Intercom review: in-depth analysis of top features, pros, and cons
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About Intercom
Intercom is a customer service platform that helps support teams streamline communication and engagement with customers across email, chat, and social media channels. It enables personalised messaging, targeted campaigns, and efficient lead management.
With real-time data insights and automation capabilities, Intercom automates workflows to enhance customer experiences at every touchpoint. It integrates with popular third-party applications to extend its functionality. In this intercom review, we evaluate its top features, pros and cons, and other alternatives, to help you make the right decision for your business.
Top features of Intercom
Workflow automation: Intercom’s workflow automation streamlines processes by automating repetitive tasks, enhancing efficiency and productivity for teams.
Data and analytics: The data and analytics tools provide valuable insights into customer behavior and interaction patterns.
Chatbot: The chat widget enables real-time communication with website visitors and helps you provide instant support to users.
Product tour: Intercom’s product tour functionality guides users through key features and functionalities and ensures a smooth onboarding experience.
Third-party integrations: Intercom offers seamless integrations with a variety of third-party applications.
Custom objects: Custom objects in Intercom allow users to create customized data structures to suit specific business needs.
No-code customization: With no-code customization capabilities, Intercom allows users to create workflows without requiring technical expertise.
Pros of Intercom
Easy implementation: Intercom is easy to set up and requires minimal technical expertise. It requires customers to learn on their own.
Training material: Intercom provides users with the resources they need to familiarize themselves with the platform’s features and functionalities. Intercom reviews on TrustRadius note that these materials are useful for trial users to onboard.
Data and analytics: With data tracking capabilities, Intercom enables you to gather valuable insights and track customer interactions across multiple channels.
Fin chatbot: Intercom’s Fin chatbot allows businesses to automate customer interactions and streamline communication processes.
Cons of Intercom
High pricing: Intercom’s pricing is considering confusing and expensive for small businesses, startups, and those with limited budgets
Email customization: Several Intercom reviews by users point to mixed opinions on the automation capabilities for email. While some find them sufficient for their needs, others feel that they are not robust and flexible.
Complexity: The routing and automation processes for support tickets in Intercom can sometimes be overly complex and require additional effort to configure effectively.
Complicated UI: Some users find Intercom’s user interface overwhelming, with a steep learning curve that hinders adoption and ease of use for new users.
Customer support: Despite being a customer support tool, some users have reported issues with Intercom’s own customer support, citing slow response times or unhelpful support agents.
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Intercom Pricing
| Essential $39 per seat/month | Advanced $99 per seat/month | Expert $139 per seat/month |
|---|---|---|
| Top features Shared inbox Macros Chatbot Targeting and scheduling And more. | Top features Features of “Essential” + Advanced automation Tickets portal Multilingual help center And more. | Top features Features of “Advanced”+ SLAs Fin AI Multiple help centers And more. |
Best Intercom alternative - DevRev
DevRev stands out as an AI-native customer service software, offering a robust alternative to the challenges posed by Intercom. Tailored to businesses of all sizes, DevRev is scalable, evolving seamlessly alongside organisational growth. Unlike Intercom, DevRev boasts responsive and proactive customer support, ensuring timely assistance when needed.
Its user-friendly interface promotes quick adoption and an easy learning curve for support agents. Moreover, DevRev offers extensive customisation options, allowing businesses to tailor the platform to their specific needs. It provides various features as add-ons, called Snap-ins, so you could choose the features you want, rather than buying bloated software with features you’ll hardly use.
DevRev’s AI comes built-in, rather than being bolted-on, providing capabilities that are future proof. From fundamental ticketing features to cutting-edge AI capabilities, DevRev encompasses a comprehensive suite of functionalities to optimise customer support operations.
Features of DevRev
| Features | Intercom | DevRev |
|---|---|---|
| Ticketing | ✅ | ✅ |
| Product hierarchy visualization | ❌ | ✅ |
| Servive level agreements (SLAs) | ❌ | ✅ |
| API Integration | ✅ | ✅ |
| Knowledge base creation | ❌ | ✅ |
| Advanced reporting | ✅ | ✅ |
| SOC2 compliance | ❌ | ✅ |
| Omnichannel support | ❌ | ✅ |
| Auto-assign tasks to agents | ✅ | ✅ |
| AI Chatbot | ✅ ($0.99 per email) | ✅ |
| Work management | ❌ | ✅ |
| Collaborators | Up to 20 | Unlimited |
| Custom role assignment | ❌ | ✅ |
Pricing of DevRev
| Starter | Pro | Ultimate |
|---|---|---|
| $19.98 per user/month Explore features | $59.98 per user/month Explore features | Contact Sales |
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Bringing it all together: Intercom review
Intercom presents a range of advantages and drawbacks for businesses. On the positive side, its ease of implementation provides a smooth onboarding experience for users. It has stand out features that helps personalize customer engagement, across different platforms.
However, Intercom has a complex pricing structure that may pose a barrier for small businesses and startups. Additionally, while Intercom serves as a customer support tool, reports of subpar customer support experiences highlight areas for improvement in its own service offerings.
Ultimately, businesses considering Intercom should carefully weigh these pros and cons against their specific needs and resources to determine whether the platform aligns with their goals and objectives.
