Chatbot Blog | Amy

The top 8 free online customer service software

Written by Amy Team | Feb 20, 2022 9:12:13 PM

Want to manage your customer interactions in a better way? Explore these eight customer management tools for small business 2022.

Customers are the greatest assets in any business. Your competitors need them as much as you do, so you should take good care of them to not only retain them but also improve the credibility of your business.

One great way to attract and retain customers is to offer 24/7 services. However, it's almost impossible to stay on top of customer inquiries all of the time. As a small business expert, you juggle everything and there’s only so much time you have in a day. That’s where the need to have reliable customer management software comes in.

There are many types of customer management software tools, both free and paid. In this guide, we will explore various free online tools to help you choose the best according to your business size and needs.

Let's get started.

What Is free online customer service software? 

Free online customer service software is designed to collect, organize, report, and respond to customer requests.

It automates the basic customer touchpoints that customers use to reach a business, acting as a perfect middleman between you and your customers. Without it, you and your team would be spending much time interacting with your clients instead of focusing on growing your business and services. 

The right customer service software should let you:

  • Keep track of all your customer requests and emails
  • Deliver 24/7 service to your customers
  • Respond to customers immediately
  • Keeps your customer support details in one place
  • Provide customer insights by delivering customer trends and patterns

The top 8 free customer service software

1. Amy- Best Overall For Small Businesses

Amy is the most intuitive chatbot for small businesses. It empowers small businesses to continue their day-to-day activities with more flexibility and assurance that customers' needs are well taken care of. 

The setup process for Amy is relatively straightforward, so you won't need an IT expert to help you. The software is fast, powerful and allows you to utilize your usage based on your needs and goals.

Some key features include:

  • Scheduling
  • Virtual personal assistant
  • Customizable templates built for specific industries
  • 100% free, no strings attached

2. ZenDesk- Best for multiple support suite options

ZenDesk provides scalable and easy-to-use customer service for your business. The software allows you to integrate relevant customer data with your systems, manage a unified view of your customers and analyze your customer behavior. 

Key features:

  • Reporting and analytics
  • Flexible ticketing management
  • Mobile support with Android, iPhone, and iPad
  • Private and public forums
  • Multi-channel support for emails, chat, web, social media, and phone

3. ThriveDesk- Best for change management 

ThriveDesk is a simple, easy-to-set-up customer service software designed for small businesses. It is a helpdesk solution that utilizes emails, live chats, and contacts to streamline customer interactions with a business. 

The tools allow businesses to automatically forward the incoming emails to a centralized location, track the contacts and recurring questions, set team signatures, and much more.

Key features:

  • Customer relationship management
  • Team collaboration
  • Automated email replies
  • Help desk integration
  • Shared email inbox

4. ZohoDesk- Best for sales-focused businesses 

ZohoDesk is an effective web-based software that enables you to manage your customer support activities well. The tool allows managers to identify the main issues with their employees, resulting in better business decisions.

ZohoDesk users can easily set tickets, track them, and set alerts. The software is cloud-based, so the installation and maintenance processes are easy. 

Key features:

  • Insights and reporting
  • Ticketing system
  • Social support software
  • Call center software
  • Help desk essentials

5. FreshDesk- Best for larger teams

FreshDesk is a web-based software offering customer support solutions to businesses of all sizes. FreshDesk is highly customizable, so you can easily change according to the changing needs of your business. The software is web-based, but you can use it as an app for Android and iOS.

Key features:

  • Multiple support channels such as chat, email, Facebook, website, Twitter, emails, etc.
  • Productivity hacks such as tags 
  • Help desk reporting
  • Analyzing and reporting
  • Ticketing support

6. Live Agent- Best for live chat 

Live Agent merges your conversations in one place, irrespective of the location of your customers. It harnesses the power of an omnichannel central box, customer service portals, and real-time live chats to improve basic customer support services. 

Live Agent is web-based, but the app can be used on Android and iOS. The software is ideal for both small and mid-sized businesses.

Key features:

  • Live chat
  • Email ticketing
  • Social media integration
  • Voice and video calls

7. Help Scout- For businesses of any size 

Help Scout is an all-in-one customer support platform for businesses of all sizes. It allows users to manage multiple tasks and departments from a single account. Also, the software allows businesses to send bulk replies, create customer folders, automate multiple processes and provide reports and analytics.

Key features:

  • Lead generation tools
  • Email marketing
  • Live chat/helpdesk
  • Appointment scheduling

8. EngageBay- Best for sales and marketing automation

EngageBay is an integrated CRM solution for small and mid-sized businesses. It is cloud-based software that allows you to automate your customer support systems, in addition to sales and marketing.

EngageBay allows businesses to build and retain strong relationships with customers using contact management, ticketing, and other vital features like the other customer service tools. It is easy to use and fast, so you don't require tech expertise to start using it.

Key features:

  • Email tracking
  • Lead management
  • Quick and easy contact management
  • Multiple integrations to Twitter, Facebook, email, Google maps, and many more.

Choosing the ideal tool can be a daunting task with so many free software options. To choose the best, be sure to determine your goals, consider the features, and try the tools first to identify the most suitable for your business needs. 

Retain More Customers with Amy

There are plenty of free online customer service software out there, yet many don’t take into account the jobs to be done by small business owners. Users are left scrambling to tailor the chatbot to service their customers, with little to no opportunities for customization. Many chatbots available also tend to disrupt the customer’s experience, rather than guiding them as a helping hand. This means frustrated customers who get tired of seeing a chatbot disrupt their shopping; and small business owners who spend too much time, energy, and money installing a complicated system. 

Amy is an intuitive chatbot designed to meet the needs of a small business like yours. Sign up for the Amy blog today to know more about Amy and the latest updates!