The quest for exceptional customer service has pushed support teams to innovate and find new ways to maximize the impact of their people, technology, and processes. Today’s customer support teams are dispersed often by actual location and by the numerous communication channels that customers are using. Centralized software platforms have helped close the gap between efficiency challenges and delighted customers.

A recent study from Toister Solutions showed that the average customer expects a response to their email within one hour. Additional data indicated that many companies take up to 12 hours to respond to emails or fail to do so at all. To keep up with the growing volume of messages across email, voice, and social media channels, many companies are now looking to software tools for solutions.

To help you explore some new capabilities for your support operation, we have compiled this list of the 50 best customer service software tools that we could find. We’ve taken a broad look at the customer service market and included call center, CRM, help desk, messaging, and social media tools, among others. The following customer service software tools are listed in alphabetical order in the following categories:

• Call Center Software
• CRM Software
• Help Desk Software
• Messaging and Chat Tools
• Social Media Customer Service Tools

Call Center Software

1. Aceyus

Aceyus is a contact center intelligence software suite that includes several tools for improving customer experience. A central feature of the program is the consolidation of caller data from various platforms into a single contact management center. It also supports real-time routing using a variety of tools to actively manage call volume and connect the right resource with each customer.

Key Features:

• Real-time dashboards
• Contact treatment management
• Extensive reporting options

Cost: Contact for a quote

2. Aircall

Aircall is a cloud-based call center system designed for team use. It’s easy to set up with no additional hardware, and the team settings and workflows are fully customizable. The reporting features allow you to track team and individual metrics in real-time, and you also can monitor live calls as they are happening.

Key Features:

• No hardware setup needed
• Integrations with numerous apps
• Skill-based call routing

Cost: $30-$50/user per month

3. Avaya Contact Center

The Avaya Intelligent Xperiences Contact Center that provides customers with efficient self-service tools assisted by your support team. You can choose between a completely cloud-based deployment, hybrid option, or have Avaya installed on-premises. Contact Center comes with many functions for managing digital customer channels, voice communication, and workforce engagement.

Key Features:

• Deployable as public, private, or hybrid cloud
• Automated solutions for inbound and outbound communication
• Manage all channels through a single workspace

Cost: $82-$129/user per month

4. Bitrix24

Bitrix24 is a collaboration platform with features for messaging, CRM, task management, and project management. Customers can begin with a free plan that allows an unlimited number of users with basic capabilities and limited storage. Their five professional subscription plans are tiered to grow along with your business, with the most premium options offering advanced CRM marketing and sales intelligence capabilities.

Key Features:

• Real-time communication tools
• Unlimited workgroups and user groups
• Online file storage and management

Cost: Free - $159/month for all users

5. CloudTalk

CloudTalk is a cloud-based call center platform that’s easy to set up. There are three options for using CloudTalk: CloudTalk Phone for Desktop, allowing you to make and receive calls through a desktop app, the CloudTalk Dashboard for desktops, or the CloudTalk Go mobile app, available for Android and iOS devices. Integrations are available with many leading CRM and team collaboration platforms. Your agents can also take advantage of the many advanced voice call features such as queuing, internal extensions, and call recording.

Key Features:

• Intelligent call routing
• Automatically track and record calls
• 2-way CRM sync solutions

Cost: $15 - $50/user per month

6. Dixa

Dixa is a fully customizable call center platform accessible via a web browser. As fully cloud-based software, Dixa is easy to scale and supports voice calls, email, chat, and messenger conversations. Some of the key features include customer recognition, intelligent routing, and recording for both inbound and outbound calls. The system can also offer customers a callback option, so they don’t have to wait on hold.

Key Features:

• Automatic call distribution
• Unlimited concurrent calls
• Complete customer history

Cost: $99 - $179/user per month

7. Five9

Five9 is a cloud-based contact center system that includes self-service, routing, and analytics. Users can benefit from the highly reliable service that boasts over 99.992% uptime, and users and customers can access the platform from any browser. Many of the functions can be customized to meet your workflow needs, and advanced security features protect your data.

Key Features:

• Omnichannel support
• Predictive dialing
• CRM and UC integration

Cost: Contact for a quote

8. Nextiva

Nextiva is a VoIP call center solution that operates entirely in the cloud and supports higher call volumes that traditional call center systems. Key features include call routing, VoIP phone numbers, and call recording. This platform is designed for large enterprises and gives you access to insightful voice and business analytics to review call activities and the real-time performance of your call center.

Key Features:

• VoIP phone numbers
• Automatic call distribution
• Interactive voice response

Cost: $19.95 - $31.95/user per month

9. NICE inContact

NICE inContact is a flexible call center platform that can support a variety of needs from small businesses to enterprises. The inContact system is based in the cloud and uses AI and automation to power many of its functions. Key features include customer analytics, omnichannel routing, and workforce optimization tools.

Key Features:

• Omnichannel analytics
• CXone open cloud foundation
• CRM and UCaaS integrations

Cost: Contact for a quote

10. Twilio Flex

The Twilio Flex contact center platform is highly programmable and gives you complete control of your agent management, channel optimization, and chatbot setup. Flex pulls all of your customer and conversation data into a single interface that enables agents to support multiple customers simultaneously. You can also integrate this platform with nearly any major CRM software such as Salesforce.

Key Features:

• Call routing based on skills or attributes
• Visual workflow editor
• A comprehensive user interface

Cost (2 pricing options):

• $1 per active user hour
• $150/user per month

CRM Software

11. Agile CRM

Agile is a well-known and established all-in-one CRM for managing sales, marketing, and service activities. Customer service teams can use the helpdesk and ticketing features to interact directly with customers and complete their requests. Agile CRM also comes with a knowledge base that can be configured for customers to access through a self-service portal.

Key Features:

• Feedback query and analysis tools
• Smart views for easy prioritization
• Integration with Google Apps

Cost: Free - $72/user per month

12. ClaritySoft

ClaritySoft is a complete CRM software suite that is known for its intuitive and highly customizable interface. Each user can set up a unique interface view and focus on the data and information that is important for their specific role. The system can be set up in a matter of hours, and Claritysoft has modules for marketing, sales, project management, and service.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive reports and dashboards
• Free 24/7 customer service
• Integrations with many top apps

Cost: $39 - $69/user per month

13. Kustomer

Kustomer is a customer service platform that aims to simplify your processes by consolidating customer data and automatic repetitive tasks. Agents can view all customer data in a single timeline, including purchase history, past communications, and contact information. The software can connect to email, chat, SMS, voice, and messenger services to offer a complete omnichannel experience.

Key Features:

• Create customer segments for each messaging
• Automation for repetitive tasks
• Reply to requests in a single thread

Cost: $89 - $139/user per month

14. Maximizer

Maximizer CRM comes complete with modules for sales, marketing, and customer service management. The service dashboard can be used as a centralized location to track all customer activities, such as returns and billing inquiries. Your agents will also be able to standardize multi-step workflows using task templates and use the mobile CRM app for system access at any time or location.

Key Features:

• A knowledge base for information management
• Cloud-based or self-hosted deployment
• Integrations with over 10 other platforms

Cost: $40 $70/user per month

15. Monday

Monday CRM software helps you visualize your projects and customer activities with fully customizable boards. Support teams can use this platform to digest customer information quickly, make decisions, and even share project information directly with those customers. There are over 50 integrations available with 3rd-party applications, and a powerful mobile app for remote work.

Key Features:

• Pre-built sales, client, and account templates
• Share projects with clients
• Account tracking boards

Cost: $8 - $16/user per month

16. Oracle NetSuite CRM

Oracle’s NetSuite CRM gives users a complete view of the entire customer lifecycle from opportunity through support. The integrated customer service tools include case management, customer portals, and knowledge management. One of the primary benefits of using NetSuite is that all users can view a complete customer profile regardless of their department.

Key Features:

• 360-degree customer views
• Multiple self-service offerings
• A fully capable mobile app

Cost: Contact for a quote

17. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a traditional sales CRM and pipeline management platform that helps companies manage their leads and drive sales. With Pipedrive’s built-in communications tools, you can track calls and emails so that your team always has an accurate, real-time picture of the contact history. Pipedrive could be an especially useful platform for service and client-based businesses that provide support throughout a sales cycle.

Key Features:

• Custom chatbot and web forms
• Full contact history
• Customizable charts and reporting

Cost: $12.50 - $99/user per month

18. SugarCRM

SugarCRM is a customer experience (CX) platform with modules for sales, marketing, and service. Agents can use the Sugar Serve console to prioritize tickets, assign tasks, and monitor the progress of all activities in real-time. Sugar also includes a knowledge base and self-service portal where customers can enter support requests and access frequently asked questions and answers.

Key Features:

• An agent-focused user interface
• Intelligent case routing
• Self-service portal and knowledge base

Cost: $52 - $85/user per month

19. ZohoCRM

ZohoCRM is designed for sales teams who need an omnichannel communication platform that they can access on the go. It is remote-ready with support for virtual meetings, team collaboration, and customer messaging, all from within the app. The platform also supports multi-channel customer contacts through phone, email, social media, and chat.

Key Features:

• Live chat
• Workflow automation tools
• Real-time reports and insights

Cost: $12 - $45/user per month

Help Desk Software

20. AzureDesk

AzureDesk is a customer service and help desk ticketing software solution created for team use and collaboration. Key features include a shared team inbox, ticket tracking, and a self-service portal. This customer service platform also supports 53 different languages within the application.

Key Features:

• Convert support emails into tickets
• Use an unlimited number of email addresses
• Integrations with many apps including JIRA and Slack

Cost: $33 - $50/user per month

21. Deskero

Deskero is a help desk ticketing platform that offers tools for effective customer engagement. The multi-channel ticketing system gives support representatives a complete view of all open tickets, along with assignments and status updates. Customers can contact your team through their preferred channel, and all communications will be centralized in Deskero, enabling true automation for your social customer care.

Key Features:

• An easy-to-use chat widget
• App and workflow customization
• A self-service portal

Cost: $9 - $120/user per month

22. Front

Front is a workspace communication platform for support teams that centralizes all of your emails and social communications into a single system. From there, you can configure shared and individual inboxes to manage messages, make assignments, and collaborate on replies. Team members can share comments for assistance and use tags to highlight urgent issues or collect similar messages.

Key Features:

• Workflow automation tools
• Message comments and @mentions
• Real-time message collision detection

Cost: $9 - $79/user per month

23. HappyFox

HappyFox help desk software is an all-in-one ticketing system that helps keep customer support work organized. In addition to a highly organized central inbox and interface, users can also access a mini dashboard that displays real-time data for traffic, chats, and agent stats. Applications are available for Mac, Windows, and mobile devices, making it easy to keep your team and customers connected.

Key Features:

• Unlimited chats
• Custom fields and workflows
• Community forums

Cost:

• $29 - $99/user per month
• $1,499 - $4,999/month for unlimited users

24. HelpSpot

HelpSpot is a practical help desk platform that gives you all the essential tools to manage customer activities. After setting up the ticket inbox, you can add an unlimited number of custom mailboxes, portals, and fields. It’s a scalable solution, and you can customize workflows by adding automation rules for ticket assignment and customer notifications.

Key Features:

• Set automation rules and triggers
• Unlimited customer portals
• Accurate metrics and reporting

Cost: Free - $59,999/year (based on number of agents)

25. Kayako

Kayako provides their help desk software as an on-premise deployment or a cloud-based solution. Within the software, Kayako refers to its knowledge base solution as the Help Center, where customers can find answers to common questions. Another feature of this solution is a visual summary for each customer journey that describes all recent purchase activity, search activity, and communications.

Key Features:

• Live chat software included
• Internal notes and messaging
• Over 650 app integrations

Cost: $15 - $60/user per month

26. SupportBee

SupportBee is collaborative ticketing system and customer support platform that features an extensive suite of tools for managing your communications. The software includes a centralized inbox, knowledge base, and customer portal to enhance your customer experience. You can fully customize the portal with your unique branding and connect SupportBee to your existing software using over 40 integrations.

Key Features:

• Add multiple knowledge bases
• Fully customizable ticket workflows
• Over 40 3^rd-party integrations

Cost: $13 - $20/user per month

27. TeamSupport

TeamSupport is a customer self-service software platform for B2B companies. This system aims to reduce ticket volume by providing easily accessible self-service functions to customers. Your customers will be able to access a knowledge base, ticket system, and wiki through fully customizable customer hubs that you can share directly on the internet or embed in your existing website.

Key Features:

• Built-in customer chat
• Custom-branded portals
• Community forums

Cost: $50 - $65/user per month

28. TechExcel CustomerWise

The CustomerWise ticketing system is a comprehensive customer support platform that is optimized for B2B technology operations. In addition to standard ticket management and knowledge base capabilities, this software also includes professional services tools for tracking budgets, invoices, and projects. Another unique feature is the license and contract management module where you can monitor customer support plans and SLA’s.

Key Features:

• License and contract management
• A customer web portal
• Support for multiple ticket types

Cost: $20 - $35/user per month

29. Vision Helpdesk

Vision Helpdesk collects all of your customer communications into a centralized database. It supports multiple channels, including contact forms, email, phone, chat, website, and social media inputs. Companies can select from three deployment options: help desk, ITIL/ITSM service desk, and satellite desk. Each offers unique benefits to suit the structure of your support team and specific communication needs.

Key Features:

• Incident and service request processing
• Omnichannel ticket management
• Custom fields, labels, and tags

Cost: $15 - $60/user per month

Messaging and Chat Tools

30. Bold360

Bold360 is an AI-powered live chat software with features including live chat, chatbots, messaging, and a mobile app. A central Voices Dashboard collects data from all your communication channels and presents them in a clear format. You can also receive automated insights for optimizing your system and create customized reports.

Key Features:

• Support for over 40 languages
• Natural Language Processing
• An interactive Voices Dashboard

Cost: Contact for a quote

31. Conversocial

Conversocial is a customer experience platform that allows you to share important information with customers through direct messaging. The system integrates agent workspaces, bots, notifications, and analytics into a comprehensive solution. Users can configure many different AI features for customer interactions, including integration triggers and behavior-based messaging.

Key Features:

• Reporting for CSAT and NPS metrics
• Real-time agent dashboards
• Integrate 3^rd-party apps with the API

Cost: Contact for a quote

32. Drift

Drift is a conversational marketing platform that can increase the value of your digital communications with customers. Subscriptions are available for individual chat, email, and video products, and their enterprise solution includes a complete automation package. Drift offers advanced personalization that gives you complete control over notifications and customized messaging.

Key Features:

• Personalized playbooks
• Custom bots
• Integrations with 3^rd-party platforms

Cost:

• Free - $,1500/month billed annually
• $40 - $80/month per chat seat

33. HelpOnClick

HelpOnClick has tailored its live chat software to the needs of e-commerce companies across all industries. The set up takes less than five minutes to get a fully integrated live chat on your website. Once installed, there a Virtual Agent provides chat support to customers when your live agents are not available. Users can also customize manual and automated invitations to drive customer conversion.

Key Features:

• Customize the chat tool to match your website
• Real-time chat monitoring
• A Virtual Agent available 24/7

Cost: $7.20 - $19/user per month

34. HubSpot Live Chat

HubSpot has become well known for its free CRM platform, and the company also offers a live chat widget for adding messaging to your website. All chats on the HubSpot platform are stored in a universal inbox that makes reviewing and responding easy for your team. A free integration gives you access to your HubSpot live chat directly in the Slack platform, where you can respond to customers directly.

Key Features:

• Designate office hours for live chat
• Free Slack integration
• A HubSpot mobile app

Cost: Free

35. Intercom

Intercom is a customer messaging platform that allows you to share data with customers using chatbots and live chat. The chat is interactive for customers, allowing them to view order status, pay an invoice, or access helpful articles without moving to another window. Intercom is available as a suite of tools that includes the business messenger, management tools, customer data management, and application integrations.

Key Features:

• Tailored customer onboarding messages
• A shared team inbox
• Targeted outbound chat

Cost: $39 - $999/month

36. LiveChat

LiveChat is chat support software that is easy to set up and offers a 14-day free trial to get started. There are several useful features for improving customer experience with omnichannel messaging, automation, and artificial intelligence. Users can add tags to individual chats for easy future reference and integrate buttons, cards, and carousels into text conversations.

Key Features:

• Easy save and reuse common replies
• Preview customer messages while they type
• Integrations with 170+ tools

Cost: $16 - $50/user per month

37. Olark

Olark has created a live chat software that is great for both sales and customer support interactions. The key differentiator for this platform is that it captures live chat data for each customer. Users can easily access the archive and view customer records, visit data, and full-text transcripts. Real-time dashboards and a Google Analytics integration make reporting quick and insightful.

Key Features:

• Customize chat boxes to match your brand
• Live chat analytics
• Receive automated email reports

Cost: $12 - $19/user per month

38. Podium

Podium is a suite of interaction management solutions for local businesses that includes tools for managing reviews, payments, team communications, web chats, and feedback. One useful feature of the Webchat tool is the ability to start a chat conversation as text messages immediately. The customer provides their contact information upfront, which allows them to communicate directly with your team from their phone or device.

Key Features:

• Track leads in the Podium Dashboard
• Customizable Webchat widget
• Initiate conversations as text messages

Cost: Contact for a quote

39. Pure Chat

Pure Chat is a fully integrated live chat system that collects a ton of data to help your customer service and sales representatives have more meaningful conversations. A chat dashboard displays real-time visitor analytics and detailed call history for each contact. Pure Chat offers a generous 30-day free trial for new customers and 30-day money-back guarantee for the paid plan.

Key Features:

• Unlimited chats
• Customizable widget
• iOS and Android apps

Cost:

• $39 - $79/month for 4-10 users
• $8 - $13/month for each additional user

40. Snap Engage

Snap Engage offers sales and support teams a comprehensive omnichannel messaging experience that includes various automated bots. Communications can be collected and managed across SMS, Twitter, Facebook messenger, and WeChat. Users may also create rules and triggers that will automatically engage customers when a live agent is not available.

Key Features:

• 4 different Bot configurations
• Fully HIPAA compliant
• Synchronize contacts with CRM platforms

Cost: $16 - $40/user per month

41. Tidio

Tidio is an easy-to-use live chat platform for your website that can connect to many third-party applications. The AI bots can perform value-added actions for customers, including saving an abandoned cart and offering discounts automatically. Tidio also offers a generous free plan that can be used with up to three operators and some limitations to the number of unique visitors and volume of email.

Key Features:

• Set up takes less than a minute
• A convenient mobile app
• Integrations with many 3rd-party apps

Cost: Free - $18/month

42. WebsiteAlive

WebsiteAlive adds live chat and chatbot capabilities to your website easily through an embedded code snippet. The visitor chat windows can be fully customized to match your company’s branding and auto-triggered as pop-ups. Signing up with the Plus plan adds a full analytics and reporting suite, screen sharing, and the ability to record visitor traffic data from each visit.

Key Features:

• One-click transfer to a phone call
• Top-rated security and data management
• A fully customized chat solution is available for enterprises

Cost: $30 - $50/user per month

Social Media Customer Service Tools

43. Acquire.io

Acquire is a unified customer engagement platform that combines emails, voice calls, and social media chats into a single interface. Users can review a conversation list for the latest communication status, and there is also support for video calls. The real-time communication tools make Acquire well suited for companies looking for a mobile-first platform that can be easily scaled.

Key Features:

• Co-browsing and screen sharing
• Over 50 3rd-party integrations
• Automate FAQs with chatbots

Cost: Contact for a quote

44. Agora Pulse

Agora Pulse is a social media management tool for customer service teams. It consolidates all of your communications from social platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram into a single dashboard. When viewing each message, you will see a detailed profile for the author with social media stats from their feed.

Key Features:

• Complete conversation history from all feeds
• Add custom notes and internal comments
• Monitor comments on Facebook and Instagram ads

Cost: $79 - $499/month

45. Comm100

Comm100 is an omnichannel customer engagement platform that makes communication easy for customers and employees. Your team will have access to live chat, ticketing, and knowledge base capabilities through a single portal. AI is available to assist customers with a chatbot, and there is also an Agent Assist application to help your employees quickly find the right information.

Key Features:

• Complete control of chatbot branding
• Robust ticketing and case management
• Integrated live chat and knowledge base

Cost: $29 - $49/user per month

46. Coosto

Coosto lets you manage publishing and audience engagement for social media across five major platforms. The graphical interface makes it easy to plan and schedule new content for all your feeds while a central inbox captures all your messages. You can also track your online presence by reviewing data about your brand’s coverage and competition.

Key Features:

• Daily summaries and custom alerts
• Historical data archive
• A mobile app for iOS and Android

Cost: $39 - $149+/month

47. HootSuite

HootSuite is a popular social media management platform that can be scaled, with plans suitable for anyone from individual entrepreneurs through large enterprises. Your team can quickly plan, create, and schedule content from HootSuite without having to use multiple other tools. A centralized content library makes it easy to select useful media and assets to use in your feeds.

Key Features:

• A centralized content library
• Assign tasks to teams or regions
• Industry-leading training and certification

Cost: $29 - $599/month

48. Salesforce Service Cloud

The Salesforce Service Cloud is a complete service solution for small businesses that’s expandable for larger enterprise needs. The essentials plan is perfect for teams of 10 or fewer representatives and can be set up in only a few minutes. This service connects email, phone, chat, and social media into a central console that makes communication across multiple channels seamless.

Key Features:

• AI-powered chatbots
• Customizable reports and dashboards
• Access additional tools in AppExchange

Cost: $25 - $300/user per month

49. Sparkcentral

Sparkcentral combines an AI-powered chatbot feature, called a Virtual Agent Framework, with your existing team resources. Sparkcentral chatbots can handoff messages to live agents automatically at the right time or message customers when it is their turn, so they don’t have to wait on the phone. This software works great with Whatsapp, chat, and other social platforms to optimize your agent workflow.

Key Features:

• In-conversation bot handoff
• Proactive-messaging API
• Integration with any CRM platform

Cost: Contact for a quote

50. Sprout Social

The Sprout Social communication and engagement tool features a smart inbox, bot builder, and automated alerts. The smart inbox brings together all your feeds, and tasks can be assigned to individual agents from there. Users can also build chatbots using the builder that can respond to customer messages automatically and help resolve support issues before a live agent is requested.

Key Features:

• Message tagging and sorting
• A social CRM
• Integration with help desk software

Cost: $99 - $249/user per month