AI Mentions & Sources Report for Customer Support
This page provides details about salesforce.com (Tech Companies) which was ranked #3 out of 230 in the list of sources (21 citations (4.2% share)) in answers from AI models (Perplexity Sonar (with search) (latest),
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. This source is referenced for brands: Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud, Zendesk Relate, ServiceNow, Salesforce State of Service Report.
| Model | Voice | Position | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
{{ getInfluenceForBot(bot.id) }} | {{ getPositionForBot(bot.id) }} | {{ getMentionsForBot(bot.id) }} |
| URL Path | Citations | Position |
|---|---|---|
| salesforce.com | 0 | N/A |
| www.salesforce.com | 0 | N/A |
| /service-cloud | 2 | 3 |
| /products/service | 1 | 5 |
| /products/service-cloud/overview | 11 | 5.5 |
| /resources/research-reports/state-of-service | 4 | 17.1 |
| /dreamforce | 3 | 101.1 |
| Brand | Voice | Mentions |
|---|---|---|
|
|
100% | 101 |
|
|
8.3% | 19 |
|
|
2.8% | 13 |
|
|
1.5% | 8 |
| Salesforce State of Service Report | 0% | 1 |
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.
[...] e-statistics/) (https://www.zendesk.com) - **Salesforce**: Noted for self-service solutions, with 80% of high-performers offering them vs. 56% of low-performers.[50+ Customer Support Statistics & Trends for 2025 - Pylon](https://www.usepylon.com/blog/50-customer-support-statistics-trends-for-2025) (https://www.salesforce.com) - **Kayako** and **Gartner** referenced for channel preferences and deflection stats, indicating influence in analytics.[50+ Customer Support Statistics & Trends for 2025 - Pylon](https://www.usepylon.com/blog/50-customer-support-statistics-trends-for-2025) Outsourcing providers like **AnswerConn [...]
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.
[...] uide to Customer Support Solutions ## Leading Platforms and Software ### Enterprise Solutions 1. **Zendesk** - [https://www.zendesk.com](https://www.zendesk.com) - Industry-leading omnichannel support platform with ticketing, live chat, and knowledge base 2. **Salesforce Service Cloud** - [https://www.salesforce.com/service-cloud/](https://www.salesforce.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://ww [...]
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.
[...] ### **Zendesk** - [https://www.zendesk.com](https://www.zendesk.com) One of the largest customer service platforms, publicly traded, serving over 100,000 customers globally. Offers omnichannel support, AI-powered automation, and comprehensive ticketing systems. ### **Salesforce Service Cloud** - [https://www.salesforce.com/service-cloud/](https://www.salesforce.com/service-cloud/) Part of Salesforce's ecosystem, dominant in enterprise customer service with deep CRM integration 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 [...]
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.
# Comprehensive Guide to Getting Into Customer Support ## 🏢 Most Trusted Brands & Industry Leaders ### Enterprise Customer Support Platforms - **[Zendesk](https://www.zendesk.com/)** - Industry-leading customer service software and support ticketing system - **[Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.salesforce.com/products/service-cloud/overview/)** - Comprehensive CRM with robust support capabilities - **[Freshdesk](https://www.freshdesk.com/)** (by Freshworks) - Popular cloud-based customer support software - **[Intercom](https://www.intercom.com/)** - Conversational relationship platform combining chat, bots, and support - **[HubSpot Ser [...]
[...] ww.idc.com/)** - Market intelligence and analysis ### Annual Reports to Follow - **[Zendesk Customer Experience Trends Report](https://www.zendesk.com/customer-experience-trends/)** - Annual CX trends - **[State of Customer Service Report](https://www.hubspot.com/state-of-service)** by HubSpot - **[Salesforce State of Service Report](https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-service/)** - Service trends and insights - **[Microsoft Global State of Customer Service Report](https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/dynamics365/customer-service/)** - Customer service insights ## 💼 Job Boards & Career Resources ### Specialized Job Boards - **[Support Driven Jobs](https://jobs.supportdrive [...]
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.
[...] viders, experts, events, communities, and media. --- ## 1) Leading software brands & products (by common use case) ### A) Help desk / ticketing + omnichannel service (core system of record) - [Zendesk](https://www.zendesk.com) – broad help desk + messaging + knowledge + marketplace ecosystem - [Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.salesforce.com/products/service-cloud/overview/) – enterprise service platform tightly tied to Salesforce - [ServiceNow Customer Service Management](https://www.servicenow.com/products/customer-service-management.html) – strong for enterprise workflows and service operations - [Freshdesk (Freshworks)](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/) – [...]
[...] om) - **SaaS with strong in-app support needs:** [Intercom](https://www.intercom.com), plus a KB like [Document360](https://document360.com) or [Notion](https://www.notion.com) - **Ecommerce with heavy order inquiries:** [Gorgias](https://www.gorgias.com) - **Enterprise + complex workflows:** [Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.salesforce.com/products/service-cloud/overview/), [ServiceNow CSM](https://www.servicenow.com/products/customer-service-management.html), or [Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics-365/products/customer-service) - **Contact center transformation (voice + digital at scale):** [NICE CXone](https://www.n [...]
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.
[...] (useful especially for B2B/IT-style support): - **ITIL**: [AXELOS – ITIL](https://www.axelos.com/best-practice-solutions/itil) ## 2) Most-used tools & platforms to know (by category) ### Help desk / customer service platforms (ticketing + omnichannel) - [Zendesk](https://www.zendesk.com/) - [Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.salesforce.com/products/service-cloud/overview/) - [ServiceNow Customer Service Management](https://www.servicenow.com/products/customer-service-management.html) - [Freshdesk (Freshworks)](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/) - [Help Scout](https://www.helpscout.com/) - [Intercom](https://www.intercom.com/) - [Jira Service Management [...]
[...] ww.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.salesforce.com/dreamforce/) - [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/) - [Forethoug [...]
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.
[...] g/wiki/Generative_artificial_intelligence) --- ## Dominant market leaders & major brands (by category) ### 1) Helpdesk / Customer support platforms (ticketing + omnichannel + self‑service) These are the most common “systems of record” for support teams: - [Zendesk](https://www.zendesk.com/) - [Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.salesforce.com/products/service-cloud/overview/) (part of [Salesforce](https://www.salesforce.com/)) - [ServiceNow Customer Service Management (CSM)](https://www.servicenow.com/products/customer-service-management.html) (part of [ServiceNow](https://www.servicenow.com/)) - [Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service](https://www.microsoft.com/e [...]
[...] shdesk/), [Help Scout](https://www.helpscout.com/) - **B2B SaaS messaging + automation workflows:** [Intercom](https://www.intercom.com/) - **Ecommerce support tied to Shopify-type workflows:** [Gorgias](https://www.gorgias.com/) - **Enterprise service suite + CRM + field/service processes:** [Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.salesforce.com/products/service-cloud/overview/), [Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics-365/products/customer-service), [ServiceNow CSM](https://www.servicenow.com/products/customer-service-management.html), [SAP Service Cloud](https://www.sap.com/products/crm/service-cloud.html) (part of [SAP](https: [...]
[...] tegory) ### 1) Helpdesk / Customer support platforms (ticketing + omnichannel + self‑service) These are the most common “systems of record” for support teams: - [Zendesk](https://www.zendesk.com/) - [Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.salesforce.com/products/service-cloud/overview/) (part of [Salesforce](https://www.salesforce.com/)) - [ServiceNow Customer Service Management (CSM)](https://www.servicenow.com/products/customer-service-management.html) (part of [ServiceNow](https://www.servicenow.com/)) - [Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics-365/products/customer-service) (part [...]
[...] ww.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/)) - [ServiceNow Knowledge](https://www.servicenow.com/events/knowledge.html) (by [ServiceNow](https://www.servicenow.com/)) - [Zendesk Relate](https://www.zendesk.com/relate/) (by [Zendesk](https://www.zendesk.com/)) - [Qualtrics X4](https://www.qualtrics.com/x4/) (by [Qualtrics](https://www. [...]
[...] er-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/)) - [ServiceNow Knowledge](https://www.servicenow.com/events/knowledge.html) (by [ServiceNow](https://www.servicenow.com/)) - [Zendesk Relate](https://www.zendesk.com/relate/) (by [Zendesk](https://www.zendesk.com/)) - [Qualtrics X4](https://www.q [...]
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.
[...] landscape of the customer support industry. ### 1. Leading Software Brands and Products These platforms provide the infrastructure for ticketing, live chat, and knowledge management. * **[Zendesk](https://www.zendesk.com):** The industry standard for enterprise-grade omnichannel support. * **[Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.salesforce.com/products/service-cloud/overview/):** A powerful CRM-integrated support platform for large organizations. * **[Freshdesk](https://www.freshworks.com/freshdesk/):** An intuitive, feature-rich alternative known for ease of use and affordability. * **[Intercom](https://www.intercom.com):** Leading the shift toward "AI-first" suppo [...]
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.
[...] ween traditional CRM giants and legacy helpdesk providers. * **Zendesk**: The market leader for mid-market and enterprise helpdesk solutions. [Zendesk Official Site](https://www.zendesk.com) * **Salesforce Service Cloud**: The dominant force for large enterprises requiring deep CRM integration. [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 companie [...]
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.
[...] standard for enterprise-level ticketing systems. * **[Intercom](https://www.intercom.com/)**: A leader in AI-driven chat and proactive customer engagement. * **[Freshdesk](https://freshworks.com/freshdesk/)**: A popular, user-friendly alternative to Zendesk for small-to-medium businesses. * **[Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.salesforce.com/products/service/)**: The go-to for massive corporations requiring deep CRM integration. * **[Gorgias](https://www.gorgias.com/)**: The primary helpdesk for E-commerce brands (specifically Shopify stores). ### 2. Influential Experts & Thought Leaders Following these individuals on LinkedIn or Twitter will help yo [...]
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.
[...] onal support, Fin AI agent, and product tours; excels in proactive engagement. - **[Freshworks Freshdesk](https://www.freshworks.com/customer-service-software/)**: Affordable omnichannel ticketing with Freddy AI; top-rated for SMBs on [TrustRadius](https://www.trustradius.com/customer-service). - **[Salesforce Service Cloud](https://www.salesforce.com/products/service-cloud/overview/)**: Enterprise-grade with Einstein AI; Gartner leader. - **[HubSpot Service Hub](https://www.hubspot.com/products/service)**: Free tier available, integrates with CRM; strong for inbound support. - **[Help Scout](https://www.helpscout.com/)**: Email-first shared inbox with Beacon live chat; praised [...]
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.
[...] [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 Service Hub](https://www.hubspot.com/products/service) - **Help Scout**: Email-first support with shared inbox and knowledge base tools. [Help Scout](https://www.helpscout.com/) - **LiveChat**: Real-time [...]
[...] ntact-week) - **CX Network Events**: Regional CX summits. [CX Network](https://www.cxnetwork.com/) - **Shep Hyken's Customer Service Revolution**: Motivational and practical. [Customer Service Revolution](https://www.customerservicerevolution.com/) - **Dreamforce** (Salesforce): Huge service track. [Dreamforce](https://www.salesforce.com/dreamforce/) Virtual options often available; check Eventbrite [Eventbrite CX Events](https://www.eventbrite.com/d/online/customer-experience/) for more. ### Notable Startups Disrupting the Space Emerging players leveraging AI, automation, and integrations: - **Gorgias**: Ecommerce-focused helpdesk with Sh [...]
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.
[...] support. [Zendesk](https://www.zendesk.com/). - **Freshworks (Freshdesk)**: Strong in SMBs with affordable ticketing and AI bots. [Freshworks Customer Service](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 [...]