Customer communication tools in 2024

Customer communication can be challenging for organizations in the modern digital age. With consumers now so dispersed, both geographically and digitally, it’s more difficult than ever to ensure that engagement efforts can reach their intended audiences. 

Fortunately, customer communication software has assisted these endeavors by empowering companies to utilize several digital channels simultaneously, ensure around-the-clock availability, and efficiently segment customer groups. Attempting to navigate the current landscape of consumer engagement without dedicated software is akin to embarking on a road trip without a map or GPS – nothing’s stopping you from doing it, but it’s certainly not recommended.

Today, we’ll examine customer communication tools, why they’re so important for businesses, and how to choose the best software for your unique requirements.

What are customer communication tools?

Customer communication tools encompass a variety of technologies and platforms designed to facilitate interactions between businesses and their customers. These tools serve as conduits for dialogue and customer support, enabling companies to engage with their customers across various channels. At their core, these tools aim to enhance communication efficiency, foster stronger relationships, and address customer needs promptly.

These platforms can include customer relationship management (CRM) systems, help desks, chat software, feedback solutions, and more.

Why are customer communication tools important?

Customer communication software often serves as a utility knife for outreach efforts in its ability to be used however a business sees fit. Organizations struggling to reach certain customers may focus on a system’s multi channel messaging capacity, while those experiencing difficulties with personalization may emphasize its segmentation potential.

Multichannel support

In today's digital-first market, customers expect consistent experiences across various channels, whether email, phone, chat, or social media. Customer communication systems typically provide centralized platforms for managing interactions across all avenues, ensuring that inquiries are addressed promptly regardless of the communication channel used by the customer.

24/7 accessibility

Customer communication software can offer 24/7 availability through various automation and self-service options. By implementing features such as chatbots and knowledge bases, businesses can provide customers with immediate assistance around the clock, regardless of their time zone or location. Chatbots often handle routine inquiries, guiding customers through common issues, while knowledge bases offer a repository of articles, FAQs, and tutorials for self-service support.

Enhanced communication and collaboration

Another key benefit of customer communication tools is enhanced internal communication. These systems often include features such as internal messaging and team collaboration, which enable employees to collaborate more effectively. For example, internal messaging features allow staff to discuss customer inquiries, share insights, and coordinate responses in real-time, generally leading to higher satisfaction scores.

Personalized interactions

The segmentation capabilities offered within most customer communication platforms aim to facilitate more personalized interactions by allowing organizations to target specific groups with relevant messaging. For instance, companies can create segments based on purchase history, demographic information, or browsing behavior and tailor their communication strategies accordingly. 

Monitoring and assessing customer service operations

Customer communication tools enable businesses to gather and analyze customer feedback through various channels, such as surveys, ratings, and reviews. This feedback provides valuable insights into customer satisfaction levels, pain points, and areas for improvement. By aggregating and analyzing this feedback within their communication system, organizations can identify recurring issues, prioritize areas for improvement, and implement targeted solutions.

16 best customer communication tools in 2024

1. Freshdesk Omni

Freshdesk Omni is an all-in-one customer service solution that offers extensive omni-channel capabilities, wide-ranging automation features, collaboration capabilities, and much more. It assists support teams in enhancing their customer engagement efforts.

Enjoy advanced tools such as Freddy AI—Freshworks’ built-in AI engine, which provides extensive self-service capacity, intelligent suggestions for live agents, and proactive insights to help organizations better understand their customers. Furthermore, Freshdesk Omni’s omnichannel potential allows chatbots to be deployed across channels of choice while consolidating all interactions in a single, easy-to-access platform.

Key features

• Automatic solution suggestions can be triggered to pop up based on where a user is at in their customer journey

• Multilingual support empowers businesses to choose from 33+ languages to customize messenger in the language of their choice

• Live translate enables agents to respond to customers in their preferred language by employing real-time translation

• Canned responses deliver predefined replies for common questions that can be utilized with just a few clicks

• Web widgets promote real-time communication with website visitors by providing a pop-up window that prompts them to chat with representatives

• The Freshchat SDK allows organizations to embed live chat support and chatbot-driven self-service into mobile apps 

Pros

• Omnichannel messaging is supported through email, phone, chat, social media apps like Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok, Facebook Messenger, web chat, and more

• Chatbot, help widget, and knowledge base offer wide-ranging self-service capabilities for customers to resolve issues independently

• Easily communicate with experts in or outside of your organization to resolve issues faster with collaboration tools

• Event and time-triggered automation workflows perform activities on tickets 

• Offers a plethora of automated notifications for both agents and end-users

Why customers rave about Freshdesk Omni

Customers love Freshdesk Omni’s ability to enhance engagement efforts by providing a robust customer service platform that can assist with any issue that users may be experiencing. Its vast automation potential resolves issues quickly when applicable while directing conversations to relevant representatives and offering intelligent suggestions when escalation is required.

One of our satisfied users, Ben F., lauds Freshdesk Omni’s automation and ticketing capabilities, saying, “Features such as canned responses or the AI-powered "thank you detector" allow support agents to focus on solving customer problems rather than doing administrative work. Additionally, robust automation and simple yet effective tools such as ticket forms, ticket templates, and scenario automation improve our resolution times and customer satisfaction.”

2. HubSpot service hub

HubSpot's Service Hub is an AI-powered customer service solution that delivers support at scale with unified customer insights. It provides impactful self-service tools and an omni-channel help desk that unifies tasks to make prioritization easier.

Key features

• No-code customer portal provides users with dedicated space to view, open, and reply to their support tickets

• Live chat feature provides real-time communication that can be configured to be automatically routed to a relevant team member

• Voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) software allows support agents to make calls from HubSpot platform and log them directly into CRM records

Pros

• Integrated content management system (CMS) promotes more personalized interactions based on visitor behavior and interests

• AI-powered tools can automatically capture details from conversations and suggest actions to better personalize customer communication

• Representatives can easily access multiple channels from a single inbox with extensive omnichannel messaging capabilities

Cons

• Plans only available as annual commitments, which means you can’t get out early if you don’t like the platform

• Tasks aren’t searchable, which can cause some responsibilities to slip through the cracks 

• Integration with third-party apps is limited when compared to similar software

3. MailChimp

Mailchimp is an email marketing and automation platform for growing businesses. It emphasizes data-backed recommendations, allowing companies to find and engage with customers through email, SMS, social media, and more.

Key features

• Predictive segmentation assists in targeting efforts by using customer behavior and interests to personalize interactions

• Audience dashboard offers growth, engagement, and revenue reports that provide holistic insights both from a bird’s-eye view and on an individual level

• Custom journey builder allows for the creation of automated workflows to send messages based on how users are interacting with your brand

Pros

• Wide-ranging AI features that can recover abandoned carts, generate on-brand emails, and engage in omnichannel campaigns

• Great for businesses focusing on email marketing, as it offers extensive automation and outreach tools

• Built-in conversion tool helps transition leads into customers without leaving the platform

Cons

• Tunnel vision on marketing efforts, which leaves much to be desired for sales and support capacity

• No unlimited email package – even its top-tier plan has a maximum amount of messages that can be sent

• The more contacts a business is handling, the more cost-ineffective it can be

4. Intercom

Intercom is a complete customer service solution, focused on providing a seamless customer experience (CX) through both automation and human support. The platform is built on a single AI system with three major components designed to enhance support operations for all users.

Key features

• Fin AI agent offers extremely capable chatbot capabilities with the ability to understand complex queries and ask clarifying questions

• Robust omnichannel and multilingual capacity help ensure that companies can reach customers wherever they are and in whichever dialect they use

• Easy-to-use messenger can be used in products, apps, or websites with extensive customization options to help reflect your brand’s identity

Pros

• User guides can lead customers through product tours with customizable triggers and interactive popups

• Help center, chatbot, and wide-ranging third-party applications provide robust self-service potential for customers to resolve issues independently

• Real-time campaign monitoring allows teams to make adjustments on the go, leading to refined outreach strategies and improved customer engagement

Cons

• Weak search functionality can make searching for tickets frustrating

• Abundance and disorganization of features creates a difficult-to-navigate interface

• Plans are a bit pricey, particularly at the high end

5. HelpScout

Help Scout is a help desk aimed at small- to mid-sized businesses, allowing them to keep things simple, move fast, and focus on satisfying customers. It can deliver email, self-service, and live chat support from one capable platform that feels just like an inbox

Key features

• AI summarize tool can condense long email threads into succinct bullet points instantaneously, enabling agents to gather important data and respond quicker

• Private notes allow team members to view internal comments on tickets, resulting in enhanced support for end-users

• Beacon can send real-time or asynchronous messages from any website, blog, app, or store to help reach customers where they’re at and in the manner that they prefer

Pros

• Dynamic chat and robust knowledge base enable quick and accurate responses

• View requests as conversations rather than ticket numbers, helping to enhance personalization and customer-centricity

• Straightforward integration and ease of navigability, making it optimal for non-technical organizations

Cons

• Lack of integration with popular third-party platforms like Salesforce

• Messaging feature only allows 2,000 chats for free, making it expensive for businesses handling higher volumes of interaction

• Restricted analytics tools can limit customer insights and hinder personalization efforts

6. Zendesk

Zendesk is an AI-powered support platform offering an easy-to-navigate interface that’s convenient to scale as organizations expand. It offers wide-ranging automation features for service teams to enhance and expedite operations.

Key features

• Proactive messaging capacity allows for outbound notifications on WhatsApp and SMS to drive customer engagement and prevent escalations

• Group messaging feature can connect all relevant parties to a conversation, leveraging collective expertise and helping resolve issues more efficiently

• Zendesk Guide help center allows customers to autonomously resolve issues with access to a knowledge base, FAQs, and more

Pros

• Capable AI chatbots enhance self-service options and improve response times

• Combines help desk capacity with CRM software to offer an all-in-one solution that promotes cost-effectiveness

• 100+ third-party integrations available to provide additional features and capabilities

Cons

• Pricing may be prohibitive for startups and small businesses

• Excess of features and clunky interface results in a poor UX

• Data importing and exporting can be complicated, potentially causing issues in synchronization across infrastructure

7. ZohoDesk

Zoho Desk strives to assist organizations in managing customer communication via phone, email, live chat, SMS text, social media, and more. It also excels in assigning conversations to representatives based on their expertise or familiarity with a repeat user.

Key features

• Reply assistant can suggest applicable responses to help efficiently personalize interactions for each unique user

• Ticket assignment verifies that all requests are routed to the most appropriate personnel, ensuring that the first agent a customer is connected with is the best one for the job

• Work modes automatically organize open tickets to increase agent productivity, thus reducing resolution times for end-users

Pros

• Knowledge base, community, and embeddable self-service empower users to resolve issues independently

• Platform is highly customizable, allowing it to be used for highly specified purposes and in niche markets

• Offers a unified inbox that centralizes customer inquiries from various channels, including email, social media, live chat, phone, and more

Cons

• Live chat feature only available with most expensive plan

• Integration with existing infrastructure may prove to be challenging

• No desktop application, which means users are limited to browser-based access

8. LiveChat

LiveChat is a customer service platform providing extensive online chat and web analytics capabilities. It offers an intuitive interface, powerful features, and extensive mobile capacity, making it an ideal choice for companies with remote working arrangements.

Key features

• Message sneak-peek enables agents to see what customers are typing before they hit send, allowing for quicker replies

• Canned responses save replies to common questions, enabling representatives to utilize them again in just a few keystrokes

• Live chat supports file sharing and multimedia for agents to better assist customers with visual aids

Pros

• Impressive reporting and analytics capacity that offers data summaries, chat reports, agent reports, and more

• Extensive chat widget customization includes agent profiles, multilingual capabilities, chat boosters, and more

• Provides a plethora of unique tools aimed at e-commerce operations, making it a reliable selection for digital-first businesses

Cons

• Several user reviews mention bugs and glitches that affect connectivity

• Limited notifications and reminders result in some tickets slipping through the cracks

• Lacks several standard help desk functionalities – tunnel vision on chat capabilities

9. LiveAgent

LiveAgent is a comprehensive help desk and live chat platform focused on personalizing customer interactions. It offers a capable chat widget, while also providing an omnichannel universal inbox, built-in call center, and robust customer service portal.

Key features

• Chat history logs all previous interactions for agents to reference, enhancing personalization in current conversations

• Max queue length automatically hides live chat button if current wait times are too long, cutting down on dissatisfaction among users

• Real-time typing view allows agents to see what customers are typing before they hit the ‘Send’ button

Pros

• Strong email synchronization offers message forwarding, notifications, templates, and exporting

• Robust reporting capabilities can be customized to provide analytics on agent rankings, SLA compliance, channel-by-channel performance, and more

• Offers native iOS and Android applications for on-the-go use through mobile devices

Cons

• Lack of integration with CRM systems can create gaps in workflow

• Knowledge base design is rather rudimentary, limiting its customization capacity and robustness

• Limited AI and automation capacity when compared to similar software

10. SalesForce

Salesforce is a versatile CRM software for sellers and operations professionals aimed at boosting engagement and enhancing productivity. It’s supremely customizable and centralizes all contact information in a unified platform that incorporates marketing, sales, customer service, and more.

Key features

• Customer signals utilize Einstein Conversation Insights (ECI) to automatically analyze interactions to enhance visibility into competitors, objections, and questions asked

• Salesforce Engage bridges the gap between marketing and sales, allowing for improved cohesiveness as interactions are transitioned from one department to the next

• Sales cadences guide sellers with step-by-step instructions on how to prospect and employ best practices in all communication

Pros

• Automated proactive messaging can distribute customized reminders

• Built-in internal collaboration tool enhances communication between team members

• Powerful data visualization provides representatives with unambiguous overviews of customer information and key performance indicators (KPIs)

Cons

• Reports are challenging to create and manage, as well as slow to load

• Small- and medium-sized organizations may find the excess of features to be unnecessary, particularly considering the cost

• Data storage limitations may be restrictive for large businesses handling high volumes of information

11. Qualaroo

Qualaroo is an automated research platform designed to help digital product teams collect valuable insights from their users at scale. It allows businesses to leverage pre-built templates, question branching and advanced targeting to design transactional surveys for measuring CX.

Key features

• Question branching leads survey respondents to the next question based on their reply to the previous one, ensuring that each query is relevant to the individual

• AI sentiment analysis can mine through data, respond to user feedback in real-time, and help visualize areas for improvement

• Qualaroo Nudge allows businesses to target website visitors based on real-time activity, verifying that they’re asked the right questions at the right moments

Pros

• Easily add multimedia to surveys, enabling better visualization and a more interactive experience

• 70+ languages available, allowing organizations to cater to global or multi-cultural customer bases

• Targeted questioning based on demographics, location, or behavior ensures that users are only presented with forms that are relevant to them

Cons

• Fairly broad in scope; lacks templates for industry-specific use

• Focus on surveys can restrict cost-effectiveness, as it’s not an all-in-one customer engagement solution

• Even with a paid plan, there are limits on message sends and responses, which may be a deal-breaker for businesses handling high volumes of customer interactions

12. SurveyMonkey

SurveyMonkey is a survey and feedback management solution that empowers companies to easily interpret results and identify actionable insights to drive growth. It offers a user-friendly interface, customizable templates, and AI-powered tools to create and analyze forms.

Key features

• Question bank provides access to hundreds of questions designed by SurveyMonkey’s survey scientists that are organized by category so they’re easy to browse

• Survey logic enables question skipping, page skipping, and question branching, allowing customers to personalize their survey experience

• Recurring surveys allow for distribution of forms at predefined intervals, enabling organizations to track how customer sentiments change over time

Pros

• Easily navigable interface makes it a solid choice for non-technical teams

• Offers over 250 survey templates, making the platform applicable for businesses of all different sizes and across most industries

• Includes access to SurveyMonkey Audience, which is composed of over 175 million past survey takers across 130 countries, with over 200 targeting options

Cons

• Organizations distributing high volumes of surveys or utilizing advanced features may find that the software quickly gets too expensive

• Limited insights capacity that can create difficulties in refining strategies based on feedback received

• Lacks valuable automation features, resulting in increased manual workload and limited cost-effectiveness

13. Kayako

Kayako is a customer engagement software focused on enhancing internal productivity and strengthening customer loyalty. It provides tools like custom views, tags, and conversation assignments to better track interactions and assign them to the right agents.

Key features

• Live chat feature can be added to help centers, websites, and mobile apps to engage visitors and convert prospects into leads in real time

• Customer journey SingleView allows companies to deliver proactive and personalized support while displaying every interaction a user has had with a business

• Smart routing automatically combines all of a customer’s inquiries across every channel, directing them to a single, designated agent

Pros

• Capable AI chatbot enhances self-service capacity and improves response times

• Offers a plethora of predefined templates for recurring interactions

• The knowledge base is easy to upload and supports multimedia to enhance visualization for end-users

Cons

• An overabundance of features and a stodgy interface result in a poor UX

• User reviews mention issues in sending and receiving emails with large file attachments

• Ticket notifications can occasionally lag, resulting in overlooked tasks and longer resolution times

14. CloudTalk

CloudTalk is a VoIP business calling solution used by customer service and sales teams. It offers extensive workflow automation features while providing teams with built-in analytics aimed at increasing calling efficiency.

Key features

• 3-way calling allows colleagues to listen in on calls or assist with complex issues, with the option to put customers on hold to discuss strategies

• Campaigns allow for customized approaches to help agents structure their communication with notes, call scripts, and questionnaires

• Interactive voice responses can streamline callers’ journeys with a multi-level interactive voice response (IVR) menu to lead them where they want to go

Pros

• Places all call activities in a single location and syncs them, while also archiving records for future reference

• Cloud-based, SaaS system enables straightforward implementation

• Strong reporting capabilities offer extensive insights into agent performance and other KPIs

Cons

• Mobile app could use improvement, limiting its usefulness for users who are on the move

• Better suited for customer support than sales, potentially leading to challenges for sales teams

• Expensive for higher-tier plans when compared to similar providers

15. RingCentral

RingCentral Contact Center is an omnichannel customer engagement solution offering advanced automation features, proactive outreach tools, and vast integration capacity. Enjoy access to AI-powered phone, message, video, contact center, and virtual events solutions with this comprehensive platform.

Key features

• Visual engagement enables customers to co-browse or share their screen with agents to more efficiently resolve issues

• AI-recommended suggestions can analyze context and where a customer is at in their journey, empowering agents to reply smarter

• Identity merging automatically detects and merges customer profiles across different digital channels to build a stronger unified profile, helping to enhance personalization efforts

Pros

• Offers 300+ pre-built integrations

• Easy to use in any location – great functionality on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices

• Offers all the complex features of a traditional private branch exchange (PBX) without the need for hardware

Cons

• Limited customization available for user interface (UI) and tailored communication

• Restricted social media capacity

• Pricing can be restrictive for some businesses, particularly with lower-tier options

16. Nextiva

Nextiva is a customer experience management (CXM) solution that emphasizes VoIP services. From its AI-powered communication hub, organizations can engage with customers through voice video, chat, social media, and email.

Key features

• Call Pop tool automatically displays important contact details like sentiment, survey responses, and account value for enhanced personalization

• Natural language processing (NLP) capabilities instantly analyze interactions to assist sales teams in interpreting client needs

• Automated follow-up surveys can be sent following any conversation, while answers are recorded directly in the interaction for future reference

Pros

• Shared contact management empowers team members with access to customer history, conversations, and call transcriptions

• Easily distribute automated welcome messages, surveys, and campaigns to ensure clients have a positive first impression of your business

• Unlimited calling within the United States and Canada is great for companies with high call volumes in North America

Cons

• Heavily focused on VoIP at the expense of other digital channels

• Essential plan offers limited integration, presenting challenges in connecting with existing infrastructure

• Features are geared more toward mid- to large-sized organizations, restricting its use for startups and small businesses

How to choose the right customer communication tool for your business?

There’s no one-size-fits-all customer communication solution that’s best for all organizations. You’ll need to consider your unique business needs, customer preferences, and existing IT infrastructure to determine which software best serves your interests.

Assess customer needs so you can meet them where they are

Begin by conducting thorough research to understand your target audience, their preferences, and the channels they prefer to use. This can involve analyzing feedback, conducting surveys, and monitoring customer interactions to identify trends. If your business receives a high volume of inquiries across multiple channels, you may require a platform with automated ticketing, routing, and self-service options. Conversely, if you have a smaller team and a limited budget, you may opt for a simpler solution that offers basic multichannel support capabilities.

Gather feedback from customers and team members

We recommend implementing various feedback mechanisms to collect customer insights about their experiences with your current engagement efforts. This might include surveys, feedback forms, and social media listening. Be sure to ask specific questions about the effectiveness of existing tools, ease of use, and areas for improvement.

Similarly, gather feedback from employees who are directly involved in customer engagement initiatives. They offer first-hand experience with the strengths and limitations of current systems, as well as their specific needs and preferences. Upper management might conduct interviews or focus groups to gather these insights from relevant stakeholders. 

Assess key features and ensure they meet customer needs

It’s vital to define your business requirements and identify the features that are essential for addressing your customer communication challenges. By clearly outlining your needs, you can evaluate each tool against these criteria and prioritize features based on their importance to your business operations.

You’ll also need to consider the user experience (UX) of prospective customer communication systems. Assess the interface, navigation, and accessibility of key features to ensure that they’re user-friendly for both customers and employees. Look for attributes that streamline communication processes, reduce complexity, and enhance efficiency.

Consider how they will integrate with your current infrastructure

Don’t forget to consider the compatibility of potential customer communication software with your existing systems. You should examine factors such as data integration capabilities, APIs, and interoperability with current software. Seek out a tool that offers flexible integration options and supports common standards to facilitate smooth data exchange across all platforms.

What are the benefits of customer communication tools?

The proper utilization of customer communication tools can result in a plethora of benefits for businesses ranging from increased availability to cost savings. The exact advantages to be gained by your organization will depend on your unique pain points and engagement strategies.

• Increased customer satisfaction: By offering multiple channels for communication, companies can cater to customers' preferences, leading to higher satisfaction levels.

• Better understanding of customer needs: Analyzing communication data empowers businesses to gain insights into consumer pain points and behaviors, enabling them to tailor their offerings accordingly.

• Cost savings: Effective communication tools can automate routine tasks, reduce the need for manual intervention, and optimize resources, leading to significant cost savings.

• Brand loyalty and advocacy: By delivering excellent CXs through responsive communication, organizations can build loyalty and turn satisfied customers into brand advocates who promote their products or services.

• Scalability: As organizations grow, communication tools can scale to accommodate increasing customer volumes and adapt to evolving needs.

Examples of customer communication tools

There are various systems that can be leveraged to engage with your customers; you’ll need to determine which platform best suits your organization’s needs and choose accordingly. For instance, businesses seeking dedicated assistance with real-time communication may opt for live chat software, while those desiring a comprehensive solution could benefit more from a CRM system.

• CRM software: Helps companies manage customer interactions, track sales activities, and store customer data.

• Helpdesk and ticketing systems: Streamline customer support processes by managing tickets, assigning tasks to agents, and tracking issue resolution.

• Live chat software: Allows real-time communication between customers and support representatives through chat windows on websites or mobile apps. 

• Feedback and survey tools: Gather feedback from customers through surveys, polls, and feedback forms to improve products and services. 

• Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems: Enable organizations to make voice calls over the internet; typically includes features like call forwarding, voicemail, and IVR.

Enhance your customer communication today with Freshworks!

Freshworks acts as a trusted customer communication tool for organizations of any size and across all industries, offering an abundance of specialized features aimed to enhance customer engagement efforts.

Our extensive, yet easy-to-use ticketing system provides businesses with attributes like field suggestor, custom statuses, and intelligent assignment to verify that interactions are prioritized correctly and assigned to the most appropriate team member, while customers are continually updated as their ticket progresses. Moreover, event- and time-triggered automation allows actions to be carried out based on predefined criteria, while our ever-capable chatbot can deflect routine inquiries and guide users to resolutions. 

If there are any features your company requires that Freshdesk Omni doesn’t offer, simply browse our extensive Marketplace for access to hundreds of third-party apps that can be easily connected to the platform!