Top 20 Customer Support Tools for Small Teams

This article will introduce 20 customer support tools that will assist in streamlining workflows, enhancing productivity, and improving customer experiences.

• This article will focus on essential tools that can be used independently or integrated with each other.
• We will discuss specific features and benefits of each tool, along with pricing information for various plans.

All-in-One Helpdesk: Groove

Groove is a comprehensive helpdesk solution designed for growing businesses, providing a central hub for managing customer interactions.

• It offers a shared inbox for team collaboration, enabling agents to work together on customer inquiries.
• Groove helps manage and organize customer conversations efficiently.
• It incorporates automation capabilities to handle repetitive tasks, such as sending automated replies.
• Groove provides reports on key metrics to track customer service performance, including response times, satisfaction rates, and resolution times.

Issue and Bug Tracking: Trello or Jira

Trello and Jira are popular project management tools that can be invaluable for customer support teams. They facilitate tracking and prioritizing issues, bugs, and feedback.

• Groove integrates with both Trello and Jira, enabling seamless transfer of information between platforms.
• Agents can create new tickets or add to existing ones in Trello or Jira directly from the Groove helpdesk.

Phone System: JustCall

JustCall is a cloud-based phone system that simplifies phone support for businesses. It allows customers to reach out via phone and integrates with helpdesks for streamlined communication.

• It integrates with Groove to ensure all conversations are centralized, providing a complete view of customer interactions across channels.
• Connecting phone calls with emails and social media messages enables omnichannel support.

Social Media Support: Twitter & Facebook

Twitter and Facebook offer excellent channels for customer service, allowing direct communication with customers.

• Integrate Twitter and Facebook with Groove to handle support queries directly within the helpdesk.
• This approach streamlines communication by centralizing social media messages with other customer interactions.

Knowledge Base: Groove

A knowledge base acts as a central repository for information, offering self-service resources to customers, enabling them to find answers to common questions or troubleshoot issues independently.

• Groove includes a knowledge base with every plan, highlighting the importance of self-service in modern customer support.
• It allows you to organize content into categories and articles, making it easy for customers to navigate.
• You can use the knowledge base for internal training purposes as well, providing access to a comprehensive knowledge repository for your support team.

Live Chat: Olark

Olark is a widely recognized platform specifically for live chat, offering real-time communication with customers on your website.

• Live chat provides instant customer assistance, allowing customers to connect with support reps in real-time.
• Olark offers a free account for limited functionality, while its standard plan provides more features at a price point.
• Groove is developing its own live chat tool, which will be included for free with all plans, aiming to further streamline communication.

Support Widget: Groove

A support widget is a small, interactive element embedded on your website that provides customers with easy access to support resources.

• It encourages self-service by directing customers to the knowledge base or allows them to initiate a live chat conversation.
• Widgets enhance support visibility, making it easier for customers to find help, and increase engagement by providing an easy point of contact.

Support Forum: Discourse

Discourse is a platform for building online forums, allowing users to connect and discuss various topics related to your product or service.

• Forums foster a sense of community, empowering customers to help each other and build relationships.
• They provide a platform for customers to share feedback, ask questions, and learn from other users.
• Discourse offers a free open-source software option, making it accessible to businesses of all sizes.

CSAT Survey: Groove

CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) surveys measure customer satisfaction with specific interactions, providing valuable insights for improving service quality.

• Groove integrates CSAT surveys into its helpdesk, allowing you to collect feedback after each interaction.
• It aggregates responses into reports, enabling managers to track customer satisfaction trends and identify areas for improvement.

Email Marketing Software: Mailchimp

Mailchimp is a popular email marketing platform that can be used by customer support teams for proactive communication and sending targeted messages to customers.

• It can be used to send out product updates, announce downtime, or share relevant information with customers.
• Groove integrates with Mailchimp, allowing agents to manage email subscriptions directly from the helpdesk.

NPS Survey: Delighted

NPS (Net Promoter Score) surveys measure customer loyalty and their willingness to recommend your product or service to others.

• Delighted is a platform dedicated to NPS surveys, offering various features for creating and analyzing surveys.
• Groove integrates with Delighted, automatically creating internal notes in the helpdesk with customer NPS scores, providing valuable context during interactions.

CRM: Salesforce or Hubspot

A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system centralizes all your customer data, allowing you to manage and understand customer interactions.

• Salesforce and Hubspot are popular CRM platforms that offer a range of features for managing customer relationships.
• Integrate your CRM with your helpdesk to access relevant customer information directly from the helpdesk, providing contextual insights during interactions.

E-commerce Purchasing History: Shopify

For e-commerce businesses using Shopify, integrating the platform with your helpdesk provides valuable insights into customer purchases.

• Groove integrates with Shopify, allowing agents to access customer order history, total spend, and other relevant information.
• This integration enables agents to provide more accurate and personalized support, addressing customer concerns related to orders and purchases.

Incident Communication: Statuspage

Statuspage is a tool for communicating about system downtime or other incidents, providing transparency and keeping customers informed.

• It allows you to publish updates on system status, scheduled maintenance, or unplanned outages.
• Integrate Statuspage with your helpdesk and other communication channels (like Twitter) to disseminate information efficiently.

Image Capture and Sharing: CloudApp

CloudApp allows you to capture and share images, videos, and screen recordings, providing visual aids for communication.

• It enables you to explain processes, highlight specific features, or provide visual instructions to customers.
• Integrate CloudApp with your helpdesk to easily share visual content with customers.

Video Hosting: Wistia

Wistia is a video hosting platform that allows you to embed high-quality videos on your website, providing a professional and engaging experience for customers.

• It helps create tutorials, product demonstrations, or other educational content, providing self-service resources for customers.
• Integrate Wistia with your helpdesk to share videos with customers directly within support interactions.

Instant Messaging: Slack

Slack is a widely used internal communication platform, enabling team collaboration and communication.

• It allows you to create channels for specific teams, projects, or topics.
• Integrate Slack with your helpdesk to receive notifications about new support tickets or other relevant events.

File Storage: G Suite

G Suite is a collection of productivity tools from Google, including Google Drive for storing files.

• It allows you to centralize and share files with team members, making documents readily accessible.
• Integrate G Suite with your helpdesk to access and share files with customers.

Video Calls: Zoom

Zoom is a popular platform for video conferencing and screen sharing, providing a means for virtual meetings and presentations.

• It allows you to conduct online meetings with customers, providing personalized support, product demonstrations, or training.
• Integrate Zoom with your helpdesk to initiate video calls with customers directly from the helpdesk.

Scheduling Assistance: Calendly

Calendly automates scheduling, allowing customers to book appointments or meetings with you directly.

• It eliminates the back-and-forth involved in scheduling and provides a streamlined way to book time with your team.
• Integrate Calendly with your helpdesk to schedule calls or meetings with customers directly from the helpdesk.

Get Started with These Customer Support Tools Today

These tools, individually or together, can enhance your customer support team’s productivity, improve customer satisfaction, and provide a more streamlined experience. Implement these tools step-by-step, starting with those that address your immediate needs and gradually expanding your toolkit. Remember, the key is to build a cohesive and integrated approach to customer support, utilizing these tools to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.