Freshdesk vs LiveAgent

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Our analysts compared Freshdesk vs LiveAgent based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Help Desk Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Freshdesk is a cloud-based customer service solution that ensures increased satisfaction and engagement. It simplifies ticketing with customization options for agent roles, ticket forms, portals and more. Users can manage identity and information access for improved data security.

It offers field service modules that include omnichannel customer engagement, quick query resolution, automatic appointment management and a map view that lets users track dispatches in real time. Android and iOS support allow field employees to plan, monitor and track appointments, updates and customer communication conveniently. Its other offerings include widget customization, scheduled and customized reports, intelligent ticket assignment and more.

  • Pros
  • Easy to use interface
  • Scalable for large teams
  • Automation capabilities
  • Reporting & Analytics
  • Mobile app available
  • Cons
  • Limited free plan
  • Customization options
  • Reporting can be complex
  • Higher pricing for some plans
  • Limited multilingual support
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LiveAgent is an online communication platform that supports personalized, multilingual customer service. It provides in-suite and standalone offerings for live chat, online self-service portals, ticket management, change and license management, and more. It offers all-in-one helpdesk support by combining all communication channels, including email, live chat, phone calls and social media, in a single company inbox.

LiveAgent offers additional services through third-party companies to provide CRM, including sales and marketing automation. Users can analyze helpdesk performance and generate multiple reports to reward high-performing support agents and track customer satisfaction.
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$15/User, Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
$9/Agent, Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
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Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Improved Productivity:  Assign tickets automatically to agents and groups based on various details, including their workloads and skills. Also, auto-assign emails, calls and chats to agents based on keywords and available bandwidth for better productivity. 
  • Better Efficiency: Schedule regular reports to analyze and improve agent performance using different help desk metrics. Measure customer satisfaction based on their satisfaction reports to improve services. 
  • Stronger Teamwork: Facilitate better collaboration between different departments for quicker resolution of customer issues, with linked tickets to keep track of vast issues and team huddle for discussions with experts. 
  • Data Security: Secure confidential data and customer information with state-of-the-art data security. Whitelist IP ranges, restrict login access and set up single sign on script for credentials authentication. 
  • AI Support: Enable faster resolution of customer issues with AI supported chatbots that provide instantaneous answers. 
  • Accessibility: Allow agents exclusive access to login on the go. Conveniently access solutions via website, mobile app and chatbot. 
  • Save Time: Automate mundane tasks so that agents can focus better on resolving customer issues. 
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  • Make Better Decisions: A range of insightful and data-driven reports summarize business aspects like accounting, inventory, employee activity and sales for performance overview and informed decision-making. 
  • Drive Profits: Improve user experience and boost retention to create fresh revenue channels with customer marketing strategies. 
  • Save Time: Improve customer support quality with over 180 features, like automated ticket distribution and callback, call routing, email notifications and IVR. Automate agent workflows using SLA rules, time and action. 
  • Respond Quickly: Improve customer engagement by reaching out faster to customer queries, with an average response time close to 30 minutes. 
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  • Ticketing Management: Deliver higher quality customer service with collaborative ticketing. Convert customer issues from different channels into resolvable tickets. Offers: 
    •  Team inbox to prioritize and assign tickets based on keywords. 
    •  AI-supported ticketing to improve agents’ efficiency and save time. 
    •  SLA management to measure agents’ performance and set customer expectations for response times. 
  • Omnichannel: Consolidate various support-related communications channels like email, phone, chat, website, WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter to ensure a seamless customer experience as well as faster query resolution. 
  • Service Management: Create service tasks and field technician groups for tickets on the basis of location, priority and other aspects. To manage field operations, it also includes: 
    •  Scheduling dashboard to keep track of appointments, tasks and field team workloads. 
    •  Mobile field service to keep technicians updated on the fly. 
    •  Automated time-tracking to monitor billable hours. 
    •  Single swipe attachment of customer signatures to the service tasks via the mobile app. 
  • Reporting and Analytics: Schedule reports at regular intervals and customize them according to various requirements. Access actionable insights using data in different chart styles and visualizations. 
  • Customization: Customize workflows, customer portal and agents for optimum productivity based on specific business requirements. Its customization can be leveraged in the following ways: 
    •  Customized ticket forms. 
    •  Custom URL for smooth customer experience. 
    •  Building and integration of customized apps. 
    •  Custom segmentation of customers for personalized support. 
  • Automation: Automate notifications to agents and customers for any updates in their tickets. Automatically execute maintenance activities and implement actions on tickets based on the time lapsed since an event. 
  • Identity and Access Management: Allow and restrict agents as well as customers to log in to their accounts using single sign on script from anywhere using IP whitelisting and a VPN. 
  • Customer Self-Service: Enable efficient customer self-service with automated suggestion pop ups, knowledge base articles and by converting critical issues in the community into resolvable tickets. 
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  • Ticketing System: Provide customer service with a centralized response system. Address inquiries from one inbox, update ticket status, gather customer data to identify and solve problems and distribute cases automatically to ensure fast resolution of queries. 
  • Call Center: Organize sales and provide support by managing customer calls on a unified platform. Connect devices, add agent phone numbers, place a call button on the website and make calls from the computer. Automate responses with IVR, route conversations to skip unnecessary waiting times, track missed calls using the callback feature and record talks without size limitations. 
  • Analytics and Reports: Get insights into the team performance, agent rankings, usage statistics, customer satisfaction ratings, SLA metrics, support channels and other key benchmarks to improve business practices, products and services. Access tag, SLA compliance, channel, department time reports. 
  • Data Protection: Enhance safety standards with help desk features to protect customer data and company practices. Ban IP addresses to limit irrelevant inquiries, enable secure login with 2-step verification, protect data between the browser and software using HTTPS encryption and store information in the data center for effective management. 
  • Gamification: Take advantage of innovative elements to increase engagement and customer retention. Use customizable badges based on the worker’s performance and benchmarks and leaderboards to showcase achievements. 
  • Customer Portal: Create product and brand-specific categories to help customers with self-service content and onboarding. Build knowledge bases using articles, guides, screenshots, videos, search widgets, suggestion forums and other problem-solving information to provide 24/7 customer support and boost website traffic. 
  • Automated Replies: Create automation rules to manage the high volume of tickets with predefined actions. Transfer tickets to departments, add tags, mark and resolve tickets with system actions and minimal guided intervention. Manage rules to organize tickets effectively, improve response time and reduce support costs. 
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Product Ranking

#7

among all
Help Desk Software

#53

among all
Help Desk Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

86
83
83
83
55
66
93
67
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Integrations and Extensibility
Platform Security
Platform Capabilities
Ticket Management
Team Collaboration
Platform Security
Ticket Management
Integrations and Extensibility

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Freshdesk
LiveAgent
+ Add Product + Add Product
Agent Productivity Call Center Management Dashboards And Reporting Email Management Live Chat Management Mobile Capabilities Platform Capabilities Team Collaboration Ticket Management 83 55 93 92 39 58 97 95 97 83 66 67 84 84 75 82 82 94 0 25 50 75 100
83%
0%
17%
83%
0%
17%
0%
92%
8%
67%
0%
33%
83%
17%
0%
67%
0%
33%
86%
0%
14%
86%
0%
14%
0%
45%
55%
82%
0%
18%
60%
0%
40%
60%
0%
40%
92%
4%
4%
71%
4%
25%
83%
17%
0%
83%
0%
17%
94%
0%
6%
94%
0%
6%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

100%
0%
0%
84%
0%
16%
100%
0%
0%
89%
11%
0%

User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 4697 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 3716 reviews
89%
of users recommend this product

Freshdesk has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 89% when considering 4697 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

93%
of users recommend this product

LiveAgent has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 93% when considering 3716 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (22)
5.0 (172)
4.4 (2352)
4.5 (1313)
4.63 (8)
4.68 (1174)
4.5 (2229)
n/a
n/a
4.7 (995)
4.3 (86)
4.7 (62)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Freshdesk and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Ticket Management and Integrations and Extensibility.

Ticket Management Award
Integrations and Extensibility Award

LiveAgent stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

User-Friendly Interface: Freshdesk is praised for its intuitive design and straightforward navigation. This minimizes onboarding time for new agents and reduces the learning curve, allowing them to become productive more quickly. Think of it as a user-friendly smartphone app compared to a clunky, feature-laden desktop program. This ease of use translates into faster issue resolution and improved overall efficiency.
Scalability & Customization: Freshdesk caters to businesses of all sizes, from startups to large enterprises. Its flexible plans and customization options allow businesses to tailor the platform to their specific needs. For instance, a small team might prioritize a simple ticketing system, while a larger organization can leverage features like custom automations or in-depth reporting for more complex workflows.
Mobile Accessibility: Freshdesk offers mobile apps for agents and customers, enabling them to access the platform and manage inquiries on the go. This is particularly valuable for remote teams or situations where agents need to be available outside the office. Imagine a field technician using the mobile app to update a customer ticket while on-site, improving responsiveness and streamlining the resolution process.
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Usability: 77% of users who reviewed this aspect said the software is easy to use and navigate.
Pricing: According to 82% of reviews on this element, the software offers many features at a great price.
Customer Service: The customer support channels are responsive and useful, according to 91% of users reviewing support.
Integration: 86% of users who mentioned this aspect said that the software offers multiple integrations.
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Limited Free Plan Functionality: While Freshdesk offers a free plan, it can be restrictive for businesses with growing needs. Features like custom automations, advanced reporting, and integrations are often reserved for paid plans. This can limit its usefulness for businesses seeking a comprehensive help desk solution without upfront investment.
Reporting Complexity: Freshdesk's reporting capabilities, particularly in lower-tier plans, can be cumbersome to navigate and require some technical expertise to generate insightful data. Some users report that creating custom reports or filtering data can be time-consuming, hindering efforts to effectively track key performance indicators (KPIs) and measure support team effectiveness. Imagine sifting through an overflowing email inbox to find a specific message compared to having a well-organized filing system with clear labels.
Limited Multilingual Support: Freshdesk's interface and support resources are primarily available in English. This can be a drawback for businesses operating in international markets or with a multilingual customer base. While some basic translations are available, they might be limited or not comprehensive, potentially hindering effective communication with non-English speaking customers and agents.
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Mobile Application: 84% of users who reviewed the mobile app stated that the notifications, features and design could be improved.
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Freshdesk garners praise for its user-friendly interface and intuitive design, which minimizes training time for new agents and gets them up to speed faster. This is particularly important for businesses with high agent turnover or seasonal spikes in support requests. When compared to competitors offering a steeper learning curve, Freshdesk allows teams to become productive quicker, leading to faster issue resolution and improved customer satisfaction. However, Freshdesk's free plan, while suitable for small teams or those starting out, can be limiting for businesses requiring advanced features. Features like custom automations, powerful reporting, and integrations are often reserved for paid plans. This can be a dealbreaker for businesses seeking a comprehensive help desk solution without a significant upfront investment. Here, competitors offering more robust functionalities in their free tiers might be more suitable. Overall, Freshdesk shines for its user-friendliness, scalability, and mobile accessibility. The ability to customize the platform to fit specific workflows and the availability of mobile apps for agents and customers are valuable assets. However, its limited free plan functionality and potentially complex reporting can be drawbacks. Freshdesk is best suited for small and medium-sized businesses seeking an easy-to-use and scalable help desk solution, particularly those with limited technical expertise or a mobile workforce. For larger enterprises with complex workflows or multilingual customer bases, competitors offering more powerful reporting capabilities or broader language support might be a better fit.

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LiveAgent offers live chat and helpdesk capabilities, including advanced ticketing. Users can access and update all aspects of a given customer account. Interactive tools, automated behavior reply terminology, live queries management and intuitive onboarding are some aspects of the software that users appreciate. However, some users noted that the software is pricey and the UI is dated. They also reported issues with the payment gateway, mobile app design, service experience feedback and somewhat limited integration options, in terms of other social media and chat platforms. All things considered, LiveAgent is a decent live chat software suitable for businesses of all sizes.

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Screenshots

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