Did you know that 94% of customers said a positive customer service experience made them more likely to purchase again from the same company?

However, the bar for a positive customer experience has notably increased with the rise of social media and other digital communication technologies.

Companies are expected to answer almost immediately and create highly personalized communications with every customer. The increasing number of online channels is making managing customer communications more challenging than ever.

But the good news is that you don't have to be active on ten different platforms all day long to provide excellent customer service. All you need is customer communication management software that will act as a centralized platform and uniform inbox for all your conversations.

In this article, we've selected six best customer communications management solutions for you to try out.

Read more: Customer Communication Strategy: 6 Best Practices

6 best customer communication management software tools

Glassix

If you're looking for a platform that can help you manage and automate all your customer interactions, Glassix may be exactly what you need.

With a combination of conversational and generative AI, you can get the best of both worlds: we will help you improve customer experience while freeing you time to focus on the most important things.

The best part? You can create and deploy your chatbots in only one click without the need for coding.

Here are the key features that make Glassix one of the best omnichannel software for customer service:

Features

• Unified inbox: You can manage all your customer correspondence in our centralized AI-powered inbox, eliminating the need to constantly switch from one channel to another. Our unified inbox supports all business channels and apps, such as WhatsApp chatbot, Apple Messages for Business, SMS, email and social media, and keeps conversation history without losing any data.
• Automatic tagging and categorization: You don't have to waste time organizing large volumes of customer conversations, as our platform does that for you in real time. It automatically tags conversations and divides them into suitable categories, making it easier for your support team to prioritize interactions.
• Human-like conversational AI: We combine conversational AI with generative AI based on GPT-4 integration. The platform supports advanced chatbots that can handle complex tasks, solve problems and provide human-like conversation. Plus, the platform provides smooth and seamless transitions from chatbot to agent and vice versa. This means that your agents can hand over repetitive queries to bots and focus on more important tasks, and your customers won't notice any difference in quality.
• Drag-and-drop chatbot flow builder: Glassix allows you to create advanced chatbots and complex flows without the need for coding. Simply create your flow using our drag-and-drop builder. After that, you can deploy your chatbot to almost any communication platform with only one click. To learn more, check out this comprehensive omnichannel chatbots guide.
• Automation templates: If you don't have time to create a custom flow, you can choose one of our pre-built flows and customize it to fully meet your needs. We have a variety of templates suitable for all industries, from e-commerce and hospitality to banking and fintech. The templates are very flexible and you can customize them based on your business needs.
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To learn more about why we've structured our tool the way we did, we suggest checking out the strategies for omnichannel customer support.

💡 Fun fact: Did you know that some studies show that AI chatbots provide a better customer experience than real agents? Here you can find five ways AI chatbots outperform human agents.

Pricing

Are you tired of top customer communications management platforms almost punishing you for your growth by increasing prices as your messaging volume grows? With Glassix, that can never happen, as we have convenient user-based pricing instead of charging for every message.

• Free trial: We offer a 30-day free trial during which you can test all the features, no credit card required.
• Starter: A plan ideal for solopreneurs or small businesses that need one to five users. The price is $49 per user per month, and you can start with only one user, which makes it $49 total.
• Growth: This plan contains advanced chatbots and real-time reporting and costs $65 per user per month for up to nine users. The minimum number of users is two.
• Enterprise: We offer custom plans with enterprise-level solutions for teams with over 10 users.
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🎁 If you opt for an annual subscription, you can get big discounts: 15% for the Starter plan and 20% for the Growth plan.

User rating

G2: 4.8

Capterra: 5

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MessageBird

MessageBird is a multi-functional customer relationship management platform that can be used for communication, marketing and collecting payments.

Its pricing is based on the number of contacts, and that model may not be convenient for everyone. If that's you, make sure to check these MessageBird alternatives.

Features

• Multi-channel support: MessageBird combines live chat on your website with social media, email, WhatsApp and SMS support, enabling you to have consistent communications across all platforms.
• Quick connectors: With only one click, you get all the relevant details about the customer you're interacting with. For example, if they wrote you on social media to complain about an order, you can retrieve their Shopify order details with a single click.
• Sales chatbots: MessageBird offers a variety of chatbots, but their shopping bots on WhatsApp stand out for offering personalized product discovery and recommendations. They're optimized for conversion and allow customers to purchase products without having to leave the conversation.
• Email and SMS marketing: MessageBird uses the data gathered in customer interactions to create highly personalized campaigns with precise targeting.
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Pricing

Pricing depends on the number of contacts (email, WhatsApp, SMS) you're targeting each month. It starts at $45 per month for up to 3,000 monthly contacts and can go up to $440 per month for large databases with up to 50,000 contacts. The number of messages and emails you can send with each plan is limited, depending on the plan.

User rating

G2: 4.2

Capterra: 4.5

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Freshdesk

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Freshdesk is a customer service portal that's part of the Freshworks suite and integrates with their other solutions (if you're not a Freshworks user, you may find this list of the best Freshdesk alternatives helpful).

It's suitable for businesses of all sizes because it's highly customizable – you can make it as simple or as complex as you want. Prices can also vary a lot depending on the level of support and features you choose.

Features

• Omnichannel support: Freshdesk allows you to manage multiple communication channels directly from their platform, such as phone calls, WhatsApp, emails and social media. It transforms customer interaction from calls and messages into tickets and assigns them to the most suitable customer support agent.
• Freddy AI: There's a built-in chatbot based on Freddy AI, their custom solution. Apart from answering customer queries, Freddy AI also collects insights on customer behavior and you can use it for data visualization.
• Collaboration: Freshdesk simplifies collaboration in large customer support teams by allowing you to share task ownership and tickets with other teams and automatically divide large tickets into smaller sub-tickets.
• Advanced customization: You can customize the layout and design of your portal down to the smallest details. You can even build and integrate your own custom apps or use apps from Freshworks Marketplace built by other users.
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Pricing

You can choose between a simpler version that includes only Freshdesk or a full Customer Service Suite with omnichannel support.

Freshdesk has four plans:

• Free: for up to 10 agents (one of the best customer support software for startups)
• Growth: $15 per agent per month (includes automation and over 100 apps)
• Pro: $49 per agent per month (advanced customization)
• Enterprise: $79 per agent per month (enterprise-level support)
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On the other hand, if you want a full Customer Service Suite that covers multiple channels apart from self-service and ticketing system, here are the prices:

• Growth: $29 per agent per month (chatbots, web widget, email and messaging channels such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger)
• Pro: $69 per agent per month (you can build your own channel)
• Enterprise: $109 per agent per month (enterprise-level support)
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User rating

G2: 4.4

Capterra: 4.5

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Front

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Front's customer communications management software stands out for the number of channels it covers and the ability to add custom channels through a simple API integration. They offer some other interesting features as well, but many of them require additional payment.

Features

• Multi-channel inbox: Front currently supports 25 communication channels, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack and many social networks. But you can also add your own custom channels through their API.
• No-code builder: Front allows you to build and extensively customize professional knowledge bases and help centers without the need for any coding skills.
• AI chatbots: Chatbots can answer complex questions by pulling information from your knowledge base, but they can also summarize previous customer interactions and provide you with context, without you going through old conversations manually.
• Pay-as-you-go AI answers: AI answers are available as an add-on, but you don't have to pay for all customer queries, only those that were successfully closed. If Front's AI wasn't able to solve customer issues, you wouldn't be charged.
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Pricing

• Starter: $19 per user per month (omnichannel inbox, knowledge base and live chat)
• Growth: $59 per user per month (automated workflows and AI summaries)
• Scale: $99 per user per month (draft messages with AI)
• Premier: $229 per user per month (custom features and enterprise-level support)
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As already mentioned, AI answers are available as an add-on, and they'll cost you $0.70 per resolution. The price is based on customer satisfaction and you'll be charged only if a customer confirms that their question is answered properly.

User rating

G2: 4.7

Capterra: 4.5

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Intercom

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Intercom is a fully AI-led customer communication management platform that leverages artificial intelligence to help both clients and customer service agents.

As one of the business leaders, Intercom has many advanced features but it can be a bit overwhelming due to constant changes, especially if your customers aren't that tech-savvy. If that's the case, you may want to check out the best Intercom alternatives.

Features

• Fin, the AI agent: Fin is an AI-powered virtual agent trained to mimic human interactions and fluent in 45 languages. According to Intercom, its AI agent has an impressive 50% resolution rate.
• Inbox phone calls: You can call your customers directly from your unified inbox so you have all the context and customer data at your fingertips.
• Personal AI assistant: Intercom allows you to create and assign personalized AI assistants to each of your team members. Over time, AI assistants are learning more about your agents and allowing them to automate a huge part of their workload, but managing to still keep personalized messaging and strong customer relationships.
• Outbound communication: Apart from answering customer queries, Intercom can also be used for outreach and sending marketing messages across various channels. You can fully automate your outreach thanks to precise targeting, workflows and personalized communication.
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To learn more about the tool, we suggest checking out the Glassix vs Intercom review and comparison.

Pricing

• Essential: $39 per user per month (for startups and small businesses, only one inbox)
• Advanced: $99 per user per month (multiple inboxes + AI assistants)
• Expert: $139 per user per month (ideal for large support teams)
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Apart from the standard features, you can purchase some add-ons.

User rating

G2: 4.5

Capterra: 4.5

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Help Scout

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Help Scout is a customer communication management software that stands out for its clear and user-friendly interface and the ability to integrate with over 100 tools, making it one of the best customer support software for e-commerce.

The only limitation is somewhat limited customization, so if you're looking for a more flexible customer communication management solution, you should check out the best Help Scout alternatives.

Features

• Voice messages: Apart from standard channels such as social media and email, Help Scout's unified inbox also supports voice messages thanks to some integrations.
• Live chat: Help Scout enables businesses to answer their customers' questions in real time, as they're navigating your website or e-commerce store, which can significantly increase the chances of closing the deal.
• Customer profiles: The app automatically creates customer profiles for each customer you interact with, based on the available data. This allows for highly personalized communications and makes your customers feel valued.
• AI assistant: A built-in AI assistant improves your messages by fixing your tone, making them longer or more concise or suggesting personalized messages based on customer profiles in order to increase customer engagement.
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Pricing

• Standard: $20 per user per month (two shared inboxes)
• Plus: $40 per user per month (five shared inboxes + AI features)
• Pro: $65 per user per month (25 shared inboxes + dedicated account manager)
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User rating

G2: 4.4

Capterra: 4.7

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Customer communication management software platforms: What to look for

Finding the best customer communication management software will depend on many factors, such as the volume of conversations, the size of your team and your budget. However, here are some universal things to consider:

Features

Here are the key features to look for:

• Omnichannel support
• Unified inbox
• AI-powered chatbots
• Conversational AI platforms
• Automation capabilities
• Customization and flexibility
• AI features (such as AI summary, AI responses, AI tagging, AI assistant etc.)
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Pricing

As you can see, different customer communication management companies have different pricing models. Some charge per user/agent, while others charge per the number of contacts or messages sent. Choosing the right model will depend on the volume of customer interactions you get and the particular features you need.

Integrations

First, make sure that the platform supports all the communication channels you're using, for example:

• SMS and instant messaging
• WhatsApp and Telegram
• Social media (Instagram, Facebook and other platforms)
• Email
• Live chat
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Also, depending on your industry, you may need a solution that integrates with:

• CRM systems
• E-commerce platforms
• Email marketing tools
• Other marketing tools
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Best customer communication management software solutions: Comparison table

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Ready to transform your customer communication management?

Switching from one channel to another is not only time-consuming but it's also the best way to kill your productivity and lose focus.

What if we told you that our customer communication management system could replace all those apps and platforms and bring them all together in one centralized inbox?

That's not all, as we'll automatically organize and label all your customer interactions so it's easier to remember previous conversations and find what you're looking for.

And if you're too busy to communicate with customers, don't worry – our AI chatbot will take over and continue engaging in meaningful conversations and helping your customers.

Want to learn more? Try it for free for 30 days!

FAQs

What is a customer communication management system?

A customer communication management system or CCM software is a tool that integrates all the communication channels a company uses to communicate with its customers. For example, it can include different types of messaging platforms, SMS, emails, social media and chatbots and widgets on the company's website.

Why is CCM needed?

CCM solutions are necessary if you want to keep consistent communication with your customers across various channels and provide a uniform customer experience. For most companies, CCM software is no longer a nice-to-have but a must-have as customers contact them through various digital channels daily, and it'd be impossible to keep up without a CCM solution. Not to mention that it elevates customer service productivity and saves your team a lot of time by helping them automate repetitive tasks.

What is the difference between ECM and CCM?

While CCM solutions are used to manage communication with customers, ECM stands for Enterprise Content Management, and it's used to capture, store and manage content and documents related to the organization. A good example of an ECM could be a knowledge base.