One of the most important applications for a Shopify online store is the help desk. However, when choosing this software, it is important to keep one thing in mind: just because a help desk is integrated with Shopify does not mean that it specializes in eCommerce.
In this blog, we will review some of the best help desks for Shopify. We will also explain what features are important and what criteria you should use to save money with this type of technology.
What is a help desk app for Shopify and why should you use it?
Shopify help desk apps are integrations that allow you to manage customer support in an omnichannel way, centralizing queries in a single dashboard. Given that 83% of online shoppers require assistance to complete an order, an effective customer support tool is crucial to avoid potential losses.
With a Shopify help desk, you can:
- Contact your customers through multiple channels simultaneously
- Enable in-store chat
- Automate responses with macros or AI systems
- Make changes to customer orders and solve customer problems
- Collect information and create statistics about your business or users
- Automate order management (Outvio only)
- Create post-payment sales campaigns (Outvio only)
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The best help desk apps for Shopify
1. Outvio Desk
Key feature: 360° customer service optimization, fulfillment, order and returns management, postpaid marketing
Outvio Desk is a complete eCommerce management platform. With it, you can easily synchronize the management of orders or returns with support services, ensuring efficient and high-quality operations. Among its outstanding features are a live chat for eCommerce, a ticketing system, integration with social networks, response automation with AI, order notifications and detailed business statistics.
Additionally, Outvio is the only help desk for Shopify with its own tracking and returns portal that is fully synchronizable with all other support channels.
Pricing:
- Outvio Desk: 100€/month + 0,05€/order
- Outvio users: 0€/month + 0,05€/order
2. Shopify Inbox
Key feature: basic chat for stores
If you've just opened your first online store on Shopify and don't want to invest in technology, you can use its free integration. Shopify Inbox is a chat service offered by the company for first-time businesses. Keep in mind that this is a fairly basic tool. You will simply be able to import chat queries into the inbox. You can also connect with Facebook Messenger.
Pricing: free of charge
3. Tidio
Key feature: Chatbots and response automation
Tidio is help desk software specialized in chatbots with integration with Shopify. The tool specializes in creating automated conversations within the store chat. Agents will be able to monitor responses and perform management if desired. It does not have carrier integration, so it is not a good option for order management.
Pricing
- Free Plan: 0$/50 conversations/month
- Starter Plan: $29/100 conversations/month
- Growth Plan: $59/250 conversations/month
- Tidio Plan: $398/month
4. Rich Panel
Key feature: multichannel ticketing system
Rich Panel is another customer service software with Shopify integration. You will be able to synchronize different sales channels, track tickets, or assign queries to agents. It also has a self-service portal (separate price) with answers to frequently asked questions or chatbots. There is no integration with carriers.
Pricing
- Incubator Plan: from $9 per month for every 3 agents
- Pro Plan: from $60 per month per agents
- Pro Max Plan: from $120 per month per agents
The Rich Panel chatbot is priced at an additional $300 per month.
5. Zendesk
Key feature: Customer service/sales automation
Zendesk is a customer service software specialized in large companies and agencies. Although it is not a native tool for online stores, it can be integrated with Shopify. Zendesk stands out primarily for its sales suite, which allows agents to track leads within companies.
Pricing
- Team Suite: €69/agent/month
- Growth Suite: €115/agent/month
- Professional Suite: €145/agent/month
- Enterprise Suite: Customized pricing
6. Zipchat
Key feature: chatbot and response automation
ZipChat is a response automation app for online chat. You can use it in your Shopify store to improve customer service. Its system helps you create automatic responses. Remember that this tool focuses only on chat, so you may need other programs for more features. Additionally, it has no carrier integrations.
Pricing
- Starter Plan: $49 per month, up to 100 conversations
- Grow Plan: $129 per month, up to 100 conversations
- Pro Plan: $249 a month, up to 100 conversations
- Scale Plan: $499 per month, up to 100 conversations
7. Reamaze Software
Main feature: ticketing and live chat
ReAmaze is a quite complex help desk for Shopify. You will be able to create tickets in your dashboard for agents to follow up on queries. It has integrated chat, a statistics system, and social media integration. It is a simple but effective option. However, in terms of eCommerce features, it may be lacking. It also does not have carrier integrations.
Pricing
- Basic Plan: $29/month/agent
- Pro Plan: $49/month/agent
- Plus Plan: $69/month/agent
Essential features your Shopify help desk should have
Ticketing system
This system centralizes customer inquiries so that agents can easily manage them. Whenever a user contacts the business, the tool generates a monitorable conversation. Afterward, employees can send automated responses, transfer the ticket to another agent, etc.
Macros and Automated Responses
These are predefined answers in customizable templates. Agents create answers to the most common questions, and when a customer makes a query, the answer is sent automatically.
Assignment rules
Assignment rules are criteria for automatically assigning requests to the most appropriate agents. Rules are defined considering the subject of the request, the agent's skill or workload. The system automatically assigns requests to the best-fit agents.
Multi-channel integration
The Shopify help desk integrates with different communication platforms so that customers can contact support from their preferred channel, enabling effective omni-channel management.
Online chat
Online chat offers real-time support through a chat window on the website or mobile app. Customers can initiate a chat with an agent for immediate assistance, resulting in increased satisfaction.
Self-service portals
These portals allow users to manage certain aspects of their orders themselves. They are very useful for improving the customer experience and saving time and resources for the store. The most common ones are the returns portal and the shipping tracking portal. Outvio is the only tool with an integrated shipping and tracking portal.
High level of customization
A high degree of customization means tailoring the help desk to your brand image. You can customize the help desk interface, functions, and workflows to match your brand aesthetics and identity.
How to save money by avoiding unnecessary integrations: an important tip
The best way to reduce the price of integrations is to not need them.
Support management in an online store is a complex task that goes beyond communicating with customers.
Agents need instant access to a multitude of data, from order details to shipping company information, warehouse locations, and delivery addresses.
In addition, many problems and queries arise during the delivery phase, whether due to delays or return requests, requiring seamless communication between all suppliers involved.
Therefore, it is common for help desk systems to need to integrate with carrier aggregators, order management systems, and returns solutions. Just look at the integration libraries of many help desks, and you'll see how they can all connect to a wide variety of alternative solutions
There are two problems with this philosophy: it is much more expensive and tends to have serious synchronization problems.
For example, if you choose Rich Panel and want to automate returns processing, you will have to pay for Loop Returns (returns software) and in turn for EasyPost (carrier aggregator). And if you also want to send order notifications or print labels, you'll have to pay for AfterShip (post-payment tool).
See what I mean?
However, with Outvio, you won't have that problem, as it's the only help desk for Shopify that really specializes in eCommerce. Why do we say this? Because it's not just limited to canceling orders or changing the destination address. With Outvio, you can control and automate 100% of the operation: from packaging to label printing, warehouse synchronization, pickup scheduling, shipment tracking, notifications, or returns. All this is in addition to customer service functionalities, and without the need to integrate other solutions! Outvio has it all integrated into its system.
Conclusion
The choice of your Shopify help desk system will be crucial to the level of customer service you offer. If you are looking to maintain customer loyalty, we recommend you always opt for a comprehensive solution. In fact, if you decide to use a cheaper tool and then your store grows, you will probably need to migrate to a more robust solution, which could significantly increase your costs. We suggest you carefully examine each help desk option available on Shopify, take demos, and evaluate for yourself which one best suits your needs.
