Freshservice (by Freshworks) is an IT service management software with HR capabilities. It is primarily designed to manage the IT service cycle including service management, change management, incident management, and more. It helps organizations streamline their IT operations and improve service delivery. With its HR capabilities, it can also help businesses with their HR processes, from recruitment and employee engagement to offboarding. Freshservice pricing starts at $29/agent per month if billed monthly. It is ideal for companies that want to centralize their management processes in one system.
Freshservice Overview
Pros
- Easy to use
- Compatible with a wide range of platforms
- Multiple support channels
- Automates repetitive processes
- Serves as a repository for all your HR documents and data
- AI-powered
Cons
- Generating reports can be quite slow
- New features and functions are buggy
- Setting up initial email is a bit of a hassle
- No free version
- Is a bit pricey
What We Recommend Freshservice For
- Companies that want to centralize HR processes: Freshservice integrates different HR functions—from onboarding to offboarding—into a single platform. This eliminates the need to use multiple platforms.
- On-the-go HR professionals: Freshservice has a mobile app that provides real-time company updates. It also includes tools to manage hiring processes—like creating interview schedules, gathering feedback, collaborating with the hiring team, and viewing candidate profiles. You can even access employee records while on the go.
- Fast-scaling businesses: Freshservice scales to address the specific challenges of a fast-growing company. It can add users and features into the system without compromising performance. It also helps businesses reduce costs associated with paper-based systems, manual processes, and inefficient workflows.
When Freshservice Would Not Be a Good Fit
- Organizations needing a dedicated HR solution with payroll and compliance features: While Freshservice has HR features, they are not meant for payroll and compliance purposes—these are focused more on automating your HR processes. For a more comprehensive solution, Gusto can help you with tax enrollment, tax filing, benefits enrollment, and many more. It also has expert support to help you comply with complex HR and payroll regulations. Read our Gusto review for more information. You can also visit its website and get one month free when you run your first payroll. Offer will be applied to your Gusto invoice(s) while all applicable terms and conditions are met or fulfilled.
- Businesses that are vulnerable to discriminatory hiring practices (due to historical trends or otherwise): What Freshservice offers is to streamline your HR processes, which would be useless if you want to focus on DEI. On the other hand, MightyRecruiter captures EEO (equal employment opportunity) data such as ethnicity, gender, and disability from job applicant profiles in case of an audit. Also, it has an “OFCCP Compliance mode” to track your searches. Visit MightyRecruiter to find out more.
- Businesses on a budget: Freshservice’s pricing plan can be expensive for small businesses. If you are on a budget or only need basic HR functionalities, BambooHR offers a lower monthly fee per employee on its premium plans. Check our BambooHR review for an in-depth look at its features.
How Freshservice Compares With Top Alternatives
| Best For | Paid Plans Start At | Our Reviews | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast-scaling businesses | $29/agent per month | |
| Visit Freshservice | |||
 | Businesses vulnerable to discriminatory hiring practices | Free | No Review Yet |
| Visit MightyRecruiter | |||
 | Businesses needing a dedicated HR solution | per | Read Our Gusto Review |
| Visit Gusto | |||
 | Businesses on a budget | Custom-priced | Read Our BambooHR Review |
| Visit BambooHR | |||
Freshservice Pricing
Freshservice’s pricing plans are transparent and straightforward. It has four paid plans ranging from $29 to $145 per agent per month when billed monthly. While it does not have a free version, it offers a 14-day free trial period. Here’s a table for an overview of its different pricing plans and the features included in each of them.
| Stater | Growth | Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter Pricing | $29/user per month | $59/user per month | $119/user per month |
| Knowledge Base | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Self-service Portal | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile Apps | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Employee Onboarding | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Portal Customization | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Approval Workflows | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cloud Management | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Problem Management | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Project Management | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Contract Management | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Team Dashboards | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Sandbox | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Audit Logs | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| ServiceBot on Microsoft Teams and Slack | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
Freshservice Features
Freshservice leverages AI to boost employee productivity and create a culture of excellence in the workplace. It does so by automating routine HR processes and services, such as employee onboarding and offboarding, performance management, employee engagement, and more with the following features:
HR Management Service Catalog
This feature allows you to create a centralized repository of different HR services. It will serve as a self-service hub where employees can submit their requests or find specific information about a specific service or concern, including leave and benefits requests.
The HR Management service catalog is a self-service hub where employees can submit requests and queries. (Source: Freshservice)
Automated Workflows
This feature allows businesses to automate their processes like onboarding, training, task management, expense report approvals, HR policy updates, and more. Create workflows by using the drag-and-drop interface. After that, define specific conditions that will serve as triggers and choose the actions that will automate the tasks.
AI Virtual Assistant
This serves as your 24/7 HR assistant which answers employee questions about HR policies, payroll, benefits, and other frequently asked HR-related topics. It can also be used to answer candidates’ job or company-related questions. With this feature, you ease the burden on HR personnel allowing them to focus on more important tasks.
This AI-powered virtual assistant addresses employee queries about anything HR-related.
Advanced Analytics and Reporting
Freshservice’s advanced analytics help businesses identify areas of improvements and keep track of the organization’s health. It also allows them to pinpoint bottlenecks as well as create solutions that will resolve those challenges. The data is presented in visually appealing reports and charts for better understanding. Another noteworthy feature of Freshervice’s analytics tool is its AskFreddy AI platform, which enables you to create extensive and detailed reports.
Freshservice’s visual reports give clear insights into the different aspects of your business.
Non-HR Features
Freshservice’s primary goal is to help businesses provide the best customer support possible. Here are some of its other noteworthy features:
- Customer Portal
- This feature allows customers to submit and track their support tickets. Businesses can customize their customer portal to align with their branding.
- Ticketing System
- It is where businesses can manage and track the support tickets submitted by customers. Each submitted ticket can be assigned to an agent who, in turn, manages and tracks the progress of the ticket.
- Knowledge Base
- It serves as a repository where you can create and store your articles and FAQs. Customers and agents can use them to find solutions to their concerns and questions.
Freshservice Ease of Use
- Drag-and-drop UI
- Training and resources
- High customization options
- Multiple support channels
- AI-powered features
- Mobile accessibility
Freshservice is a user-friendly IT service management software with highly customizable HR features. Its drag-and-drop UI and high-customization options make it easy to adapt its features to the specific needs of your business. Additionally, its training and resources, multiple support channels, and AI features ensure smooth implementation. Its mobile apps, on the other hand, give you the flexibility to use it anywhere.
Freshservice User Reviews
| Users Like | Users Don’t Like |
|---|---|
| Easy to use | Some integrations are buggy |
| Workflow automations | Admin part is not as intuitive |
| Customizability of the features | Cloud hosting is not available in some regions |
Freshservice reviews from third-party websites like Capterra, G2, and GetApp were mostly positive, earning it high average ratings. Most of the positive feedback stems from users loving how easy it is to use Freshservice. They also praised its workflow automations and high customizability because it makes their processes more efficient and takes off a lot of load from HR personnel.
Meanwhile, those who left negative reviews mentioned that some integrations are glitchy. Others say that while the user part is top-notch, it’s not as intuitive from the admin viewpoint. Another downside we saw from the user reviews was that cloud hosting is not available in some regions/countries.
At the time of this writing, Freshservice received the following ratings on popular review websites:
- Capterra: 4.5 out of 5 based on 565+ reviews
- G2: 4.6 out of 5 based on 1,151+ reviews
- GetApp: 4.5 out of 5 based on 565+ reviews
Bottom Line
While Freshservice is primarily an IT service management software, its HR features can be a good solution for businesses that are growing fast or need a centralized HR solution. Its AI-powered workflow automations boost productivity and efficiency because it streamlines your HR processes. Its high customizability, on the other hand, allows you to adjust its features based on your organization’s needs.
