Zendesk vs. JustReply

Compare Zendesk and JustReply head-to-head to discover the perfect customer support solution for your business. Make a well-informed choice today!

In today's hyper-competitive market, top-notch customer support isn't just nice to have—it's essential. According to HubSpot research, 93% of customers are likely to make repeat purchases with companies that offer outstanding customer service.

ZenDesk, being one of the big names in the customer support tool market has set some high benchmarks. But as with all things, it might not be everyone's perfect match. If you're scouting for an alternative, you'd probably be keen on a platform that:

  • Streamlines your support system, making life simpler for your team
  • Has advanced technology combined with an easy-to-use user interface
  • Offers swift response mechanisms, ensuring customers aren't left waiting
  • Integrates easily with other technologies, resulting in a unified ecosystem
  • Offers competitive pricing so you get more bang for your buck.

While ZenDesk checks many boxes for businesses globally, some feel there's room for something fresher, quicker, and more intuitive. And that's where our exploration takes us today.

JustReply is a customer support tool designed to redefine how you engage with your customers. In this blog, we'll navigate the waters of ZenDesk vs JustReply, offering insights to help you decide which platform truly aligns with your vision. 

ZenDesk vs. JustReply: Key Differences

When diving into the world of customer support tools, it's essential to dissect the key differences between the available options. We've put ZenDesk and JustReply head-to-head to give you a clear view of where each stands. 

User Experience and Design

ZenDesk, although a mainstay in the customer support tool landscape, undeniably shows its age. While it strives to keep pace through the introduction of innovative features, its design sometimes falters. A prominent example is the Agent Workspace interface which, as many users point out, lags in intuitiveness.

In stark contrast, JustReply doesn't merely bring a fresh perspective to the table—it revolutionizes the very essence of how modern customer support tools should operate. At the very heart of JustReply is a foundational commitment to user experience. This isn’t just any commitment; the platform is built with UX at its core, ensuring that it operates at speeds 10x faster than ZenDesk. 

Moreover, embracing contemporary design principles, JustReply feels not just modern but invigorating. It's more than a tool; it's a workspace that agents, who spend up to 12 hours a day inside, genuinely enjoy using. The streamlined inbox, characterized by its clean and minimalist design, allows agents to effortlessly identify priority conversations, fostering efficient and well-timed responses.

Target Audience and Pricing

ZenDesk positions itself as an all-rounder, appealing to a broad audience, including startups. However, as startups grow and scale, the cost of using ZenDesk tends to scale up. What may have initially seemed economical can quickly escalate to tens of thousands of dollars per month and unforeseen overages.

JustReply has a different approach. It focuses on helping startups gain insights from customer interactions and tailors its features to match their specific needs. Moreover, it adopts a simple approach to pricing with three clear pricing plans with no hidden charges, ensuring affordability and transparency for growing startups.

Approach to Customer Interaction

As ZenDesk continues to expand, there's an evident shift towards intensifying its reliance on AI and automation. While such innovations can enhance certain functionalities, they often risk erecting barriers between businesses and their clientele.

JustReply, while having AI seamlessly integrated into its core, walks a different path. For instance, it utilizes AI to auto-tag conversations and its support article editor boasts AI-powered autocomplete. But crucially, what JustReply never compromises on is the initial touchpoint—the invaluable first contact. 

It guarantees that users are greeted by humans, not algorithms. In doing so, JustReply ensures businesses not only utilize the power of technology but also maintain the essence of genuine conversations, staying consistently attuned to users' needs and feedback.

What Is ZenDesk?

ZenDesk was established in 2007 by the visionary trio: Mikkel Svane, Morten Primdahl, and Alexander Aghassipour. It initially aimed to transform the support desk software market. The company is recognized as a top supplier of software-as-a-service options, with their solutions primarily focused on sales, customer support, and a wide range of client contacts. 

Over time, the company grew to include various customer service and engagement features. Zendesk has a diverse clientele of over 200,000 customers, ranging from young startups to giants like Airbnb, Uber, and Shopify.

The software is designed to empower sales teams and enable quick and efficient connections with prospects. This unwavering commitment to innovation and exceptional service was reflected in the company's 2021 financials, which showed a peak revenue of $1.3 billion.

ZenDesk's Features

Here are some of the key features of ZenDesk’s customer support:

Helpdesk

ZenDesk’s help desk software offers a versatile solution to various customer needs. It not only addresses inquiries through self-service or help desk agents but also caters to external customers, IT staff, and non-IT business units. 

Ticketing System

ZenDesk's ticketing system centralizes customer communication, efficiently tracking, prioritizing, and addressing support tickets. By offering a unified view of all customer interactions, businesses gain a clearer insight into their customer base, leading to more accurate and faster support.

Omnichannel Support

ZenDesk champions customer convenience with its Omnichannel support. This feature allows businesses to manage customer interactions across multiple channels, from email and chat to social media and phone, ensuring customers can reach out on their preferred platform.

ZenDesk’s Pricing

ZenDesk offers a structured tiered pricing system (monthly and annual) starting from $55 per month, with each tier's cost calculated per agent on a monthly basis. Here's a breakdown:

Suite Team:

  • Essentials: Ticketing system, email, chat, voice, social messaging, help center
  • Integration: Standard bots, analytics dashboards, vast app integrations
  • Customization: Pre-defined response macros, and custom business rules

Suite Growth:

  • All Suite Team features plus
  • Enhanced Support: Multiple ticket forms, light agents, 24/7 live support
  • Performance Metrics: Service level agreements (SLA) view, custom satisfaction rating (CSAT)

Suite Professional:

  • All Suite Growth features plus
  • Advanced Tools: Contextual workspaces, guide knowledge capture app
  • Most popular choice based on reviews and feedback.

Suite Enterprise:

  • Comprehensive enterprise solution
  • Exclusive: Multi-brand workspace and tailored offerings
  • Contact sales for detailed pricing

Pros

  • Comprehensive reporting and analytics for performance insights
  • Thousands of integrations connecting support tools with various systems
  • Agents can view customer history across multiple channels

Cons

  • Issues with data uploading and occasional data loss
  • Steep learning curve requiring assistance
  • Pricier option for small businesses

ZenDesk's Alternative: JustReply

When considering customer support tools, ZenDesk is a go-to for many. However, tools like JustReply bring fresh perspectives to the table. 

It is rooted in a clear vision: the significance of genuine human interactions. In an era where many tools lean on AI-driven solutions, JustReply stands out by prioritizing real, meaningful conversations. This ensures that customers are not just acknowledged, but truly understood. mm

The tool's design, while full of essential features, doesn't compromise user experience. It's intuitive and straightforward, catering to businesses that seek both depth and simplicity in their support solutions. 

Another distinguishing factor is JustReply's focus on modern integrations. Recognizing the growing affinity for tools like Slack among businesses, especially startups, JustReply ensures seamless connectivity. This not only simplifies internal communication but also elevates the customer interaction experience, making it a formidable contender in the market.

JustReply’s Key Features

Multichannel Support

JustReply's Multichannel Support provides a comprehensive solution for customer communication. Whether it's through Live Chat, Voice Support, or Video Support, businesses are equipped to engage with their clientele on multiple fronts, ensuring no conversation is left unattended.

Helpcenter Templates

JustReply elevates the customer support experience with its elegant Helpcenter. Offering three meticulously crafted templates ensures that support articles are not merely informative, but visually appealing, facilitating user engagement.

Minimalist Inbox

With a focus on clarity and efficiency, JustReply's intuitive Inbox design allows businesses to seamlessly navigate through customer interactions. It aids in swiftly prioritizing and addressing customer concerns, streamlining the support process.

Macros Feature

JustReply introduces a dynamic way to address frequently asked questions with its Macros feature. This tool not only allows rapid responses but also offers a translation option, ensuring businesses can cater to a diverse customer base without language barriers.

Powerful Search

Understanding the value of time in customer interactions, JustReply's 'command + k' search ensures users can quickly navigate through the platform, making the support process hassle-free.

Pricing

Pricing transparency and affordability are paramount for businesses. It's noteworthy that some companies, with a setup of around 30 agents, can find themselves paying upwards of $150k a year using solutions like ZenDesk due to unclear pricing structures. In stark contrast, JustReply offers a transparent, simple, and affordable tier-based pricing structure. 

Starting from just $15/month, with both monthly and annual billing options, JustReply emerges as a compelling and cost-effective choice for companies that don't wish to compromise on quality.

Starting Plan ($15 per month):

  • Single user support
  • Unrestricted access to all the features JustReply offers
  • Integration with Slack workflows

Growing Plan ($64 per month):

  • Accommodates up to 20 users
  • Custom domain for a more professional touch
  • Remove the default JustReply branding, ensuring the platform looks intrinsically yours
  • Specific roles and permissions to be set, giving more control over who has access to what

Enterprise Plan ($399 per month): 

  • Unlimited user access
  • Features like Single Sign-On (SSO) ensure that integrating JustReply with your existing systems is a breeze
  • Dedicated account manager for personalized assistance and guidance
  • Developer API for those looking to tweak and customize their setup further

ZenDesk vs. JustReply: Feature Comparison

When comparing ZenDesk vs JustReply platform, a side-by-side breakdown of features can be beneficial in understanding which tool better suits a business's needs. Here's a quick look:

Feature ZenDesk JustReply
Multichannel/Omnichannel Support Email, chat, voice, social messaging Live chat, voice support, video support
Self-Service Portal Several Help Center themes Three intuitive Help Center templates
Design and Interface Old interface (need skills) Modern user-friendly interface
Ticketing System Centralizes customer communication Easy to navigate and respond to customer concerns
Integrations Thousands of integrations Modern integrations like Slack
AI and Automation Focused on automated solutions for streamlining Less emphasis on AI, more on human interactions
Search Standard search Powerful command +k search
Collaboration and Teamwork Multi-agent support Role-based access control
Scalability Easy-to-scale but expensive Affordable and easily scalable
Pricing Tier-based starting from $55 per agent per month Tier-based starting from $15 per month

Conclusion

In today's digital age, having the right customer support tool is paramount. It can make or break the relationship you have with your customers, influencing their loyalty and your brand's reputation. 

As we compared ZenDesk vs JustReply, here are the key takeaways:

  • ZenDesk offers a slightly more diverse range of channels, excelling in social messaging.
  • JustReply's help center stands out for user-friendliness, while ZenDesk's is known for robustness.
  • ZenDesk places a significant focus on AI-driven solutions, ideal for streamlining processes.
  • JustReply provides a more budget-friendly starting point, suitable for Series A and before startups and small businesses.

Given these considerations, ZenDesk is best suited for medium to large organizations that value extensive integrations, AI functionality, and scalability.

JustReply can be considered a ZenDesk alternative that excels for startups and SMEs, particularly those with a worldwide audience seeking cost-effectiveness without sacrificing quality. It's the ideal choice for customers who want the option to run customer support directly inside Slack, prioritize strong UX and UI, and are in search of a blazingly fast, modern alternative.

Experience magic with JustReply.

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