Here is a recap of what happened in the search forums today, through the eyes of the Search Engine Roundtable and other search forums on the web...
from Search Engine Roundtable https://ift.tt/30j9BZk
via IFTTT
Friday, July 31, 2020
Daily Search Forum Recap: July 31, 2020
from Search Engine Roundtable https://ift.tt/30j9BZk
via IFTTT
What Do You Put Before Blogging?
What Do You Put Before Blogging? For some odd reason, most bloggers struggle terribly because this crowd puts virtually EVERYTHING before blogging. Own it if this is you. Blogging plans dissolve into the ethers. You intended to blog. But no way could you miss your favorite team’s latest game. Something just dropped on Netflix; time […]
from Blogging Tips https://ift.tt/3flElwS
via IFTTT
from Blogging Tips https://ift.tt/3flElwS
via IFTTT
Best Office Chairs
If you’re spending 40+ hours per week seated at a desk, having a great office chair is crucial for both comfort and functionality. The right office chair can even boost your productivity.
On the flip side, the wrong office chair can cause pain in your neck, back, hips, legs, and more. Your chair could even make you susceptible to long-term health complications.
With remote work becoming the new normal, so many people are trying to upgrade their home offices. Getting a new office chair is the first step.
Whether you’re buying office chairs in-bulk for your conference room or just need a single chair for your home office, this guide contains the top nine office chairs on the market today.
The Top 9 Best Office Chairs
- Steelcase Gesture
- Herman Miller Mirra 2
- Humanscale Liberty Task
- Autonomous ErgoChair 2
- BTExpert Mid Back Task
- Global Arturo
- Via Oslo
- Branch Task Chair
- Vari Active Seat
Each review below contains the features, benefits, pricing, and use cases for the office chairs on our list. Use this information to find the best office chair for you.
#1 – Steelcase Gesture — Best Overall Office Chair
• Starts at $1,698
• 12 colors
• Supports different postures
• Fully customizable
• Shop Now
The Steelcase Gesture is the best office chair available on the market today. For home offices and at-work use alike, it has everything you could possibly need or want in a chair.
Steelcase conducted a posture study on 2,000 people while designing this chair. This ensures that it can accommodate a wide range of seating needs and preferences while delivering comfort and support.
It comes in 12 different colors to match any space or work environment. The chair comes in a wide range of pre-configured options—wrapped back, headrest, stool, shell back, stool with shell back, and stool with wrapped back.
If you don’t like one of those pre-configured chairs, you’ll have the freedom and flexibility to customize your own.
Optional features include:
- Polished aluminum base
- Glides
- Adjustable lumbar
- Coat hanger
- Fixed arm
- Armless
The Steelcase Gesture starts at $1,698, which is a little steep for some people. But if you’re spending 40+ hours a week sitting in a chair, the price is justifiable.
#2 – Herman Miller Mirra 2 — Best For Home Offices
• Starts at $745
• 12 year warranty
• Free shipping
• 30 day free returns
• Shop Now
The Herman Miller Mirra 2 makes an excellent addition to any home office. It has the perfect balance between comfort and sleek design.
Choose one of five modern colors—alpine, graphite, cappuccino, dark turquoise, or slate grey. You’ll also have the option to select a butterfly suspension back or a triflex polymer back.
Herman Miller gives you the option to customize your chair based on preferences for comfort and functionality, including:
- Adjustable lumbar support
- Standard tilt
- Tilt limiter
- Tilt limiter and seat angle
- Adjustable arms
- Fixed arms
- Fixed seat depth
- Front adjustable seat depth
- Carpet vs. hard floor casters
The chair is made at a 100% green-energy facility in Michigan. It comes with a 12-year warranty, free shipping, and 30-day free returns.
The Herman Miller Mirra 2 starts at $745.
#3 – Humanscale Liberty Task — Best Mesh Back Office Chair
• Starts at $1,069
• Weight-sensitive recline
• Form-sensing mesh
• Lumbar support
• Shop Now
Humanscale has a wide range of different office chairs for you to choose from. But their Liberty Task chair is a top choice for anyone who prefers a mesh back.
The chair is designed to encourage movement while accommodating users of different sizes and weights. It features a weight-sensitive recline, so there’s no need to make any manual adjustments.
The ability to accommodate any user makes the Liberty Task chair a popular choice for conference rooms and shared office spaces.
It provides excellent comfort and lumbar support while still offering a minimalist aesthetic and modern design.
You can customize your own Liberty Task chair or choose from a wide range of pre-configured models. Features available for customization include
- Armrests
- Frame color
- Back mesh
- Mesh color
- Seat textile
- Seat type
- Cylinder height
- Fireproofing
- Base upgrades
The one potential drawback is the shipping time. Custom models typically don’t ship for 2-4 weeks, which isn’t ideal if you need an office chair ASAP.
The Humanscale Liberty Task chair starts at $1,069.
#4 – Autonomous ErgoChair 2 — Best Ergonomic Office Chair
• Starts at $349
• Free shipping
• 2 year warranty
• Fully adjustable components
• 30 Day Free Trial
As the name implies, the Autonomous ErgoChair 2 is built with ergonomic design. This chair is perfect for anyone who prioritizes maximum efficiency related to comfort.
It’s great for preventing back pain, improving posture, and providing extra lumbar support.
The Autonomous ErgoChair 2 carries a BIMFA (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association) certification for its safety, performance, and ergonomics.
Essentially every feature of the chair can be adjusted for comfort:
- Headrest height
- Headrest tilt
- Back tilt
- Back tilt tension
- Seat tilt
- Lumbar support tension
- Handrail height
- Handrail direction
- Chair height
For such a comfortable and functional chair, the Autonomous ErgoChair 2 is surprisingly affordable. It can be yours for just $349.
The chair comes with a two-year warranty and free shipping. Try it free for 30 days.
#5 – BTExpert Mid Back Task Chair — Best Armless Office Chair
• $105
• Compact Design
• 360 degree swivel
• Rolling caster wheels
• Shop Now
If you’re not sitting at a desk all day and just need a small chair for writing quick notes or sending out the occasional email, you don’t need to spend a fortune on an office chair.
The Mid Back Task Chair from BTExpert is perfect for small desks or even low built-in counter spaces where you open the mail, write checks, or don’t spend a ton of time sitting.
The compact design makes it easy to tuck beneath a desk or table when it’s not being used, without taking up a ton of space in the room.
It’s simple, modern, and elegant, while still proving sturdy support and functionality.
You’ll benefit from features like a 360-degree swivel, fast assembly, non-scratch leg tip, five-point stainless steel finish, and rolling caster wheels.
Unlike other office chairs on the market, you can’t really customize the Mid Back Task Chair. What you see is what you get. But it’s one of the best cheap office chairs on the market. Buy it now for the low price of just $105.
#6 – Global Arturo — Best Leather Office Chair
• Starts at $1,007
• Premium leather
• Memory foam
• Customizable
• Shop Now
The Global Arturo is a premium leather chair that comes with plush cushions and detailed stitching.
It’s available in three different models—high back, extended high back, and low back.
The chair is perfect for anyone who wants an office chair that blends comfort with luxury. It comes standard with upholstered arms for added comfort and a padded headrest to provide extra head and neck support.
All three models can be fully customized. You can choose your preferences for features like:
- Base finish
- Cylinder
- Gaster glides
- Frame
- Backing
- Memory foam
- Commercial vs. performance textiles
The Global Arturo office chair starts at $1,007.
#7 – Via Oslo — Best Custom Office Chair
• Starts at $1,283
• Low and high back models
• 400 lbs. capacity
• Fully customizable
• Build Your Own
For those of you who want a unique office chair, the Via Oslo is fully customizable. In fact, there aren’t any pre-configured models for you to choose from.
The only way to get this chair is by building your own.
Start by choosing from a high-back or mid-back chair. Then personalize virtually every aspect of the chair, including:
- Arms
- Base
- Casters
- Upholstery
- Upholstery layout
- Colors
- Textiles
The Via Oslo delivers a timeless design. You’ll also benefit from saddle stitch lines, tilt adjustment, depth adjustment, and more. It has an impressive 400-pound maximum weight capacity, so you know that the chair is sturdy and strong.
All models are backed by a 12-year warranty. The low-back model starts at $1,283, and the high-back model starts at $2,448.
#8 – Branch Task Chair — Best Budget Office Chair
• $199
• Free shipping
• Easy to assemble
• 5 adjustable options
• Shop Now
Some office chairs can be pretty pricey. So if you don’t want to spend $500+ or upwards of $1,000 on a chair, you can still get an excellent quality product from Branch.
The Branch Task Chair is the best office chair under $200. It’s proof that you can get a budget office chair without sacrificing comfort and functionality.
This is a great option for anyone who wants a sleek design with premium ergonomics at an affordable price point. You’ll benefit from features like adjustable lumbar support, breathable mesh, and five points of adjustment:
- Tilt adjust
- Tilt tension adjust
- Height adjust
- Armrest adjust
- Lumbar adjust
Aesthetically, the Branch Task Chair blends in well with any home office design. It’s easy to assemble and ships for free in 1-3 days.
Buy it now for $199.
#9 – Vari Active Seat — Best Office Chair For Standing Desks
• $250
• No assembly required
• Free shipping
• 30 day money back guarantee
• Shop Now
Standing desks have been growing in popularity. But even with an adjustable-height desk, you probably won’t spend the whole day standing.
So if you want to sit from time to time while working at your standing desk, the Vari Active Seat is perfect for you.
The Vari active seat comes fully assembled right out of the box so you can start using right away.
It features a wide cushioned seat and a bent plywood base to deliver maximum comfort and sustainable durability. You’ll benefit from a dynamic range of motion with the chair’s articulating pedestal—it’s designed for movement.
The Vari Active Seat lifts up to 32.75 inches, making it easy to use at your standing desk.
It’s comfortable but still lets you work with great posture. Vari also has a wide range of standing desks, so you can get more than just an office chair with your order.
The Vari Active Chair costs $250. It’s backed by a 30-day guarantee and ships for free.
How to Find the Best Office Chairs For You
How hard can it be to pick an office chair? Surprisingly enough, not all chairs are the same.
This is the methodology that we used to narrow down our top picks in this guide. Keep these factors in mind as you’re evaluating prospective options.
Comfort
First and foremost, your chair needs to be comfortable. Some of you might be sitting in this chair for 40-60+ hours per week.
The best way to evaluate comfort without actually sitting in the chair itself is by checking out customer reviews. Some companies will even offer a money-back guarantee or trial period.
Assembly
If you’re buying an office chair online, it typically won’t come fully assembled. This means you’ll have to put it together on your own.
In most cases, this shouldn’t be too complicated. Depending on the chair, this could take anywhere from five to ten minutes at most. Consider looking at the instructions before you buy to see if it’s something you feel like tackling on your own.
Warranty
The best office chairs come with extended coverage. What if something happens to the chair and it breaks next month? What about next year?
If you’re paying hundreds or even $1,000+ on a product, you want to make sure that the manufacturer stands behind its quality.
Adjustability
Make sure you can adjust the chair. This will accommodate different desk heights and users, which is crucial if the chair is being shared by multiple people.
The best chairs allow you to adjust the seat height, seat angle, and seat depth. In some cases, you’ll also be able to adjust the armrests, back height, back angle, and more.
Lumbar Support
It’s possible for chairs to be comfortable, but terrible for your back. The best office chairs provide excellent lumbar support, which will help prevent back pain and long-term damage to your spine.
Aesthetics
I’m typically more of a “function over form” type of person. But depending on the circumstances, some office chairs might not fit the environment.
You don’t want your office chair to be an eye-sore in the room. The best chairs allow you to customize the colors and other features to match your office. However, this may not be important to everyone.
Conclusion
What’s the best office chair on the market today? We recommend the Steelcase Gesture. But there are plenty of other excellent options to choose from depending on your needs.
If you’re on a tight budget, check out the Branch Task Chair or the BTExpert Mid Back Task Chair. For those of you with a standing desk, the Vari Active Seat will be the best option for you.
Want a premium leather office chair? Get the Global Arturo. Anyone that prioritizes ergonomics will love the Autonomous ErgoChair 2. The Herman Miller Mirra 2 is our favorite home office chair. The Via Oslo is fully customizable.
Make sure you refer to our buying guide methodology as you’re shopping around. No matter what type of chair your office needs, you can find it on our list.
from Quick Sprout https://ift.tt/33fdm3U
via IFTTT
Best Customer Service Software
Want to jump straight to the answer? The best customer service software is Zoho Desk, Hubspot, and LiveAgent.
Customer service software makes sure your customers are happy and satisfied with your business.
After all, your customers make or break your success.
Happy customers keep coming back and spending more money, while unsatisfied customers will cause significant damage to your reputation.
That’s why customer service must be a priority for every business.
Fortunately, the right customer service software can make this possible. Customer service solutions help ensure fast response times, positive interactions, and happy customers.
The 8 Best Customer Service Software of 2020
It’s tough to find a good customer service software. There’s many options available on the market. But some of these tools are significantly better than others.
After researching and testing dozens of customer service solutions, I’ve narrowed down the top eight for you to consider.
- Zoho Desk — Best customer service software for ticketing.
- HubSpot — Best free customer service software and product bundles.
- LiveAgent — Best customer service software for live chat support.
- Freshdesk — Best customer service software if you’re switching from another platform.
- Zendesk — Best customer service software with support suite options available.
- Salesforce Service Cloud — Best customer service software for field service agents.
- Groove — Best customer service software for small teams and growth startups.
- Help Scout — Best customer service software for nonprofits.
As we continue you through this guide, I’ll give you an in-depth review of each one below. You’ll learn about the top features, benefits, use cases, pricing, and more.
Best Customer Service Software Reviews
Zoho Desk (Best for ticketing)
• Free forever plan
• Upgrade starting at $12/mo
• Email ticketing & help center
• Mobile app access
• Try for Free
Zoho is one of the most popular names in the world of business software and CRM. They offer tools for sales, marketing, email, collaboration, finance, accounting, human resources, and business intelligence.
But one of the best solutions that they offer is Zoho Desk—IT and help desk software.
Zoho Desk has solutions for customer service agents, managers, and customers. But above all, it’s arguably the best customer service software for managing and closing tickets.
Let’s take a closer look at the plans and price points for Zoho Desk:
Free — $0
- Up to three agents
- Email ticketing
- Help center
- Private knowledge base
- Predefined SLAs
- Mobile app
- Multilingual help desk
Standard — $12 per month per agent
- Social and community channels
- Product-based ticket management
- Public knowledge base
- Escalations
- Workflow and assignment rules
- Supervise rules
- Customer happiness ratings
Professional — $20 per month per agent
- Multi-department ticketing
- Team management
- Telephony
- Automated time tracking
- Ticket templates
- Ticket sharing
- Mobile SDK
Enterprise — $35 per month per agent
- Live chat
- AI
- Customize help center
- Advanced process management
- Scheduled reports
- Validation rules
- Role-based data sharing
No matter how big, small, or complex your business is, Zoho Desk has a plan for you.
HubSpot (Best free customer service software)
• 100% free forever plan
• Advanced features start at $40/mo
• Wide range of solutions
• Free software for customer service
• Try for Free
HubSpot is one of the most well-recognized CRMs in the industry. They have a wide range of software and solution suites for managing relationships with customers.
These offerings are segmented into three main categories—sales, marketing, and service.
The HubSpot Service Hub is what we’ll be focusing on here today. It’s an exceptional solution for managing customer issues through service tickets.
I like HubSpot because they offer free CRM solutions, including free software for customer service. Free features include ticketing, live chat, chatbots, team email, and a conversations inbox. You’ll also benefit from free email templates, closed ticket reports, and time-to-close reports.
HubSpot is proof that you don’t need to spend a ton of money on improving your customer service with software. This won’t cost you a thing.
For those of you who want access to advanced features and benefits, here’s an overview o the paid plans:
Starter — $40 per month
- Includes two paid users
- Canned snippets
- Meeting scheduling
- Agent productivity reports
- Calling
Professional — $320 per month
- Includes five paid users
- Ticket status, routing, automation, and pipelines
- Knowledge base
- 1:1 video creation
- Custom reporting
- Surveys for NPS, experience, and support
Enterprise — $1,200 per month
- Includes ten paid users
- Playbooks and goals
- Hierarchical teams
- User roles
- Single sign-on
- Integrates with Slack
All rates are based on an annual contract. You can get the HubSpot Service Hub month-to-month for 20% more.
HubSpot also offers exceptional product bundles for all CRM categories in a single solution. So if you want to get software for service, sales, and marketing from a single provider, HubSpot is the best option for you. Bundles start at $112.50 per month.
LiveAgent (Best for live chat support)
• 100% free forever plan
• Upgrades starting at $15/mo
• All-in-one solution
• Simple and flexible tools
• Try for Free
LiveAgent is a customer service solution that helps you manage all customer requests from multiple channels in a single platform.
No matter where your customers are, you can merge all communication and support to one place. LiveAgent saves you time, simplifies the process, and allows you to increase the profitability of your support team.
LiveAgent has tools for:
- Email ticketing
- Live chat
- Voice and video calls
- Social media integration
Here’s a closer look at the plans and prices for customer service software form LiveAgent:
Free — $0 forever
- 7 day ticket history
- 1 email address for ticketing
- 1 live chat button
- 1 phone number for call center support
Ticket — $15 per month per agent
- Unlimited ticket history
- Unlimited email ticketing
- Load data from your CRM
- Multi-brand support
Ticket + Chat — $29 per month per agent
- Unlimited live chat
- Real-time visitor monitor
- Chat invitations
- Chat satisfaction surveys
All-inclusive — $39 per month per agent
- Unlimited call center support
- Video calling
- Gamification
- Unlimited call storage
For all of the paid plans, LiveAgent has add-on pricing for features like social media integration, time tracking, audit logs, and more.
Overall, it’s a simple and flexible tool for managing live customers with ticketing and live chat.
Freshdesk (Best for switching platforms)
• Free 21-day trial
• Plans start at $15/mo
• Extensive list of features
• Trusted by 150,000+ businesses
• Try for Free
Freshdesk is another one of the most popular help desk solutions on the market today. Above all, it’s simple. That’s why it’s trusted by 150,000+ businesses, including American Express, HP, and Panasonic.
With Freshdesk, you’ll have access to an extensive list of features across a wide range of customer support categories:
- Ticketing
- Collaboration
- Field Service
- Automation
- Customer self-service
- Reporting
- Multi-channel support
It’s an excellent solution to streamline all of your customer connections in a single location. Freshdesk makes team collaboration and automation a breeze.
If you’re currently using another help desk solution and you’re unhappy with it, Freshdesk makes it easy for you to switch to its software.
Here’s an overview of the plans and pricing. All rates are based on an annual plan. The prices are a bit higher if you go month-to-month.
Sprout — Free
- Unlimited agents
- Email ticketing
- Team collaboration
- Knowledge base
- Ticket trend reports
- Social ticketing
Blossom — $15 per month per agent
- Automations
- Collision detection
- Marketplace apps
- Helpdesk
- SLA management
- Business hours
Garden — $29 per month per agent
- Time tracking
- CSAT survey
- Session replay
- Performance report
- Knowledge base with multi-lingual support
Estate — $49 per month per agent
- Automated ticket assignment
- Custom agent roles
- Custom portal
- Enterprise reporting
- Multiple time zones and SLAs
Forest — $109 per month per agent
- Ticket assignment based on skills
- Create a testing environment without affecting agents or customers
- IP Whitelisting
- HIPAA compliant
- Extendable API rate limit
Freshdesk has omnichannel add-ons and features for field service management for an additional fee. Try it free with a 21-day trial.
Zendesk (Best with support suite options)
• Free trial available
• Starts at $89/mo
• Flexible customized solutions
• Used by 150,000+ businesses
• Try for Free
Zendesk is one of the best overall customer service software solutions on the market today. It’s used by 150,000+ businesses, including big brands like Uber, Venmo, Shopify, and Slack.
The Zendesk support suite has everything you need to manage customer service communication across multiple channels. You can provide customer support via email, live chat, voice, Facebook, Twitter, WeChat, WhatsApp, and more.
The software makes it possible to connect all of your data sources to a single location. So when a customer contacts you for support, the right information will automatically be on display.
Zendesk is flexible, so it can support the needs of any business. You can get a customized solution that fits with your existing support environment.
Here’s a quick overview of the plans, features, and pricing for the Zendesk support suite:
Professional Support Suite — $89 per agent per month
- Omnichannel support
- Social messaging add-on
- Self-service knowledge base
- Dashboards and reporting for all channels
- Talk partner edition
- Multiple ticket forms
Enterprise Support Suite — $149 per agent per month
- Roles and permissions with skilled base routing
- Multi-brand support
- Chat widget and web SDK
- Content cues to identify knowledge gaps
- 24/7 live chat and phone support
The full-service support suite from Zendesk has it all. But not every business needs something this comprehensive. If you’re looking for something a little bit more basic, Zendesk offers more affordable options for smaller businesses.
- Essential — $5 per month per agent
- Team — $19 per month per agent
- Professional — $49 per month per agent
- Enterprise — $99 per month per agent
- Elite — $199 per month per agent
You can try any Zendesk software or support suite with a free trial. If you’re looking for a customized solution, contact the Zendesk sales team.
Salesforce Service Cloud (Best for field service agents)
• Starts at $25/month
• Resolve cases quicker
• Streamline your on-site support
• Trusted by 150,000+ companies
• Get Started Now
Salesforce is an industry leader in sales CRM software. But they also offer tools and solutions for customer service. It’s trusted by 150,000+ companies across the world.
The Salesforce Service Cloud makes it easy for any business to build customer relationships while saving time and improving customer satisfaction. Brands like Yeti and Adidas are just a couple of well-known names that use this software.
Your customer service representatives will be able to resolve cases quicker with the insights and tools offered by Salesforce. The platform has a shared view of every customer interaction.
Set up self-service portals so your customers can access account information, view tutorials, and view knowledge base articles.
The Salesforce Service Cloud has capabilities to streamline your on-site support. Field service works, dispatchers, and on-site technicians can use these tools to resolve problems during the first visit.
Salesforce uses AI to predict recommendations and provide support with an intuitive chatbot service.
Let’s take a look at the plans and pricing for Salesforce Service Cloud:
Essentials — $25 per user per month
- Case management
- Service console apps
- Knowledge tools
- Telephony integration (CTI)
Professional — $75 per user per month
- All Essentials features
- Service contracts
Enterprise — $150 per user per month
- All Professional features
- Web services API
Unlimited — $300 per user per month
- All Enterprise features
- 24/7 support and configuration
All plans come with tools for collaboration, productivity, personalization, real-time insights, cross-sell and upsell tools, app integration, and solutions to automate processes.
Salesforce offers add-ons for things like field service workers, digital engagement, and location-based intelligence.
Groove (Best for small teams and growth startups)
• Plans start at $9/month
• Team collaboration tools
• Customizable knowledge base
• Exceptional automation tools
• Get Started Now
Groove isn’t as popular and well-known as some of the other options on our list. But it’s still used by more than 10,000 businesses across 140+ countries.
If your company has outgrown email for customer support and you’re getting inquiries on multiple channels, Groove will be a top choice for you to consider.
This solution stands out from the crowd with its team collaboration tools. You can add internal private notes to discussions, quickly mention teammates to bring them in the loop, and assign specific tasks to members of the team.
Groove has exceptional automations to streamline your customer support. Set rules, tagging, canned replies, and custom folders with your preferences to eliminate busywork.
Another standout feature from Groove is the ability to customize your knowledge base. This is crucial for businesses that want to offer customer self-service tools.
The knowledge base themes are fully customizable, beautifully designed, and mobile responsive. Plans and pricing for Groove customer support software are as follows:
Starter — $9 per month per user
- One mailbox
- Knowledge base
- Live chat
- Web widget
- Assignments and mentions
Plus — $19 per month per user
- 5 mailboxes
- Full history of reports
- Rules
- API access
- 40+ integrations
Pro — $29 per month per user
- 25 mailboxes
- Teams
- WhatsApp and SMS
- Integrations with Salesforce, HubSpot, and Jira
Company — Custom pricing
- Unlimited mailboxes
- Priority support
- Dedicated customer support manager
- SSO/SAML
- Enterprise-level security
I’d recommend Groove for small teams and startups. In fact, they have a special startup rate for businesses with less than ten employees. Eligible businesses can get a 93% discount off of the Pro plan.
Help Scout (Best for nonprofits)
• Plans start at $20/month
• Certified B corporation
• High-quality software
• Used by 10,000+ businesses
• Try for Free
Help Scout is another lesser-known solution on our list. But with that said, it’s still a high-quality software for customer service. It’s used by 10,000+ businesses worldwide.
Help Scout is unique because it’s a Certified B corporation. They strive to make a positive impact on the environment and communities. So they go the extra mile to support organizations that share the same values.
If you have a nonprofit that supports human rights, environmental sustainability, or underrepresentation in tech, Help Scout will provide a significant discount on your customer service software.
Some of you might even be eligible for discounts of up to 100%. That’s right—free.
Even if you don’t fall into one of those categories, Help Scout is still a top solution for customer service. Here’s a closer look at the plans and prices:
Standard — $20 per month per user
- Three mail boxes
- Beacon with live chat
- Messages for up to 10,000 customers
- Reports
- Automated workflows
- 50+ integrations
Plus — $35 per month per user
- 10 mailboxes
- Custom fields and teams
- Salesforce, HubSpot, and Jira apps
- HIPAA compliance
- SSO/SAML authentication
Company — Custom pricing
- Unlimited mailboxes and docs sites
- Flexible users
- Concierge onboarding
- Dedicated account manager
- Enterprise-grade security
The rates above are based on an annual contract. Month-to-month plans are available for an additional fee. You can try Help Scout for free with a 15-day trial.
How to Choose the Best Customer Service Software For Your Business
What’s the best customer service software for your business? There are certain features and considerations to keep in mind as you’re evaluating different options.
This is the methodology that we use and recommend here at Quick Sprout.
Number of Agents
How big is your customer service team? Companies with five service reps won’t need the same software as a business with 50 agents.
Larger teams need features for things like collaboration and role-based ticketing, but that won’t be necessary for a smaller business.
Customer Communication Method
How are customers currently reaching out to your service team? How do you want them to do so moving forward?
There’s a software for everything. Whether it’s email, live chat, chatbots, or support tickets, you can find a solution to meet your needs. There are even tools for social media integration so all of your messages, including DMs and comments, can be managed from a single dashboard.
Feature Bundles
Every customer service software on our list does an exceptional job of marketing its top features. But with that said, you should only focus on the features you need the most.
For example, are you looking for customer service software specifically for live chat? LiveAgent will be a top choice for you. If you want a solution for your field service agents, use Salesforce Service Cloud. There are even tools for customer service, sales, and marketing CRM built into single product bundles.
My suggestion is this. Identify the features you definitely need. Then look for the right plan that has all of those features.
Price
The price for customer service software varies on a wide range of factors. Lots of solutions charge you based on the number of customer service agents on your team.
Available features in your package will also have a significant impact on what you pay.
Customer service is definitely not something you should skimp on. It’s ok to spend money. But with that said, not all of you need to go overboard. Small businesses, startups, and nonprofits with smaller teams can use free customer service software without compromising quality.
Conclusion
Every business must prioritize customer service. These are the top eight customer service software solutions on the market today:
- Zoho Desk — Best customer service software for ticketing.
- HubSpot — Best free customer service software and product bundles.
- LiveAgent — Best customer service software for live chat support.
- Freshdesk — Best customer service software if you’re switching from another platform.
- Zendesk — Best customer service software with support suite options available.
- Salesforce Service Cloud — Best customer service software for field service agents.
- Groove — Best customer service software for small teams and growth startups.
- Help Scout — Best customer service software for nonprofits.
Use this guide to help you find the best solution for your business. I made sure to include something for everyone on my list.
from Quick Sprout https://ift.tt/2JtZyap
via IFTTT
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)