Freshdesk vs Kayako

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Our analysts compared Freshdesk vs Kayako 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.

Kayako Software Tool

Product Basics

Freshdesk is a cloud-based customer service solution that ensures increased satisfaction and engagement. It simplifies ticketing with customization options for agent roles, ticket forms, portals and more. Users can manage identity and information access for improved data security.

It offers field service modules that include omnichannel customer engagement, quick query resolution, automatic appointment management and a map view that lets users track dispatches in real time. Android and iOS support allow field employees to plan, monitor and track appointments, updates and customer communication conveniently. Its other offerings include widget customization, scheduled and customized reports, intelligent ticket assignment and more.

  • Pros
  • Easy to use interface
  • Scalable for large teams
  • Automation capabilities
  • Reporting & Analytics
  • Mobile app available
  • Cons
  • Limited free plan
  • Customization options
  • Reporting can be complex
  • Higher pricing for some plans
  • Limited multilingual support
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Kayako is a comprehensive Help Desk Software designed to streamline customer support operations. It's ideal for businesses of all sizes seeking to improve customer satisfaction and streamline communication. Key benefits include centralized ticketing, automated workflows, and robust reporting for improved efficiency and visibility.

Popular features include a customizable knowledge base, self-service portal, and omnichannel support. Its user-friendly interface and intuitive navigation make it accessible to teams of all technical backgrounds. Compared to similar products, Kayako is highly rated for its ease of use, customization options, and excellent customer support.

Pricing varies depending on the number of agents and features required. It offers flexible payment options, including monthly and annual subscriptions, to suit different business needs.

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$15/User, Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
Small 
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Large 
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Small 
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Medium 
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Large 
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Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

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
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Improved Productivity:  Assign tickets automatically to agents and groups based on various details, including their workloads and skills. Also, auto-assign emails, calls and chats to agents based on keywords and available bandwidth for better productivity. 
  • Better Efficiency: Schedule regular reports to analyze and improve agent performance using different help desk metrics. Measure customer satisfaction based on their satisfaction reports to improve services. 
  • Stronger Teamwork: Facilitate better collaboration between different departments for quicker resolution of customer issues, with linked tickets to keep track of vast issues and team huddle for discussions with experts. 
  • Data Security: Secure confidential data and customer information with state-of-the-art data security. Whitelist IP ranges, restrict login access and set up single sign on script for credentials authentication. 
  • AI Support: Enable faster resolution of customer issues with AI supported chatbots that provide instantaneous answers. 
  • Accessibility: Allow agents exclusive access to login on the go. Conveniently access solutions via website, mobile app and chatbot. 
  • Save Time: Automate mundane tasks so that agents can focus better on resolving customer issues. 
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  • Increase Support Effectiveness: Enforce workforce SLAs and standardize performance quality across staff. Automate common tasks such as sending reminders and notifications, escalating queries, assigning conversations, and optimizing response and resolution times. 
  • Offer Stellar Self-Service: Help customers find solutions without the need for a live agent through step-by-step troubleshooters and a comprehensive knowledge base. Answer queries at all hours with an AI-powered Instant Response System. 
  • Ensure Quality: Use knowledge base ratings and customer satisfaction surveys to measure agent performance. Gain insight into marketing segmentation, projected customer behavior and areas of improvement through reports. 
  • Engage Leads: Turn website visitors into potential customers with geographical visitor monitoring, proactive live chat and click-to-call (VoIP). 
  • Integrate Easily: Extend your customer support platform by integrating with APIs for products such as Zapier, Slack and Salesforce. 
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  • Ticketing Management: Deliver higher quality customer service with collaborative ticketing. Convert customer issues from different channels into resolvable tickets. Offers: 
    •  Team inbox to prioritize and assign tickets based on keywords. 
    •  AI-supported ticketing to improve agents’ efficiency and save time. 
    •  SLA management to measure agents’ performance and set customer expectations for response times. 
  • Omnichannel: Consolidate various support-related communications channels like email, phone, chat, website, WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter to ensure a seamless customer experience as well as faster query resolution. 
  • Service Management: Create service tasks and field technician groups for tickets on the basis of location, priority and other aspects. To manage field operations, it also includes: 
    •  Scheduling dashboard to keep track of appointments, tasks and field team workloads. 
    •  Mobile field service to keep technicians updated on the fly. 
    •  Automated time-tracking to monitor billable hours. 
    •  Single swipe attachment of customer signatures to the service tasks via the mobile app. 
  • Reporting and Analytics: Schedule reports at regular intervals and customize them according to various requirements. Access actionable insights using data in different chart styles and visualizations. 
  • Customization: Customize workflows, customer portal and agents for optimum productivity based on specific business requirements. Its customization can be leveraged in the following ways: 
    •  Customized ticket forms. 
    •  Custom URL for smooth customer experience. 
    •  Building and integration of customized apps. 
    •  Custom segmentation of customers for personalized support. 
  • Automation: Automate notifications to agents and customers for any updates in their tickets. Automatically execute maintenance activities and implement actions on tickets based on the time lapsed since an event. 
  • Identity and Access Management: Allow and restrict agents as well as customers to log in to their accounts using single sign on script from anywhere using IP whitelisting and a VPN. 
  • Customer Self-Service: Enable efficient customer self-service with automated suggestion pop ups, knowledge base articles and by converting critical issues in the community into resolvable tickets. 
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  • Self-Service: Give customers access to resources such as self-help articles, FAQs, videos and 24/7 virtual support help with automated replies to common questions. Monitor search terms to identify gaps and optimize content according to customer needs. 
  • SingleView: Capture entire customer journeys in a centralized, easy-to-use visualization. Easily enable collaboration among employees with unified resources. 
  • Live Chat: Provide convenient service to customers with instant chats on web and mobile platforms. Send proactive messages based on information from conversations and behavior. 
  • Integration: Build intelligent, multi-step workflows across various channels and apps in a few clicks. Automate systems to organize, customize and provide proactive support to customers. Generate reports to forecast customer behavior and strategically adapt business practices.  
  • Shared Inbox: Manage all conversations with customers in a central location. Categorize and route discussions to the most appropriate agents automatically. Access records of entire customer contact history. 
  • Ticketing Software: Assign and prioritize tickets through an AI-supported ticketing system. Sort communications by keyword and category in team inboxes. 
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Product Ranking

#7

among all
Help Desk Software

#21

among all
Help Desk Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

86
67
83
50
55
0
93
67
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Integrations and Extensibility
Platform Security
Platform Capabilities
Ticket Management
Team Collaboration
Platform Security
Ticket Management

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Freshdesk
Kayako
+ 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 83 55 93 92 39 58 97 95 97 50 0 67 84 73 30 68 79 87 0 25 50 75 100
83%
0%
17%
50%
0%
50%
0%
92%
8%
0%
0%
100%
83%
17%
0%
67%
0%
33%
86%
0%
14%
86%
0%
14%
0%
45%
55%
64%
0%
36%
60%
0%
40%
40%
0%
60%
92%
4%
4%
63%
0%
37%
83%
17%
0%
67%
0%
33%
94%
0%
6%
88%
0%
12%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

100%
0%
0%
58%
0%
42%
100%
0%
0%
89%
0%
11%

User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 4697 reviews
Great User Sentiment 551 reviews
89%
of users recommend this product

Freshdesk has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 89% when considering 4697 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

81%
of users recommend this product

Kayako has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 81% when considering 551 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (22)
4.9 (16)
4.4 (2352)
4.1 (197)
4.63 (8)
3.99 (162)
4.5 (2229)
n/a
n/a
4.0 (156)
4.3 (86)
3.2 (20)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Freshdesk and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Ticket Management and Integrations and Extensibility.

Ticket Management Award
Integrations and Extensibility Award

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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

User-Friendly Interface: Freshdesk is praised for its intuitive design and straightforward navigation. This minimizes onboarding time for new agents and reduces the learning curve, allowing them to become productive more quickly. Think of it as a user-friendly smartphone app compared to a clunky, feature-laden desktop program. This ease of use translates into faster issue resolution and improved overall efficiency.
Scalability & Customization: Freshdesk caters to businesses of all sizes, from startups to large enterprises. Its flexible plans and customization options allow businesses to tailor the platform to their specific needs. For instance, a small team might prioritize a simple ticketing system, while a larger organization can leverage features like custom automations or in-depth reporting for more complex workflows.
Mobile Accessibility: Freshdesk offers mobile apps for agents and customers, enabling them to access the platform and manage inquiries on the go. This is particularly valuable for remote teams or situations where agents need to be available outside the office. Imagine a field technician using the mobile app to update a customer ticket while on-site, improving responsiveness and streamlining the resolution process.
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User-Friendly Interface: Kayako's intuitive design makes it easy for users to navigate and find the information they need quickly.
Comprehensive Features: Kayako offers a wide range of features, including ticketing, knowledge base, live chat, and reporting, all in one platform.
Automation Capabilities: Kayako's automation tools, such as auto-responders and ticket routing, streamline workflows and save time.
Mobile Accessibility: Kayako's mobile app allows users to access and manage their help desk from anywhere, at any time.
Excellent Customer Support: Kayako's support team is highly responsive and provides personalized assistance to users.
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Limited Free Plan Functionality: While Freshdesk offers a free plan, it can be restrictive for businesses with growing needs. Features like custom automations, advanced reporting, and integrations are often reserved for paid plans. This can limit its usefulness for businesses seeking a comprehensive help desk solution without upfront investment.
Reporting Complexity: Freshdesk's reporting capabilities, particularly in lower-tier plans, can be cumbersome to navigate and require some technical expertise to generate insightful data. Some users report that creating custom reports or filtering data can be time-consuming, hindering efforts to effectively track key performance indicators (KPIs) and measure support team effectiveness. Imagine sifting through an overflowing email inbox to find a specific message compared to having a well-organized filing system with clear labels.
Limited Multilingual Support: Freshdesk's interface and support resources are primarily available in English. This can be a drawback for businesses operating in international markets or with a multilingual customer base. While some basic translations are available, they might be limited or not comprehensive, potentially hindering effective communication with non-English speaking customers and agents.
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Limited Customization: Users complain about Kayako's limited customization options, making it difficult to tailor the software to their specific business needs.
Complex User Interface: Kayako's user interface is often criticized for being overly complex and difficult to navigate, leading to a steep learning curve for new users.
Frequent Bugs and Glitches: Users report experiencing frequent bugs and glitches within Kayako, which can disrupt their workflow and hinder productivity.
Slow Response Times: Kayako's response times for support queries have been reported as slow, leaving users waiting for extended periods to resolve issues.
Lack of Integration Options: Kayako's limited integration options make it challenging to connect with other business applications, hindering seamless data flow and automation.
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Freshdesk garners praise for its user-friendly interface and intuitive design, which minimizes training time for new agents and gets them up to speed faster. This is particularly important for businesses with high agent turnover or seasonal spikes in support requests. When compared to competitors offering a steeper learning curve, Freshdesk allows teams to become productive quicker, leading to faster issue resolution and improved customer satisfaction. However, Freshdesk's free plan, while suitable for small teams or those starting out, can be limiting for businesses requiring advanced features. Features like custom automations, powerful reporting, and integrations are often reserved for paid plans. This can be a dealbreaker for businesses seeking a comprehensive help desk solution without a significant upfront investment. Here, competitors offering more robust functionalities in their free tiers might be more suitable. Overall, Freshdesk shines for its user-friendliness, scalability, and mobile accessibility. The ability to customize the platform to fit specific workflows and the availability of mobile apps for agents and customers are valuable assets. However, its limited free plan functionality and potentially complex reporting can be drawbacks. Freshdesk is best suited for small and medium-sized businesses seeking an easy-to-use and scalable help desk solution, particularly those with limited technical expertise or a mobile workforce. For larger enterprises with complex workflows or multilingual customer bases, competitors offering more powerful reporting capabilities or broader language support might be a better fit.

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Kayako is well-regarded by users for its comprehensive feature set, intuitive interface, and excellent customer support. Many users find it to be a superior alternative to Zendesk due to its more affordable pricing, customizable automation, and robust reporting capabilities. Additionally, Kayako's omnichannel support, which allows for seamless communication across multiple channels, sets it apart from other help desk software. However, some users have reported occasional glitches and limited customization options compared to more expensive competitors. Nevertheless, Kayako remains a highly recommended choice for businesses seeking a reliable and user-friendly help desk solution, particularly for those looking for an affordable and feature-rich option. Its strengths in automation, reporting, and omnichannel support make it an excellent fit for businesses looking to streamline their customer support operations and provide a seamless customer experience.

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Screenshots

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