26 Best Free Customer Service Software of 2024
10 Best Free Customer Service Software List
Here's my pick of the 10 best software from the 26 tools reviewed.
Our one-on-one guidance will help you find the perfect fit.
With so many customer service software solutions available, figuring out which one is right for you is tough — especially if you're set on using free customer service software. You know you want software to help you manage your customer interactions and support requests, but you need to figure out which system is best. In this article, I'll help you make your choice easier by sharing my insights on the best free customer service software to address your customer service needs without straining your budget.
Why Trust Our Reviews
We’ve been testing and reviewing free customer service software since 2021. As CX professionals ourselves, we know how critical and difficult it is to make the right decision when selecting software.
We invest in deep research to help our audience make better software purchasing decisions. We’ve tested more than 2,000 tools for different customer experience use cases and written over 1,000 comprehensive software reviews. Learn how we stay transparent & our software review methodology.
How to Choose Free Customer Service Software
Free customer service software can be used to facilitate better communication with customers and analyze service effectiveness. To help you figure out which software best fits your needs, you need to pinpoint your key users and document their specific challenges first.
As you're shortlisting, trialing, and selecting free customer service software consider the following:
- What problem are you trying to solve - Start by identifying the free customer service software feature gap you're trying to fill to clarify the features and functionality the free customer service software needs to provide.
- Who will need to use it - To evaluate cost and requirements, consider who'll be using the software and how many licenses you'll need. You'll need to evaluate if it'll just be the customer service team or the whole organization that requires access. When that's clear, it's worth considering if you're prioritizing ease of use for all, or speed for your free customer service software power users.
- What other tools it needs to work with - Clarify what tools you're replacing, what tools are staying, and the tools you'll need to integrate with, such as accounting, CRM or HR software. You'll need to decide if the tools will need to integrate together, or alternatively, if you can replace multiple tools with one consolidated free customer service software.
- What outcomes are important - Consider the result that the software needs to deliver to be considered a success. Consider what capability you want to gain, or what you want to improve, and how you will be measuring success. For example, an outcome could be the ability to get greater visibility into performance. You could compare free customer service software features until you’re blue in the face but if you aren’t thinking about the outcomes you want to drive, you could be wasting a lot of valuable time.
- How it would work within your organization - Consider the software selection alongside your workflows and delivery methodology. Evaluate what's working well, and the areas that are causing issues that need to be addressed. Remember every business is different — don’t assume that because a tool is popular that it'll work in your organization.
The Best Free Customer Service Software Summary Table
| Tools | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Freshdesk | From $15/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
| Zoho Desk | From $7/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
| Zoho Assist | From $12/month | Website |
| Sogolytics | From $25/month (billed annually) | Website |
| Hiver | From $15/user/month (billed annually) | Website |
| User.com | From $49/month to help you scale up fast | Website |
| DiamanteDesk | No price details | Website |
| UDESK | From $58 /agent/month | Website |
| NABD | No price details | Website |
| Taimer | From $16/month/user | Website |
Compare Software Specs Side by Side
Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.
Compare SoftwareBest Free Customer Service Software Reviews
Here’s a brief description of each of the best free customer service software on my list showing what it does best, plus screenshots to showcase some of the features.
Best for teams who need Microsoft, Slack, or WhatsApp integrations
Used by over 40,000 customer teams such as Panasonic, HP, and American Express, Freshdesk sticks to its “delighting its customers for life” slogan. With their simplified support features such as support tickets, collaboration, help widgets, and analytics, it’s easy to find a help desk solution no matter the industry, use case, or size of your team.
Another thing I really like about their software is the ability to access their Freshworks Academy and Resource Center to learn and improve customer relations.
Their “sprout” plan allows for unlimited free agents, ticketing, knowledge bases, and datacenter locations. If you want to try out any of their other paid plans, Freshdesk provides a 14-day free trial.
Best for omnichannel communication through social media, email, chat, and video
Zoho Desk has created tidal waves within automation, customer support, and productivity. As a leader in customer service software, this company used a context-focused outlook to improve agent productivity and customer self-service. Zia, Zoho Desk’s AI system, aids the context-focused process by creating a huge base of knowledge from current and previous customer interactions to ensure solutions and fix loose-ends.
Free for up to 3 agents, Zoho Desk’s plan includes email ticketing, customer management, help and knowledge centers, various integrations, and a multi-language help desk.
Zoho Assist is a remote support and remote access software that's designed to help IT support teams and customer service reps. One thing I like about this tool is its multi-platform support. Zoho Assist is compatible with various platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android. This versatility ensures that customer service teams can support customers using different devices and operating systems. And if you happen to have a Raspberry Pi-powered device, you can access that too.
Zoho Assist integrates with Zendesk, ServiceNow, Jira, Spiceworks, Freshdesk, Slack, MS Teams, Zoho Desk, and ZohoSalesIQ. You can also build custom integrations with your current tech stack using the Zoho Assist API.
Zoho Assist is free to use for 15 days.
Sogolytics is a comprehensive feedback and experience management platform designed to help businesses understand and enhance customer and employee experiences. Originally known for its robust survey and feedback tools, Sogolytics has evolved to offer a suite of products tailored to different aspects of business intelligence and customer engagement.
It offers a ticketing system through the SogoConnect platform. This system allows businesses to manage customer inquiries efficiently by assigning tickets to the appropriate team members or departments, ensuring timely and effective resolution. The platform also offers the ability to analyze the experience of the interaction after the issue is resolved.
Sogolytics also has comprehensive feedback management features, from tailored survey collection to detailed data analysis of customer sentiments. The platform integrates with Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, HubSpot, Google Analytics, Slack, Mailchimp, Zendesk, and Zapier.
Hiver is a gmail-based customer service solution that helps teams manage shared inboxes right from their gmail interface. With Hiver, you can assign, track, and manage emails directly from your gmail account.
Hiver's integration with gmail makes it well-suited to small teams and startups, while the email delegation feature helps make it scalable as teams grow. As a team acquires more members and more responsibilities, a manager can assign emails to their team members without leaving their inbox. Managers can also track the status of emails and set up service level agreements (SLAs) to ensure timely responses to customer queries.
Hiver offers a 7-day free trial of its Elite plan. Once the trial expires, you can choose any of their plans. Their lowest tier plan, Lite, is $19 per user per month.
User.com is a flexible, free help desk software for your whole company—sales, marketing, management, and support will be able to collaborate and automate all on the same interface.
The personalized and customizable solutions let automation take over and deliver a great omnichannel communication system so the right customer receives the right message all the time. With User.com’s customer tracking, your team will be equipped with accurate customer data and timelines.
The free plan gives you a nice range of basic features that are free forever. If you’re looking for more, pricing for the personal plan starts at $49/month to help you scale up fast.
Best free customer service software for eCommerce companies that need customization
With DiamanteDesk’s fully open-source software, you have control over everything—the code base, customizations, development, and seamless integrations.
The learning curve is a bit more steep than others on this list, and it’s aimed at companies who have teams that are familiar with Stack and Bootstrap. This is a unique software service with a diverse team with multiple language, programming, and managerial backgrounds that will help you along the way.
The software offers ticket system management functionality, a helpdesk, customer relations, customer requests, and data organization solutions.
UDESK is a customer service software that integrates AI to offer an omnichannel contact center solution, aiming to improve customer interactions across multiple channels.
The tool offers a suite of features aimed at improving customer service operations. Its omnichannel communication allows businesses to manage customer interactions across various platforms, ensuring consistent handling of inquiries. The live chat and video chat functionalities provide immediate and personal support, while the call center tools, including call routing and analytics, improve the efficiency of phone support. AI-driven chatbots automate responses to common questions, and the ticketing system centralizes the management of customer issues.
Additionally, UDESK's customer insights provide valuable data on customer behavior to inform service strategies.
The software offers a 14-day free trial of any of its plans that will help you decide if it is the right solution for your team.
NABD is an all-in-one customer support software that provides your team with a plethora of useful tools to help streamline work and engage customers at all times of the day. The selective case management engine helps you define your business’s needs and rules for automation.
On top of everything, NABD provides mobile, live chat, and third party app integrations so you can access anything anywhere while using the apps and chats your customers are already familiar with, such as Salesforce or Microsoft products.
The free plan provides you with a lot of tools and features. This includes communication channel use, customer support, case management, automation, and customer self service.
Taimer
Best software for managing customer invoices, expenses, and bills all from one place
Another cloud-based help desk, Taimer can be accessed from any device, anywhere. They aim to replace your applications with their business management solution that helps to eliminate switching between them.
As you can see, Taimer is all about unified solutions, so they combine CRM, project management, resource planning, invoicing, and reporting to simplify work. Get real-time data with the account manager, which measures customer KPIs and metrics to measure risk and customer progress.
With their free plan, Taimer allows up to 2 users. Features with the free plan include mobile use (android and iOs compatible), CRM, sales, marketing, and team chat options. Their most popular “sales management” plan starts at $16/month/user.
Other Free Customer Service Software
Here’s a few more that didn’t make the top list, in case you’re looking for something specific.
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
Selection Criteria for Free Customer Service Software
Free customer service software is designed to optimize support operations, streamline client communication, and provide actionable insights into customer interactions. Having personally tried and researched various free customer service platforms, I've identified key features and use cases that are essential for any software to be considered effective in this domain.
To give you added confidence in my list, here’s a summary of the evaluation criteria I used to make my final selections for the best free customer service software:
Core free customer service software Functionality (25% of total weighting score):
To be considered for inclusion on my list of the best free customer service software, the solution had to offer the following basic services and software functionalities first:
- Efficient ticket management
- Real-time communication capabilities
- Multi-channel support integration
- Robust data analytics tools
- Comprehensive user support resources
Additional Standout Features (25% of total weighting score):
To help me narrow in on the best free customer service software from the numerous options available, I also took note of any unique or less common services, including:
- Advanced automation for routine inquiries
- Detailed customer interaction histories and analytics
- Customizable reports tailored to specific business needs
- Support for multiple languages to cater to a global customer base
- Innovative tools for team collaboration and communication
Usability (10% of total weighting score):
To evaluate usability, I looked for software that balances powerful functionality with ease of use, ensuring a clean interface design that supports quick navigation and operation without extensive training. This covers:
- Clean, easy-to-navigate interface
- Modern and visually appealing design
- Consistent functionality on desktop, tablet, and mobile
- Readily available tooltips, tutorials, and FAQs
Onboarding: 10% of total weighting score
To get a sense of each provider's customer onboarding process, I looked for:
- Availability of educational materials such as tutorials and webinars
- Interactive product tours that demonstrate key functionalities
- Responsive customer support during the setup phase
Customer Support: 10% of total weighting score
Since free customer service software can sometimes lack comprehensive support, you'll want a service provider with excellent customer support systems in place. To evaluate this, I considered:
- Availability of support via multiple channels
- Responsiveness and effectiveness of the support team
- Community and peer support options
Value For Money: 10% of total weighting score
To gauge the value of each software, I assess:
- The range of features offered at no cost
- Limitations or restrictions on the free version
- Opportunities for scalable upgrades that provide additional value
Customer Reviews: 10% of total weighting score
Evaluating customer reviews is the final element of my selection process, which helps me understand the software’s performance in real-world scenarios. Here are the factors I considered:
- Overall satisfaction with the software
- Frequency and context of reported issues
- User testimonials regarding long-term use
Ultimately, the selection of free customer service software was a careful balance between essential functionality and additional features that can push customer support operations to the next level. By considering these criteria, you can choose software that not only fits your immediate needs but also supports your long-term customer engagement strategies.
Trends in Free Customer Service Software for 2024
As we navigate through 2024, the landscape of free customer service software continues to evolve, driven by the demand for more efficient, responsive, and personalized customer support solutions. These trends play a pivotal role in shaping how companies manage customer interactions and support requests. Here, I explore the key trends and their impact on customer service professionals:
- Chatbots with advanced natural language processing (NLP): Free tools are incorporating more sophisticated NLP into chatbots, enabling them to handle increasingly complex customer queries. This allows for faster and more accurate resolution of basic issues, freeing up human agents for more intricate problems.
- Community forums and self-service portals: Free customer service software is increasingly integrating community forums where customers can find answers from peers and contribute to a collaborative knowledge pool. This fosters a sense of community and empowers customers to help each other.
- Focus on data encryption and compliance: As customer data becomes even more critical, free customer service software providers are prioritizing robust security features. Look for features like data encryption at rest and in transit, along with adherence to industry-standard compliance regulations.
- Customer journey mapping and contextual interactions: Advanced free software tools are incorporating customer journey mapping to help agents understand customer behavior and tailor interactions accordingly. This fosters a more personalized support experience.
- Evolving features: While core functionalities like ticketing and live chat remain essential, the free software market is constantly innovating. Keep an eye out for emerging features like co-browsing for real-time screen sharing and sentiment analysis for proactive customer support.
By staying informed about these trends and leveraging the functionalities offered by free customer service software, customer service teams can optimize their workflows, personalize interactions, and ultimately deliver a superior customer experience.
What is Free Customer Service Software?
Free customer service software are digital tools that offer basic features to help customer support teams resolve client issues in a timely and accurate fashion, without a monthly fee. They organize customer requests via a ticketing system, automate routine tasks, centralize customer communication, and track agent performance.
The main benefit of using free customer service software are the cost savings they offer. They can help you improve the efficiency of your customer support operations and increase your customer satisfaction, all without a monthly or annual fee. They're an excellent way for startups and small businesses to enhance customer support while remaining within a tight budget.
Features of Free Customer Service Software
Free customer service software equips your team with the necessary tools to effectively manage customer inquiries and tailor your support to meet user expectations. Here are the most important features to consider when making your selection:
- Ticketing System: This feature allows support requests to be organized, prioritized, and tracked. It ensures that no customer inquiry falls through the cracks and helps streamline the resolution process.
- Multi-channel Support: Provides the ability to manage inquiries across various platforms such as email, social media, and live chat. It's crucial to meet customers where they are and offer seamless support across different communication channels.
- Live Chat Capability: Enables real-time communication with clients, which is key for providing immediate assistance and can significantly enhance customer satisfaction.
- Automated Responses: Allows for quick initial responses to common inquiries, improving efficiency and reducing response times. This feature ensures customers receive timely acknowledgments of their queries.
- Knowledge Base Integration: Offers customers self-service options to find answers to common questions, empowering customers and reducing the workload on support staff.
- Analytics and Reporting Tools: Track performance metrics such as response times and customer satisfaction. These tools are vital for assessing the effectiveness of your customer support and pinpointing areas for improvement.
- Real-time Customer Feedback: Captures instant customer feedback, which is essential for making immediate improvements to service quality.
- Mobile Compatibility: Allows team members to manage customer inquiries on the go. Mobile compatibility is essential in today's mobile-first world, enabling support staff to deliver timely service from anywhere.
- Internal and External Help Desks: Supports both customer-facing and internal support operations, ensuring that both customers and employees have their issues resolved efficiently.
- Language Optimization: Adapts the software to operate in multiple languages, making it accessible to a wider audience and enhancing the customer experience for non-English speakers.
The right software will be equipped with these features to enhance the effectiveness of your support team. This will help in managing day-to-day customer interactions, mprove customer satisfaction and loyalty by ensuring each client issue is addressed promptly and effectively. As you assess various options, remember that the best software is the one that aligns most closely with your team's needs and goals, helping you deliver outstanding service without the cost burden.
You might also like: 10 Best Customer Service for Small Business.
Benefits of Free Customer Service Software
Providing excellent customer service is essential, but managing a flood of inquiries across email, phone, and social media can be overwhelming. Free customer service software offers a powerful solution, streamlining your support operations and boosting customer satisfaction. Here are five key benefits to consider:
- Organized Communication: Free customer service software provides a central hub for all your customer interactions, no more digging through endless emails or relying on scattered notes.
- Improved Efficiency: Automate repetitive tasks and streamline workflows to free up your team's time to focus on complex issues and provide personalized support.
- Happier Customers: Faster response times and efficient issue resolution lead to happier customers, which means more positive reviews and increased brand loyalty.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Gain valuable insights into customer behavior and support performance through built-in analytics, allowing you to identify areas for improvement and optimize your service strategy.
- Scalability for Growth: Free plans often offer enough features to support your business in its early stages, and many have upgrade options as your needs grow.
By leveraging the power of free customer service software, you can create a more efficient and customer-centric support system, ultimately setting your business up for long-term success.
Costs & Pricing for Customer Service Software
Customer service software offers various pricing and plan options, each designed to address different levels of support, integration capabilities, and scale of operations. Understanding these plans and their features is crucial for selecting a software package that aligns with your organization's customer service goals and budget constraints. Here's a snapshot of typical plan options you might encounter:
| Plan Type | Average Price | Common Features |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Basic ticketing system, live chat, email integration |
| Basic | $10 - $20/user/month | Enhanced ticketing capabilities, multi-channel support, basic analytics |
| Professional | $25 - $50/user/month | Comprehensive analytics, advanced automation, CRM integration |
| Enterprise | $75+/user/month | Custom reports, dedicated support, API access, scalability options |
When selecting a plan, consider the size of your support team, the complexity of your customer interactions, and the level of automation and analytics you require. A free plan can offer essential features without the cost, but keep in mind that you may need to upgrade to other paid options as your business grows.
FAQs about Customer Service Software
If your customer service team is looking for a free online customer system, you might have a few questions before signing on. Let's take a look at some FAQs regarding the free customer service software solutions contained on this list.
How does free customer service software work?
Free customer service software allows customers to connect with your company via the web. Customers can use a live chat bot directly on your website, or connect with you on social media.
The best customer support solutions offer omnichannel support, meaning that all customer issues are contained within a singular interface whether they originate on your website, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
When a customer submits a request, the online customer service system delivers it to your team according to routing rules that you establish. From there, customer issues can be tracked as they are escalated and eventually resolved.
What other customer software I can get for free?
Here are some of my other reviews on free software for customer service teams:
What Do You Think?
A recent study by Kayako shows 52% of customers are more likely to remain loyal to a company that has live chat. When your company chooses to upgrade customer service with the best software for customer support, you're not only enhancing customer experience, but also brand loyalty.
So what’s the bottom line? If you run a small business or have a small customer support team that isn’t making use of customer service software yet, it's time to get started.
Have you tried any of the customer service software listed above? Do you have a CX tool or customer experience management software that you would add to the list? Let me know in the comments!
For more about digital experience management and customer experience management, I invite you to subscribe to The CX Lead newsletter. You can also join the waitlist for The CX community.
Related Read: 10 Best Customer Relation Management Software