Customer Relationship Management (CRM) allows you to understand your customers better, determine how best to interact with them, and fulfill their needs with your products. CRM software helps sales and service teams to satisfy and retain customers easily. There are two popular brands used in the CRM and customer service space – Zendesk vs Freshdesk. They serve companies of different sizes and have gotten positive reviews over the years. In this article, we’ll discuss and compare these CRM solutions.
What is customer relationship management (CRM) software?
CRM software is often used to manage relationships and interactions with prospects and existing customers. It equips the sales, marketing, and customer service teams with the necessary tools. They can store customer contact information, track customer service tickets, and manage marketing campaigns in one place. It also allows them to collaborate and share customer interaction with others.
If you’re looking for automation and data visibility, CRM software is great for your business. Your teams can view customer tickets, purchase history, payment history, and every other interaction with the company. There are two options for a CRM solution – SaaS or on-premise. A SaaS CRM is easier to set up and requires lower upfront costs. However, on-premise CRM is hosted on your servers but it is more expensive and takes a longer time to implement.
Zendesk vs Freshdesk
Zendesk vs Freshdesk are popular SaaS CRM solutions that can record customer interactions and build meaningful relationships with your customers. They offer the same set of features e.g. ticket management, self-service options, AI chatbots, knowledgebase, reporting and analytics, etc.
You should note that Zendesk provides automation and more capabilities when it comes to ticketing. Freshdesk is suited for small businesses that want a basic CRM. But Zendesk is a scalable solution for large teams who serve lots of customers and companies who are looking to grow.
Both Zendesk vs Freshdesk have different pricing plans to choose from. The Zendesk Suite plans range from $55 per agent/month to $115 per agent/month. They also offer basic plans that range from $19 to $115 per agent/month. Freshdesk has pricing plans ranging from $15 to $79 per agent/month and is generally considered to be cheaper.
How to choose the right CRM software for your business?
Both employees and customers can benefit from having efficient CRM software in your business. It helps teams to schedule, track and manage customer interactions better. Below are some tips to help you decide between Zendesk vs Freshdesk when choosing a business CRM software.
1. The features you want in a CRM system
Zendesk vs Freshworks solutions help to meet customer expectations and improve growth with CX and CRM tools. Zendesk offers an omnichannel experience for customers, a unified workspace for employees, unified reporting and analytics, self-service tools, and also enhances features with AI. Freshworks offers products such as Freshdesk, Freshsales, Freshcaller, Freshchat, etc. However, these tools are separate and can’t be accessed in one place.
2. The size of the company
Freshdesk may be suited to small-to-medium enterprises, while Zendesk has the capacity to support large-scale enterprises. If your business is growing at a faster pace, Zendesk is a scalable and reliable platform for many team members and customers. But Freshdesk is better for new businesses and small startups who need the basic tools.
3. Cost
Freshdesk is lower priced and has a forever-free plan for up to 10 agents. The pricing plans are more affordable than Zendesk’s own but it doesn’t have advanced tools and better automation features. It may be worth it to pay more for a more robust CRM software like Zendesk that offers a greater long-term return on investment.
4. Integrations
The Zendesk vs Freshdesk app marketplaces allow you to install apps in categories such as agent productivity, eComm and payments, IT and HR, surveys and reviews, product and project management, content management, etc. However, Zendesk offers more integration with other tools and applications than Freshdesk does.
5. Security
Both Zendesk vs Freshdesk are cloud-based software that have strong security protocols in place to protect data.
They are highly secure and reliable platforms for tracking and managing customer relationships. No need to worry about your business information and private customer data getting leaked or accessed by unauthorized people.
6. Reporting and analytics.
The CRM system you choose should be able to collect, analyze and report on a broad range of metrics. Both Zendesk and Freshdesk provides reporting and analytics features to help evaluate team performance and customer experience. But reporting with Freshdesk is limited unlike Zendesk which offers more reports and real-time updates.
7. Free trial.
Zendesk vs Freshdesk offers a free trial so businesses can try them before making a purchase. They have a 14-day free trial option for each of their pricing plans. This allows you to check the features and see which is better and easier for employees to understand and work with.
