
Best Customer Service & Support Software (2025)
Customer service software gives your support team the tools they need to deliver exceptional customer service. Here's how to choose the right customer support software for your business.
Customer service software gives your support team the tools they need to deliver exceptional customer service. Here's how to choose the right customer support software for your business.
Delivering great customer service at scale isn’t easy — especially as customer expectations keep rising. In fact, our research finds that 82% of service professionals say customers ask for more than they used to, and just as many say they now expect more personalized experiences. That’s why choosing the right customer service software with AI is crucial. The right platform helps your team deliver fast, personalized support across every channel, helping you meet (and exceed) customer expectations every time, no matter your industry.
Customer service software is a suite of tools designed to help businesses manage and enhance their interactions with customers. It includes features like support ticketing systems, live chat, email support, and knowledge bases, which help streamline customer inquiries and resolve issues more efficiently. These tools also provide valuable insights through customer service metrics and reporting, enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions to improve the customer service experience.
AI plays a crucial role in customer service software by automating and enhancing various aspects of customer support. AI customer service agents can handle a wide range of customer inquiries 24/7, delivering instant responses that reduce wait times and lighten the load on reps. When more complex issues arise, AI agents can automatically route them to the most qualified rep — improving first-contact resolution and overall efficiency.
Beyond handling support tickets, AI also helps service reps stay one step ahead. It can analyze customer data to spot trends, predict potential issues, and trigger proactive customer service before problems escalate. Built-in sentiment analysis gives service reps real-time insight into a customer’s emotional state, helping them to use the appropriate customer service voice and approach to improve outcomes. From automated workflows to intelligent recommendations, AI gives service teams the tools they need to deliver faster, more personalized, and more effective support at scale.
Investing in the right customer service product can deliver many valuable benefits to service teams and companies. These include:
High-performing organizations are using data, AI, and automation to deliver faster, more personalized service. Find out how in the 6th State of Service report.
Customer service software can encompass several types of tools that help service teams provide support in different contexts. These include:
While you can choose to invest in separate products for the different types of customer service tools you need, many businesses prefer to choose one comprehensive platform, like Service Cloud, that covers all this territory in one product.
Watch Agentforce for Service resolve cases on its own, deliver trusted answers, engage with customers across channels and seamlessly hand off to human service reps.
With so many options on the market, choosing the best customer support software can be daunting. To help, we've compiled a list of nine well-reviewed options on G2, each with a minimum of four out of five stars. G2 rates software based on user feedback, available features, and overall user satisfaction.
Salesforce Service Cloud is a complete agentic customer service platform for every kind of service, in any industry, on any channel. Salesforce is a Leader for the 15th consecutive report in 2024 Gartner®’s 2024 Magic QuadrantTM for CRM Customer Engagement Center. Service Cloud was recognized as the #1 Best Customer Service Software of 2025 by G2.
The platform offers seamless omnichannel support and advanced automation, enabling companies to deliver exceptional service at every touchpoint. With Agentforce, businesses can create customized AI agents tailored to meet the specific needs of their customers and service teams. This not only boosts efficiency and enhances the customer experience but also helps reduce support costs.
Salesforce also offers resources to set your business up for success with Service Cloud. Trailhead, Salesforce’s free online learning platform, provides training to help your team get up to speed quickly on the customer service software. The award-winning Serviceblazer Community on Slack is a great place to learn best practices for Service Cloud from your fellow service pros.
Zendesk's customer support software provides a single workspace for teams to respond to customer inquiries from multiple channels. The software includes AI and automation features, integration with other technology products, and reporting tools.
HubSpot's Service Hub is an all-in-one customer service platform. The product includes omnichannel messaging support and features for collecting customer feedback.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service provides a unified platform that connects data across every interaction, empowering agents to provide consistent, personalized support. The software includes features such as case management, omnichannel support, and AI-powered virtual agents.
Intercom is an AI-first customer service platform that transforms experiences for customers, support agents, and managers, improves operational efficiency, and scales with your business. The product also has features like automation for ticket routing and messaging, AI agents, and omni-channel support.
ServiceNow CSM is a platform that uses AI-powered workflows and AI agents to enhance self-service, improve efficiency, and accelerate resolutions. The software features tools for case management, omni-channel support, knowledge management, analytics, and more.
LiveAgent is customer service software that offers live chat, call center, and social media support. The product also provides a ticketing system and knowledge base functionality.
Freshdesk's customer service software provides teams with advanced ticketing management, AI and automation features, and collaboration tools.
Zoho Desk enables omnichannel support and offers various AI, automation, and self-service features. The product also offers customization options and security features for sensitive data.
It's an exclusive meeting place, just for service professionals. From customer service to field service, the Serviceblazer Community is where peers grow, learn, and celebrate everything service.
When evaluating the best customer support software for your business, important features to look for include:
Each business will have distinct goals and needs when it comes to deciding on the right customer support software for them. To guide your decision, here are a few important factors:
Consider the primary goals and needs of your business or support team. This may include factors such as the number of support reps you have, typical volume of service requests, and main channels you want to support. Develop a clear customer service strategy before you start looking for tools to help determine which features to prioritize.
Take stock of all the tech products and applications you already use that need to connect seamlessly with your customer service software. Many solutions come with integration capabilities or an app marketplace where you can purchase the ones you need. Look into what's involved in setting up the necessary integrations when choosing your solution.
As your business grows, your customer service platform should grow with you — without losing efficiency or quality. A scalable solution makes it easier to manage complex cases by supporting the right processes and integrations. Choose a platform with flexible automation and customizable features, so you can stay agile and continue delivering great service at every stage of your growth.
Consider your available budget for customer support software, noting each pricing model or subscription tier for different products. Whether a per-user or tiered pricing model makes the most sense depends on your business goals, such as the ability to add more licenses as you scale.
The future of customer service is poised to see a continuation of the trends already taking shape — most notably, the rise of AI customer service features such as:
Our research shows that 83% of organizations plan to increase their AI investment in the next year, suggesting AI technology will continue to develop and streamline customer service operations.
Choosing a product with features that help your service team provide exceptional customer service benefits everybody. Your customers get a better support experience, your team sees better results with less work, and your business can boost retention and increase revenue. Give your team the tools they need to be more successful by choosing the right customer service software for your business.
Your AI is only as strong as the data it's built on. Agentforce for Service's are built on trusted, secured data to safely maximize the power of AI.
The best customer service software for your business will depend on your company's customer service strategy, budget, and the main features you need. Salesforce Service Cloud is a strong option for many businesses, as it enables omnichannel support, lets you build customized AI agents, and includes powerful automation features to increase efficiency.
The cost of customer support software depends on the company's pricing model and the product and plan you choose. While some products offer free versions, most businesses will want to invest in a paid plan for more advanced functionality. Most products cost at least $20 per user per month for basic plans and could go up from there for more complex features and capabilities.
Absolutely. Any business that cares about customer service can benefit from investing in software that helps streamline customer inquiries, provide omnichannel support, improve efficiency for faster response times, and more.
This article is for informational purposes only. This article features products from Salesforce, which we own. We have a financial interest in their success, but all recommendations are based on our genuine belief in their value.
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner and Magic Quadrant is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.