This page provides details about ICMI (organization) which was ranked #15 out of 175 in the list of brands (26 mentions (3.2% share)) in answers from AI models (Anthropic Claude Sonnet (latest), OpenAI ChatGPT 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.
[...] rcom World Tour** - [https://www.intercom.com/events](https://www.intercom.com/events)
- Customer engagement events
46. **Customer Response Summit** - [https://www.customerresponsesummit.com](https://www.customerresponsesummit.com)
- Annual North American customer service conference
47. **ICMI Contact Center Expo** - [https://www.icmi.com/events](https://www.icmi.com/events)
- Contact center and customer experience conference
## Active Communities & Forums
48. **SupportDriven** - [https://supportdriven.com](https://supportdriven.com)
- Slack community for support professionals [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] com/events](https://www.intercom.com/events)
- Customer engagement events
46. **Customer Response Summit** - [https://www.customerresponsesummit.com](https://www.customerresponsesummit.com)
- Annual North American customer service conference
47. **ICMI Contact Center Expo** - [https://www.icmi.com/events](https://www.icmi.com/events)
- Contact center and customer experience conference
## Active Communities & Forums
48. **SupportDriven** - [https://supportdriven.com](https://supportdriven.com)
- Slack community for support professionals (10,000+ members)
49. **Customer Service [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] stradius.com/customer-support](https://www.trustradius.com/customer-support)
- In-depth user reviews
## Training & Certification Programs
73. **HDI (Help Desk Institute)** - [https://www.thinkhdi.com](https://www.thinkhdi.com)
- Professional certifications for support professionals
74. **ICMI (International Customer Management Institute)** - [https://www.icmi.com](https://www.icmi.com)
- Training and certification for contact centers
75. **Customer Service Institute of America Certification** - [https://www.customerserviceinstitute.com/certification](https://www.customerserviceinst [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] support)
- In-depth user reviews
## Training & Certification Programs
73. **HDI (Help Desk Institute)** - [https://www.thinkhdi.com](https://www.thinkhdi.com)
- Professional certifications for support professionals
74. **ICMI (International Customer Management Institute)** - [https://www.icmi.com](https://www.icmi.com)
- Training and certification for contact centers
75. **Customer Service Institute of America Certification** - [https://www.customerserviceinstitute.com/certification](https://www.customerserviceinstitute.com/certification)
- CCSM and CCSP certifications
76. **L [...]
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.
[...] n.com/software/confluence)** (by Atlassian) - Team documentation and knowledge sharing
## 📚 Essential Skills & Certifications
### Professional Certifications
- **[HDI Support Center Analyst](https://www.thinkhdi.com/certification/support-center-analyst)** - Industry-recognized certification
- **[ICMI Contact Center Certification](https://www.icmi.com/certification)** - Professional development for contact center professionals
- **[SupportOps Certified Professional](https://www.supportops.co/)** - Emerging certification for support operations
- **[Zendesk Certification](https://training.zendesk. [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] r contact event
- **[Customer Contact West](https://www.customercontactwest.com/)** - California - Regional CX event
- **[Support Driven Expo](https://supportdriven.com/expo/)** - Annual support conference
- **[Zendesk Relate](https://www.zendesk.com/relate/)** - Customer experience conference
- **[ICMI Contact Center Expo](https://www.icmi.com/conference)** - Industry training and networking
- **[CustomerServ](https://www.customerservconference.com/)** - Customer service conference
- **[The Forrester CX Summit](https://www.forrester.com/event/cx/)** - Customer experience strategy
### Virtual Eve [...]
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.
[...] operations and leadership.
### **CustomerSuccess Summit** - [https://www.customersuccesassummit.com](https://www.customersuccesssummit.com)
By Gainsight, focusing on customer success and support alignment.
### **CXNext** - [https://cxnext.com](https://cxnext.com)
Customer experience conference by ICMI.
### **Zendesk Showcase** - [https://showcase.zendesk.com](https://showcase.zendesk.com)
Annual user conference by Zendesk.
### **Intercom's Conversations** - [https://www.intercom.com/conversations](https://www.intercom.com/conversations)
Annual conference focused on modern customer communicatio [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] - [https://www.customersuccess.community](https://www.customersuccess.community)
LinkedIn-based community with 100,000+ members.
### **r/CustomerService** - [https://www.reddit.com/r/CustomerService/](https://www.reddit.com/r/CustomerService/)
Active Reddit community with 100,000+ members.
### **ICMI (International Customer Management Institute)** - [https://www.icmi.com](https://www.icmi.com)
Professional development and networking for contact center and customer service professionals.
## Top Publications & Media
### **Industry-Specific Publications**
**Customer Think** - [https://customert [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] ss.community)
LinkedIn-based community with 100,000+ members.
### **r/CustomerService** - [https://www.reddit.com/r/CustomerService/](https://www.reddit.com/r/CustomerService/)
Active Reddit community with 100,000+ members.
### **ICMI (International Customer Management Institute)** - [https://www.icmi.com](https://www.icmi.com)
Professional development and networking for contact center and customer service professionals.
## Top Publications & Media
### **Industry-Specific Publications**
**Customer Think** - [https://customerthink.com](https://customerthink.com)
Leading online community and pu [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] *CX Network** - [https://www.cxnetwork.com](https://www.cxnetwork.com)
News, insights, and research on customer experience.
**Contact Center Pipeline** - [https://www.contactcenterpipeline.com](https://www.contactcenterpipeline.com)
Magazine and online resource for contact center professionals.
**ICMI Blog** - [https://www.icmi.com/resources/blog](https://www.icmi.com/resources/blog)
Thought leadership and best practices for contact centers.
### **Research & Analysis Firms**
**Gartner Customer Service & Support Research** - [https://www.gartner.com/en/customer-service-support](https://www.gart [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] w.cxnetwork.com](https://www.cxnetwork.com)
News, insights, and research on customer experience.
**Contact Center Pipeline** - [https://www.contactcenterpipeline.com](https://www.contactcenterpipeline.com)
Magazine and online resource for contact center professionals.
**ICMI Blog** - [https://www.icmi.com/resources/blog](https://www.icmi.com/resources/blog)
Thought leadership and best practices for contact centers.
### **Research & Analysis Firms**
**Gartner Customer Service & Support Research** - [https://www.gartner.com/en/customer-service-support](https://www.gartner.com/en/customer-service [...]
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.
[...] I 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 Contact Week (CCW)](https://www.customercontactweek.com)
- [ICMI Contact Center Demo & Conference](https://www.contactcenterdemo.com) + organizer [ICMI](https://www.icmi.com)
- [Qualtrics X4](https://www.qualtrics.com/x4/) (broader customer experience, often overlaps with support/experience operations)
---
## 6) Active communities & forums (where practitione [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] [G2](https://www.g2.com) and [TrustRadius](https://www.trustradius.com) to validate fit.)
---
## 5) Major industry events & conferences
- [Customer Contact Week (CCW)](https://www.customercontactweek.com)
- [ICMI Contact Center Demo & Conference](https://www.contactcenterdemo.com) + organizer [ICMI](https://www.icmi.com)
- [Qualtrics X4](https://www.qualtrics.com/x4/) (broader customer experience, often overlaps with support/experience operations)
---
## 6) Active communities & forums (where practitioners share playbooks)
- [Support Driven](https://supportdriven.com) (membership community [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] w.reddit.com/r/CustomerSuccess/) (adjacent discipline; see [Customer success (Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer_success))
---
## 7) Influential publications & media covering customer support / contact centers
- [Contact Center Pipeline](https://www.contactcenterpipeline.com)
- [ICMI Resources](https://www.icmi.com/resources)
- [CMSWire](https://www.cmswire.com) (often covers customer experience, service, and related tech)
- [CustomerThink](https://customerthink.com)
- [CX Network](https://www.cxnetwork.com)
- Research + practitioner content from vendors (useful but bia [...]
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.
[...] [Teleperformance](https://www.teleperformance.com/)
- [Concentrix](https://www.concentrix.com/)
- [TTEC](https://www.ttec.com/)
- [Foundever](https://foundever.com/)
- [Alorica](https://www.alorica.com/)
### Professional associations & training bodies (credibility signals on a resume)
- [ICMI](https://www.icmi.com/) (contact center training, resources, events)
- [HDI](https://www.thinkhdi.com/) (support/service management community + events)
- [CXPA (Customer Experience Professionals Association)](https://www.cxpa.org/)
## 5) Influential experts, authors, and voices to follow
- [ [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] log](https://www.freshworks.com/blog/)
- [Atlassian – Jira Service Management resources](https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira/service-management/resources)
## 7) Important events & conferences (networking + trends)
- [Customer Contact Week (CCW)](https://www.customercontactweek.com/)
- [ICMI Contact Center Expo](https://www.icmi.com/contact-center-expo)
- [Support Driven Expo](https://supportdriven.com/expo/)
- [HDI Conference & Expo](https://www.thinkhdi.com/events/conference)
- Ecosystem events (useful if you specialize in a platform):
- [Dreamforce (Salesforce)](https://www. [...]
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.
[...] essures as more customer data flows into AI tools. (Concept: [General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)](https://gdpr.eu/))
---
## Major conferences & events (where the industry meets)
- [Customer Contact Week (CCW) Las Vegas](https://www.customercontactweek.com/events-customer-contact-week)
- [ICMI Contact Center Expo](https://www.icmi.com/contact-center-expo-conference) (by [ICMI](https://www.icmi.com/))
- [Gartner Customer Service & Support Summit](https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/na/customer-service-support-us) (by [Gartner](https://www.gartner.com/))
- [Dreamforce](https://www.s [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] n Regulation (GDPR)](https://gdpr.eu/))
---
## Major conferences & events (where the industry meets)
- [Customer Contact Week (CCW) Las Vegas](https://www.customercontactweek.com/events-customer-contact-week)
- [ICMI Contact Center Expo](https://www.icmi.com/contact-center-expo-conference) (by [ICMI](https://www.icmi.com/))
- [Gartner Customer Service & Support Summit](https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/na/customer-service-support-us) (by [Gartner](https://www.gartner.com/))
- [Dreamforce](https://www.salesforce.com/dreamforce/) (by [Salesforce](https://www.salesforce.com/))
- [Servi [...]
[...] m.com/)
- [Salesforce Trailblazer Community](https://trailblazercommunitygroups.com/)
- [ServiceNow Community](https://www.servicenow.com/community/)
- [Freshworks Community](https://community.freshworks.com/)
---
## Top publications, research, and media that cover Customer Support
- [ICMI Blog](https://www.icmi.com/resources) (by [ICMI](https://www.icmi.com/))
- [CMSWire](https://www.cmswire.com/)
- [CustomerThink](https://customerthink.com/)
- [CX Network](https://www.cxnetwork.com/)
- [Call Centre Helper](https://www.callcentrehelper.com/)
- [Zendesk Blog](https://www.ze [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] (https://trailblazercommunitygroups.com/)
- [ServiceNow Community](https://www.servicenow.com/community/)
- [Freshworks Community](https://community.freshworks.com/)
---
## Top publications, research, and media that cover Customer Support
- [ICMI Blog](https://www.icmi.com/resources) (by [ICMI](https://www.icmi.com/))
- [CMSWire](https://www.cmswire.com/)
- [CustomerThink](https://customerthink.com/)
- [CX Network](https://www.cxnetwork.com/)
- [Call Centre Helper](https://www.callcentrehelper.com/)
- [Zendesk Blog](https://www.zendesk.com/blog/) (by [Zendesk](https://www.zende [...]
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.
[...] CB Insights Customer Service](https://www.cbinsights.com/research/report/customer-service-trends/).
### Major Industry Events and Conferences
Key gatherings for networking and trends:
- **[Customer Contact Week (CCW)](https://www.customercontactweek.com/)**: Largest CX event, Vegas annually.
- **[ICMI Global Conference](https://www.icmi.com/Events/)**: Contact center focus, multiple locations.
- **[Zendesk Frontier](https://frontier.zendesk.com/)**: Product updates and CX innovation.
- **[CX Network World Series](https://www.cxnetwork.com/events)**: Virtual/regional summits.
- **[Customer Servic [...]
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.
[...] ce Institute [Zendesk CSI](https://www.zendesk.com/customer-service-institute/).
Certifications: HDI Support Center Analyst [HDI](https://www.thinkhdi.com/training/certification/sca-hdi.aspx).
### Important Events and Conferences
Attend these for learning, networking, and job opportunities:
- **ICMI Global Contact Center Conference**: Focus on operations and tech. [ICMI Conference](https://www.icmi.com/conference/)
- **Customer Contact Week (CCW)**: Largest CX event with executive keynotes. [Customer Contact Week](https://www.customerexperienceupdate.com/customer-contact-week)
- **CX Network E [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] itute/).
Certifications: HDI Support Center Analyst [HDI](https://www.thinkhdi.com/training/certification/sca-hdi.aspx).
### Important Events and Conferences
Attend these for learning, networking, and job opportunities:
- **ICMI Global Contact Center Conference**: Focus on operations and tech. [ICMI Conference](https://www.icmi.com/conference/)
- **Customer Contact Week (CCW)**: Largest CX event with executive keynotes. [Customer Contact Week](https://www.customerexperienceupdate.com/customer-contact-week)
- **CX Network Events**: Regional CX summits. [CX Network](https://www.cxnetwork.com/)
- [...]
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.
[...] s Vegas 2024](https://lasvegas.customercontactweek.com/).
- **Zendesk Showcase**: Product updates and CX keynotes. [Zendesk Events](https://www.zendesk.com/events/).
- **Forrester CX Summit**: North America flagship. [Forrester CX North America](https://www.forrester.com/events/cx/?lang=en-us).
- **ICMI Global Contact Center Forum**: Operations-focused. [ICMI Events](https://www.icmi.com/events/).
- **CX Network Conferences**: Regional CX summits. [CX Network Events](https://www.cxnetwork.com/events).
### Active Professional Communities
- **Support Driven**: Slack community (10k+ members) for sup [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] - **Zendesk Showcase**: Product updates and CX keynotes. [Zendesk Events](https://www.zendesk.com/events/).
- **Forrester CX Summit**: North America flagship. [Forrester CX North America](https://www.forrester.com/events/cx/?lang=en-us).
- **ICMI Global Contact Center Forum**: Operations-focused. [ICMI Events](https://www.icmi.com/events/).
- **CX Network Conferences**: Regional CX summits. [CX Network Events](https://www.cxnetwork.com/events).
### Active Professional Communities
- **Support Driven**: Slack community (10k+ members) for support pros. [Support Driven](https://www.supportdriven.cha [...]