Channel Talk vs. Zendesk

Anna • Content Marketing Manager US Team

  • CRM
  • customer experience
  • Compare

Channel Talk vs. Zendesk

Having Trouble Deciding on the Right Platform?

Whether it's resolving inquiries, providing support, or closing sales, the right customer communication platform can make all the difference.

But with the amount of options available, selecting the perfect solution can feel like navigating a complex maze.

There are important considerations when selecting a customer communication tool:

  • 🛠️ Features

  • 🌟 Ease of use

  • 💰 Pricing

  • 🤝 Support

To help you compare Channel Talk and Zendesk we’ve put together this comparison piece.

Zendesk: Tickets Not Conversations

Zendesk is one of the oldest players in the game, founded in 2007.

As a ticketing system catered towards huge enterprises, Zendesk is a platform best for companies who:

  • 🙅 Are not interested in having conversations with their customers

  • 💸 Have money to spend

Problems with Zendesk

Taking a look at G2 and Trust Pilot reviews, here’s what Zendesk customers had to say about the platform.

💰 Expensive Pricing with Hidden Costs

“Be ready to pay for every single extra thing you would like to do.” (Review)

“Pricing can get pretty steep as you add on features…They also recently removed basic reporting from their basic Support Team plan (used to be included) which is a HUGE bummer” (Review)

Zendesk is known for being pricey with an expensive base cost and add-ons for every feature.

The worst part?

None of these add-ons are featured on their pricing page.

They sneak in these extra costs after you’ve signed the contract.

🙃 Not User Friendly

“The new "design", if you can use such word for "this" is totally awful…the chat swap from the comfortable, compact…dashboard section to THIS is utterly despicable. (Review)

New features and improvements are coming to Zendesk too slowly. UI/UX workflows haven't changed in years. (Review)

Zendesk is a huge and old company and simply is not as agile as its competitors.

The usability and quality of a product should be prioritized because an agent who can’t easily use a platform cannot quickly support your customers.

🚫📞 Poor Customer Support

“I really do not have a great experience with Zendesk's own support. They made it impossible to contact them through email, so you have to submit a ticket via chat, which is a very frustrating process, having to answer a bunch of automated questions before you can write your message.” (Review)

“I would not recommend Zendesk for their lack of support alone.“ (Review)

It’s ironic that a customer support tool has poor customer support itself but an overwhelming amount of reviews complain about this.

Not only that, but 24/7 customer support is a paid feature. This assistance is not even included in your plan.

Channel Talk: Real Conversations with Your Customers

Channel Talk is a robust all-in-one AI messenger tool designed to redefine customer service by providing a VIP concierge experience.

💡 At our core, Channel Talk facilitates real-time conversations through our CRM-based live chat tool, empowering businesses to engage meaningfully with their customers.

Simple All-in-One Solution vs Complex Integrations

Zendesk is known for having a variety of integrations and add-ons (which are paid). While the customizability can be beneficial for some, integrations can be complex, imperfect, and costly.

😊 Major Benefits of Channel Talk’s All-in-One Approach:

1. Simplicity - Having all your tools in one place is more efficient for your organization.

2. Improved Quality - Channel Talk’s usability and design is catered with your customers in mind first.

3. Affordability - By reducing the amount of subscriptions you need, you are also reducing the overall cost of your tech stack.

Channel Talk is an all-in-one solution that offers team chat, live chat, CRM marketing, and chat bots in one tool.

“Such an easy set up really impressed with the features all round! Highly recommend! Very convenient!“

“Exactly what we were looking for! The customer support is so helpful, nice, and very professional! This app was exactly what we were looking for! Thank you!“

“What makes Channel Talk great is that their team is willing to work with YOU and meet your needs!“

Real-Time Live Chat vs Viewing Customer as Tickets

Live chat software is designed to have real-time conversations with your customers.

Ticketing software encourages slow communication and treats customers like a ticket number rather than a human.

At Channel Talk, we embody a customer-driven culture internally within our team and externally with our users.

The reason?

We believe that customers are the core of every business.

And success lies in talking to your customers.

Ticketing systems don’t let you have real-time communication, but Channel Talk’s live chat does.

Feature Comparison

Channel Talk vs Zendesk feature comparison

While Zendesk has its fair share of features and integrations, the software falls short when it comes to all-in-one features like a team messenger and CRM marketing.

Our CRM feature can help you:

  • Segment your VIP customers

  • Create a direct line of personalized communication with VIPs

  • Easily convert new and existing customers

This function, which normally requires another software, is all included in the Channel Talk platform.

Pricing Comparison

Channel Talk vs Zendesk base plan price comparison

Zendesk is notoriously known for its expensive price tag.

Here, we have a comparison of just the base plan pricing. While Channel offers a forever-free plan, Zendesk's lowest plan is a paid plan.

With each tier, Zendesk has the more expensive offering.

In addition, the platform charges additional fees for basic add-ons, such as for reporting and 24/7 support, that are only charged after you sign a contract.

Conclusion: Choosing the Right Path Forward

The difference between Zendesk and Channel Talk is apparent.

Zendesk, an industry veteran, has its shortcomings while Channel Talk offers a quality all-in-one solution.

Channel Talk vs Zendesk overall comparison

In the end, the choice is clear: embrace the future of customer communication with Channel Talk, where we help you have actual conversations with your customers.

The path forward is yours to choose.

Make it count with future classic customer experience using Channel Talk.

Try it out & learn as you go!

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