Zendesk Suite vs Salesforce Sales Cloud

LiveAgent

Freshdesk

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Salesforce Sales Cloud is a cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application from Salesforce. The platform combines human sales professionals with AI-powered automation, data, and intelligence. This integrated solution is designed to help businesses of all sizes and industries.

Cloud-based customer service platform for businesses of all sizes, combining live chat, AI chatbot, email ticketing, and call center.

Cloud-based customer service help desk for all business sizes, with AI-powered ticketing, omnichannel support, and automation.

Founder

Our overall experience with Zendesk Suite was dreadful. Despite being long-time users, we faced continuous hassles and struggles, particularly with their payment structure and unresponsive support team. When we attempted to downgrade our user numbers, a small oversight led to an automatic renewal, and our account manager failed to respond in time.

Data Analyst

However, we have not used your service for the past 3-4 months, and a check of our user logs will show that no one from our team has logged into the platform during that period. Despite multiple attempts to resolve this issue, including contacting customer support, we have encountered an unhelpful response.

Lecturer

Zendesk is a unique customer service provider to build strong relationships with clients and customers more than solving problems; it connects companies with their customers getting help on time with efficiency and accountability.

With the ability to manage multiple support teams, I am able to answer questions, solve problems, and help my customers in a matter of minutes.

Zendesk is the leading cloud-based help desk software built with support agents in mind. All your customer interactions are in a single, dynamic interface with features like web widgets, pre-defined ticket responses, and full customer history.

Account Alerts

Account Management

Activity Dashboard

Activity Tracking

AI Copilot

Alerts/Escalation

Alerts/Notifications

Analytics

Archiving & Retention

Asset Tracking

Assignment Management

Audit Trail

Automated Responses

Automated Routing

Automatic Call Distribution

Autoresponders

Availability Management

Batch Communications

Blended Call Center

Call Center Management

Caller ID

Call Logging

Call Monitoring

Call Recording

Call Reporting

Call Routing

Call Scripting

Campaign Management

Canned Responses

Capacity Management

Case Management

Catalog Management

Change Management

Chat/Messaging

Churn Management

Client Management

Client Portal

CMDB

Collaboration Tools

Commenting/Notes

Communication Management

Complaint Monitoring

Computer Telephony Integration

Configurable Workflow

Configuration Management

Contact Management

Content Creation

Content Management

Contract/License Management

Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA)

Customer Complaint Tracking

Customer Database

Customer Engagement

Customer Experience Management

Customer History

Customer Management

Customer Portal

Customer Segmentation

Customer Service Analytics

Customer Social Profiles

Customer Support

Customizable Branding

Customizable Fields

Customizable Forms

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Dashboard

Data Import/Export

Decision Support

Discussions/Forums

Document Storage

Drag & Drop

Email Management

Email Templates

Email Tracking

Event Triggered Actions

Feedback Management

File Sharing

Filtering

For Insurance Industry

For iPad Devices

Forms Management

For Startups

Full Text Search

Gamification

Geotargeting

Group Management

Health Score

Help Desk Management

Inbound Call Center

Incident Management

Interaction Tracking

Interactive Content

Issue Auditing

Issue Management

Issue Scheduling

Issue Tracking

The Zendesk Suite integrations most frequently cited by reviewers are: Slack (a team communication product rated 4.7 out of 5 for its integration with Zendesk Suite), Jira (an IT project management product, 4.4), and Salesforce Sales Cloud (a CRM product, 4.2).

Integrations

Reviews for Zendesk Suite come from a wide variety of industries, including computer software (13% of reviewers), information technology and services (11%), and marketing and advertising (5%). The most frequent use case for Zendesk Suite cited by reviewers is help desk (51% of reviewers).

Zendesk Suite

Web-based

iPad

Android

iPhone

Zoho Desk

Salesforce Service Cloud

Help Scout

JIRA Service Management

LiveChat

HubSpot CRM

Jira

Tidio

HelpDesk

Gorgias

tawk.to

ServiceNow

Front

HubSpot Service Hub

Pure Chat

Freshservice

Suite Team

Suite Growth

Suite Professional

Suite Enterprise

Cumbersome email management

Communications specialist

It isn't possible to send test emails to yourself to check how emails look, so you have to create test tickets that trigger certain emails you've added to automations or triggers. Though they support multiple brands, you can't use a different email template for each brand.

40% of reviewers feel negative about Zendesk’s email management. Some users report that managing emails is unintuitive, with limited customization options for templates and formatting. Reviewers indicate difficulties with tracking conversations, handling attachments, and managing notifications, which can lead to missed or duplicate responses. They mention that integrating email with other communication channels is often confusing and that spam filtering is unreliable. Many users find the process of organizing, prioritizing, and forwarding emails to be inefficient, especially when dealing with high volumes or multiple brands.

High and complex pricing structure

Managing Director

Their tiers model, like many SAAS products can be restricting as they require you to upgrade to another tier if you want any additional features which can prove very costly.

53% of reviewers feel negative about Zendesk’s pricing. Users say the subscription costs are high, especially as more features or agents are added, making it less accessible for small businesses or teams with limited budgets. Reviewers express frustration with the tiered pricing model, noting that essential features often require costly upgrades or add-ons. They mention a lack of transparency, unexpected charges, and restrictive free plans. Many users feel that the cost escalates quickly as needs grow, and that refunds or downgrades are difficult to obtain.

Performance and reliability concerns

Business Analyst

It takes weeks to hear back from anyone despite adding words like "urgent" "critical" "time sensitive" in the subject line and the body. If you're get a response, you just hope it's comprehensive enough to solve the problem on the first try, but more often than not the support agents miss the point or gloss over the issue and provide a support article that doesn't help solve the issue.

61% of reviewers feel negative about Zendesk’s bugs and issues. Some users report frequent glitches, slow load times, and occasional downtime that disrupt workflow and delay responses to customers. Reviewers indicate that system lags, difficulties with integrations, and inconsistent automation can hinder productivity. They mention challenges with image handling, formatting errors, and unreliable notifications. Many users find that technical support for resolving these problems is slow or unhelpful, leading to frustration when urgent issues arise or when trying to implement advanced configurations.

Intuitive and user-friendly design

Visual Asset Production

I like that zendesk is easy to learn for users opening it up for the first time.

91% of reviewers feel positive about Zendesk’s user experience. Users think the platform is easy to navigate, even for new users, and highlight its intuitive interface and straightforward setup. Reviewers appreciate that tasks are simple to manage and that the software is accessible for daily use without extensive training. They say the minimalist design and clear layout make it easy to find necessary tools and functions. Many users report that Zendesk’s usability reduces onboarding time and increases productivity, making it suitable for a wide range of users and business needs.

Integrated chat and ticket workflows

Tech Coordinator

It allows me to keep record of all my customer chats, responding quickly and handling tickets on different platforms.

89% of reviewers feel positive about Zendesk’s chat and ticket management features. Reviewers appreciate the unified platform that centralizes tickets, live chat, email, and social media, enabling quick and consistent customer support. They say automation, macros, and customizable workflows streamline responses and improve tracking. Users value the ability to merge tickets, manage conversations across channels, and access detailed documentation. Many highlight that the platform supports efficient collaboration between agents and offers robust analytics, helping teams handle high volumes of inquiries and maintain organized records.

Comprehensive client support tools

Proofreader

Zendesk gave us a lot of flexibility in how we handled client requests and inquiries, helped us respond more quickly, and allowed us to automatically document all procedures.

94% of reviewers feel positive about Zendesk’s client support capabilities. Reviewers indicate that Zendesk streamlines customer communication by offering multiple channels such as chat, email, and social media, allowing for rapid and organized responses. They appreciate features like integrated analytics, automated responses, and customizable workflows, which help track and resolve client issues efficiently. Users say the platform enables secure documentation sharing, effective follow-ups, and accountability through performance metrics. Many find that Zendesk’s integrations and knowledge base empower both agents and clients, leading to improved satisfaction and faster problem resolution.

Streamlined team collaboration

System Administrator

The platform makes it easy to manage tickets and integrate third-party apps, which improves both workflow and team collaboration.

89% of reviewers feel positive about Zendesk’s team collaboration features. Users report that the platform enables seamless communication and coordination among team members by centralizing requests and providing visibility into ticket status. Reviewers say features like internal notes, macros, and customizable workflows help maintain consistency and efficiency. They appreciate the ability to assign tasks, monitor performance, and integrate with other tools for enhanced workflow. Many users find that Zendesk supports both internal and external collaboration, making it easier to manage workload distribution and ensure accountability.

Systems Analyst

The automation features, reporting dashboards, and integrations with other tools are also very helpful for managing workflows and tracking performance.

People Business Partner

We are able to handle multiple inboxes, track SLAs, and retrieve information from prior tickets efficiently.

Cloud Engineer

The setup process was smooth, and the platform provides useful features for managing emails, tickets, and team collaboration.

Customer Account Support

The ability to customise workflows and automate parts of the process is especially helpful, and the reporting tools make it easy to see what’s working well.

HR Director

What I liked most about Zendesk weight is the ability to login and create tickets, it was not hard to do

Customer Support Specialist

Overall, my experience with Zendesk Suite has been overwhelmingly positive, with its intuitive interface and robust features making it a reliable tool for managing customer support requests.

I'm not a huge fan of the UI clutter when creating a new ticket, but it's not a huge deal and our team's learned to navigate it after a few weeks.

Executive Business Development Strategist

My team and I can quickly respond to customer support tickets, tag tickets with keywords, such as "bug, "complaint", "praise" and more.

Technical Support Officer

It has helped me bring some order to my support operations. And allows me to keep SLA goals and respond on time and informs me about ticket history with built in ticket flow automating tools.

Owner

The FAQ help through the web plugin also helps cut down on questions and provides our customers with a convenient way to answer questions on their own, before needing to reach out to us.

Customer Support Manager

Overall, it significantly streamlines our workflows and helps us manage client requests efficiently.

Project Analyst

Zendesk Support Suite has a unified support across email, chat, social media, phone, and messaging apps, allowing agents to manage all queries from a single interface, which simplifies workflows and improves efficiency.

Some advanced features take time to configure, and the pricing can increase as additional functionality is added.

Customer Success Specialist

Zendesk is amazing at what it's good at: viewing, managing, and responding to tickets. While it can feel lacking in a fast-paced environment, it has everything else you would want in a robust ticketing system.

Sometimes it limits me the way Zendesk suite handles follow up tickets when a ticket is closed. When a customer replies after closure, he creates a new thread instead of responding to previous one.

CX Consultant

The platform itself can be improved by your own hand, but there are minimal issues that could be improved by the [sensitive content hidden] of the app and they are busy working on AI instead of fixing some small issues that could help tons.

Sr. Dir. Support Operations

Its reliable performance, intuitive interface, and ongoing feature enhancements have helped us streamline operations and improve the overall support experience.

IT Manager

Zendesk Suite is brilliant in ensuring customer support is issued from a central location, and this eliminates disjointed feedback

Zendesk Suite vs Salesforce Sales Cloud Comparison (2026)

Zendesk Suite

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives