This page provides details about @Intercom (organization) which was ranked #9 out of 175 in the list of brands (22 mentions (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.", "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.", "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." 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.
[...] sforce.com/service-cloud/)
- AI-powered customer service platform integrated with CRM
3. **Freshdesk (Freshworks)** - [https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/)
- Cloud-based helpdesk with automation and multi-channel support
4. **Intercom** - [https://www.intercom.com](https://www.intercom.com)
- Conversational support platform with messaging and chatbots
5. **HubSpot Service Hub** - [https://www.hubspot.com/products/service](https://www.hubspot.com/products/service)
- Customer service software with ticketing and customer feedback tools
### Mid-Marke [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] r experience platform (founded by Bret Taylor)
31. **Klaus** - [https://www.klausapp.com](https://www.klausapp.com)
- Quality assurance for customer support
32. **Fullview** - [https://www.fullview.io](https://www.fullview.io)
- Cobrowsing and session replay for support teams
33. **Fin by Intercom** - [https://www.intercom.com/fin](https://www.intercom.com/fin)
- AI customer service bot powered by GPT-4
## Industry Experts & Thought Leaders
### Individuals
34. **Shep Hyken** - [https://hyken.com](https://hyken.com)
- Customer service expert and keynote speaker
35. **Jeanne Bliss* [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] nded by Bret Taylor)
31. **Klaus** - [https://www.klausapp.com](https://www.klausapp.com)
- Quality assurance for customer support
32. **Fullview** - [https://www.fullview.io](https://www.fullview.io)
- Cobrowsing and session replay for support teams
33. **Fin by Intercom** - [https://www.intercom.com/fin](https://www.intercom.com/fin)
- AI customer service bot powered by GPT-4
## Industry Experts & Thought Leaders
### Individuals
34. **Shep Hyken** - [https://hyken.com](https://hyken.com)
- Customer service expert and keynote speaker
35. **Jeanne Bliss** - [https://www.customerb [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] portDriven Expo** - [https://supportdriven.com](https://supportdriven.com)
- Community-driven customer support conference
44. **Zendesk Relate** - [https://www.zendesk.com/relate/](https://www.zendesk.com/relate/)
- Annual CX conference by Zendesk
45. **Intercom 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 [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] //www.socap.org)
- Association for customer care professionals
## Publications & Media
### Blogs & Online Publications
57. **Zendesk Blog** - [https://www.zendesk.com/blog/](https://www.zendesk.com/blog/)
- Customer service insights and best practices
58. **Intercom Blog** - [https://www.intercom.com/blog](https://www.intercom.com/blog)
- Customer engagement and support content
59. **Help Scout Blog** - [https://www.helpscout.com/blog/](https://www.helpscout.com/blog/)
- Customer service and experience articles
60. **Customer Think** - [https://customerthink.com](https://customert [...]
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.
[...] ation and AI capabilities through Einstein.
### **Freshworks (Freshdesk)** - [https://www.freshworks.com](https://www.freshworks.com)
A major player, publicly traded (NASDAQ: FRSH), known for user-friendly interface and competitive pricing. Serves 60,000+ customers.
### **Intercom** - [https://www.intercom.com](https://www.intercom.com)
Leader in conversational support and customer messaging, pioneered the modern live chat experience. Strong in SaaS companies.
### **HubSpot Service Hub** - [https://www.hubspot.com/products/service](https://www.hubspot.com/products/service)
Integrated within HubSpot' [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] ccess 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 communication.
## Professional Communities
### **Support Driven** - [https://supportdriven.com](https://supportdriven.com)
The largest global community for customer support professionals, 20,00 [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] Newsletter** - [https://supportdriven.com](https://supportdriven.com)
Community-curated customer support content.
**Customer Service Life Newsletter** - [https://www.customerservicelife.com](https://www.customerservicelife.com)
Weekly insights for CS professionals.
**Intercom Blog** - [https://www.intercom.com/blog](https://www.intercom.com/blog)
Thought leadership on customer communication and support.
### **Podcasts**
**The Customer Service Revolution Podcast** - [https://www.thediamondgroup.com/podcast](https://www.thediamondgroup.com/podcast)
Hosted by John DiJulius.
**The Jeannie Walters Expe [...]
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.
[...] , as the unit)
**Where to compare shortlists:**
- [G2](https://www.g2.com)
- [Capterra](https://www.capterra.com)
- [TrustRadius](https://www.trustradius.com)
- [Gartner Peer Insights](https://www.gartner.com/reviews/home)
---
### B) Live chat, in-app messaging, and conversational support
- [Intercom](https://www.intercom.com) – in-app messaging, automation, help center, and support workflows
- [Crisp](https://crisp.chat) – SMB-friendly chat + shared inbox
- [Tidio](https://www.tidio.com) – chat + automation, common for SMB/ecommerce
---
### C) Ecommerce-focused customer support (built fo [...]
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.
[...] se/)
- Standalone options:
- [Document360](https://document360.com/)
- [Atlassian Confluence](https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence)
- [Notion](https://www.notion.so/)
### Customer messaging, status, and incident comms
- Customer messaging (often overlaps with support platform): [Intercom](https://www.intercom.com/)
- Status pages:
- [Atlassian Statuspage](https://www.atlassian.com/software/statuspage)
- [Better Stack – Better Uptime / Status pages](https://betterstack.com/)
### QA, coaching, and workforce tools (bigger support orgs)
- QA / scorecards:
- [MaestroQA](htt [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] www.qualtrics.com/experience-management/customer/customer-effort-score/), [Atlassian SLA](https://support.atlassian.com/jira-service-management-cloud/docs/set-up-and-manage-slas/).
3) Join a practitioner community and read weekly: [Support Driven](https://supportdriven.com/) + one vendor blog (e.g., [Intercom Blog](https://www.intercom.com/blog)).
4) If you want call center work, learn the basics of CCaaS terms and flows via one platform: [Genesys Cloud](https://www.genesys.com/platform/genesys-cloud) or [NICE CXone](https://www.nice.com/products/cxone).
If you tell me (a) B2B SaaS vs ecommerce vs [...]
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.
[...] - [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.zendesk.com/))
- [Intercom Blog](https://www.intercom.com/blog/) (by [Intercom](https://www.intercom.com/))
- [Gartner Insights](https://www.gartner.com/en/insights) (by [Gartner](https://www.gartner.com/))
- [Forrester Blogs](https://www.forrester.com/blogs/) (by [Forrester](https://www.forrester.com/))
- Broader management coverage that often influences support strate [...]
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.
[...] customer service culture.
### 4. Promising Startups and New Market Entrants
New players are focusing heavily on Generative AI and automation to reduce human workload.
* **[Ada](https://www.ada.cx):** An AI-native platform designed to automate complex customer service interactions.
* **[Fin (by Intercom)](https://www.intercom.com/fin):** A specific mention for this new AI bot that resolves queries using a company's own knowledge base.
* **[Klaus (acquired by Zendesk)](https://www.klausapp.com):** A quality assurance platform that uses AI to grade support conversations.
* **[Gorgias](https://ww [...]
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.
[...] nce focused on the tactical side of running a support team.
### 5. Notable Startups Disrupting the Space
These companies are currently hiring and changing how support is provided through AI.
* **[Lately](https://www.lately.ai/)**: Uses AI to learn what content customers respond to.
* **[Fin (by Intercom)](https://www.intercom.com/fin)**: An AI bot designed to resolve complex issues without human intervention.
* **[Klaus (now part of Zendesk)](https://www.klausapp.com/)**: A quality assurance platform that helps managers grade support agent performance.
* **[Ada](https://www.ada.cx/)**: An auto [...]
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.
[...] Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.salesforce.com/products/service-cloud/overview/)
* **Freshworks (Freshdesk)**: A primary competitor to Zendesk, known for ease of use. [Freshdesk](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/)
* **Intercom**: Pioneered the use of messenger-based support and AI bots. [Intercom](https://www.intercom.com)
* **HubSpot Service Hub**: Best for companies already using HubSpot for marketing and sales. [HubSpot Service Hub](https://www.hubspot.com/products/service)
### 2. Best Products and Services
Modern support teams utilize a "tech stack" that goes beyond just a ticketing [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] s://inflowcx.com)
* **Customer Feedback/NPS:** [Delighted (by Qualtrics)](https://delighted.com), [Typeform](https://www.typeform.com)
### 3. Emerging Startups and AI Trends
AI is the defining trend of 2024, moving from simple chatbots to "AI Agents" 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 [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] /delighted.com), [Typeform](https://www.typeform.com)
### 3. Emerging Startups and AI Trends
AI is the defining trend of 2024, moving from simple chatbots to "AI Agents" 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)
* ** [...]
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.
[...] [GetApp](https://www.getapp.com/customer-service-support-software/), and [Software Advice](https://www.softwareadvice.com/customer-service/).
### Top Companies and Service Providers
Key providers include software vendors above plus outsourcing firms and integrators:
- **Software Leaders**: Zendesk, Intercom, Salesforce (as above).
- **Outsourcing Providers**:
- **[Teleperformance](https://www.teleperformance.com/)**: Global BPO with AI-enhanced support; serves Fortune 500.
- **[Sitel Group (now Foundever)](https://foundever.com/)**: Omnichannel contact centers.
- **[Concentrix](https://www.conce [...]
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.
[...] . [Zendesk](https://www.zendesk.com/)
- **Freshworks (Freshdesk)**: Affordable, user-friendly ticketing and automation for SMBs. [Freshworks Customer Service](https://www.freshworks.com/customer-service-software/)
- **Intercom**: Focuses on conversational support with chatbots and targeted messaging. [Intercom](https://www.intercom.com/)
- **Salesforce Service Cloud**: Enterprise-grade with CRM integration and AI (Einstein). [Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.salesforce.com/products/service-cloud/overview/)
- **HubSpot Service Hub**: Free tier available, integrates with marketing/sales CRM. [HubSpot [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] Bliss](https://jeannebliss.com/)
- **Jay Baer**: Founder of Convince & Convert, consults on customer retention. [Jay Baer](https://www.convinceandconvert.com/)
- **Des Traynor**: Intercom co-founder, shares product-led growth tips. [Des Traynor on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/detraynor/) or [Intercom Blog](https://www.intercom.com/blog/author/des-traynor/).
- **Claire Suellentrop**: InSupport co-founder, focuses on support operations. [Claire Suellentrop](https://www.linkedin.com/in/clairesuellentrop/).
Reviewers: Follow G2 reviewers or TrustRadius [TrustRadius](https://www.trustradius.com/cat [...]
December 30, 2025
[...] e coverage. [CMSWire](https://www.cmswire.com/)
- **CustomerThink**: Blogs from industry leaders. [CustomerThink](https://customerthink.com/)
- **Zendesk Blog**: Trends, benchmarks (e.g., CX Trends Report) [Zendesk Blog](https://www.zendesk.com/blog/)
- **Intercom Blog**: Product innovation insights. [Intercom Blog](https://www.intercom.com/blog/)
- **Forrester Blogs/Reports**: Research on CX (e.g., Customer Experience Index). [Forrester CX](https://www.forrester.com/customer-experience/)
- **Podcasts**: "The CX Cast" [CX Cast](https://thecxcast.com/), "Support IQ" [Support IQ](https://supportiq.show/). [...]
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.
[...] ](https://www.freshworks.com/customer-service/).
- **Salesforce Service Cloud**: Enterprise-grade CRM with AI (Einstein) for case management. [Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.salesforce.com/products/service-cloud/overview/).
- **Intercom**: Focuses on conversational messaging and product tours. [Intercom](https://www.intercom.com/).
- **HubSpot Service Hub**: Free tier for SMBs, integrates with marketing/sales CRM. [HubSpot Service Hub](https://www.hubspot.com/products/service).
- **Genesys Cloud CX**: Cloud contact center for voice/AI routing. [Genesys](https://www.genesys.com/).
- **ServiceNow Cu [...]