Customer service: the 20 best apps to power up your business

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According to Help Scout, it takes 12 positive customer support experiences to make up for a single negative one. That's how crucial it is to ensure your clients have an experience that wows them.

Your customers expect an omnichannel experience and instant gratification. From Facebook to email, they want to reach you everywhere, whenever they need a solution.

To handle these real-time interactions across multiple platforms, businesses need the right tools. Great customer service apps lighten the load and empower your team to provide amazing support. Here's our rundown of the different types of customer service software, and the best apps to power up your business in the year ahead.

Types of customer service apps

There are several types of customer service apps, each designed for a specific purpose within your support workflow. Understanding these categories will help you build a comprehensive tech stack.

• Call centre software: Tools for managing inbound and outbound phone calls, including features like call routing, recording, and analytics.

• Helpdesk: Platforms for managing customer enquiries from multiple channels (email, social media, chat) through a centralised ticketing system.

• CRM (Customer Relationship Management): Software that helps you manage all your company’s relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers.

• Email automation: Tools that automate email marketing campaigns, transactional emails, and follow-ups.

• Live chat: Apps that enable real-time conversations with website visitors to provide instant support and capture leads.

• Collaboration and integration: Platforms that connect your various tools and facilitate seamless communication and workflow automation across your team.

20 customer service apps to power up any business

Here are 20 of the best customer service apps to help your team streamline communication, enhance collaboration, and improve customer satisfaction. Depending on your business's growth stage, you may find some more suitable than others.

1. Aircall

2. Salesforce CRM

3. HubSpot CRM

4. Zoho CRM

5. Zendesk

6. Slack

7. Intercom

8. Pipedrive

9. Crisp

10. Mailchimp

11. Drift

12. Zapier

13. Front

14. Freshdesk

15. Help Scout

16. Mailjet

17. Olark

18. Groove HQ

19. Close

20. ServiceRocket

1. Aircall

Aircall is AI-powered customer communication platform, designed for modern sales and support teams. It stands out for its ease of use, rapid setup, and extensive integrations library, which includes over 200 essential business tools like CRMs and helpdesks. Aircall helps teams scale their support operations, improve collaboration with features like shared inboxes and call commenting, and gain deep insights through advanced call centre analytics and reporting.

Key features:

• 200+ integrations with CRMs, helpdesks, and other business tools

• Advanced call routing and IVR

• Shared call inbox for team collaboration

• Real-time analytics and monitoring

• AI features for transcription, call summaries, and sentiment analysis

• International numbers in 100+ countries

Integrations: 200+, including Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, and Slack.

Pricing: Starts at $30 per user/month.

From shared call inboxes and smart routing to real-time analytics and CRM integrations, Aircall gives your team everything they need to deliver seamless customer service. Try Aircall today.

2. Salesforce CRM

Salesforce is a leading cloud-based CRM platform that helps businesses of all sizes manage customer relationships. It stands out for its comprehensive suite of tools covering sales, service, and marketing. For customer service teams, Salesforce Service Cloud provides a 360-degree view of the customer, enabling agents to deliver personalised and efficient support. Use cases include tracking customer interactions across all channels, automating service processes with workflows, and leveraging AI-powered insights to resolve issues faster.

The integration with Aircall embeds call functionalities directly into the Salesforce interface, allowing agents to make and receive calls without switching screens and automatically logging all call activities.

Key features:

• Comprehensive customer data management

• Workflow automation

• AI-powered insights with Einstein AI

• Omnichannel routing for cases

• Extensive customisation options

Integrations: Thousands available on the AppExchange.

Pricing: Service Cloud plans start at $25 per user/month.

3. HubSpot CRM

HubSpot CRM is an all-in-one platform known for its user-friendly interface and powerful free tools. It helps businesses manage customer relationships, track sales pipelines, and execute marketing campaigns. HubSpot's Service Hub is designed to help teams deliver exceptional customer service through features like a shared inbox, ticketing system, and knowledge base. It's particularly popular with small to medium-sized businesses looking for an integrated solution that is easy to get started with.

The integration with Aircall syncs all call data into HubSpot, giving you a complete view of every customer interaction and streamlining your support workflows.

Key features:

• Free CRM with contact management

• Ticketing system and helpdesk automation

• Live chat and chatbots

• Knowledge base creation

• Customer feedback surveys

Integrations: Over 1,000 integrations in the HubSpot App Marketplace.

Pricing: Offers a free CRM. Paid Service Hub plans start at $45/month.

4. Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is a powerful customer relationship management platform that is part of the broader Zoho suite of business applications. It stands out for its extensive feature set and affordable pricing, making it a great option for businesses of all sizes. Zoho CRM helps teams manage sales, marketing, and support activities in one place. Use cases include automating lead management, tracking deals, and engaging with customers across multiple channels.

Zoho's integration with Aircall allows for seamless call management directly within Zoho, with features like click-to-dial and automatic call logging.

Key features:

• Omnichannel communication (phone, email, social media)

• AI-powered assistant (Zia) for predictions and suggestions

• Advanced workflow automation

• In-depth analytics and reporting

• Customisable dashboards

Integrations: Part of the Zoho ecosystem with over 40+ apps and hundreds of third-party integrations.

Pricing: Offers a free edition. Paid plans start at $14 per user/month.

5. Zendesk

Zendesk is a leading customer service software and helpdesk solution designed to improve customer relationships. Its standout feature is its powerful and flexible Zendesk’s ticketing system, which centralises customer conversations from any channel—email, chat, phone, and social media—into one unified agent workspace. This allows teams to track, prioritise, and solve customer support tickets efficiently. It's a versatile tool used by businesses to scale their support operations and provide an omnichannel customer experience.

When you use the integration with Aircall, you can manage all your phone support within Zendesk, automatically creating tickets for calls and syncing recordings and notes.

Key features:

• Omnichannel support ticketing system

• AI-powered bots and automation

• Integrated knowledge base and community forums

• Robust analytics and reporting

• Over 1,000 apps and integrations in its marketplace

Integrations: 1,200+ integrations available.

Pricing: Starts at $19 per agent/month.

6. Slack

Slack is a powerful team collaboration tool that streamlines communication into organised channels. While not a dedicated customer service app, it's an essential tool for internal communication among support teams. It allows agents to quickly collaborate on complex tickets, share files, and get input from other departments like engineering or sales. Its standout feature is its ability to centralise communication and reduce reliance on email.

With the Slack-Aircall integration, teams can receive call notifications, listen to recordings, and make callbacks directly from Slack, ensuring no customer query is missed.

Key features:

• Channel-based messaging for organised conversations

• Searchable history of all conversations and files

• Voice and video calls

• Workflow Builder for automating routine tasks

• Extensive app directory for integrations

Integrations: Over 2,400 integrations, including Google Drive, Trello, and Asana.

Pricing: Offers a free plan. Paid plans start at $7.25 per user/month.

7. Intercom

Intercom is a customer communications platform that helps businesses build better customer relationships through conversational experiences. It stands out with its integrated suite of products for live chat, marketing automation, and customer support. Intercom’s Business Messenger allows businesses to engage with customers in real-time on their website or app. Use cases include proactive support with chatbots, targeted onboarding messages, and a shared inbox for team collaboration.

The integration for Intercom and Aircall allows you to see a customer’s call history directly in Intercom and streamlines workflows between your phone and messaging support.

Key features:

• Live chat and automated chatbots

• Shared team inbox for omnichannel support

• Proactive product tours and onboarding messages

• Integrated help centre

• Targeted outbound messaging for marketing and engagement

Integrations: 300+ integrations.

Pricing: Starts at $74/month.

8. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a CRM designed by salespeople, for salespeople, but its features are also valuable for customer support teams. It excels at visual pipeline management, helping teams track leads and deals in a clear, intuitive way. For customer service, Pipedrive can be used to manage post-sale relationships, track support-related enquiries as deals, and identify upsell opportunities. Its simplicity and focus on activities make it stand out.

The Pipedrive integration with Aircall enables teams to log calls automatically and dial contacts with a single click, streamlining both sales and support workflows.

Key features:

• Visual sales pipeline management

• Activity-based selling prompts

• Contact and deal management

• Workflow automation

• Customisable reporting and dashboards

Integrations: Over 300 integrations.

Pricing: Starts at $14 per user/month.

9. Crisp

Crisp is an all-in-one multichannel customer support platform that helps businesses connect with customers through various channels like live chat, email, and social media. It stands out by offering a shared inbox, a free CRM, and a knowledge base, all within a single platform. This makes it an excellent choice for startups and small businesses looking for a unified solution. Use cases include providing real-time support via live chat, creating a self-service help centre, and launching automated marketing campaigns.

The Crisp-Aircall integration allows support agents to handle phone calls directly from the Crisp interface, centralising all customer conversations.

Key features:

• Multichannel shared inbox (Live Chat, Email, Messenger, etc.)

• Built-in CRM and knowledge base

• Chatbots for automated support

• MagicMap for real-time visitor tracking

• Video calls and screen sharing

Integrations: Integrates with tools like Slack, Zapier, and Shopify.

Pricing: Offers a free plan. Paid plans start at $25 per workspace/month.

10. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is a leading email marketing and automation platform. While primarily known for marketing, it's a valuable digital customer service tool for keeping customers informed. You can use it to send out product updates, scheduled maintenance notices, and personalised follow-up emails after a support interaction. Its standout features include its user-friendly email editor, powerful automation capabilities, and detailed analytics.

Key features:

• Drag-and-drop email builder

• Marketing automation workflows

• Audience segmentation and personalisation

• A/B testing

• Detailed campaign reporting and analytics

Integrations: Over 300 integrations.

Pricing: Offers a free plan. Paid plans start at $13/month.

11. Drift

Drift is a conversational marketing and sales platform that focuses on connecting businesses with buyers in real-time. Its main feature is its intelligent chatbot, which can qualify leads, book meetings, and answer visitor questions on your website 24/7. While heavily sales-focused, its live chat capabilities are also excellent for providing instant customer support. Drift helps teams engage with high-intent website visitors and convert them into customers or resolve their issues on the spot.

Key features:

• AI-powered chatbots

• Live chat for real-time engagement

• Proactive chat invitations based on visitor behavior

• Meeting booking directly within the chat widget

• Visitor intelligence and lead routing

Integrations: Integrates with Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, and more.

Pricing: Custom pricing, typically aimed at mid-market and enterprise.

12. Zapier

Zapier is an automation tool that connects your web apps and moves information between them automatically. It's not a customer service app itself, but it's the glue that holds your tech stack together. You can create automated workflows (called "Zaps") to connect your customer service tools. For example, you could create a Zap to automatically post a summary of a completed support call from Aircall into a Slack channel, or create a new row in Google Sheets for every new support ticket in Zendesk.

Aircall’s Zapier integration lets you connect your phone system to thousands of other apps to automate your workflows.

Key features:

• Connects over 6,000 web applications

• Easy-to-build automated workflows ("Zaps")

• No coding required

• Multi-step Zaps for complex workflows

• Filtering and formatting capabilities

Integrations: 6,000+.

Pricing: Offers a free plan. Paid plans start at $19.99/month.

13. Front

Front is a customer communication hub that brings email, social media, SMS, and other channels into a single shared inbox. It’s designed for team collaboration, allowing agents to assign messages, comment internally on conversations, and use templates to respond faster. Front stands out by turning your inbox into a collaborative workspace, helping teams resolve customer issues more efficiently without the confusion of forwarded emails and "cc" chains.

Aircall’s Front integration lets you manage calls and texts directly from your Front inbox, keeping all your customer communication in one place.

Key features:

• Unified inbox for all communication channels

• Internal commenting and message assignment

• Automated rules and workflows

• Canned responses and message templates

• Analytics on team performance and response times

Integrations: Integrates with 60+ tools.

Pricing: Starts at $19 per user/month.

14. Freshdesk

Freshdesk is an omnichannel helpdesk software that helps businesses deliver great customer support. It centralises customer conversations from email, phone, chat, and social media into a single ticketing system. Key features include workflow automations to route tickets, a knowledge base for self-service, and robust reporting. It's known for its user-friendly interface and quick setup, making it a popular choice for small and medium-sized businesses.

Use the Aircall-Freshdesk integration to manage your phone support within Freshdesk, with features like automatic ticket creation and call logging.

Key features:

• Omnichannel ticketing system

• Automation for ticket routing and repetitive tasks

• Self-service portal with a knowledge base and forums

• AI-powered chatbot (Freddy AI)

• Field service management capabilities

Integrations: Over 650 apps in its marketplace.

Pricing: Offers a free plan. Paid plans start at $15 per agent/month.

15. Help Scout

Help Scout is a helpdesk platform designed for teams that prioritise a personal, human touch in their customer service. It looks and feels like a regular email inbox, which removes the impersonal feel of ticket numbers and automated portals for the customer. It offers a shared inbox for team collaboration, a knowledge base builder (Docs), and live chat (Beacon). Help Scout is ideal for businesses that want a powerful helpdesk without sacrificing a personalised customer experience.

With Aircall’s Help Scout integration, you can see customer details from Help Scout during calls and automatically log call information.

Key features:

• Shared inbox that feels like a personal email

• Knowledge base builder (Docs)

• Live chat and in-app messaging (Beacon)

• Customer satisfaction ratings

• Workflow automation and saved replies

Integrations: Over 90 integrations.

Pricing: Starts at $20 per user/month.

16. Mailjet

Mailjet is an all-in-one email service provider that allows businesses to send marketing, transactional, and automated emails. It stands out with its collaborative email editor, which allows teams to design and comment on emails in real-time. For customer service, Mailjet is useful for sending transactional emails like password resets, order confirmations, and support ticket updates. Its robust deliverability features ensure these critical emails reach the inbox.

Key features:

• Collaborative real-time email editor

• Marketing and transactional email sending

• Email automation and segmentation

• A/B testing and detailed analytics

• Advanced user roles and permissions

Integrations: Integrates with CRMs, e-commerce platforms, and more.

Pricing: Offers a free plan. Paid plans start at $15/month.

17. Olark

Olark is a live chat software focused on simplicity and providing a great customer experience. It allows businesses to chat with visitors on their website in real-time to answer questions, resolve issues, and gather feedback. Olark's standout features include its customisable chatbox design, automated messages (greeters), and detailed chat transcripts. It also provides real-time visitor information, such as what page they are on and what's in their shopping cart, giving agents valuable context.

Key features:

• Easy-to-use live chat for websites

• Customisable chatbox design

• Automated chat messages based on visitor behavior

• Real-time dashboards and chat transcripts

• Integration with CRMs and helpdesks

Integrations: Integrates with HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, and more.

Pricing: Starts at $29 per seat/month.

18. Groove HQ

Groove HQ is a simple helpdesk software designed for small businesses that want to provide great customer support without the complexity of enterprise tools. It offers a shared inbox, knowledge base, and live chat. Groove's interface is clean and intuitive, making it easy for teams to get started quickly. It's a great alternative to Gmail for managing customer support, providing better organisation and collaboration features.

Key features:

• Shared inbox for email and social media

• Knowledge base builder

• Live chat

• Automation rules for workflows

• Reporting on team performance and customer satisfaction

Integrations: Integrates with Slack, Zapier, Shopify, and more.

Pricing: Starts at $12 per user/month.

19. Close

Close is a sales-focused CRM with built-in calling, emailing, and SMS. It's designed for high-velocity sales teams, but its communication features also make it a useful tool for customer support. Close centralises all communication with a contact in one view, giving agents a complete history of every interaction. Its standout feature is the powerful "Smart Views" which allows you to create dynamic lists of contacts to follow up with.

Key features:

• Built-in VoIP calling, SMS, and email

• Automatic logging of all communications

• Powerful search and "Smart Views" for lead management

• Email sequences and templates

• Reporting on team activity and performance

Integrations: Integrates natively with Zapier, Zendesk, and other tools.

Pricing: Starts at $25 per user/month.

20. ServiceRocket

ServiceRocket is a unique company that provides apps, plugins, and services for other software platforms, most notably Atlassian (Jira, Confluence) and Salesforce. They don't offer a single customer service app, but rather a collection of tools that enhance your existing platforms. For example, their "Connector for Salesforce and Jira" helps align support and engineering teams by syncing cases and issues. ServiceRocket is for businesses looking to get more out of their existing enterprise software investments.

Key features:

• Apps and add-ons for Atlassian and Salesforce products

• Implementation and migration services

• Training and certification programs

• Custom development services

Integrations: Focused on enhancing platforms like Jira, Confluence, and Salesforce.

Pricing: Varies by app and service.

Customer service app features

When evaluating different digital customer service tools, there are several key features to look for that can significantly boost your team's performance and efficiency.

• AI features: Look for AI features like automated ticket summaries, sentiment analysis, and AI-powered chatbots. These tools can handle repetitive tasks, provide agents with instant context, and offer 24/7 support to your customers.

• Automation: The ability to automate workflows is crucial. This includes routing tickets to the right agent, sending automated responses, and escalating urgent issues. Automation frees up your agents to focus on more complex problems.

• Analytics: Robust analytics and reporting are essential for understanding your team's performance and customer satisfaction. Look for dashboards that track key metrics like first response time, resolution time, and customer satisfaction (CSAT) scores.

• Integrations: Your customer service app should integrate seamlessly with the other tools in your tech stack, especially your CRM and helpdesk. A strong integration ecosystem prevents data silos and creates a unified view of the customer.

• Data privacy and security: With customer data being handled, ensure the app complies with regulations like GDPR and has strong security measures in place to protect sensitive information.

How to choose the right customer service software

Choosing the right mix of customer service software depends on your specific business needs. Here are a few tips to guide your decision:

• Budget: Determine your budget upfront. Many apps offer tiered pricing, so consider not just the starting price but also the cost as your team grows. Look for platforms that offer free trials or demos to test them out.

• Scalability: Choose software that can grow with your business. A tool that works for a team of five might not be suitable for a team of 50. Consider future needs and whether the platform can support them.

• Integration with existing tech stack: The new tool must work well with your current systems. Check for pre-built integrations with your CRM, helpdesk, and other essential apps. A well-integrated stack saves time and reduces manual data entry.

• Easy setup: Look for software that is easy to implement and use. A complicated setup process can lead to delays and low adoption rates among your team. An intuitive user interface is key to getting your team on board quickly.

Evolve your customer service with Aircall

Delivering exceptional, personalised customer service relies heavily on having the right technology in place. Choosing the right customer support app depends on your budget, scalability needs, and how well it integrates with your other tools. Integrations are particularly crucial, as they create a unified ecosystem that empowers your agents with a complete view of the customer journey.

Aircall is a customer service solution designed to transform your support operations. With over 200 integrations for top CRMs and helpdesks, robust call centre analytics and reporting, and powerful AI features, Aircall gives your team the tools they need to succeed.

As Qred Bank improved customer service with Aircall, Molly Wahlström, their Customer Operations Manager, noted:

“Being able to add other tools to Aircall and vice versa has been crucial to us as a data-driven company. We also love the analytical part of Aircall, and being able to deep-dive on a team level, number level or agent level to get insights.”

Deliver faster, personalised customer service with a modern, integrated phone system that connects with all your favorite tools. Try Aircall today.

Frequently asked questions

What is a customer service app?

A customer service app is a software tool designed to help businesses manage, track, and respond to customer enquiries. These apps can centralise communications from various channels like phone, email, and live chat, automate workflows, and provide analytics to improve team performance and customer satisfaction.

Which tool is most useful in customer service?

The most useful tool often depends on your primary support channels. However, a helpdesk or a CRM is typically the backbone of a customer service tech stack. A helpdesk centralises enquiries, while a CRM provides a complete view of the customer relationship, making both invaluable.

What features should I look for in a customer service app?

Key features to look for include omnichannel capabilities to manage all channels in one place, automation to handle repetitive tasks, robust analytics for performance tracking, seamless integrations with your existing tools, and a user-friendly interface to ensure high adoption among your team.

Published on September 22, 2016.