’s drag-and-drop capabilities and easy-to-create task boards make organization, well, fun--that’s why so many users can’t fathom using any other tool alongside the organizational features they can enjoy in Basecamp and SupportBee.
Some of the more popular setups for a Trello-Basecamp integration lets users schedule an event in Basecamp 3 based off a Trello card (like a phone appointment with a customer), send messages created in Trello to Basecamp, and archive to-dos in Basecamp via your Trello board. Best of all, you can create your own integrations.
And, the SupportBee integrates with Trello directly. In the absence of Basecamp, try connecting Pivotal Tracker with SupportBee. (Pivotal Tracker also integrates with Zoho Flow.)
The Best Integration for Storage
Why would a photo depository be of any use to customer service? It’s not just for vacation pics--many small businesses use Dropbox to collect faxes, store images like logos but also files like receipts, forms, and other assets that customer service professionals need to have on hand. Depending on the Basecamp triggers they enable, users can create new folders or move and find files, among other actions.
You’ll need to use a provider like CloudHQ or Zapier to enable your Basecamp to talk to Dropbox, but the advantage is that they work with other tools you may choose to integrate as well. For example, using CloudHQ to connect your Dropbox to Basecamp will also allow you to integrate your Google Docs and Gmail. Tip: you’ll want to designate one Dropbox folder to integrate with Basecamp to keep things streamlined.
The Best Integration for Analysis
Klipfolio’s customizable, interactive dashboard software is a great tool for getting both a deeper and broader look at your customer service efforts, trends and results. Klipfolio users can build real-time dashboards in Basecamp so that it’s easy to access visual data analysis in either platform. (Klipfolio also integrates with Dropbox and Slack.) By enabling the two platforms to talk to each other, users can create their own “connectors,” or queries, within a certain time frame to bring Basecamp project data into Klipfolio.
We also love Ganttify (which will integrate with both Basecamp and Trello). Like the Klipfolio integration, Ganttify pulls in data from Basecamp to give users a detailed, shareable and customizable overview that helps them identify pain points. All charts are exportable as PDFs -- which you can store in your Dropbox!
The Best Integration for Feedback
Wufoo, an online form builder that lets users create and process inquiry forms and collect payments, is a customer service agent must-have. Wufoo offers customizable templates, image galleries, and reporting features. You’ll need a third-party app like Zapier to connect Wufoo with Basecamp, which is worth it if you use Google Forms, which Wufoo integrates with directly. Information received via Wufoo forms can be used to create tasks in Basecamp, and triggers include new form uploads, new schedule entries, and in general, any new activity. You can also ask Wufoo to search for submissions coming specifically from Basecamp.
Jot Forms is another useful form application, and if you don’t want to integrate with Basecamp, use Zapier to automate tasks directly with SupportBee.
The Best Integration for Team Communication
Slack offers so much more than a way to have a conversation. Slack is great for teamwork pertaining to issues outside of email tickets. And, Slack may be one of the most widely connected tools out there, so you can integrate it with many of your other workflow apps. An easy-drag-and-drop lets users select Basecamp triggers to do things like invite new users into a Slack channel, set statuses, and send messages (including private messages), as well as utilize several search capabilities.
If you want to skip a step, remember that SupportBee integrates with Slack, as well as offers an in-platform commenting as part of the shared inbox feature.
These are only a few of our favorite Basecamp integrations--share your suggestions for other users below!
