Help Scout vs. Zoho Desk: Help Desk Solution Comparison 2025

Overview: Help Scout and Zoho Desk as Help Desk Category solutions.

Help Scout and Zoho Desk both serve as help desk solutions, but they cater to different user needs. Help Scout supports communication and collaboration and excels in large enterprise environments. Zoho Desk provides extensive workflow and helpdesk management capabilities, appealing to a wide range of industries, including IT services. Businesses should choose based on their specific operational needs and the size of their workforce.

Help Scout: Help Scout's shared inbox, help center, and live chat software streamline customer communication management. Teams are equipped with essential tools for efficient service.

Zoho Desk: Zoho Desk is an online customer service help desk software designed for happier customers and empowered agents. A 15-day free trial is offered for new users.

Help Scout and Zoho Desk: Best Use cases based on the customer satisfaction data

Key Capabilities Supported

Help Scout enhances communication and collaboration, pivotal for enterprises needing engagement and workflow management. read more →

Zoho Desk excels in helpdesk and workflow management, incorporating crucial knowledge and customer feedback management. read more →

Business Goals

Help Scout aids in acquiring customers and enhancing relationships, aligning with strategies for improved internal communication. read more →

Zoho Desk boosts customer relations and efficiency, targeting goals like sales increase and better internal interactions. read more →

Core Features

Help Scout offers custom reports and training, paired with strong data import/export functionalities to ease integration. read more →

Zoho Desk provides robust analytics and comprehensive integration, facilitating easy data import/export and custom reporting. read more →

Vendor Support

Help Scout offers 24/7 support with email and chat options, ensuring comprehensive customer assistance. read more →

Zoho Desk provides extensive 24/7 support, including phone and chat, catering to detailed user requirements. read more →

Segments and Industries

Help Scout is primed for large enterprises in software, media, and health sectors. read more →

Zoho Desk is widely used across IT services, software, and non-profit sectors, adaptable to varied industry needs. read more →

Operational Alignment

Help Scout fits large-scale operations, focusing on smooth communication and collaboration workflows. read more →

Zoho Desk suits diverse environments, enhancing workflows and data management for IT and service industries. read more →

Applying your context and needs changes the comparison

Failure Risk Guidance?

Low Medium High

Compliance Risk

low

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low

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Security & Privacy Risk

medium

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high

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Integration Risk

medium

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medium

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Migration Risk

medium

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medium

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IT and Other Capabilities

Low
Medium
High

Ease of migration

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Data

Data Import

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Data Export

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Support

Phone Support

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Email Support

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24/7 Support

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Chat Support

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Others

Custom Reports

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Analytics

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AI Powered

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Most deployed common Use Cases for Help Scout and Zoho Desk

Why is Help Scout and Zoho Desk the best choice for Helpdesk Management?

Help Scout and Zoho Desk are both tools for managing customer support. Help Scout focuses on email-based support, while Zoho Desk provides a broader range of features, including live chat and call center capabilities. Help Scout is known for its user-friendly interface and responsive customer support, whereas Zoho Desk offers a more comprehensive solution with advanced features. A limitation of both tools is that neither is perfect and both may have limitations in specific areas.

"...Help Scout scales like any other help desk, but the customer experience feels personalized like email...." Peer review from Help Scout

"...Zoho Desk helps us keep control of our support tickets and manage client needs...." Peer review by Thomas (Glenn) T, Owner, Restaurants

How efficiently Does Help Scout and Zoho Desk manage your Engagement Management?

Help Scout and Zoho Desk both offer tools for managing customer interactions. Help Scout emphasizes intuitive interface, integration with chat services, and customer satisfaction tracking through its Happiness Report. Zoho Desk focuses on ticket management, CRM integration, and extending functionality through social media and VoIP. Both tools provide a way to follow up with customers, but Help Scout offers more features specifically designed for this purpose. Zoho Desk lacks a robust engagement system similar to that offered by Bitrix24.

"...Connecting with members to find solutions asap for various questions, and being able to get the info needed from different teams (billing, leadership, events, etc) to follow up...." Peer review by Marie C., Non-Profit Organization Management

"...The ability to automatically convert a chat session to a support ticket for follow-up/review has helped tremendously...." Peer review by Jeffrey F, Owner

How efficiently Does Help Scout and Zoho Desk manage your Knowledge Management?

Help Scout and Zoho Desk both provide knowledge base features. Help Scout's knowledge base is easy to set up and use, while Zoho Desk's knowledge base offers greater customization. Both systems allow for the creation of internal and external knowledge bases. However, Help Scout's knowledge base is considered more attractive and lightweight, while Zoho Desk's knowledge base is deemed outdated and lacking in additional content.

"...The Docs Knowledge Base includes up to five customizable knowledge base sites that integrate with an organization s help desk, and are designed to run smoothly on any device, and help their customers help themselves...." Peer review

"...Having it automatically create Knowledge Base articles when you resolve tickets; allows me to configure web form fields specific to our company; the ability to create automated responses and templates; being able to assign an agent-based off a keyword and\or tag...." Peer review by Holly B., Real Estate

What solutions does Help Scout and Zoho Desk provide for Workflow Management?

Help Scout and Zoho Desk both enable automation of processes through workflows. Help Scout's workflows are considered simple and easy to use. Zoho Desk offers workflows with more complex features and integrations. Zoho Desk's workflows may be challenging to configure, and users have reported workflow issues. Both tools are limited in their ability to process existing cases quickly after workflow changes.

"...Help Scout helped us get a handle on our support workflow and as we've added to our support team, it's made that process painless...." Peer review by Anonymous Reviewer