Freshdesk vs Zoho Desk

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.


2018. Zoho Desk adds AI assistant for customer service



Service management software Zoho Desk is introducing new capabilities to enhance agent productivity, streamline cross-functional service processes, and seamlessly integrate customer service with other business functions. One of the notable features is the Voice and Chat Assistant, powered by Zia. Zia assists in reducing the workload on customer service teams by providing voice and chat-based interactions. Customers can engage with Zia to ask questions and receive answers from a knowledge base. Similarly, agents can leverage Zia's assistance to receive response suggestions while assisting customers. Zia intelligently suggests specific sections of relevant knowledge-base articles, enabling agents to easily incorporate them into their responses with a single click, enhancing efficiency and accuracy in customer interactions.


2017. Zoho Desk introduced Compact Mode, Ticket Peek, and Snippets



Zoho Desk, the service that empowers customer service teams to enhance the quality of their support through contextual information, is expanding its range of tools to compete with alternative solutions. The new addition called Compact Mode offers all the functionalities of the classic ticket list while displaying nearly double the number of tickets without requiring navigation to a separate screen. Another noteworthy feature, Ticket Peek, presents agents with a streamlined response screen, enabling them to swiftly address tickets. When agents "peek" into a ticket, they gain visibility into all the interactions associated with that ticket, along with its properties and relevant solutions. Additionally, agents now have access to Snippets, which are pre-written phrases that can be quickly inserted into a response by pressing the Tab key.


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. Zoho unveiled Zoho Desk - context-aware help desk software


Zoho Desk is not just a rebranding of Zoho Support; it is an entirely new customer support software that offers a comprehensive view of customer issues within the context of their previous activities and interactions. Having relevant contextual information about customers allows agents to provide better responses. Zoho Desk seamlessly integrates customer information from Zoho CRM into support tickets, enabling agents to have all the necessary details at their fingertips. The system also assists agents in automatically prioritizing support tickets based on customer interactions. Additionally, the software provides ticket filtering options based on criteria such as due time, status, or customer type. When additional assistance is needed, the Team Feed feature comes to the rescue, allowing users to seek help from their colleagues. Moreover, the @mentions feature allows for easy collaboration by involving another colleague in the conversation or assigning the ticket to the appropriate person.


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.


2014. Zoho Support integrated with Zoho Creator



Zoho Support, an online help desk software, has now been integrated with the online database tool Zoho Creator. This integration enables the seamless creation, updating, and retrieval of information between Zoho Support and Zoho Creator. To align with your business processes, you have the flexibility to construct custom modules for the Zoho Support application. Additionally, you can incorporate data from Zoho Support into your custom app in Zoho Creator, allowing you to generate reports and collaborate with other users. For example, within your Zoho Creator Order Management app, customers can submit complaints, instantly generating a support ticket in Zoho Support. Agents can then access the order details, empowering them with the necessary information to address the issue effectively.


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.