20 Best CX Platforms For Improved Customer Experience In 2024
10 Best CX Platforms Shortlist
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 20 tools reviewed.
Our one-on-one guidance will help you find the perfect fit.
With so many different CX management solutions available, figuring out which is right for you is tough. You know you want to improve your customer experience and manage it more efficiently, but need to figure out which tool is best. I've got you! In this post I'll help make your choice easy, sharing my personal experiences using dozens of different CX tools with large teams and projects, with my picks of the best CX platforms.
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The Best CX Platforms: Pricing Comparison Chart
This comparison chart summarizes basic details about each of my top CX platform selections. You can view pricing details and the availability of free trials or demos side-by-side to help you find the right CX platform for your budget and business needs.
| Tools | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| UserGuiding | From $89/month (billed annually) | Website |
| Sogolytics | From $25/month (billed annually) | Website |
| Zendesk | From $49/user/month. | Website |
| Survicate | From $59/month | Website |
| Fullstory | From $199/month | Website |
| Nextiva | From $20/user/month, (billed annually). | Website |
| Kustomer | From $89/user/month | Website |
| ZOHO CRM Plus | From $57/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
| Adobe Experience Cloud | From $50/user/month (min 10 seats) | Website |
| HubSpot CRM Platform | From $45/user/month (min 2 seats, billed annually) | Website |
Compare Software Specs Side by Side
Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.
Compare SoftwareBest CX Platform Reviews
UserGuiding is a user onboarding software designed to assist businesses in creating interactive experiences within their products to guide users through the onboarding process. It is designed to increase retention, improve feature adoption, and provide delightful onboarding experiences.
Why I Picked UserGuiding: UserGuiding assists customer experience (CX) platforms by offering a suite of tools that facilitate the automation of customer interactions and the personalization of user experiences. The tool's approach includes the creation of in-app guidance and interactive journeys that help users navigate digital platforms, thereby empowering businesses to provide engaging and well-thought-out experiences. UserGuiding also provides in-app surveys, including NPS (Net Promoter Score) surveys, to collect feedback, measure user satisfaction, and identify areas for improvement.
UserGuiding features & integrations
UserGuiding's standout features include onboarding checklists, resource centers, segmentation, analytics, tooltips, hotspots, announcement modals, and product updates. UserGuiding integrates with several third-party applications, including Google Analytics, MixPanel, HubSpot, Segment, Intercom, Woopra, Google Tag Manager, and Slack.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- User-friendly interface
- Offers flexible customer targeting options
- Shown to increase conversion and reduce support tickets
Cons:
- Analytics tools may be insufficient for some teams
- Limited customization options
- Limited integrations
Sogolytics is an advanced online survey and experience management platform designed to help organizations gather and analyze feedback. By offering a robust set of tools for survey creation, distribution, and data analysis, Sogolytics aims to enhance customer and employee experiences.
Why I chose Sogolytics: What sets Sogolytics apart as a CX platform is its features tailored specifically for customer experience management. It includes automated reminders and personalized invitations to boost response rates, dynamic survey options to keep participants engaged, and advanced data analytics to decode feedback effectively. These features ensure that businesses can capture detailed insights into customer sentiment and behavior, helping them to refine their services and improve overall satisfaction.
Sogolytics Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include advanced branching and skip logic to make surveys more relevant to respondents. The platform also supports anonymous surveys, which can lead to more honest feedback. Other notable features include extensive survey templates and powerful reporting tools like cross-tab analysis and live reports.
Integrations include Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, HubSpot, Zapier, Google Analytics, and Tableau.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Strong capabilities for distributing surveys and tracking responses
- Advanced metrics and customizable KPIs
- Variety of question formats and customization options
Cons:
- Options for data visualization are limited
- Email templates provided are limited
Zendesk is a comprehensive customer service tool that stands out for its personalized AI customer support. It offers a range of features including AI and automation, data privacy and protection, messaging and live chat, and workforce management to improve customer service processes.
Why I chose Zendesk: I included Zendesk in this list because of its Sunshine Platform which helps create positive customer experiences. This platform stands out due to its open and flexible nature, using open standards and common languages, which allows for the development of custom experiences tailored to individual customer needs. Zendesk simplifies personalization by providing a complete view of customer interactions, enabling businesses to offer more personalized support, and ensuring data security and privacy are built-in as the business scales.
Zendesk Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include AI and automation to predict customer inquiries and streamline routine tasks, and data privacy and protection tools that ensure compliance with regulations and maintain customer trust. Additionally, Zendesk offers real-time messaging and live chat, a self-service help center, a unified agent workspace, voice support, and workforce management tools to manage customer interactions across various channels effectively.
Integrations include Asana, Google Workspace, HubSpot, Jira, Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, Shopify, Slack, Trello, Zoom, and over 1200 more options on the Zendesk Marketplace.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Offers both help desk and CRM software functionalities
- Offers multi-brand support with linked accounts
- Robust live chat feature
Cons:
- Limited mobile functionalities
- Collaboration tools could be improved
Survicate is a simple and straightforward survey platform that helps CX teams collect user insights from customers and website visitors. Your teams can gather helpful feedback from customers, product users, and prospects, providing invaluable insights into the customer journey.
Why I picked Survicate:
This tool made it onto my list because of its friendly approach to conducting large-scale user research. Surveys can be distributed via email, on your website, in-app, and through mobile. They can be customized to your branding and measure key customer satisfaction metrics like Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), and Customer Effort Score (CES).
Standout Features & Integrations
Features include a user-friendly, drag-and-drop survey builder and tons of pre-built templates to speed up the process. You can also set up advanced targeting, so surveys show up at key moments when users are most likely to respond. Integrations include ActiveCampaign, Drip, Amplitude, HubSpot, Intercom, Mailchimp, Salesforce, FullStory, Zendesk, and Microsoft Teams.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Able to capture partial responses
- Easy-to-use interface and widget design
- Customizable templates
Cons:
- Limited maximum response limit per month
- Integrations not available in freemium plan
FullStory is a digital experience analytics platform that provides insights into customer interactions with websites and apps. It captures and analyzes user behavior data to help businesses understand customer engagement. By injecting digital behavioral data into their analytics stack, FullStory’s patented technology provides quality behavioral data at scale, transforming every digital visit into actionable insights.
Why I Picked FullStory: FullStory offers users an extensive suite of features that leverage behavioral data to enhance user experiences. The platform excels in providing advanced digital experience intelligence by utilizing tools such as session replays, real-time heatmaps, and behavioral data analytics. These features allow businesses to identify critical user interactions, personalize customer journeys, and predict user behavior, which are essential for enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. Additionally, FullStory’s technology enables enterprise businesses to better understand customer sentiment, detect malicious behaviors, and identify their highest-value customers.
FullStory Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include access to essential data without unnecessary clutter, product analytics to analyze customer interactions, mobile analytics to optimize mobile experiences, behavioral insights to monitor real-time user actions, and session replay to view real-time replays of user sessions.
Integrations include Google Cloud Storage, Amazon S3, Amazon Redshift, Microsoft Teams, Snowflake, and Google BigQuery.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Easy setup and integration
- Valuable metrics and analytics
- Advanced session replay
Cons:
- Limited data transfer
- Poor mobile experience
Nextiva is a comprehensive cloud-based platform that helps businesses deliver exceptional customer experiences. It offers a suite of tools that integrate voice, video, messaging, and collaboration into a unified platform. With a focus on reliability and scalability, Nextiva ensures that businesses can maintain seamless communication with their customers, ultimately improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Why I chose Nextiva: Nextiva’s journey orchestration feature allows businesses to track and analyze customer interactions in real-time, providing a comprehensive view of the customer’s journey. This enables businesses to anticipate customer needs, personalize their interactions, and deliver a consistent experience across all touchpoints. By leveraging AI-powered insights and automated workflows, Nextiva helps businesses proactively engage with customers, reducing friction and enhancing overall satisfaction. This level of personalization is crucial for building strong customer relationships.
Nextiva Standout Features and Integrations:
Features include AI-powered voice and chatbots, which provide instant, personalized support and streamline customer interactions. These bots can handle common inquiries, freeing up human agents to focus on more complex issues. Another notable feature is Nextiva’s voice analytics, which analyzes call data to provide insights into customer sentiment and agent performance.
Integrations include Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Teams, Zoho CRM, Zendesk, G Suite, Microsoft Outlook, Slack, ServiceNow, QuickBooks, SugarCRM, and NetSuite.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Unlimited video calls
- Team collaboration tools are available
- Scalable and flexible platform
Cons:
- Many integrations are only available on higher-tier plans
- Extensive offerings may be overwhelming for smaller businesses
Kustomer is a customer service tool that stands out for its omnichannel capabilities, consolidating customer interactions and data from multiple sources into a single platform. It aims to provide a holistic view of customers, enhancing personalized service, which justifies its place as the best option for omnichannel customer support.
Why I Picked Kustomer:
When selecting Kustomer, the integrated, omnichannel approach this tool offers truly stood out. I judged that it's particularly fitting for businesses looking to provide customer support through various channels without losing context or continuity. This makes it my pick for the 'Best for omnichannel customer support.'
Standout features & integrations:
Kustomer, similar to Zendesk, offers features like automated workflows, integrated voice, and chat, as well as real-time insights and reports. One of its most distinctive attributes is the ability to follow customer journeys across channels from a single dashboard. In terms of integrations, Kustomer works well with platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento, helping businesses to unify their customer service and e-commerce efforts.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Strong integrations with e-commerce platforms
- Provides a holistic view of the customer journey
- Excellent omnichannel support capabilities
Cons:
- May be too complex for small businesses
- Limited advanced features in the basic plan
- Strong integrations with e-commerce platforms
Zoho CRM Plus is a unified customer experience platform that helps businesses bridge the gap between their sales, marketing, and service teams, unify customer information, and deliver a unified customer experience across all stages of the customer lifecycle.
Why I Picked Zoho CRM Plus: When it comes to improving customer experience, Zoho CRM Plus offers a comprehensive range of features for various touchpoints in the customer journey. For example, the 360-degree customer view consolidates all customer interactions and data, providing a holistic perspective that enables personalized engagement. Omnichannel engagement ensures seamless communication across email, social media, and chat. Additionally, its powerful analytics and advanced AI, driven by Zia, offer actionable insights and automation, allowing businesses to predict customer needs and optimize their processes effectively.
Zoho CRM Plus Features and Integrations:
Features include pipeline management to help track the movement of leads through different stages, SalesInbox which organizes emails in columns according to different deal stages, and project management functionalities. The platform also offers visitor tracking, a help desk, email marketing, social media management, and customer surveys to collect feedback.
Integrations include Microsoft 365, Shopify, Slack, Google Workspace, Mailchimp, QuickBooks, Zendesk, Pipedrive, Zoho Sign, Zoho Meetings, Zoho Bookings, and more.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Ability to customize the platform
- Consolidates data from different stages of the customer journey
- Automation features for repetitive tasks
Cons:
- Onboarding and setup might require a significant time investment
- The range of features can be overwhelming for beginners
Adobe Experience Cloud is a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to manage customer experiences across touchpoints. It facilitates businesses to gather, analyze, and act on customer data, making it a compelling choice for those looking to drive decisions based on customer insights.
Why I Picked Adobe Experience Cloud:
I chose Adobe Experience Cloud because of its robust data-driven capabilities that set it apart from other platforms. Its capacity to effectively collect, manage, and analyze customer data makes it a solid contender in the market. Given its powerful analytics feature, I firmly believe it stands as the best platform for data-driven customer engagement, enabling organizations to gain a competitive edge through comprehensive insights into the right customer behavior.
Standout features & integrations:
Adobe Experience Cloud's features are extensive, ranging from audience segmentation to predictive analytics. Its real-time analytics, coupled with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, allow for precision in customer profiling. It integrates effortlessly with other Adobe products like Adobe Experience Manager and Adobe Document Cloud, allowing a streamlined workflow.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Seamless integration with Adobe ecosystem
- Effective audience segmentation
- Comprehensive analytics and insights
Cons:
- May be overwhelming due to extensive features
- Higher starting price point compared to competitors
- Can be complex for beginners
HubSpot CRM Platform is a renowned solution empowering businesses with tools to manage their customer relationships seamlessly. What sets it apart is its integrated marketing automation capabilities, providing businesses with tools to streamline their marketing efforts effectively.
Why I Picked HubSpot CRM Platform:
I chose HubSpot CRM Platform due to its strong marketing automation features. What differentiates it from other platforms is its ability to integrate CRM and marketing automation in a way that few platforms can match. I am confident that HubSpot is the best for integrated marketing automation because it allows businesses to manage customer relationships while automating marketing tasks within the same platform.
Standout features & integrations:
HubSpot's standout features include its intuitive contact management, lead scoring and nurturing, and robust marketing automation capabilities. Its marketing automation feature stands out with its visual workflow builder that simplifies the creation of complex marketing campaigns. HubSpot also integrates with a vast array of third-party applications, including Salesforce, G Suite, Microsoft Dynamics, Shopify, and Slack.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Extensive third-party integrations
- Comprehensive CRM capabilities
- Powerful marketing automation
Cons:
- Learning curve for advanced features
- Pricing can become steep as business grows
- Advanced features require higher tiers
Other Noteworthy CX Platforms
Below is a list of additional CX Platform tools that I shortlisted but did not make it to the top 10. Definitely worth checking them out.
Related CX Software Reviews
If you still haven't found what you're looking for here, check out these related customer experience management tools that we've tested and evaluated.
- Customer Service Software
- Help Desk Software
- Call Center Software
- Customer Messaging Platform
- Digital Experience Platform
- Sentiment Analysis Tools
Features of CX Platforms
The specific features included in each customer experience (CX) platform will depend on the type of software you choose (a standalone tool versus a module within a broader customer relationship management system or a specialized customer service system). However, these are the key features I assessed when selecting the best CX platforms for this list:
- Customer Data Platform (CDP): Centralizes customer data from multiple sources. Essential for informed and personalized customer interactions across the company's history.
- Omnichannel Support: Seamlessly integrates customer interactions across all channels. Crucial for delivering a consistent and unified customer experience.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML): Enhances personalization and predictive analytics. Allows for more accurate predictions of customer needs and tailor-made interactions.
- Customer Feedback Management: Collects and analyzes customer feedback. Enables companies to gauge customer satisfaction and pinpoint improvement areas, affecting customer retention and loyalty.
- Journey Mapping Tools: Visualizes the customer's path through various touchpoints. Identifies friction points and opportunities to enhance the customer experience.
- Knowledge Base: A comprehensive database that helps customers find answers to their queries independently. Empowers customers and reduces direct support dependency.
- Analytics and Reporting: To gain insights into customer interactions, identify patterns, and drive decision-making. Indispensable for improving customer experience through data-driven insights.
- Customer Self-Service: Features that empower customers to solve their own problems, such as interactive guides or community forums. Important for immediate assistance and reducing customer support load.
- CRM Integration: Integrates with Customer Relationship Management software. Key for aligning interactions across sales, marketing, and support to create a coherent customer journey.
- Automated Customer Service: Utilizes chatbots and automated responses for common inquiries. Ensures instant responses, improving customer satisfaction and inquiry handling efficiency.
Selecting a CX platform that incorporates these features is fundamental to understanding and anticipating customer needs, personalizing interactions, and refining customer engagement strategies. This approach fosters stronger customer relationships, driving loyalty and success in the long term.
Benefits of CX Platforms
Choosing the right customer experience (CX) platform is crucial for businesses looking to elevate their customer service and streamline internal processes. These platforms offer a multitude of benefits that not only enhance the user experience but also bring significant advantages to the organization as a whole. Below are five primary benefits that CX platforms provide, serving as a guide for potential software buyers in understanding how these tools can transform their approach to customer engagement.
- Centralized Customer Data Collection: Consolidates interactions from various channels. This makes it easier for businesses to manage and track customer interactions, ensuring that every team member has access to the same information and can provide consistent, personalized service.
- Improved Customer Satisfaction (CSAT): Enables faster issue resolution. By providing tools and insights to resolve customer issues more efficiently, CX platforms directly contribute to higher customer satisfaction rates, fostering loyalty and encouraging repeat business.
- Enhanced Productivity: Automates repetitive tasks. By taking over routine tasks, CX platforms free up customer service teams to focus on more complex and valuable activities, thereby increasing overall productivity and efficiency.
- Insightful Analytics: Offers detailed analytics and reporting. Access to comprehensive analytics enables businesses to understand customer behavior and needs better, guiding strategic decisions and helping to tailor services to meet customer expectations.
- Seamless Integration: Integrates with existing software tools. The ability to seamlessly integrate with other business tools ensures a smooth workflow, enhancing efficiency and minimizing the potential for errors or data silos.
For organizations aiming to improve their customer experience, investing in a CX platform brings forth the promise of not just elevated customer satisfaction but also operational efficiency and strategic insights.
CX Platform Frequently Asked Questions
How much do these customer experience platforms typically cost?
Pricing for customer experience management software platforms can vary greatly depending on the functionality, size of the business, and number of users. Some platforms may have a pricing model that starts as low as $20/user/month, while others may cost several hundred dollars per user per month. Most vendors offer tiered pricing based on the features included.
What are the typical pricing models for customer experience platforms?
Typically, customer experience platforms follow a per-user, per-month pricing model. There may also be tiered pricing levels, with each level offering additional features. Some platforms may offer annual billing that can come at a discounted rate.
Which are the cheapest and most expensive customer experience platforms?
The cost of these platforms can vary widely. For instance, Dialpad offers plans starting from $15 per user per month, while tools like Genesys Cloud might have more premium pricing. It’s essential to consider the features and functionality provided when evaluating the cost.
Are there any free customer experience platforms?
While most customer experience platforms do not offer a completely free plan, many do provide a free trial period. This trial period allows potential users to evaluate the features and usability of the platform before committing to a paid plan. It’s always a good idea to take advantage of these trials to ensure the platform fits your business needs.
How do these platforms handle multilingual customer support?
CX platforms often incorporate multilingual support to cater to a global customer base, enhancing customer satisfaction and engagement across different regions. This feature is particularly valuable for businesses aiming to deliver personalized customer experiences to a diverse audience. Platforms that offer omnichannel support, like Kustomer, enable seamless communication across various channels (social media, email, chat) in multiple languages, ensuring that the language barrier does not hinder customer interactions.
How do CX platforms ensure compliance with international regulations?
Ensuring compliance with international regulations is a complex task that involves multiple layers of data security, privacy protections, and adherence to legal standards across different regions. CX platforms like Segment stand out by offering robust data collection and management tools, including governance features that help ensure compliance. These platforms typically employ a variety of security measures, such as encryption and access controls, to protect customer data. Additionally, many offer integration with compliance management tools or provide built-in compliance frameworks that are designed to meet international standards like GDPR, SOC II, and others. It’s also common for platforms to continuously update their compliance measures in response to changing regulations.
What are the best practices for implementing and optimizing a CX platform?
When it comes to implementing and optimizing a CX platform, it’s crucial to align the tool with your organizational workflows and the specific outcomes you aim to achieve.
Start by evaluating your current processes to identify what’s working and the pain points that need addressing. This evaluation helps ensure that the platform complements your business rather than complicating existing processes. It’s also essential to define the success metrics early on. For instance, you might aim for greater visibility into performance or improved customer satisfaction scores. These objectives should guide your selection and utilization of the CX platform, ensuring that every feature you leverage contributes towards achieving your predefined goals. Remember, the best CX platform for your organization is one that fits seamlessly into your existing ecosystem, enhancing your ability to deliver exceptional customer experiences without disrupting your workflow.
Summary
In conclusion, choosing the right CX platform is vital for any organization aiming to improve its customer experience. These platforms offer varied functionalities, features, and pricing models, and determining the one that best suits your organization's needs can seem challenging. Here are the key takeaways from this guide:
- Evaluate your needs: Assess the unique needs of your business before settling on a platform. This includes understanding the size of your customer base, the channels you wish to reach them on, and the kind of engagement you aim to establish.
- Features are crucial: The right set of features can make a significant difference. Look out for capabilities like real-time analytics, multichannel support, scalability, customer engagement tools, and integration with other systems. The best CX platforms often provide customization options that align with your specific business processes.
- Pricing Matters: CX platforms come with diverse pricing structures. While some offer a simple per-user monthly pricing, others may have setup fees or base fees. Be sure to clarify all cost aspects before finalizing a platform, including any additional charges for premium features or integrations.
Remember, the best platform for your organization is the one that meets your unique personalized experience needs and fits within your budget.