Freshdesk vs Kayako

2020. Freshworks acquires AnsweriQ



Customer engagement platform Freshworks has completed the acquisition of AnsweriQ, a startup specializing in AI tools for self-service solutions and agent-assisted use cases. The primary objective of this acquisition is to enhance customer service efficiency by providing quick and accurate answers to customers. AnsweriQ's AI tools cater to both Freshworks users and customers of competing products. AnsweriQ will continue operating its existing product lineup for the time being, while Freshworks aims to eventually transition these users to its own platform. Additionally, Freshworks plans to integrate AnsweriQ's technology into its Freddy AI engine, further augmenting its capabilities.


2019. Freshworks raises $150M Series H on $3.5B valuation



Freshworks, a leading provider of SaaS helpdesk and CRM software, has recently secured a significant $150 million Series H investment, valuing the company at an impressive $3.5 billion. In addition to this funding, Freshworks has unveiled a new comprehensive data platform called the "Customer-for-Life Cloud," which seamlessly integrates across all its tools. This unified platform encompasses various aspects of the customer journey, including marketing, sales, support, and customer success. By consolidating data into a common model, businesses utilizing Freshworks gain a holistic view of the entire customer lifecycle. Since its launch in 2010, Freshworks has witnessed substantial growth and currently employs nearly 2,500 professionals. With this latest investment, the company is poised for further expansion. Freshworks boasts a global customer base of 250,000, with nearly 40,000 of them being paying customers. Renowned brands such as Bridgestone Tires, Honda, Hugo Boss, Toshiba, and Cisco are among Freshworks' valued clientele.


2017. Freshdesk acquires chatbot startup Joe Hukum



Help desk service Freshdesk has made an acquisition of Joe Hukum, a startup based in India that specializes in providing a platform for businesses to create their own chatbots. Originally known as Speedy, Joe Hukum initially focused on developing its own personal assistant/concierge app to assist users in ordering goods and services. However, the company later shifted its focus to offer its platform as a service for building chatbots tailored to the needs of other businesses. Joe Hukum's knowledge tree coding is designed to automate sales, service, and support workflows. As part of the acquisition, the startup's team will utilize Freshworks' existing products to create chatbots, thereby enabling Freshdesk to differentiate itself from alternative services. This deal reflects the ongoing interest in chatbots within the customer support realm. Companies are seeking more efficient and cost-effective methods to provide essential information and assistance to their customers, and many see chatbots as a viable solution. Despite being in the early stages of development, the chatbot industry continues to evolve rapidly.


2017. Freshdesk acquired data integration startup Pipemonk



Freskdesk has recently completed the acquisition of Pipemonk, a startup based in Bangalore. Pipemonk specializes in facilitating the seamless transfer of data between various cloud applications, including CRM, eCommerce, marketing, and help desk services. This acquisition holds significant importance for Freshdesk, whose core product offerings revolve around customer service and help desk solutions. Pipemonk offers more than just a generic data automation capability; it presents practical benefits in-house by consolidating the diverse array of services that Freshdesk has acquired during its series of strategic acquisitions over the past 16 months.


2016. Customer service app Freshdesk scores $55 million



Freshdesk has secured a substantial investment of $55 million to expand its offerings beyond being a purely customer service application. With this influx of funds, the company aims to embark on an aggressive expansion across its entire product line, leveraging the newfound resources to drive innovation and growth. While Freshdesk doesn't intend to develop a data product similar to Zendesk's recent announcement, it does have significant plans to utilize the data it collects to enhance its products with smarter, data-driven functionality. Even prior to this funding, Freshdesk has been actively working on incorporating more intelligence into its products throughout 2017. The objective is to empower agents with software that assists them in making the most effective decisions to support customers, regardless of whether they are external or internal to the organization.


2012. Freshdesk gamifies Customer Service


Gamification has made its way into the customer support space, which is beneficial as tech support agents often question their job satisfaction after dealing with difficult customers. The inclusion of game mechanics can provide additional motivation during such moments. One of the pioneers in implementing gamification in helpdesk solutions is Freshdesk. They have integrated traditional game mechanics into their platform, where agents are awarded points based on various factors such as ticket resolution time, first-call issue resolution, and customer satisfaction. These points can be tracked through internal leaderboards, allowing agents to progress through different levels, starting from "Support Newbie" and advancing to "Support Guru." It is interesting to note that Freshdesk, which has already gained significant popularity, was founded last year by Girish Mathrubootham, a former top manager at ManageEngine (a division of Zoho). Girish decided to leave his comfortable position at Zoho and create his own startup after reading a brief comment about Zendesk raising prices for its helpdesk service. You can read the full story here.


2010. Kayako unveiled free remote-support tool



This year Kayako will release the new version of its technical support suite. One of the main new features in Kayako SupportSuite V4 will be p2p remote-desktop application Kayako OnSite, which was recently demonstrated to the developer community. As known, Kayako SupportSuite includes a fully functional Helpdesk system with a customer portal and online knowledge base (eSupport), as well as the online chat system (LiveResponse). Remote Desktop application will complement this suite and strengthen Kayako's leadership on the market. According to Kayako developers, they managed to solve two major problems of remote-desktop solutions - firewalls and low video quality. Kayako OnSite (like Skype) silently establishes connection between two remote computers without the need to set up router and firewall. And thanks to the adjustable color depth and screen size, the application works quickly even at low speed connections. ***


2009. Kayako provides free web helpdesk for open-source projects

Kayako, the vendor of WEB Help desk software, has introduced a complimentary edition of its suite specifically designed for open-source projects and non-profit organizations. The free license provided is perpetual and includes twelve months of technical support. Additionally, eligible organizations have the opportunity to obtain free licenses for Kayako's supplementary add-on products, including KayakoMobile, a help desk management client for mobile devices. In general, any registered charity (verified by local authorities) and any open-source software project are eligible for this offer. However, certain organizations that meet these criteria may still be excluded from the offer.