- TL;DR
- Key types of customer communication management software
- What to look for in CCM software
- 6 top CCM software for better customer interactions
- Turn to Aircall for an integrated, voice-first approach to customer communications
- Frequently asked questions about customer communication management software
Ready to build better conversations?
Simple to set up. Easy to use. Powerful integrations.
Get started- TL;DR
- Key types of customer communication management software
- What to look for in CCM software
- 6 top CCM software for better customer interactions
- Turn to Aircall for an integrated, voice-first approach to customer communications
- Frequently asked questions about customer communication management software
Ready to build better conversations?
Simple to set up. Easy to use. Powerful integrations.
Get startedCustomers want to speak to your sales team on Monday, your onboarding specialists on Wednesday, and your customer support department on Friday.
But here’s the thing: they expect to do all this without repeating themselves.
Many businesses aren’t set up to deliver this. They rely on disconnected systems across departments that prevent tools from talking to each other and sharing customer data. The result is missing context, inconsistent experiences, and slow resolution times, all of which leave customers feeling frustrated.
Customer communication management (CCM) software brings all your channels and departments together into one shared system. Your business centralizes customer interactions, gains clear visibility into their data, and develops smoother coordination across roles and regions.
Not just any tool will do, though. Our guide compares the top CCM software available in 2025 to help decision-makers choose the right solution from a wide selection. We aim to not only help you find a great CCM but also the one that fits your unique context the best.
TL;DR
We’ve selected the top six solutions on the market and evaluated them based on their pricing, features, integrations, and support.
Here’s a table of the CCM software we cover for a quick side-by-side comparison before we take a deeper look.
Customer communication management software | Main use case | Key features | Price (billed annually) |
---|---|---|---|
Aircall | AI-powered customer communication and intelligence | AI Assist, AI Voice Agent, Smart Call Routing, Conversation Center, IVR | Free trial available
From $30/month/user |
Missive | Unified email and chat | Internal threads, email assignment, AI drafts | From $14/month/user |
Freshdesk | Helpdesk issue resolution | Ticket assignment, customer portal, knowledge base, and analytics | Free plan available
Paid tiers start from $15/user/month |
Intercom | AI-first customer service | Fin AI Agent, email marketing, guided product tours | From $29/user/month |
Hiver | Deep integration with Gmail | Shared inbox, email assignment, and omnichannel support | Free plan available
Paid tiers start from $19/user/month |
Podium | Lead generation and conversion | Website contact forms, text marketing, review management, industry-specific AI | Quote available upon request |
Key types of customer communication management software
CCM solutions don’t all handle the same processes. They come in a few core types that are built around a different primary channel or approach to customer communication. The ideal choice for you depends on how you communicate with customers, and where your current operational gaps lie.
Voice communication: These solutions focus on managing customer calls through features like routing, transcription, and recording.
Helpdesk software: This type of CCM is designed for issue resolution, and lets your team log, assign, and track support tickets across channels.
Messaging tools: These tools manage written conversations with customers across email, live chat, SMS, and WhatsApp.
AI-first solutions: As AI in customer communications has become more popular, many solutions have integrated the technology into their tech stack. They use AI to power tools that handle routing, logging, and other repetitive tasks.
When comparing options, individual features aren’t enough to make a decision. Your ideal solution must also integrate all these tools smoothly and connect with your wider tech stack; otherwise, your CCM may create silos that slow your team down and weaken the customer experience.
What to look for in CCM software
Great CCM software doesn’t just solve today’s challenges. The ideal fit supports your customer service operations, allows you to make long-term improvements, and scales with your business over time.
Look for the following features to ensure your CCM allows you to do this:
A user-friendly interface to keep workflows simple
A reliable customer service team from day one, for quick user adoption and ongoing support
Omnichannel coverage to meet customers wherever they are
Customizable automated workflows to handle repetitive tasks
AI capabilities for both agent support and automation
Team collaboration features like internal chats and whispering
Advanced reporting and analytics to monitor agent performance
Strong integrations with core tools, especially leading CRM systems and customer engagement software
Flexible pricing so you can scale the CCM with you
And here’s a quick look at what each CCM on our list offers so you can get an idea of how well they’ll meet your company’s needs and goals.
Aircall | Missive | Freshdesk | Intercom | Hiver | Podium | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AI insights and support | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Advanced analytics and reporting | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Omnichannel communication capabilities | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Unlimited users | ✔️ | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
API access for a connected tech stack | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
Free trial to test the tool before committing | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ❌ |
Designated support and onboarding | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
6 top CCM software for better customer interactions
Here’s our comparison of the top six CCM software to make customers feel important. Every solution below takes a different approach to customer communication and has different strengths. You can use this list to understand your options and find the best CCM platforms to fill the gaps in your workflows and unify your customer service operations.
1. Aircall: Best for AI-powered integrated voice communication

Aircall is a customer communications and intelligence platform that enables small to medium businesses to handle conversations at scale, while boosting customer satisfaction through its range of powerful AI, automation, and analytics features.
Our voice-first, people-first software gives lean teams in high-volume sectors like eCommerce, education, financial services, and tech a smarter way to handle customer communications. We give you the control and context you need to offer personalized communication, while automating essential processes such as routing and CRM logging.
Aircall’s AI features, which enhance and improve human agent support, play a key role in our capabilities. AI Assist gives your agents real-time insights into calls so they can resolve issues faster and spot more upselling opportunities. And AI Voice Agent can handle sales calls, respond to queries, and gather customer data 24/7 with a 99.95% uptime.
While Aircall delivers strong call quality by industry standards, we don’t rely on surface-level metrics. Our team consistently analyzes and refines our features to ensure we go beyond expectations.
AI Assist Pro: Give your agents customer insights and prompts in real-time.
AI Voice Agent: AI takes care of basic queries to reduce your company’s workload, guarantee timely communication, and accelerate response times.
Smart Call Routing: Automatically direct callers to the right agent or department.
Conversation Center: Access, filter, and monitor interactions from multiple communication channels in one dashboard.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR): Gives customers options using voice communication or touch-tone dialling.
200+ integrations, including:
Pricing: From $30/user/month (annual billing)
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Robust AI features | No built-in video conferencing tools |
Open API to create customized workflows | |
Seamless phone integration |
“ We needed minimal downtime, great audio, intuitive features, and strong reporting tools. Aircall has exceeded expectations in all four areas. It’s been a game changer for us and our customers.
Sarah Cooper, Head of Sales Operations at CrowdProperty
Let Aircall’s smart tools do the heavy lifting, from routing and real-time prompts to handling basic queries with AI. Try for free.
2. Missive: Best for unified chat and email

Missive brings together email, live chat, and SMS into one shared inbox and enables teams to collaborate on every interaction.
Today’s customer support teams are often remote and distributed. Missive enables them to collaborate within the platform through its unified inbox, email chat, and internal chat features. This combination of tools ensures everyone gets visibility over messaging, understands who’s responsible for which tasks, and can discuss important customer queries without switching platforms.
Features:
Internal threads: Handle drafts, edits, and message reviews asynchronously.
Email assignment: Allocate conversations to agents or teams and monitor their progress.
AI drafts: Built-in AI suggests instant drafts based on your needs and preferences.
Integrations: 25+ integrations including Aircall, HubSpot, OpenAI, Salesforce, and Shopify
Pricing: From $14/month/user (annual billing)
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Internal conversations feature | Steep learning curve based on G2 reviews |
Responsive customer support, say some G2 users | |
30-day free trial period |
Discover how Aircall integrates with Missive to unify your customer communications channels.
3. Freshdesk: Best for helpdesk issue resolution

Freshdesk supports issue resolution with its combination of ticket management, automation, and self-service features.
Small companies can use Freshdesk to scale their help desk. While you’re setting up, you can start with basic chat and email tools in the free unified agent workspace. You can add ticket management and self-service features as your customer base grows to maintain control of processes as they become more complex.
Features:
Ticket assignment: Decide which tickets an agent receives based on availability and skills.
Customer portal: Manage a central platform where customers can create tickets and access self-service features.
Knowledge base: A series of in-depth articles helps customers get quick answers to questions.
Analytics: Set targets for agents and teams and monitor their progress.
Integrations: 1,000+ integrations including Microsoft Teams, Shopify, Salesforce, and Slack
Pricing: Two free plans available and paid tiers start from $15/user/month (annual billing)
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Two free plans available | Clunky ticketing feature, according to some G2 users |
Over 1,000 integrations | |
Option to add up to 5,000 external collaborators to help solve issues |
Discover how Aircall integrates with Freshdesk to unify your customer communications channels.
4. Intercom: Best for AI-first customer service

Intercom is a messaging-first platform with a strong focus on AI chat, live chat, and email communications.
Fin AI is a noteworthy feature, with its natural responses, customization options, and multilingual support. The drawback is that Intercom charges per resolution. While startups can access the feature for free in the first year, these fees can add up quickly over time.
Features:
Fin AI Agent: Train the bot on company data and customer preferences and customize it to speak in your company’s preferred tone of voice.
Email marketing: Messaging automation with templates and A/B testing features.
Guided product tours: Offer interactive tours of your features to onboard new customers.
Integrations: 450+ integrations including Aircall, Pipedrive, Salesforce, and Slack
Pricing: From $29/user/month (annual billing)
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Free plan available and discounts for startups | Supports over 45 languages |
Finn Million Dollar Guarantee for resolution rates below 65% | |
Option to add Fin to your current help desk solution |
Discover how Aircall integrates with Intercom to unify your customer communications channels.
5. Hiver: Best for deep integration with Gmail

Hiver integrates deeply with Gmail, which enables organizations to manage customer support collaboratively from within their inboxes.
Many businesses rely on Gmail for communications. By running from within the platform, Hiver lets you keep customer support centralized without losing any functionality. You can still assign emails, collaborate on drafts, and track interactions as you would with alternatives.
Features:
Shared inbox: Collaborate on complex inquiries and issues.
Email assignment: Assign queries to agents within Gmail and monitor ongoing interactions.
Omnichannel support: Track communications from your inbox throughout the customer journey.
Integrations: 15+ including Asana, Jira, Okta, and Slack
Pricing: Free plan available and paid tiers start from $19/user/month
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Ease of use, according to G2 users | Chatbots only available in the highest tier plan |
Free plan available | |
Seamless Gmail integration |
Discover how Aircall integrates with Hiver to unify your customer communications channels.
6. Podium: Best for lead generation and conversion

Podium helps small, local services drive new business with a mix of customer communications, review management, and lead management features.
Outreach is challenging for lean teams who must allocate their sparse resources to sales and support. Podium automates messaging, scheduling, and even sales while your company focuses on high-level tasks. As you grow, you can also develop workflows to re-engage leads, upsell products and services, and prompt reviews and referrals.
Features:
Website contact forms: Connect forms to human and AI agents to give quick answers to casual queries.
Text marketing: AI-generated texts find and leverage upsell opportunities in customer interactions.
Review management: Prompt satisfied customers to leave reviews on Google and Facebook.
Industry-specific AI: Specialist AI agents for sectors like retail and auto.
Integrations: 200+ integrations including Clio, FreshBooks, Freshdesk, and Hubspot
Pricing: You must contact Podium via the website to get a quote.
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Intuitive design according to G2 users | Limited AI features in the lowest-cost plan |
Dedicated customer success manager from the lowest tier | |
Industry-specific features |
Turn to Aircall for an integrated, voice-first approach to customer communications
These six software offer different approaches to customer communications. Depending on your company’s focus, you may need a message-first solution like Missive or a help desk like Freshdesk.
If you need a people-first solution that supports your human agents while enhancing the customer experience, Aircall is the standout option.
Aircall facilitates seamless voice communications, from assisting your agents to letting our AI agent handle calls. We also support all your other communication channels; integrations with over 200 software solutions, including almost all the ones on this list, offer you broad coverage in your customer service operations.
Looking to grow? Chad Warren, Senior Manager of Customer Service at Vuori, says Aircall is the perfect solution as you increase your headcount and develop processes.
“For a smaller but growing business like ours, Aircall has been the perfect match for our service needs,” he says, “it’s been ready to scale alongside us every step of the way. Thanks to Aircall, I know we can seamlessly build our customer service as our business evolves and enters new markets.”
Handle calls faster with AI-powered routing, real-time agent assist, and automated responses—all in one easy-to-use platform. Try for free
Frequently asked questions about customer communication management software
What are CCM tools?
Customer communication management (CCM) tools help you manage outbound and inbound communications across all channels. They centralize interactions, automate processes like logging and routing, and support integrations with multiple systems like CRMs and help desks.
Which CCM tool is best?
The best CCM tool depends on your company’s unique needs and goals. For example, Aircall’s range of user-friendly AI automation features makes it the ideal fit for small to medium businesses with lean customer support teams. It’s best to look for the solution that integrates seamlessly into your existing systems while supporting key strategic initiatives.
What is the difference between CRM and CCM?
CRM software helps you manage customer data and oversee your sales pipeline, whereas CCM software handles customer interactions. However, the two solutions integrate and work together. While the CRM tells you who the customer is and what they need, the CCM allows you to use this information to answer queries, respond to requests, and resolve issues.
How does customer communication management software help sales and support teams?
CCM software helps sales and support teams improve responsiveness and efficiency. It streamlines communication by logging every customer interaction in one place so reps always have the full context. Sales teams can follow up faster and personalize outreach, while support teams can resolve issues without asking customers to repeat themselves.
Published on August 18, 2025.