Help Scout vs Salesforce Service Cloud

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Our analysts compared Help Scout vs Salesforce Service Cloud based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Help Desk Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Help Scout's help desk software offers a streamlined solution for businesses seeking to enhance their customer support capabilities. It's particularly well-suited for small to medium-sized teams that prioritize efficient and personalized communication. Help Scout centralizes all customer interactions, including email, live chat, and social media, into a unified inbox, enabling teams to respond promptly and effectively.

Key benefits of Help Scout include its intuitive interface, customizable automation, and reporting features. Popular features encompass shared inboxes for collaborative support, pre-built templates for faster responses, and detailed analytics for performance monitoring. Compared to other help desk software, Help Scout is known for its user-friendliness and excellent customer support. Its pricing ranges from $20 to $65 per user per month, billed annually.

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Salesforce Service Cloud, a help desk software from Salesforce.com, streamlines customer service operations for businesses of all sizes. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing customer inquiries, tracking cases, and providing personalized support across multiple channels.

Salesforce Service Cloud is particularly suited for organizations looking to enhance customer engagement, improve efficiency, and gain a 360-degree view of customer interactions. Its key benefits include automated case management, self-service portals, knowledge base management, and real-time reporting.

The software's user experience is highly customizable, allowing businesses to tailor it to their specific needs. It seamlessly integrates with other Salesforce products and third-party applications, providing a unified platform for customer relationship management.

Pricing for Salesforce Service Cloud varies based on the number of users, support level, and additional features required. Businesses can choose from a range of subscription plans, with monthly or annual payment options available.

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$20 Monthly
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$25/User, Monthly
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Mobile
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Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
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Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Easy Collaboration: Send private notes to teammates and discuss problems to find solutions together before replying to customers. Create a searchable library of frequently asked questions and insert them into replies in two clicks.  
  • Deliver Instant Answers: Allow customers to access knowledge base articles from anywhere on the website with Beacon (virtual agent). Embed the knowledge base content on any web page, so customers don’t waste time searching. 
  • All Time Availability: Work on any device including, desktop, mobile or tablet. Include SSL support on every site for free and offer peace of mind to customers. Allow customers to take advantage of configurable options and auto-generated sitemap for each article in knowledge base software. 
  • Easy Escalation: Allow customers to start a live chat from where they accessed the knowledge base. Direct customer support request to email queue when live chat isn’t available. Offer choice to reach out from any mode of communication that works best for them.  
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  • Accelerated Issue Resolution: Salesforce Service Cloud streamlines communication and automates workflows, enabling teams to respond to customer inquiries swiftly and effectively.
  • Personalized Customer Experiences: The platform captures customer data and preferences, allowing agents to tailor interactions and provide personalized support.
  • Improved Agent Productivity: Automated tasks, such as case routing and knowledge management, free up agents' time, enabling them to focus on complex customer issues.
  • Enhanced Collaboration: Service Cloud facilitates seamless collaboration between agents, allowing them to share knowledge, escalate cases, and provide real-time support to customers.
  • Increased Customer Satisfaction: By resolving issues promptly and efficiently, Service Cloud enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty, leading to improved brand reputation.
  • Actionable Insights: The platform provides comprehensive reporting and analytics, enabling managers to identify trends, measure performance, and make data-driven decisions to improve customer support operations.
  • Seamless Integration: Service Cloud integrates with other Salesforce applications, such as Sales Cloud and Marketing Cloud, providing a unified view of the customer journey.
  • Mobile Accessibility: The mobile app allows agents to access customer data and provide support on the go, ensuring uninterrupted service.
  • Scalability and Flexibility: The platform can be customized and scaled to meet the unique needs of businesses, accommodating growth and changing requirements.
  • Cost Savings: By automating processes and improving efficiency, Service Cloud helps businesses reduce operational costs associated with customer support.
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  • Collision Detection: See who replies or views comments in real time. Allow users to collaborate internally via notes and @mentions. Use tagging to trigger automation and categorize conversations. Use saved answers for most common queries through two-click access. Automate all actions, create custom folders and send bulk replies.  
  • Reports and Analytics: Measure team performance, monitor customer satisfaction rates and identify issues clearly to prevent complexities and issues without opening an Excel spreadsheet. Integrate the help desk platform with services such as Snap Engage and Olarkto. Store every chat automatically in the customer's profile.  
  • Shared Inbox: Manage all support requests in a shared inbox. Get all the collaboration features such as multichannel support, notification, advanced search, mobile apps, satisfaction ratings and developer tools to stay productive and deliver world-class support. 
  • Knowledge Base: Reduce support volume by 20% and encourage fewer conversations and happier customers with easy-to-add text, hyperlinks, images, tables, and videos to articles. Customize SEO details by selecting categories and adding related units.  
  • Messages: Offer proactive support, engage leads and onboard new customers with trigger-based messages. Send SMS from any blog, website, store, or Beacon-installed app. 
  • Customer Management: List customer data, app activity and previous conversations alongside every request to deliver more personalized and faster support.  
  • Live Chat: Help customers find help center content or chat with agents easily from the same tool. Recommend resources depending on the pages clients view, so they don't waste time looking for answers. 
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  • Lightning Console: Boost agent productivity and optimize team workflows with easy access to information, including knowledge base, customer profiles and subject matter experts via responsive and dynamic dashboards. 
  • Case Management: Help agents resolve cases faster by keeping them connected to answers, activities and intel while assigning issues to the most appropriate sales representative with an AI-powered routing system. 
  • Service Cloud Voice: Equip agents with better insights and tools through Einstein Intelligence for delivering world-class customer support. Simplify setup, purchasing and rollout of contact center telephony with Amazon Connect and Service Cloud Voice integration. Solve customer issues quickly with tools such as IVR, intelligent cloud telephony, CRM data and call routing and storage. 
  • Knowledge Base: Allow customers and agents to get answers through a suite of readily available knowledge bases and articles. Ensure the accuracy of content with robust incident management solutions and KCSv5 verified knowledge management. 
  • Service Process and Automation: Eliminate repetitive and manual chores by automating internal procedures and processes. Design a point-and-click interface to update and create call logs and records, send emails and launch workflows. 
  • Omnichannel Routing: Engage with customers through various support channels such as web, phone, email, mobile Live Agent chats, social media, community sites and video chats. Route cases from different channels to appropriate agents based on priority, complexity and the agent’s availability, capability and capacity.  
  • Telephony Integration: Lower handle times and boost customer satisfaction rates by knowing the history before receiving the call. Automatically log the notes taken during the chat and associate them with related details such as customer records. 
  • Social Customer Service: Manage customer responses and problems from social media platforms through Salesforce Social Studio and service cloud integration. Route social cases to the appropriate agents by using classifiers, language detection and keywords. 
  • Service Analytics: Help agents make informed decisions and offer personalized support to customers by accessing service cloud data and the latest trends and patterns discovered by Einstein. Stay ahead of business issues and concerns by identifying customer and product issues and churning risks with predictive insights. 
  • Visual Remote Assistant: Troubleshoot setbacks and user queries from anywhere through video call assistance along with screen sharing capabilities. Leverage AI-powered character recognition and stay connected even with low bandwidth and offline. 
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Product Ranking

#20

among all
Help Desk Software

#43

among all
Help Desk Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

75
80
62
75
50
60
75
67
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Integrations and Extensibility
Platform Security
Team Collaboration
Mobile Capabilities
Platform Security
Team Collaboration
Live Chat Management

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Help Scout
Salesforce Service Cloud
+ Add Product + Add Product
Agent Productivity Call Center Management Dashboards And Reporting Email Management Live Chat Management Mobile Capabilities Platform Capabilities Team Collaboration Ticket Management 62 50 75 66 74 83 73 85 63 75 60 67 76 89 100 77 94 79 0 25 50 75 100
50%
17%
33%
67%
0%
33%
0%
0%
100%
0%
100%
0%
67%
0%
33%
33%
50%
17%
71%
0%
29%
57%
29%
14%
64%
0%
36%
82%
0%
18%
80%
0%
20%
100%
0%
0%
71%
0%
29%
63%
21%
16%
67%
0%
33%
83%
0%
17%
53%
6%
41%
76%
0%
24%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

100%
0%
0%
74%
0%
26%
89%
0%
11%
89%
11%
0%

User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 654 reviews
Great User Sentiment 2232 reviews
90%
of users recommend this product

Help Scout has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 90% when considering 654 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

83%
of users recommend this product

Salesforce Service Cloud has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 83% when considering 2232 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

n/a
5.0 (12)
4.3 (260)
4.1 (1537)
4.67 (183)
n/a
4.7 (168)
4.4 (509)
n/a
4.5 (43)
4.0 (43)
3.9 (131)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Help Scout and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Integrations and Extensibility. Help Scout stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award
Integrations and Extensibility Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Salesforce Service Cloud and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Mobile Capabilities.

Mobile Capabilities Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Intuitive Interface: User-friendly design simplifies navigation and ticket management, making it easy for support teams to get up to speed quickly.
Shared Inbox: Collaborative workspace allows multiple agents to manage tickets efficiently, ensuring seamless handoffs and faster resolution times.
Automated Workflows: Customizable automation rules streamline repetitive tasks, freeing up agents' time for more complex issues.
Powerful Search: Robust search capabilities make it easy to find specific tickets, customer information, and knowledge base articles, reducing time spent on manual searches.
Excellent Customer Support: Responsive and knowledgeable support team provides prompt assistance, ensuring a positive user experience.
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Intuitive User Interface: Salesforce Service Cloud's user-friendly interface makes it easy for support agents to quickly find the information they need to resolve customer issues.
Comprehensive Case Management: The platform provides robust case management capabilities, allowing agents to track and manage customer cases efficiently, ensuring timely resolution.
Seamless Integration with Salesforce Ecosystem: As part of the Salesforce ecosystem, Service Cloud seamlessly integrates with other Salesforce products, such as Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Analytics Cloud, providing a unified view of customer interactions.
Robust Reporting and Analytics: Service Cloud offers advanced reporting and analytics capabilities, enabling businesses to gain insights into customer behavior, identify trends, and measure agent performance.
Customization and Flexibility: The platform's customizable features allow businesses to tailor the solution to their specific needs, creating a personalized experience for both agents and customers.
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Limited Customization: Help Scout offers limited customization options, which can restrict businesses from tailoring the software to their specific needs and branding.
Lack of Automation: Compared to other Help Desk Software, Help Scout lacks robust automation features, such as automated ticket assignment and escalation rules, which can hinder efficiency.
Pricing Structure: Help Scout's pricing plans can be perceived as expensive for businesses with a large number of agents or high ticket volume.
Limited Reporting Capabilities: Some users have reported that Help Scout's reporting capabilities are not as comprehensive as they would like, making it challenging to extract valuable insights and track performance.
Mobile App Limitations: The Help Scout mobile app has been criticized for its limited functionality compared to the desktop version, making it less convenient for remote or on-the-go support teams.
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Complexity: Salesforce Service Cloud is a comprehensive tool, but its complexity can be overwhelming for some users. The learning curve can be steep, and the user interface can be difficult to navigate.
Customization: While Salesforce Service Cloud is customizable, the process can be time-consuming and complex. Users may need to hire a consultant or developer to help them customize the software to meet their specific needs.
Cost: Salesforce Service Cloud is a paid software, and the cost can be a barrier for some businesses. The cost of the software depends on the number of users and the features that are needed.
Reporting: Salesforce Service Cloud provides a variety of reporting options, but some users find the reports to be difficult to understand. The reports can also be slow to generate, which can be frustrating for users who need to access information quickly.
Integration: Salesforce Service Cloud can be integrated with other software, but the process can be complex. Users may need to hire a consultant or developer to help them integrate the software with their other systems.
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Help Scout, a popular help desk software, has received consistent praise from users in the last year. Many users emphasize its user-friendly interface, which makes it easy to set up and use, even for those new to help desk software. The software's intuitive design and customizable features allow users to tailor it to their specific needs, making it a versatile option for businesses of all sizes. When comparing Help Scout to similar products, users often highlight its superior customer support and documentation. Help Scout's dedicated support team is highly responsive and knowledgeable, providing valuable assistance to users. Additionally, the software's comprehensive documentation and tutorials make it easy for users to find answers to their questions and troubleshoot any issues they encounter. One of the key differentiating factors of Help Scout is its focus on email support. The software seamlessly integrates with email, allowing users to manage all their customer interactions from a single platform. This streamlines communication and improves efficiency, particularly for businesses that rely heavily on email support. Overall, Help Scout is highly recommended for businesses looking for a user-friendly, customizable, and reliable help desk software. Its strengths in customer support, email integration, and intuitive design make it an excellent choice for companies of all sizes that prioritize efficient and effective customer service.

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Salesforce Service Cloud is widely praised for its user-friendly interface and seamless integration with other Salesforce products, which enables businesses to manage all customer interactions in one place. However, some users have reported occasional performance issues and limitations in customizing certain features, which can hinder the software's ability to fully adapt to specific business needs. Compared to similar products, Salesforce Service Cloud is often regarded as a more comprehensive solution, offering a wider range of features and functionalities. Its strengths lie in its robust reporting and analytics capabilities, which provide valuable insights into customer behavior and agent performance. Additionally, its mobile app allows for remote access and real-time updates, enhancing the flexibility of customer support operations. Salesforce Service Cloud is best suited for medium to large-sized businesses that require a comprehensive and scalable help desk solution. Its robust feature set, ease of use, and integration capabilities make it an ideal choice for organizations seeking to improve customer satisfaction and streamline their support processes.

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