TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Help Scout

    Score9.3 out of 10
    N/AHelp Scout is help desk software. The vendor’s value proposition is that that their solution reduces time spent on training users because Help Scout is simple to use and set up and scales like any enterprise product. This solution includes multiple mailboxes to support as many email addresses as needed in order to work collaboratively across teams, and manage several products or brands from one account. Reports on conversation trends, team performance, productivity, and customer happiness are…

    $30

    per month starts with 100 contacts

    Shift

    Score9.3 out of 10
    N/AThe Shift browser merges web apps into a single window, streamlining work online and providing access to thousands of apps without leaving the browser.

    $0

    per year per user

    Pricing
    Help ScoutShift
    Editions & Modules
    Standard
    $30
    per month starts with 100 contacts
    Plus
    $90
    per month starts with 200 contacts
    Company
    Contact sales team
    Free
    $0
    per year
    Advanced
    $199.99
    per year
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Help ScoutShift
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    YesYes
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Help ScoutShift
    Considered Both Products
    Help Scout
    No answer on this topic
    Shift
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    98 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    7 Answers
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    91 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    8 Answers
    99%
    Happy with the feature set
    97 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    96 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    5 Answers
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    97 Answers
    Features
    Help ScoutShift
    Incident and problem management
    Comparison of Incident and problem management features of Help Scout and Shift
    Feature
    Help Scout
    8.7
    23 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Shift
    -
    Ratings
    Organize and prioritize service tickets9.123 Ratings00 Ratings
    Subscription-based notifications8.113 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ticket creation and submission8.021 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ticket response9.522 Ratings00 Ratings
    Self Help Community
    Comparison of Self Help Community features of Help Scout and Shift
    Feature
    Help Scout
    8.5
    21 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Shift
    -
    Ratings
    External knowledge base8.720 Ratings00 Ratings
    Internal knowledge base8.219 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multi-Channel Help
    Comparison of Multi-Channel Help features of Help Scout and Shift
    Feature
    Help Scout
    8.5
    23 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Shift
    -
    Ratings
    Email support9.623 Ratings00 Ratings
    Help Desk CRM integration7.415 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Help ScoutShift
    Small Businesses
    LiveAgent
    Score8.8 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Medium-sized Companies
    LiveAgent
    Score8.8 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    Enterprises
    Front
    Score9.2 out of 10
    No answers on this topic
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Help ScoutShift
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.6
    (23 ratings)
    9.3
    (98 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.9
    (6 ratings)
    Usability
    9.4
    (6 ratings)
    8.7
    (81 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.8
    (4 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (2 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.4
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Help ScoutShift
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Help Scout
    Small businesses that want a conversational type of customer support experience. Nothing wrong with support tickets, but it does make you feel like a number. Also, we needed to get up and running quickly so the "inbox" feel of the dashboard was already familiar with the team so they could adopt the new software quickly.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Shift
    For me, Shift works best as a dedicated app switcher, not a browser replacement. I keep it open on my second screen as a quick-reference hub for my most-used tools and email accounts. One glance shows me unread counts across every inbox, and I can jump straight into whatever I need without digging through browser tabs.
    The separation is a big part of why it works well for me. My browser stays my browser, and Shift stays my app space. Both feel cleaner and faster to navigate that way. Everything is right there, clear and icon-based, and being able to turn badges on or off per app means I only see what actually needs my attention.
    I tried the newer Shift browser and it felt too busy, and it lost the separation I liked in the first place.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Help Scout
    • Extremely simple to use and understand as a user - treats communications like human beings and provides a much more personal feel to communication (as opposed to making people feel like numbers).
    • The email newsletter.
    • They are super responsive. They are pretty rad and transparent: if something goes wrong on their end they are not afraid of admitting fault. Which leads me to trust them because I can believe them. I know that tells you very little about the product, but as leadership, that's something that I really need
    • Help Scout does exactly what it needs to (facilitate organized, efficient conversations between customers and support people) without getting in the way.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Shift
    • Consolidation of accounts. Keeps everything tidy without having to search for browser tabs.
    • Ability to add an array of apps outside of email. You can build out workspaces to keep work further organised into logical units.
    • Being able to import accounts and passwords from Google Chrome makes for an easy setup/adoption.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Help Scout
    • Trying to group tickets is a bit unflexible. You can create folders which can be part of a workflow (automatic trigger) but you can't create a folder based on tags. This needs to be improved because there's a need to create smarter segments and mix them.
    • Metrics are useful but there needs to be more details about them. You can drill down in some but others are still not very actionable or visible (ok, that number went down, but what was the cause? what's the criteria with what you measure that?)
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Shift
    • The browser doesn't always work. Some websites refuse to load, and others time out too quickly. It is not as strong or robust a web browser as Chrome.
    • Unread counts are not always accurate.
    • I wish I could set up Google Suite products as separate workspaces.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Help Scout
    We are receiving feedback from the organizational level that they may want us to transition to a different solution to provide consistency across the company.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Shift
    Shift has significantly streamlined your daily operations by bringing together all your tools, accounts, and workflows into one platform. This has reduced context-switching and improved overall productivity across Bamboo Orchard’s Innovation Studio and Venture Studio operations.The ability to create custom workspaces tailored to different projects, clients, and teams ensures that each aspect of your business is optimized for performance. This flexibility supports the unique, bespoke solutions Bamboo Orchard is known for delivering. Shift has enhanced collaboration by integrating communication tools like Slack, Zoom, and email with task management platforms. This has allowed teams to work together seamlessly, even in remote or hybrid environments. By eliminating the need for constant tab-switching and manual management of accounts, Shift has saved considerable time and effort for the team, allowing you to focus more on strategic innovation and client support. Shift’s functionality aligns perfectly with Bamboo Orchard’s mission to deliver bold, transformative innovation and tailored solutions. It supports your ability to execute efficiently and maintain focus on reshaping industries for your clients.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Help Scout
    Help Scout is a great solution for support teams. There are many articles and webinars to help you learn how to use Help Scout. There are also many features to help make your workflows easier and more efficient. I would readily recommend Help Scout to any small or medium-growing support teams.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Shift
    Setting up Shift is very simple and highly intuitive, making it easy to use. Once you set up the accounts and program integrations, you can easily click on precisely what you need, requiring barely any thought or effort. It feels truly seamless and straightforward to use. I have no issues with use, and I use it every day.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Help Scout
    No answers on this topic
    Shift
    Its basically been great. In 3 years I had one issue of repeated crashes which was fixed with a version change and an issue where slack wouldn't load after a slack update but that fixed within a few weeks
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Help Scout
    No answers on this topic
    Shift
    Its pretty performant on my GPU based laptop as it can use the hardware to accelerate processing. However it is memory hungry. If I had a normal amount of RAM on my laptop I wouldn't imagine it would be a little slower
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Help Scout
    No answers on this topic
    Shift
    I have only had to use their support a couple of times, but was able to get an answer and things resolved within a couple of hours. There was no issue with contacting them, received responses and updates in a timely manner and they were able to resolve the small issues we had. It was a pleasure to work with them
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Help Scout
    No answers on this topic
    Shift
    I was completely satisfied with the implementation of Shift, rating it a 10. The process was straightforward and required minimal effort to get started. Key insights include the importance of pre-configuring the app with essential tools and accounts for the team to ensure a smooth transition. Shift’s intuitive setup and integration process allowed us to onboard quickly without disrupting workflows. Additionally, its user-friendly design made it easy for team members to adapt without extensive training.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Help Scout
    Only have minimal experience with G-Suite for a much smaller company. This worked well for that organization but did not have similar specialization functions that suite our larger organization very well. Help Scout's pricing makes sense, and continues to service our needs well. Minimal usage of other programs, but have no need to explore alternatives at this time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Shift
    I came from using a similar app called MailPlane, some of you older users might remember this app. It had a similar function to connect Gmail accounts so that I could use Gmail like a regular app. This app reached end of life and the developers no longer decided to keep the app active. I was then back into the market in search of a comparable app and my searched led me to fine Shift. I'm absolutely glad I did! 4 years later and I'm still using Shift. It was 2021 when MailPlane stopped selling licenses. If I remember correctly I switched to Shift around this time or possible before. All I know is I switched and never looked back and was extremely happy to find Shift.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Help Scout
    No answers on this topic
    Shift
    All our departments use this product and its very effective at keeping us organised on a client by client basis
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Help Scout
    • We are able to retain our customer base due to the outstanding customer service our Customer Experience department provides. Without an organized tool like Help Scout, this would not be possible. We pride ourselves in quick response times to customers and are able to do so by effectively routing tickets to the right agents.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Shift
    • Keeping all my inboxes in one place so I can easily shift between them 1000% increases my productivity
    • reducing the number of browser and application tabs helps keep my computer running quicker.
    • I can easily see the number of emails in each inbox and prioritize accordingly throughout the day.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Help Scout Screenshots

    Screenshot of Build better relationships with your customers, and work together better as a teamScreenshot of Tools designed specifically for team collaboration on customer supportScreenshot of Docs Knowledge Base provides self-service that sets your customers up for successScreenshot of The conversation report can change the conversation with your customers from problems to praise by pinpointing what they write in about and when.Screenshot of Productivity Reports track your team's customer-helping velocity and identify sticking points to push through with even greater momentum.Screenshot of Happiness Reports are the closest you can get to your customer's true feelings without hiring a telepath.