What Help Scout Does
Help Scout is an all-in-one customer communication platform that centralizes and streamlines customer support interactions. It allows teams to manage customer emails, live chats, and other support channels from a single, intuitive interface. This platform is built to simplify the process of providing customer support, making it easier for teams to respond quickly and effectively.
Key Features
Shared Inbox
The core of Help Scout is its shared inbox, where teams can collaborate on customer emails and other support requests. This feature eliminates the complexities of traditional email management and enables faster, more efficient issue resolution. The inbox supports multiple channels, including email, social media, and live chat, ensuring all customer communications are in one place.
Automation and Workflows
Help Scout offers customizable workflows that automate routine tasks using simple if/then logic. These automations can tag conversations, add emails to folders, assign emails to specific teammates, and more, helping to reduce response times and streamline support processes.
Collaboration Tools
The platform includes several collaboration features such as private notes for sharing information with teammates, saved replies for frequent customer issues, and collision detection to prevent duplicate responses. These tools ensure that teams stay organized and on the same page.
Live Chat and Messaging
Help Scout’s Beacon feature provides live chat and email support options directly on your website or app. Customers can choose between live chat and email or access knowledge-based articles for self-service support. Beacon also allows for proactive support conversations and personalized recommendations based on user actions.
Knowledge Base
Help Scout enables the creation and management of rich knowledge bases equipped with interactive FAQs, video tutorials, and other resources. This self-service portal helps customers find answers quickly, reducing the need for direct support interactions.
Customer Data and Insights
The platform provides detailed customer data, including previous conversations and app activity, giving support teams a comprehensive view of each customer. Additionally, Help Scout offers robust reporting features that track support speed, effectiveness, support volume, customer satisfaction, and more.
Integrations
Help Scout integrates with over 50 tools and platforms, including Shopify, HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, and Mailchimp, making it easy to fit into your existing tech stack. This extensive integration capability ensures seamless connectivity with other business tools.
Mobile App
The Help Scout mobile app allows teams to manage their inbox on the go, respond to customers quickly, collaborate with teammates, and organize their queue using tags and other features. This ensures continuous support even when team members are not at their desks.
AI and Advanced Features
Help Scout includes AI features to improve replies, summarize conversations, and streamline support processes. The platform also offers advanced analytics, custom reporting, and enterprise-level security and compliance options in its higher-tier plans.
Pricing and Plans
Help Scout offers three pricing plans:
- Standard: Starting at $20 per user per month (billed annually), this plan includes 2 shared inboxes and 1 Docs knowledge base.
- Plus: Starting at $40 per user per month (billed annually), this plan adds advanced analytics, custom reporting, AI features, and integrations with popular apps.
- Pro: Starting at $65 per user per month (annual subscription only), this plan includes everything in the Plus plan, along with concierge onboarding services, a dedicated account manager, and enhanced security and compliance features.
In summary, Help Scout is a powerful yet intuitive platform that simplifies customer support by centralizing communications, automating routine tasks, and providing robust collaboration and knowledge base tools. Its flexibility, ease of use, and extensive integrations make it an ideal solution for growing businesses looking to enhance their customer support capabilities.