Overview

Softr is a no-code platform that enables businesses to create bespoke customer support portals using a drag-and-drop editor without any coding knowledge. By connecting to data sources like Airtable or Google Sheets, it allows users to build fully functional web apps with features such as user authentication, access control, and personalized content.

With its drag-and-drop interface and extensive library of pre-built blocks and templates, Softr simplifies the process of creating professional-looking customer support systems. Your portals can include knowledge bases, community forums, ticketing systems, and account management features, allowing customers to find answers and resolve issues independently. Softr's flexibility makes it an ideal solution for businesses looking to build a tailored support solution without developing one from scratch.

Key features

• Customizable drag-and-drop interface
• Secure user authentication and access control
• Integration with data sources like Airtable and Google Sheets
• Pre-built templates for customer support
• Community forums for user interaction
• Ticketing system for request management
• Customer account management features
• Responsive design for mobile compatibility
  

Pricing

Softr offers a range of pricing plans to accommodate different business needs and scales. The Free plan allows users to create unlimited apps with essential blocks and up to 5 workspace collaborators. The Basic plan, starting at $49/month, includes additional features such as custom CSS/JS, embedded apps, and support for up to 10 internal and 1,000 external app users.

This is followed by the Professional plan for $139/month, which includes 50 internal and 5,000 external app users along with 10 workspace collaborators. The Business plan, at $269/month, offers advanced features like timeline and org chart blocks, support for up to 100 internal and 10,000 external app users, and downloadable mobile apps (PWA). For larger companies with specific requirements, Softr also provides an Enterprise plan with custom pricing, offering SSO for app users (SAML, OpenID), security audits, team training, and custom invoicing.

All paid plans come with a 14-day free trial, allowing users to explore the platform’s features before committing to a subscription.

Pros

• No-code platform for advanced solutions
• Ticketing system with account management
• Third-party data source integration
  

Cons

• Not a plug-and-play support platform
• Slight learning curve for beginners

Overview

Zendesk's customer support portal, known as the Zendesk Help Center, is a self-service solution that allows customers to find answers and resolve issues without agent involvement. The Help Center integrates with Zendesk's ticketing system, allowing customers to submit and track support requests when self-service isn't sufficient. With a friendly interface and customizable branding, businesses can create a support system that aligns with their brand identity and provides an uninterrupted customer experience.

The Zendesk Help Center offers a knowledge base feature, enabling companies to create and organize articles, guides, and FAQs. You can easily search for relevant content and find solutions to common issues. The portal also supports community forums, where customers can engage with each other, share knowledge, and seek advice. Also, Zendesk's AI-powered article recommendations and intelligent search capabilities can surface the most relevant content based on customer queries.

Key features

• Branding options for a tailored experience
• Knowledge base for content management
• Fully-featured community forums
• AI-powered article recommendations and search
• Integration with Zendesk ticketing system for escalation
• Multi-language support for global users
• Analytics and reporting to track self-service performance
• Mobile responsive design options
  

Pricing

Zendesk offers a range of pricing plans for their customer support portal, which is included as part of their larger support suite. The most basic plan, Suite Team, starts at $55 per agent per month, with core help center features like a knowledge base, community forums, and basic customization options.

The Suite Growth plan, at $89 per agent per month, adds advanced features such as multi-language support, enhanced customization options, and AI-powered article recommendations. For larger organizations, the Suite Professional plan, at $115 per agent per month, includes additional features like advanced analytics, priority support, and CSAT surveys.

Zendesk's pricing is based on a per-agent model, meaning the total cost scales with the number of support agents using the system. AI-powered capabilities may involve additional charges.

Pros

• Built-in ticketing support
• Mobile-responsive themes and branding
  

Cons

• Per-agent pricing can become costly
• Setup can be time-consuming

Overview

Gorgias lets you build a customer support portal specifically for ecommerce businesses. The portal seamlessly integrates with popular ecommerce platforms like Shopify, allowing support agents to manage customer interactions, orders, and returns from a single place. A helpdesk centralizes all customer conversations across channels like email, live chat, social media, phone, and SMS. Agents have access to complete customer information, such as order history and previous interactions, enabling them to provide personalized support.

The portal's AI-powered features, like automated ticket routing and canned responses, support your existing workflow while improving efficiency. Gorgias also offers a live chat widget that allows customers to engage with support directly from the store's website. The chat widget can be configured to automatically answer common questions using generative AI, minimizing the number of tickets that require human intervention. Moreover, Gorgias lets you generate tailored help center content instantly with AI, saving ramp up time when implementing your customer support portal.

Key features

• Dashboard for managing interactions across channels
• Integration with ecommerce platforms like Shopify
• Customer information like order history and previous conversations
• AI for ticket routing, canned responses, and workflows
• Live chat widget with AI chatbot
• AI-powered help center tailored to the brand
• Self-service order management for customers
• Integration with 100+ third-party apps
  

Pricing

Gorgias offers a usage-based pricing model, with plans based on the number of support tickets managed per month. It begins with the Starter plan, which starts at $10/month for 60-200 tickets. The Basic plan starts at $60 per month for 200-1050 tickets. The Pro plan, starting at $360 per month, includes 1060-3,500 tickets.

For businesses with even higher support volumes, the Advanced plan starts at $900/month. Enterprise plans are also available for companies with more complex needs, offering custom pricing and features like dedicated account management.

Certain advanced features, such as automation workflows and order management, are only available on higher-tier plans or as add-ons. However, Gorgias does not charge per-agent, making it a cost-effective solution for growing support teams.

Pros

• Ecommerce-focused features and integrations
• AI-powered automation for improved efficiency
  

Cons

• Usage-based pricing can be unpredictable
• Advanced features limited to higher plans
• Some learning curve for complex setups

Overview

Intercom's customer support portal, known as the Intercom Help Center, is a self-service solution that integrates with its live chat and ticketing system, providing a cohesive experience for users. Your customers can easily search for relevant content and find solutions to common issues using AI. The portal also supports multiple languages, making it perfect for companies with a global customer base.

Intercom's Help Center also includes a community forum, allowing customers to engage with peers on common issues. It fosters a sense of community, while also allowing users to learn from others without any help from support agents. You also get reporting tools to track your company’s self-service performance, mobile-responsive design that makes the portal look good on any device, and plenty of options to customize the feel of your support platform.

Key features

• Plenty of pre-built themes and branding options
• Knowledge base features for information management
• Multi-language support for global audiences
• AI-powered search and recommendations
• Community forums for enhanced interaction
• Integration with Intercom's live chat and ticketing system
• User analytics and reporting suite
• Responsive design that adapts to screen size
  
  

Pricing

Intercom offers a usage-based pricing model for their customer support portal, which is included as part of their larger customer support suite. The pricing is based on the number of monthly active people (MAP) interacting with your business through Intercom.

The Essential plan starts at $39 per agent per month, which includes basic help center features like a knowledge base and simple customization options. The Advanced plan, starting at $99 per agent per month, adds more sophisticated features such as multilingual help centers, advanced customization, and integrations. For larger enterprises with more complex needs, Intercom offers the Expert plan at $139 per agent per month.

It's important to note that Intercom's pricing can become costly as your customer base grows, due to the usage-based model. Some features, such as the new Fin AI, may have an additional cost.

Pros

• Integration with live chat and ticketing
• Knowledge base for data management
• AI-powered recommendations and search
  

Cons

• Usage-based pricing can become expensive
• Some advanced features can be expensive

Overview

Freshworks' customer support portal, part of their Customer Service Suite, is a comprehensive self-service solution designed to empower customers and reduce the workload on support teams. One of the standout features of Freshworks' support portal is its AI-powered capabilities, including personalized article recommendations and an intelligent chatbot. The platform also supports multiple languages.

The portal supports community forums, where customers can engage with each other, share knowledge, and exchange advice. It also integrates with Freshworks' ticketing system, allowing customers to submit and track support requests when self-service isn't sufficient. Other third-party integrations for WhatsApp, Shopify, WooCommerce, and more are also available. Finally, there’s a dedicated agent workspace to help your support team collaborate on important issues to find solutions.

Key features

• Knowledge base for information management
• Lots of branding options for variety
• Dedicated user forum capabilities
• AI-powered chatbots for instant assistance
• Content recommendations based on customer queries
• Multi-product support for large organizations
• Integration with ticketing tools and third-party apps
• Powerful workspace for support agents
  
  

Pricing

Freshworks offers a free trial for their Customer Service Suite, which does not require a credit card. Paid plans start at $29 per agent per month (billed annually) for the Growth plan, which adds automation, collision detection, and more advanced reporting.

The Pro plan, at $69 per agent per month (billed annually), includes additional features like multiple products, custom roles, and CSAT surveys. For larger enterprises, the Enterprise plan, at $109 per agent per month (billed annually), offers unlimited products, IP range restriction, and skill-based routing.

Certain advanced features like the AI-powered chatbots (Freshbots), are available as add-ons priced on the number of bot sessions. So, you should carefully evaluate your usage to avoid being overcharged for things you could do without.

Pros

• Powerful self-service features
• Built-in ticketing system integration
• Customizable branding options
  

Cons

• Advanced features require additional cost
• Per-agent pricing can become expensive

Overview

Gladly's self-service portal features an AI-powered knowledge base that intelligently surfaces relevant articles based on customer queries. The knowledge base supports multimedia content, allowing businesses to create engaging and informative articles. Customers can also access a community forum where they can interact with others. All of this integrates with Gladly’s larger communication platform.

The portal includes a customizable live chat widget, Glad App, which enables customers to search for answers and initiate conversations with support agents directly from the website. Glad App can even be configured to provide automated responses to common queries using generative AI, reducing the need for human intervention.

Key features

• Live chat widget with contextual AI
• Usual support for branding and customization
• AI-powered article recommendations
• Knowledge base supports multiple content formats
• Integration with Gladly's communication platform
• Quick Reply feature for automated workflows and routing
• Performance analytics for detailed tracking
• Mobile responsive design for access on any device
  

Pricing

Gladly's pricing for their customer support portal is part of their all-in-one customer service platform. The base "Hero" package starts at $180 per hero per month for a minimum of 10 support agents, which includes access to all channels (email, chat, voice, SMS, social) and the self-service portal.

This is followed by the “Superhero” package for $210 per hero per month, with a minimum requirement of 45 heroes to be enrolled in a Gladly plan.

You can use Gladly Sidekick, the AI-assisted communication tool for Gladly agents, for $0.60 per assisted conversation on both the Hero and Superhero plans. The company also offers a personalized enterprise plan with custom pricing for larger organizations with more complex needs.

Pros

• True omnichannel support
• Easy-to-use interface for agents
• Built-in knowledge base
  

Cons

• Higher pricing compared to some competitors
• Minimum of 10 seats required
• Some reported issues with call quality