This page provides details about Forethought (organization,product) which was ranked #18 out of 175 in the list of brands (13 mentions (2.7% share)) in answers from AI models (Anthropic Claude Sonnet (latest), OpenAI ChatGPT Latest, Google Gemini Flash (latest), X.AI Grok (latest)) when they were asked the following 3 questions: "What are the best Customer Support options available today? Please provide a comprehensive overview including: the leading brands and products, top companies and service providers, recognized experts and thought leaders, promising startups and new market entrants, major industry events and conferences, active communities and forums, and influential publications and media covering this space.", "If I'm looking to get into Customer Support, who and what should I know about? Include the most trusted brands, recommended products and services, reputable companies and providers, influential experts and reviewers to follow, helpful communities and resources, important events and conferences, notable startups disrupting the space, and key publications and media channels to stay informed.", "What does the Customer Support industry look like right now? Identify the dominant market leaders and brands, best products and services, key companies and providers, influential figures and thought leaders, emerging startups and trends, major conferences and events, active professional communities, and the top publications and media that cover this industry." on Dec 30, 2025 by AI Chat Watch.
What are the best Customer Support options available today? Please provide a comprehensive overview including: the leading brands and products, top companies and service providers, recognized experts and thought leaders, promising startups and new market entrants, major industry events and conferences, active communities and forums, and influential publications and media covering this space.
[...] ive chat software
## AI-Powered & Chatbot Solutions
15. **Ada** - [https://www.ada.cx](https://www.ada.cx)
- AI-powered customer service automation platform
16. **Ultimate.ai** - [https://www.ultimate.ai](https://www.ultimate.ai)
- Conversational AI for customer support automation
17. **Forethought** - [https://forethought.ai](https://forethought.ai)
- AI platform for customer support workflow automation
18. **Kustomer** - [https://www.kustomer.com](https://www.kustomer.com)
- CRM-focused customer service platform with AI capabilities
## Knowledge Base & Self-Service
19. **Guru** - [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] Powered & Chatbot Solutions
15. **Ada** - [https://www.ada.cx](https://www.ada.cx)
- AI-powered customer service automation platform
16. **Ultimate.ai** - [https://www.ultimate.ai](https://www.ultimate.ai)
- Conversational AI for customer support automation
17. **Forethought** - [https://forethought.ai](https://forethought.ai)
- AI platform for customer support workflow automation
18. **Kustomer** - [https://www.kustomer.com](https://www.kustomer.com)
- CRM-focused customer service platform with AI capabilities
## Knowledge Base & Self-Service
19. **Guru** - [https://www.getguru.com [...]
December 30, 2025
If I'm looking to get into Customer Support, who and what should I know about? Include the most trusted brands, recommended products and services, reputable companies and providers, influential experts and reviewers to follow, helpful communities and resources, important events and conferences, notable startups disrupting the space, and key publications and media channels to stay informed.
[...] efresh](https://www.freshworks.com/refresh/)** - Annual virtual conference
## 🚀 Notable Startups & Disruptors
### AI-Powered Support
- **[Ada](https://www.ada.cx/)** - AI-powered customer service automation
- **[Ultimate.ai](https://www.ultimate.ai/)** - Customer support automation platform
- **[Forethought](https://forethought.ai/)** - AI for customer support teams
- **[PolyAI](https://poly.ai/)** - Conversational AI for customer service
### Innovative Support Platforms
- **[Front](https://front.com/)** - Collaborative inbox for teams
- **[Kustomer](https://www.kustomer.com/)** - CRM platform built [...]
December 30, 2025
What does the Customer Support industry look like right now? Identify the dominant market leaders and brands, best products and services, key companies and providers, influential figures and thought leaders, emerging startups and trends, major conferences and events, active professional communities, and the top publications and media that cover this industry.
[...] ne retail support.
## Best Products & Services by Category
### **AI-Powered Support**
- **Ada** - [https://www.ada.cx](https://www.ada.cx) - AI chatbot platform with automated resolution
- **Ultimate.ai** - [https://www.ultimate.ai](https://www.ultimate.ai) - Automation-first customer support
- **Forethought** - [https://www.forethought.ai](https://www.forethought.ai) - Generative AI for support teams
### **Help Desk & Ticketing**
- **Front** - [https://front.com](https://front.com) - Collaborative inbox, raised $200M+ in funding
- **Kustomer** - [https://www.kustomer.com](https://www.kustomer.com) - [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] roducts & Services by Category
### **AI-Powered Support**
- **Ada** - [https://www.ada.cx](https://www.ada.cx) - AI chatbot platform with automated resolution
- **Ultimate.ai** - [https://www.ultimate.ai](https://www.ultimate.ai) - Automation-first customer support
- **Forethought** - [https://www.forethought.ai](https://www.forethought.ai) - Generative AI for support teams
### **Help Desk & Ticketing**
- **Front** - [https://front.com](https://front.com) - Collaborative inbox, raised $200M+ in funding
- **Kustomer** - [https://www.kustomer.com](https://www.kustomer.com) - CRM-focused support platform [...]
December 30, 2025
What are the best Customer Support options available today? Please provide a comprehensive overview including: the leading brands and products, top companies and service providers, recognized experts and thought leaders, promising startups and new market entrants, major industry events and conferences, active communities and forums, and influential publications and media covering this space.
[...] ](https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence)
- [Notion](https://www.notion.com)
- [Document360](https://document360.com)
- [Guru](https://www.getguru.com) (internal knowledge for agents)
---
### F) AI support automation (agent assist, deflection, triage)
- [Ada](https://www.ada.cx)
- [Forethought](https://forethought.ai)
- [Aisera](https://aisera.com)
*(Most major suites above also offer AI features; these are examples of vendors known primarily for AI automation.)*
---
### G) Workforce management, quality, and analytics (contact center operations)
- [Calabrio](https://www.calabrio.com [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] examples)
Depending on your niche (ecommerce, SaaS, automation), these are often evaluated alongside the “big suites”:
- [Crisp](https://crisp.chat) (SMB messaging/support)
- [Tidio](https://www.tidio.com) (SMB automation + chat)
- [Document360](https://document360.com) (modern KB tooling)
- [Forethought](https://forethought.ai) / [Ada](https://www.ada.cx) (AI automation)
(“Promising” is context-dependent—use live demos + review platforms like [G2](https://www.g2.com) and [TrustRadius](https://www.trustradius.com) to validate fit.)
---
## 5) Major industry events & conferences
- [Customer Contac [...]
December 30, 2025
If I'm looking to get into Customer Support, who and what should I know about? Include the most trusted brands, recommended products and services, reputable companies and providers, influential experts and reviewers to follow, helpful communities and resources, important events and conferences, notable startups disrupting the space, and key publications and media channels to stay informed.
[...] eamforce/)
- [Zendesk Relate](https://relate.zendesk.com/)
## 8) Notable startups (and newer players) shaping modern support
AI + automation, agent assist, and next-gen platforms move quickly—these are commonly discussed:
- AI support agent / automation:
- [Ada](https://www.ada.cx/)
- [Forethought](https://forethought.ai/)
- [Sierra](https://www.sierra.ai/)
- Modern support platform / customer messaging:
- [Gladly](https://www.gladly.com/)
- Conversation intelligence / agent coaching:
- [Observe.AI](https://www.observe.ai/)
- [Cresta](https://www.cresta.com/)
- [Balto](ht [...]
December 30, 2025
What does the Customer Support industry look like right now? Identify the dominant market leaders and brands, best products and services, key companies and providers, influential figures and thought leaders, emerging startups and trends, major conferences and events, active professional communities, and the top publications and media that cover this industry.
What does the Customer Support industry look like right now? Identify the dominant market leaders and brands, best products and services, key companies and providers, influential figures and thought leaders, emerging startups and trends, major conferences and events, active professional communities, and the top publications and media that cover this industry.
[...] ents" that can resolve complex issues.
* **Fin (by Intercom):** An AI agent that uses GPT-4 to resolve queries using help center data. [Intercom Fin](https://www.intercom.com/fin)
* **Ada:** An automation platform focusing on high-volume enterprise AI service. [Ada.cx](https://www.ada.cx)
* **Forethought:** Utilizes AI to assist human agents with "Solve," "Triage," and "Discover" features. [Forethought.ai](https://forethought.ai)
* **DevRev:** A "OneCRM" startup that connects customer support directly to product development. [DevRev](https://devrev.ai)
* **Trends to Watch:** "Proactive Support" [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] olve queries using help center data. [Intercom Fin](https://www.intercom.com/fin)
* **Ada:** An automation platform focusing on high-volume enterprise AI service. [Ada.cx](https://www.ada.cx)
* **Forethought:** Utilizes AI to assist human agents with "Solve," "Triage," and "Discover" features. [Forethought.ai](https://forethought.ai)
* **DevRev:** A "OneCRM" startup that connects customer support directly to product development. [DevRev](https://devrev.ai)
* **Trends to Watch:** "Proactive Support" (contacting customers before they report an issue) and "Hyper-personalization" using LLMs. [Gartner [...]
December 30, 2025
What does the Customer Support industry look like right now? Identify the dominant market leaders and brands, best products and services, key companies and providers, influential figures and thought leaders, emerging startups and trends, major conferences and events, active professional communities, and the top publications and media that cover this industry.
[...] unification (voice, chat, social).
- Self-service portals with generative AI.
- Predictive analytics for proactive support.
**Emerging Startups**:
- **Ada**: No-code AI chatbots. [Ada](https://www.ada.cx/).
- **Gorgias**: AI for Shopify support automation. [Gorgias](https://www.gorgias.com/).
- **Forethought**: Enterprise AI agents. [Forethought](https://forethought.ai/).
- **Capacity**: AI platform for enterprise support. [Capacity](https://capacity.com/).
**Sources**: [Gartner Trends in Customer Service 2024](https://www.gartner.com/en/customer-service-support/trends/customer-service-trends); [CB In [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] Self-service portals with generative AI.
- Predictive analytics for proactive support.
**Emerging Startups**:
- **Ada**: No-code AI chatbots. [Ada](https://www.ada.cx/).
- **Gorgias**: AI for Shopify support automation. [Gorgias](https://www.gorgias.com/).
- **Forethought**: Enterprise AI agents. [Forethought](https://forethought.ai/).
- **Capacity**: AI platform for enterprise support. [Capacity](https://capacity.com/).
**Sources**: [Gartner Trends in Customer Service 2024](https://www.gartner.com/en/customer-service-support/trends/customer-service-trends); [CB Insights Customer Service Startups](http [...]