5 Best Freshdesk Contact Center Alternatives

Freshdesk is a full-featured contact center platform that offers a host of useful functionalities and affordable plans for businesses on a budget. However, many Freshdesk Contact Center alternatives provide more advanced call management features, workforce management tools, and industry-specific offerings. We evaluated five competitors to find the best Freshdesk alternatives and rated them based on pricing options and call center phone system features.

• Talkdesk: Best Freshdesk alternative for businesses looking for advanced contact center software with multiple automation capabilities
• CloudTalk: Ideal for support and sales teams that need robust customer relationship management (CRM) integrations
• 8×8 Contact Center: Great for organizations handling sensitive patient information and financial data like healthcare and banking
• Five9: Best for businesses with high call volumes that need a customizable contact center platform
• Kixie: Best for sales teams looking for a contact center software with sales engagement features

Freshdesk Contact Center & Best Alternatives at a Glance

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Talkdesk: Best Overall Freshdesk Contact Center Alternative

Talkdesk is the best overall Freshdesk Contact Center alternative for small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) looking for a cloud-based contact center with integrated customer experience (CX) applications. It includes native artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities for omnichannel engagement, workforce engagement, customer self-service, and employee collaboration. Talkdesk also offers flexible deployment options, enabling companies to extend their on-premise call center into the cloud.

Besides AI-powered customer experiences, Talkdesk offers call management features, such as voicemail, click-to-call, IVR, automatic call distributor, call barging, and local caller ID. For businesses with global call volumes, Talkdesk is a better option because of its wider coverage with numbers for over 160 countries compared to Freshdesk Contact Center’s 90 countries.

Unlike Freshdesk Contact Center, Talkdesk doesn’t offer straightforward pricing on its website. The displayed prices are based on a three-year contract length, so you have to call the sales team for a customized quote. It’s also worth noting that while Talkdesk boasts of its 100% uptime service level agreement (SLA), it is only offered to Elite subscribers. If you’re looking for more transparent pricing data with end-to-end 99.999% uptime on all plans, 8×8 Contact Center is a better alternative.

Talkdesk Pricing at a Glance*

• CX Cloud Essentials: $75 user, per month for voice engagement, studio and routing, studio functions, real-time dashboards, business intelligence, and knowledge management
• CX Cloud Elevate: $95 per user, per month for digital engagement, quality management, screen recording, automated notifications, virtual agent, self-service portal, and feedback
• CX Cloud Elite: $125 per user, per month for 100% uptime SLA, custom reporting, and performance management
• Experience Clouds: If you want all Elite features, contact sales to request a quote for industry workspace, integrations, workflows, and virtual agents, including one add-on package

*Talkdesk offers per-hour login consumption and concurrent pricing. Estimated prices are based on a three-year contract length exclusive of usage and telco fees.

Talkdesk Features

• Automatic call distributor: Route inbound calls to specific agents or departments based on agent skills, customer data, business hours, and IVR selection. It comes with call monitoring, call barging, and call conferencing functionality to monitor agent performance.
• Automated workflows: Simplify workflows by sending recordings and data into your customer relationship management whenever a call ends. When an important event happens, managers will receive a notification, including the number dialed, recording, and call data.
• Forward-to-phone: Forward phone calls to mobile phones, landlines, or session-initiated protocol (SIP) phones to keep your team connected. This feature is ideal for remote teams who need flexible contact center software that allows them to work wherever they are.

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CloudTalk: Best for Extensive CRM Integrations

CloudTalk is a cloud-based contact center solution that offers native integrations with popular business tools and customer relationship managers (CRMs) like Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk. Its CRM integrations automatically log calls and allow your team to make calls directly from the CRM platform and access contact records while using CloudTalk. The first three paid plans come with a free trial (except the custom package).

All CloudTalk plans include voicemail, unlimited inbound calling, unlimited call queuing, and call recording. Auto-dialers, queue management tools, and advanced call routing are available in upper-tier plans. CloudTalk’s call center tools support distributed teams as it allows agents to make and receive calls, whether from the desktop browser or mobile app.

CloudTalk has limited omnichannel features. Meanwhile, Freshdesk Contact Center offers different packages for its omnichannel contact center, including live chat and social channels. Additionally, users have to upgrade to the second tier to access the IVR menu, compared to other providers like Kixie, which offers IVR in its base plan.

CloudTalk Pricing at a Glance*

• Starter: $30 per user, per month for unlimited inbound and intracompany calls, click-to-call, automated call distribution, mobile app, and unlimited call queuing
• Essential: $40 per user, per month for SMS, advanced analytics, real-time dashboard, skills-based routing, smart queuing, and workflow automation
• Expert: $60 per user, per month for Salesforce integration, power/smart/predictive dialer, call monitoring, speech-to-text, single sign-on, and unlimited concurrent calls
• Custom: Contact sales for a quote, custom onboarding, unlimited outbound calls, enterprise-level security, developer support, and custom reporting

*Pricing is based on a monthly payment plan. Annual plans are available with up to 25% discount.

CloudTalk Features

• Call flow designer: CloudTalk enables users to create custom workflows to handle inbound calls coming to the contact center. Intelligent call routing includes steps, such as an IVR, a welcome message, business hours, and a time-route that allows you to create custom paths of a call flow, based on a specific time and day.
• Preferred agent: Assign an agent for each client to make your customer support more personalized and efficient. Customers constantly interact with the same agent or with the most appropriate group of agents who can provide the right support.
• Three-way calling: Add a third party to an ongoing call when the agent needs extra help to provide a solution or close a deal. It also allows you to place a caller on hold while the two parties communicate.

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8×8 Contact Center: Best for Businesses Handling Sensitive Customer Data

Unlike other competitors, 8×8 Contact Center has fulfilled multiple security and compliance requirements for its platform to protect data and operations from various threats. Businesses that handle sensitive client information will appreciate 8×8 Contact Center’s stringent specifications for securing privacy, financial data, and computer networks. It also meets compliance requirements for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA).

Besides its robust security, 8×8 Contact Center offers a feature-rich platform with advanced capabilities like AI-powered self-service, customer experience analytics, and co-browsing. Its entry-level plan includes skills-based routing, which Freshdesk Contact Center offers in its highest-subscription tier. Additionally, all plans include unlimited international calling to certain territories, making it ideal for businesses that handle large volumes of calls from a global consumer base.

While 8×8 Contact Center offers a reliable platform for distributed teams, its inclusions, like an unlimited calling plan, are not as useful for businesses with low call volume and tight budgets. Industry-specific integrations are also lacking as 8×8 Contact Center only offers 53 apps. Check out Kixie if you’re looking for an extensive contact center for an affordable price with free trials.

8×8 Contact Center Pricing at a Glance*

• X6: $95 per user, per month, billed annually for skills-based routing, IVR, call recording, reporting and analytics, and CX journey mapping
• X7: $105 per user, per month, billed annually for chat, email, SMS, co-browsing, omnichannel routing, and social media integration
• X8: $133 per user, per month, billed annually for quality management, speech analytics, screen recording, and real-time multi-screen monitoring

*Users have the option to pay monthly, but 8×8 Contact Center offers a 24% discount for annual billing.

8×8 Contact Center Features

• Speech and text analytics: Compare insights and create targeted feedback for your agents with automated transcripts. Interactive graphics, walk-through customization, and prebuilt categories will identify calls that require attention and develop best practices.
• IVR journey maps: Intelligent IVR software allows you to create custom workflows using scripting tools to save time in making adjustments on self-service options. Built-in reporting and analytics tools let you analyze customer journeys within IVR paths.
• Customer experience analytics: Advanced search and intuitive navigation allow you to identify issues and trends in customer experiences. It also analyzes customer feedback to boost satisfaction ratings and fix issues that cause dissatisfaction.

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Five9: Best Customizable Contact Center Platform

Five9 offers a blended contact center solution that handles inbound and outbound calls in a single platform. It comes with an active blending tool that automatically adjusts outbound calls based on the inbound traffic volume. Businesses with a global customer base will appreciate its flexible pricing options, including pay-per-use, customized quotes, and preconfigured bundles.

While Five9 offers multiple contact center features, users are allowed to pick which tools to include in their plan. Advanced functionalities include IVR, analytics, reporting, workforce optimization, and multiple outbound dialers. As an intelligent contact center, it is designed to increase business agility by combining the power of AI, automation, and the cloud. It also has a robust omnichannel strategy that includes voice, email, SMS, chat, video, and social.

While Five9 offers a feature-packed platform, it requires beginner-level agents to have a high level of technical training to fully utilize its AI-powered contact center. Another drawback is the lack of transparent pricing and feature lists that would not appeal to small businesses or solopreneurs looking for affordable options. If you’re looking for a contact center with detailed pricing and a more straightforward setup process, look no further than CloudTalk.

Five9 Pricing at a Glance*

• Core: All basic tools to operate a blended contact center, including call recording, softphone tools, redundancy capabilities, real-time reporting, and admin tools
• Premium: Experience omnichannel support and essential quality management with supervisor-enabled capabilities, and customer engagement continuity
• Optimum: Get full workforce optimization capabilities, workforce management, enterprise quality management, and proactive notifications
• Ultimate: Access bundled features including workflow automation tools, prepackaged workflow apps, and interaction analytics

*Five9 offers flexible pricing options: customized quotes, pay-per-use, and preconfigured bundles. Contact the Sales teams to learn which option suits your needs.

Five9 Features

• Supervisor desktop: A customizable interface that helps contact center managers monitor and evaluate call operations in real time. Dashboard views provide agent status by channel, wait times, campaign status, and the number of queued calls.
• Intelligent virtual agent (IVA): Free your live agents from repetitive tasks and reduce the time for producing custom voice-overs for self-service scripts. The IVA platform offers a no-code development interface, custom voice avatars, and 25 standard voices.
• Gamification: Reinforce training and motivate agents with Five9 gamification. Badges, coins, and currency incentivize productivity, while redeemable rewards are available for exchange at the Marketplace for goods, gift cards, and company swag.

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Kixie: Best for Sales Engagement Features

Kixie is a cloud contact center software with AI-powered voice and SMS platform built for sales teams. Users have access to a wide range of phone features, such as call coaching, ring groups, call recording, and voice mail drop.

While most competitors focus on multi-channel support and workflow engagement, most of Kixie’s features are designed to engage more leads, increase close rates, and train sales reps. For example, Kixie’s flagship feature, its Intelligent AutoDialer, allows sales reps to instantly connect with new leads and automatically trigger calls from the CRM.

While Kixie offers a seven-day trial, its subscription plans have no monthly billing option, so users have to choose between a quarterly and annual contract. This payment term is a huge disadvantage for small businesses or solopreneurs looking for commitment-free subscriptions. If you’re looking for a free trial and monthly billing options, check out CloudTalk.

Kixie Pricing at a Glance*

• Integrated: $35 per month, billed quarterly for up to three users, business phone services, text messaging, IVR, sales leaderboard, recorded calls, and missed call alerts
• Professional: $65 per month, billed quarterly for up to three users for inbound call queues, live call coaching, Intelligent AutoDialer, text templates, and voicemail drop
• Enterprise: Contact sales for a quote, extended trial, and custom features like automation, auto-dialing, integrations, and automated text messages

*Integrated and Professional plans include a seven-day free trial. Kixie offers unlimited minutes on any plan for the U.S. and Canada at $30 per user.

Kixie Features

• Intelligent AutoDialer: Connect with new leads instantly and keep them under control. Kixie automatically connects your agents in real time whenever a lead sees your email, checks out your pricing page, and submits a form.
• ConnectionBoost: Kixie uses advanced AI and machine learning to help sales teams reach more leads and close more deals. It increases answer rate by dynamically picking a phone number most likely to be answered by a customer from a pool of over 50,000 numbers.
• Call coaching: Kixie allows contact center managers to listen in on live calls and help them close deals. Lifetime call recordings are stored for evaluation and sales rep training. It also includes detailed reporting and real-time leaderboards for a gamified experience.

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How We Evaluated the Best Freshdesk Contact Center Alternatives

To come up with this list, we analyzed Freshdesk Contact Center competitors based on the general and advanced features they include for their subscription plans. Since Freshdesk Contact Center is known for its free version and affordable pricing, we also considered third-party integrations, omnichannel support, and customization.

Here’s a breakdown of how we measured each provider:

Bottom Line

Finding the right contact center solution is important in maintaining business growth and customer satisfaction. It goes beyond providing basic inbound and outbound communications. You have to explore other essential aspects like multi-channel support and agent assist features. The providers we included offer insights on the best contact center software that works for your small business.

Based on our evaluation, Talkdesk is the best overall Freshdesk Contact Center alternative with a total score of 4.31 out of 5. Its cloud-based contact center platform is packed with useful CX functionalities that utilize AI and machine learning capabilities. This provider has a lot to offer in terms of omnichannel engagement, self-service experience, automated workflows, and call management tools. While it doesn’t have a free trial, consider requesting a quote and a demo from its sales team.

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