Help Scout vs Hiver (2024 Comparison)
Help Scout offers a comprehensive suite of features, including a shared inbox, knowledge base, and live chat, making it a versatile tool for customer support. Its robust analytics tools and wide range of integrations ensure that you have all the tools you need to manage customer interactions effectively.
- Comprehensive feature set.
- Robust analytics tools.
- Wide range of integrations.
- Requires adaptation to new interface.
- Limited email delegation features.
Free plan?
YesStarting price
$50 per month
Hiver integrates seamlessly with Gmail, allowing teams to manage customer support directly from their inbox. Its effective email delegation and user-friendly interface make it a valuable tool for teams that rely heavily on email communication.
- Seamless Gmail integration.
- Effective email delegation.
- User-friendly interface.
- Limited knowledge base features.
- Basic live chat capabilities.
Free plan?
YesStarting price
$19 per month per userWhat is Help Scout?
Help Scout is a customer service platform designed to help businesses manage their customer interactions efficiently. It offers a shared inbox, knowledge base, and live chat features, making it easier for teams to collaborate and provide excellent customer support. With Help Scout, you can streamline your communication processes, ensuring that no customer query goes unanswered. Its intuitive interface and robust reporting tools help you track performance and improve customer satisfaction, making it an ideal choice for businesses looking to enhance their customer service operations.
What is Hiver?
Hiver is a Gmail-based customer service software that transforms your inbox into a powerful helpdesk. It allows teams to manage customer support emails directly from Gmail, eliminating the need for complex ticketing systems. Hiver's features include email delegation, shared notes, and analytics, which help teams collaborate effectively and respond to customer queries promptly. By integrating seamlessly with Gmail, Hiver ensures that your team can provide exceptional customer service without leaving their familiar email environment, making it a great choice for businesses that rely heavily on Gmail for communication.
Pros and Cons of Help Scout vs Hiver
Pros & Cons of Help Scout
- Help Scout offers a wide range of features, including a shared inbox, knowledge base, and live chat, making it a versatile tool for customer support. Its comprehensive feature set ensures that you have all the tools you need to manage customer interactions effectively.
- Help Scout provides powerful analytics tools that help you track performance and gain insights into customer interactions. Its reporting features are comprehensive, allowing you to make data-driven decisions and improve your customer support operations.
- Help Scout offers a wide range of integrations with popular tools, allowing you to connect your customer support operations with other business processes. Its extensive integration options ensure that you can seamlessly connect Help Scout with your existing systems.
- Help Scout requires users to adapt to a new interface, which may take some time. While its interface is user-friendly, it may not be as intuitive as other tools that integrate directly with existing systems like Gmail.
- Help Scout's email delegation features are limited compared to tools like Hiver, which offer seamless email delegation directly from Gmail. If email delegation is a priority for your team, you may find Help Scout's features lacking.
Pros & Cons of Hiver
- Hiver integrates seamlessly with Gmail, allowing teams to manage customer support directly from their inbox. This integration reduces the learning curve and ensures that your team can provide exceptional customer service without leaving their familiar email environment.
- Hiver excels in email delegation, allowing teams to assign emails to specific team members directly from Gmail. This feature streamlines workflow and ensures accountability, making it a valuable tool for teams that rely heavily on email communication.
- Hiver's user-friendly interface makes it easy for teams to manage customer support operations. Its intuitive design ensures that team members can quickly adapt to the tool and start providing exceptional customer service without a steep learning curve.
- Hiver lacks a dedicated knowledge base feature, which may limit its usefulness for businesses that rely on self-service support. If a knowledge base is essential for your operations, you may find Hiver's features lacking.
- Hiver offers basic live chat capabilities, but it lacks the depth and integration of tools like Help Scout. If live chat is a priority for your business, you may find Hiver's features insufficient.
Help Scout vs Hiver: At A Glance
Value to Price
Help Scout offers a comprehensive suite of features at a competitive price, making it a great value for businesses looking to enhance their customer support. Its pricing structure is straightforward, allowing you to choose a plan that fits your budget without hidden costs. Hiver, while slightly more affordable, offers fewer features, which may limit its value for larger teams. If you're looking for a tool that offers a great balance of features and price, Help Scout is the better choice.
Ease of Use
Hiver shines in ease of use, thanks to its seamless integration with Gmail. It allows teams to manage customer support directly from their inbox, reducing the learning curve significantly. Help Scout, while user-friendly, requires users to adapt to a new interface, which may take some time. If you prefer a tool that integrates with your existing email system, Hiver is the better option.
Functionality
Help Scout offers a robust set of features, including a shared inbox, knowledge base, and live chat, making it a versatile tool for customer support. Hiver, while offering essential features like email delegation and shared notes, lacks some advanced functionalities. If you need a tool with comprehensive features, Help Scout is the better choice.
Scalability
Help Scout is designed to scale with your business, offering features that support growing teams and increasing customer interactions. Hiver, while suitable for small to medium-sized teams, may struggle to meet the demands of larger organizations. If you're planning for growth, Help Scout is the better option.
Integrations
Help Scout offers a wide range of integrations with popular tools, allowing you to connect your customer support operations with other business processes. Hiver, while offering some integrations, is more limited in this regard. If you need a tool that integrates seamlessly with your existing systems, Help Scout is the better choice.
Customer Support
Both Help Scout and Hiver offer reliable customer support, but Help Scout goes the extra mile with its comprehensive knowledge base and responsive support team. Hiver provides adequate support, but it may not be as extensive. If you value exceptional customer support, Help Scout is the better option.
Security
Help Scout prioritizes security, offering robust measures to protect your data and ensure compliance with industry standards. Hiver also provides strong security features, but Help Scout's commitment to security is more evident. If security is a top priority, Help Scout is the better choice.
Help Scout vs Hiver: A Detailed Breakdown of Key Features
Shared Inbox
Help Scout's shared inbox is a standout feature, allowing teams to manage customer interactions efficiently. It offers advanced collaboration tools, making it easy to assign tasks and track progress. Hiver's shared inbox, while effective, is more basic in comparison. If you need a powerful shared inbox with advanced features, Help Scout is the better choice.
Knowledge Base
Help Scout's knowledge base is a comprehensive tool that allows you to create and manage self-service resources for your customers. It offers robust customization options, making it easy to tailor the knowledge base to your brand. Hiver, on the other hand, lacks a dedicated knowledge base feature, which may limit its usefulness for businesses that rely on self-service support. If a knowledge base is essential for your operations, Help Scout is the better option.
Live Chat
Help Scout's live chat feature is a valuable addition to its customer support toolkit, allowing you to engage with customers in real-time. It offers seamless integration with other Help Scout features, ensuring a smooth customer experience. Hiver, while offering basic live chat capabilities, lacks the depth and integration of Help Scout's offering. If live chat is a priority for your business, Help Scout is the better choice.
Email Delegation
Hiver excels in email delegation, allowing teams to assign emails to specific team members directly from Gmail. This feature streamlines workflow and ensures accountability. Help Scout also offers email delegation, but it requires users to adapt to a new interface. If you prefer a tool that integrates with Gmail for email delegation, Hiver is the better option.
Shared Notes
Hiver's shared notes feature is a great tool for team collaboration, allowing team members to add context and insights to customer interactions. Help Scout offers a similar feature, but it may not be as intuitive as Hiver's implementation. If shared notes are crucial for your team, Hiver is the better choice.
Analytics
Help Scout provides robust analytics tools that help you track performance and gain insights into customer interactions. Its reporting features are comprehensive, allowing you to make data-driven decisions. Hiver also offers analytics, but its capabilities are more limited. If you need in-depth analytics, Help Scout is the better option.
Pricing Comparison of Help Scout and Hiver
To assist you in making an informed choice, we’ve outlined the pricing plans and essential features of Help Scout and Hiver. This comparison will highlight the best option for managing your customer support needs.
Help Scout Pricing Plans
- Docs knowledge base to store and share information.
- Help widget with AI answers for quick responses.
- Unlimited AI drafts to assist in message creation.
- Basic reporting to track performance metrics.
- API and 100+ integrations for enhanced connectivity.
- Advanced reports for in-depth analysis.
- Surveys & NPS to gather customer feedback.
- CSAT ratings to measure customer satisfaction.
- Custom fields for tailored data management.
- Advanced permissions for secure access control.
- Teams feature for collaborative work.
- Advanced views & workflows for efficient operations.
- Additional security features for data protection.
- Higher plan limits for extensive usage.
- Dedicated onboarding for smooth transition.
- Customizable options for tailored solutions.
Hiver Pricing Plans
- Organize and track emails as tasks with visibility into workload.
- Support customers on their preferred channel like WhatsApp.
- Empower customers to self-serve with a centralized library.
- Collaborate as a team with notes, @mentions, and permalinks.
- Build rule-based automation with triggers and conditions.
- Auto-assign emails in a round-robin fashion among team.
- Ensure contracts and goals are met with defined resolution times.
- Add custom data points to conversations for reporting.
- Customize reports to meet business reporting needs.
- Enhance workflow by integrating with thousands of apps.
- Access advanced analytics for team performance.
- Use Zapier to automate daily tasks with favorite apps.
- Measure and boost customer satisfaction with CSAT surveys.
- Set business hours to track SLAs during operating hours.
- Leverage AI capabilities for email template suggestions.
- Access advanced analytics with custom dashboards.
- Create and assign tailored roles with specific permissions.
- Ensure confidentiality and security of healthcare information.
- Simplify access management with single sign-on functionality.
- Get a customer success manager for maximizing platform value.
Our Rating Methodology
We thoroughly evaluate each customer service tool, focusing on key aspects like functionality, ease of use, and scalability. By analyzing user reviews and conducting hands-on testing, we ensure our recommendations align with your needs. Each of the seven evaluation factors is weighted by importance to provide an accurate final rating, helping you make informed decisions.
Help Scout or Hiver: Which One Matches Your Business Needs?
Choose Help Scout If You Need ...
- Comprehensive feature set
If you need a tool with a comprehensive feature set, Help Scout is the better choice. Its shared inbox, knowledge base, and live chat features make it a versatile tool for managing customer interactions effectively.
- Robust analytics tools
If you need in-depth analytics, Help Scout is the better option. Its robust analytics tools help you track performance and gain insights into customer interactions, allowing you to make data-driven decisions.
Choose Hiver If You Need ...
- Seamless Gmail integration
If you prefer a tool that integrates with Gmail, Hiver is the better choice. Its seamless integration allows teams to manage customer support directly from their inbox, reducing the learning curve significantly.
- Effective email delegation
If email delegation is a priority for your team, Hiver is the better option. Its effective email delegation feature allows teams to assign emails to specific team members directly from Gmail, streamlining workflow and ensuring accountability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the key differences between Help Scout and Hiver?
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Anastasia Belyh
Anastasia Belyh is a senior tech writer with over 15 years of experience in marketing, sales, and business software. Having worked in investment banking, management consulting, and founded multiple companies, her in-depth knowledge and hands-on expertise make her software reviews authoritative, trustworthy, and highly practical for business decision-makers.
