Choosing the right customer service software is crucial for ecommerce success. With over 80% of business leaders prioritizing customer support, it’s clear that investing in the best tool is more important than ever.
Gorgias and Zendesk are two top contenders, each offering unique features and scalability. While Gorgias integrates seamlessly with ecommerce platforms, Zendesk is a cloud-based solution focused on improving customer relations.
But which one is right for your business?
Let’s find out!
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Going back to square one—
What are the differences between Zendesk vs. Gorgias?
Zendesk vs. Gorgias: an overview
When choosing between Zendesk and Gorgias, you must consider features like advanced ticketing systems, automated responses, real-time customer data, and scalability that meet your business needs.
Here’s a comparison table that will help you learn more about the features of each tool:
| The tool’s main features | Gorgias | Zendesk |
|---|---|---|
| Ticketing | ⭐⭐⭐ Automated ticketing software that supports FAQ & workflows, self-service order tracking, and more | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fully integrated ticketing system with routing, CSAT ratings, time trackings, and service level agreements |
| Multichannel messaging | ⭐⭐⭐ All customer interactions can be managed from one single location | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A unified system that allows for consistent communication across multiple platforms and channels |
| Live chat | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Proactive sales approach, customizable widget | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Multiple live chat integrations, mobile app |
| Chatbots and AI | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Ecommerce chatbot, AI agent, integrated with Shopify, Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento) | ⭐⭐⭐ Conversational AI agents fueled by the knowledge base data |
| Self-service | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Self-service widgets, FAQ software | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Knowledge base builder, community forums, content cues, authenticated portals |
| Integrations | ⭐⭐⭐ 100 integrations | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1,500 integrations |
| Analytics & reporting | ⭐⭐⭐ Access to consumer information like conversation history, orders, reviews, or subscription details | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Customizable dashboards and charts using a point-and-click experience |
| Pricing | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Flexible pricing plan with the lowest monthly subscription at $10 | ⭐⭐⭐ Competitive pricing plan with a free 14-day trial |
Read more: Learn about the best Gorgias alternatives for your ecommerce business. Also, be sure to check out the top Zendesk alternatives and competitors.
Okay—
Time to compare Gorgias vs. Zendesk in more detail.
Zendesk vs. Gorgias: detailed comparison
When it comes to customer service software, Gorgias and Zendesk are two names that often come up. Both platforms have built strong reputations for their ability to handle customer inquiries efficiently, but they cater to different markets and business needs.
Now, let’s take an in-depth look at their features and how they differ in functionality.
Help desk and ticketing
A solid help desk and ticketing system is at the heart of any customer service operation. Both Gorgias and Zendesk offer powerful ticketing solutions, but with different focuses.
Gorgias provides an automated ticketing system that prioritizes tickets based on customer value and urgency. This means that inquiries from high-value customers or those at risk of churn are handled more swiftly, ensuring that your most important customers receive the attention they deserve.
Zendesk offers a comprehensive help desk ticketing system that integrates with various communication channels, allowing customer service teams to manage all inquiries from a single interface. Its ticketing system is highly customizable, with features like routing, CSAT ratings, and service level agreements (SLAs), making it ideal for businesses that need a more detailed and structured approach to customer support.
Winner: Zendesk edges out Gorgias in this category due to its advanced customization options and the ability to manage customer interactions across a wider range of channels. This makes Zendesk a better choice for businesses with more complex customer support needs.
Multichannel messaging capabilities
In today’s world, customers expect to interact with businesses through their preferred channels, whether it’s email, social media, or live chat.
Zendesk shines in this area, offering omnichannel customer support software that allows agents can collaborate seamlessly. Its omnichannel support not only improves team efficiency but also enhances the customer experience. And research shows that businesses with omnichannel capabilities retain up to 90% of their customers.
Gorgias also offers a shared inbox where agents can collaborate across various communication tools. However, its functionality falls short compared to Zendesk’s more robust, centralized platform. Additionally, some channels, like voice, require a paid add-on with Gorgias.
Winner: Zendesk stands out as the winner due to its more comprehensive omnichannel capabilities. Its centralized platform allows for a smoother, more integrated customer experience, making it the stronger choice for businesses looking to retain customers and streamline support operations.
Read more: Find out all you need to know about omnichannel customer service and its benefits.
Live chat
Live chat app is a critical feature for businesses looking to provide real-time support to their customers.
Zendesk offers a live chat widget that can be seamlessly embedded on your website or mobile app, enabling your team to connect with customers in real time. This feature helps agents promptly address and resolve customer issues, ensuring quick and efficient support.
Similarly, Gorgias provides a robust live chat widget equipped with canned responses and customizable themes. This tool not only facilitates real-time sales but also allows you to proactively engage with your audience, driving immediate solutions and enhancing customer satisfaction.
Winner: While Gorgias is strong in driving sales, Zendesk’s comprehensive communication features make it a great choice for overall customer engagement and support. This results in a tie.
Read more: Check out the best live chat triggers to help engage your online store visitors.
Chatbots and AI
Zendesk offers AI-driven automation to handle common customer inquiries. They excel in self-service by suggesting relevant help articles and resolving basic issues, with the ability to escalate complex cases to human agents. Their strength lies in seamless integration with Zendesk’s suite of tools, providing a unified experience across multiple communication channels like email, chat, and social media.
Gorgias’ customer service chatbots are integrated with platforms like Shopify. They focus on automating responses to common ecommerce-related queries such as order tracking, returns, and product information. Gorgias bots are particularly adept at personalizing interactions based on customer purchase history and behavior, making them highly effective in driving sales and improving customer satisfaction.
Winner: Gorgias! Zendesk AI agents take the edge for their versatility and robust multichannel support, making them ideal for various industries. However, Gorgias might be the better choice for ecommerce businesses due to its specialized features, which makes it a winner in this category.
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Self-service
A HBR report states that 81% of consumers attempt to resolve issues on their own before reaching out to an agent. So, having well-developed self-service can be crucial to alleviating the workload of CS teams.
Zendesk’s self-service functionality allows your business to create a knowledge base and community forums that can help ease the burden of your service agents. It gives companies advanced tools to control customer access to articles through authenticated portals. Also, Zendesk’s Content Cues are capable of identifying gaps in your knowledge base and making recommendations for better performance.
Gorgias offers web self-service options like a knowledge base where businesses can use FAQ software to create and manage help center articles for customers to find answers independently. Additionally, Gorgias provides self-service widgets that can be integrated into websites, allowing customers to resolve issues or find information without needing to contact support directly. These tools help streamline customer support by empowering users to solve problems on their own.
Winner: It’s a tie! Both Zendesk and Gorgias offer strong customer self-service capabilities, but they excel in slightly different areas. Zendesk provides more advanced features like authenticated portals and content optimization through Content Cues while Gorgias is highly integrated with ecommerce platforms and focuses on empowering customers to resolve issues on their own through self-service widgets. Therefore, the choice between Zendesk and Gorgias depends on specific business needs, leading to a tie between these platforms.
Read more: Explore the key features of an AI knowledge base system and learn how you can incorporate it into your website.
Integrations
The Zendesk marketplace boasts an impressive selection of over 1,500 integrations, designed to streamline multiple facets of your business, from shopping history and inventory management to billing and beyond. Among these, the Shopify integration stands out as a crowd favorite, with more than ten thousand installations, making it a go-to solution for many businesses.
In contrast, Gorgias offers a more modest selection with approximately 100 integrations available in its app store. Despite the smaller number, Gorgias still shines with its ecommerce integrations with key platforms like Shopify and Prestashop. Additionally, it facilitates seamless data sharing with popular tools such as Klaviyo, BOLD, ReCharge, Attentive, and Recart, ensuring that your ecommerce operations run smoothly.
Winner: Zendesk takes the lead with its vast array of over 1,500 integrations, offering businesses unparalleled flexibility and customization options. Its widespread adoption, particularly with the Shopify integration, highlights its effectiveness in meeting diverse business needs.
Read more: Learn the key differences between Adobe Commerce vs. Shopify and determine which platform is better for your needs.
Reporting and analytics
Understanding your customer service performance is key to making informed decisions and improving your operations.
Zendesk provides robust reporting tools that allow businesses to collect and analyze data across multiple channels. Custom reports can be generated to track team performance, customer satisfaction, and other key metrics.
Gorgias offers intuitive dashboards that provide real-time insights into support performance. While it may not be as customizable as Zendesk, it still provides valuable data to help businesses optimize their customer service.
Winner: Zendesk wins this category due to its more comprehensive and customizable reporting tools. These features allow businesses to gain deeper insights into their customer support operations and make data-driven decisions to improve performance.
Read more: Learn about key help desk metrics and KPIs.
Pricing
Before making a final decision, it’s essential to understand the cost of each platform.
Check out the table below to see the pricing options for Gorgias and Zendesk in more detail.
| Gorgias | Zendesk |
|---|---|
| – Starter ($10/mo) – Basic ($60/mo) – Pro ($360/mo) – Advanced ($900/mo) – Enterprise→ Talk to sales All plans are billed annually except for the Starter option | – Support Team ($19/mo/agent) – Suite Team ($55/mo/agent) – Suite Growth ($89/mo/agent) – Suite Professional ($115/mo/agent) – Suite Enterprise→ Talk to sales All plans are billed annually |
Zendesk offers a variety of pricing plans tailored to different business needs. Their Suite plans start at $55 per agent per month, with higher-tier plans costing $89, $115, and up to $169 per agent per month, depending on the features and level of support required. The plans include access to comprehensive tools such as ticketing systems, messaging, help centers, and powerful AI features. Zendesk also offers specialized add-ons, like advanced AI and data privacy, for an additional $50 per agent per month.
Gorgias provides pricing plans based on the number of tickets managed each month. The Basic plan starts at $10 per month, covering up to 50 tickets, and scales up to $750 per month for 60,000 tickets. They also offer a custom pricing option for businesses with higher volumes. Each plan includes access to essential customer support features, with the flexibility to add additional agents for $10 per month. Gorgias focuses on providing robust ecommerce integrations with platforms like Shopify, and the cost scales according to your business’s growth.
Winner: Gorgias is more cost-effective for small to medium-sized businesses, especially those with lower ticket volumes. However, Zendesk is the better choice for larger enterprises or businesses needing more advanced features and extensive integration capabilities, justifying its higher price point with a broader range of tools and customization options.
Zendesk vs. Gorgias: the final verdict
Zendesk is ideal for larger organizations or those in industries like technology, healthcare, and transportation. Its scalability, extensive integrations, and advanced ticketing system features make it a great choice for businesses that require a comprehensive solution.
Gorgias is best suited for ecommerce businesses. Its focus on automating order-related inquiries and providing personalized responses makes it an excellent choice for online retailers looking for AI customer support software that won’t break the bank.
If you are looking for an ecommerce help desk alternative to these two tools, then you might want to consider Tidio. Known for its AI-powered chatbots and customer service automation capabilities, it might be the best option for users looking for a cross between Zendesk and Gorgias.
Finally, let’s see how Tidio compares against the two platforms.
| Rating | Pricing | Review | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gorgias | 4.5/5 ⭐️ (500+ reviews) | A 14-day free trial and pricing ranges from $10 to $132 | – Unified support inbox – Conversational AI agent – Revenue-focused flows |
| Zendesk | 4.3/5 ⭐️ (5,875+ reviews) | A 14-day free trial version and pricing plans from $19 to $149 | – Conversational AI tools – Multichannel customer service – Smart workflow |
| Tidio | 4.7/5 ⭐️ (1,540+ reviews) | Free version available and pricing plans ranging from $29 to $749 | – Canned responses – Lyro, AI chatbot – Ticketing system with custom views |
Zendesk vs. Gorgias: key takeaway
Choosing the right tool for your customer service needs can be like preparing for battle. Gorgias arms ecommerce teams with a volume-based pricing structure that fosters collaboration across product, marketing, and operations, making it perfect for online stores.
Zendesk is the heavy artillery, with a pay-per-user model and advanced automation, ideal for enterprises managing large-scale customer relationships.
If you’re seeking a versatile live chat solution with help desk, ticketing, and AI chatbot capabilities, Tidio is your best ally.
Check it out!
Streamline your customer service with Tidio’s AI-powered solution
Frequently Asked Questions
Zendesk is the ideal customer service platform for multi-sectoral businesses in areas such as technology, transport, healthcare, and more. The software is experienced in handling large volumes of customer requests through its advanced CX features.
However, this approach means the app does not prioritize the features required for ecommerce customer service. This is where Gorgias comes in as a customer service tool that has all the features with ecommerce merchants in mind.
Zendesk is one of the oldest customer support tools around, supporting businesses of all sizes and industries. The software is easy to use, offers a plethora of integrations, and has an extensive library of resources.
Gorgias is the clear winner when it comes to small online retailers. Zendesk is better suited for startups in other industries.
