Salesforce vs Intercom 2024 (Which is Better Customer Service Software?)

While Intercom and Salesforce Service Cloud are both great customer service tools, they do have some key differences. In this comparison article, we’re going to dive into the features, pricing, and customer satisfaction of each software to help you to make the decision.

Which One is Better, Salesforce Service Cloud or Intercom?

The help desk software market is growing more competitive by the day. Two popular options are Salesforce Service Cloud and Intercom. Both have their pros and cons, but which one is better for your business? Here are our three use cases to see which one is better.

Intercom vs Salesforce Service Cloud Pros and Cons

Both Salesforce Service Cloud and Intercom have their pros and cons, but one may be a better fit for your company depending on your needs. In this section, we will compare and contrast the pros and cons of both platforms to help you make the best decision for your business.

Salesforce Service Cloud Pros & Cons

Intercom Pros & Cons

Salesforce Service Cloud vs Intercom Price Comparison

Let’s take a look at these two’s pricing plans to see which one offers better pricing.

Salesforce Service Cloud Pricing Plans

Salesforce Service Cloud’s pricing comes in four tiers: Essentials, Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited. Each tier offers increasing levels of functionality and support options. The Essentials plan is a good option for small businesses just starting out with Service Cloud, while the Unlimited plan offers the most comprehensive set of features and support for larger organizations.

Essentials — $25 per user per month

• Case Management 
• Service Console App(s) 
• Knowledge 
• Telephony Integration (CTI) 

Professional — $75 per user per month

• Case Management 
• Service Console App(s) 
• Knowledge 
• Service Contracts and Entitlements 
• Telephony Integration (CTI) 

Enterprise — $150 per user per month

• Case Management 
• Service Console App(s) 
• Knowledge 
• Service Contracts and Entitlements 
• Telephony Integration (CTI) 
• Web Services API 

Unlimited — $300 per user per month

• Case Management 
• Service Console App(s) 
• Knowledge 
• Service Contracts and Entitlements 
• Telephony Integration (CTI) 
• Web Services API
• Premier Success Plan

Intercom Pricing Plans

Intercom’s pricing comes in three tiers: Support, Engage, and Convert. Each tier includes various features such as live chat for support, team inboxes, help articles, conversational bots, outbound messaging, and meeting booking. Pricing for each tier is available upon request.

Support — Price on request

• Live chat for support
• Team inboxes
• Tickets
• Help articles
• Conversational bots
• Resolution bot

Engage — Price on request

• Outbound email and in-product messaging
• Push messages & notifications
• Custom bots
• Mobile Carousels
• Banner messages
• Salesforce & Marketo integrations

Convert — Price on request

• Conversational chatbots
• Live chat for sales
• Smart lead qualification
• Multiple team inboxes
• Automatic meeting booking
• Conversation routing rules

Salesforce Service Cloud vs Intercom Features Comparison

While these tools share some similarities, there are also some key differences. In this section, we will compare these two software programs’ features and help you decide which one is right for you.

Salesforce Service Cloud Features

Create a more streamlined and efficient high-touch service center by automating processes and connecting all channels into one workspace for agents.

Case Management

Reduce service costs and stick to your budgetary goals by optimizing high-touch customer service centers. By uniting customer data and automating processes, agents will be empowered to work faster and more efficiently.

Knowledge Management

Salesforce’s knowledge management solution helps agents find the answers they need quickly and efficiently, so customers can get the help they need faster. With recommended articles and optimized search, Salesforce’s solution makes it easy for agents to find the right information quickly, no matter what channel they’re using.

Self-Service

Personalized portals or self-service communities can help customers find answers on their own, reducing the number of support cases. This lowers costs by giving agents more time to focus on complex issues.

Messaging

Save money and stay connected to customers via their favorite digital channels in real-time. Engage in rich conversations on your website, mobile app, SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and more.

Chatbots

Reduce the number of cases you have to deal with by using intelligent chatbots. Automate routine requests, help customers figure out what to do next, or connect them with the right agent.

Telephony & Voice

No matter where your customer service agent is, they’ll be able to solve phone cases quickly. With cloud telephony integrated into the service console, productivity tools powered by artificial intelligence are now within reach.

Intercom Features

Intercom messenger

By adding the Intercom Messenger to your product, app, or website, you’re able to create meaningful engagement with your customers that will result in fruitful relationships.

Inbox

Intercom’s Inbox includes all of the essential features that support teams need to stay organized, collaborate with teammates, and reach more customers efficiently.

Customizable bots

By asking the right questions, Custom Bots prioritize and route new conversations for more efficient support. Chatbots can be tailored specifically to your business needs—connect them to your tech stack, let them automate your workflows, or have them extend your sales and support teams.

Help articles

Make it easy for your customers to find the answers they need, when they need them. With Intercom’s central answering system, you can optimize for all channels – website, mobile app, in-product messages, or chat.

Product tours

Introduce customers to your product with guided experiences that drive adoption. Intercom’s customizable product tours ensure that users get the most out of your product, leading to increased engagement and satisfaction.

Account-based marketing

When potential customers visit your website, greet them with a personalized message so that they can connect with sales while they are most interested.

People’s Choice: Salesforce Service Cloud vs Intercom

One key aspect when comparing these two services is to compare how other customers rate them. Both of the software has multiple trusted reviews so it’s easy to compare which one is better.

Salesforce Service Cloud Reviews

Salesforce Service Cloud has an average of 4.2-star 3rd party reviews (in legit sites like G2 and Capterra). Other customers seem to love it and consider it as a great option for their customer service software needs.

Intercom Reviews

Intercom has an average of 4.4-star 3rd party reviews (in legit sites like G2 and Capterra). Other customers seem to love it and consider it as a great option for their customer service software needs.

Top 10 Customer Support Software

Now it should be clear which platform is better for your needs. In case you’re still not happy with either of them, take a look at this list of the top 10 customer support software that has similar features.

Salesforce Service Cloud vs Intercom Wrap

So, which one is the best? Well, that depends on your needs and budget. Ultimately, it comes down to what works best for you.