Zendesk vs. Kayako for Small Biz Customer Support

Kayako offers no integration details other than that it provides rich APIs, access to source code, and a developer network to help you integrate.

Zendesk has had a commanding lead in mobile platform support-including iPad, iPhone, Android, Blackberry, and Windows phone-however Kayako is catching up.

Kayako at first supported only Windows Phone, nevertheless announced Android support in November 2011 and has a beta available for iPhone devices. Mobile support is not one of Kayako's boasting points, and is not mentioned on its site.

Features touted by Kayako include VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) integration, intelligent routing, customer screen sharing, and the ability to toggle between phone, e-mail, tickets, and chat during working on a case.

The Starter plan

The Starter plan, during a bargain, lacks community, knowledgebase, ticket, online chat, e-mail and phone support, as so then as other capabilities.

As one user noted, as your number of agents rises, these solutions can get expensive. Kayako offers server-based-solutions that you can run in-house, nevertheless this requires installing and managing client/server hardware, network, and communications systems-a scenario that might be cost-effective yet that many small businesses want to avoid.

Michael Neubarth is Vice President of Marketing for Comparz.com and founder and Director of eMatrix Media Communications. Michael has a comprehensive marketing, communications, PR, analytical, and editorial background, including strategic marketing, communications, and market intelligence roles at IBM, FatWire Software, and Brodeur Worldwide, and as an analyst at Meta Group… View full profile

Business 2 Community is an independent online community focused on sharing the latest news surrounding Social Media, Marketing, Branding, Public Relations & Much More. Every day we feature the thought leadership of our open community of bloggers and aim to provide a balanced view of the business landscape based on industry news, trends and real-life experiences.