Don’t let shoddy customer support break your business. If a customer needs to get in touch with you, the level of service you are able to provide could very well be the difference between someone leaving a bright sparkling review that transforms someone else into a paying customer… or a review that makes people avoid your brand like the plague.

That’s why choosing a platform that’s suited to you and caters to your specific needs is a crucial first step for anyone with an e-commerce brand looking to level up their customer service experience.

Customer service should be a top priority for e-commerce brand owners. Don’t believe me? Here are some stats:

• 93% of customers are likely to make repeat purchases with companies that offer exceptional customer service.
• 33% of customers would consider switching immediately after poor customer service.
• 33% of customers would say the most important aspect of excellent customer service is being able to get their problem solved in one single sitting.

Stuck between Gorgias or Zendesk? In this blog, we’ll take a look at Gorgias and Zendesk and assess which service is best suited for e-commerce business owners.

(P.S. Keep reading for a Gorgias 7 day free trial)

Let’s get into it.

What's the difference between Gorgias and Zendesk?

Gorgias: The E-commerce Specialist

When it comes to catering specifically to the needs of e-commerce businesses, Gorgias stands out as a specialist. The Navy SEAL of e-commerce customer service. It offers a comprehensive set of features designed to streamline customer support for online stores specifically.

Gorgias understands the unique challenges faced by e-commerce merchants such as order and store management, fulfilment, multi-platform management, and provides swift solutions that address them directly and effectively.

Zendesk: The Versatile Help Desk

On the other hand, Zendesk is a versatile help desk solution that caters to businesses across various industries. Whether you're a software company, government entity, or university, Zendesk has you covered. Its wide range of functionalities and flexibility makes it suitable for businesses with diverse and complex support requirements.

Here are some examples of industries Zendesk cater to (to name a few):

• Education
• Energy
• Government
• Healthcare
• Telecoms
• Travel & Hospitality

If your business falls into any of these categories, Zendesk might be for you. However, if you own an e-commerce brand it looks like Gorgias might just be your knight in shining armour.

User Interface and Ease of Use

Gorgias: Streamlined and Intuitive

Gorgias prides itself on its user-friendly interface that allows support agents to navigate effortlessly through their daily tasks. Not only is it incredibly easy to set up the platform offers a clean and intuitive design, making it easy for your customer service assistants to find the information they need quickly and for teams to collaborate effortlessly.

With Gorgias, your team can focus on providing exceptional customer support rather than getting lost in complex menus.

Zendesk: Robust and Customisable

Zendesk offers a robust interface with extensive customisation options. While this flexibility provides greater control over the support workflow, it can be overwhelming for new users and in some cases require a lot of training.

However, once your team becomes familiar with the customization features, Zendesk empowers you to tailor the platform to your specific requirements.

Social Media Integration

Gorgias: Social Media at Your Fingertips

If you run an e-commerce brand we don’t need to tell you how important consistent contact with your customer through social media is. Gorgias recognises this and offers seamless integration with popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Manage the conversation wherever it may be taking place.

Gorgias allows you to manage all your customer interactions from a single dashboard, ensuring that no no stone goes unturned, no query goes unnoticed, and no customer gets left in the dark.

Zendesk: Social Media Support Made Simple

Zendesk also provides social media integration but with a slightly different approach. It offers a dedicated module called Zendesk Social Messaging that consolidates customer inquiries from social media channels. While it may not have the same level of integration as Gorgias, Zendesk still allows you to monitor and respond to social media interactions efficiently.

Automation

Gorgias: E-commerce-Specific Automation

Gorgias takes automation to the next level for e-commerce businesses. It boasts a wide array of pre-built automations tailored to common support scenarios faced by online stores. These automations save time and effort for your team by handling repetitive tasks such as order tracking, refund processing, and shipping status updates.

Zendesk: Customizable Automation for All Industries

Zendesk provides powerful automation capabilities that can be customized to fit the needs of businesses across industries. While it may not offer as many pre-built e-commerce-specific automations as Gorgias, Zendesk's automation features are highly adaptable and can be tailored to automate various support processes, including ticket routing, notifications, and SLA management.

Integrations

Gorgias: E-commerce Platforms Harmony

Gorgias put e-commerce first and therefore has deep integrations with major e-commerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, Yotpo, BigCommerce, Attentive, Klaviyo and more.

But what exactly do these integrations allow you to do?

Sync customer data, order information, and other relevant details directly into your support tickets. The seamless integration with your e-commerce platform ensures a unified support experience for both your agents and customers, resulting in faster resolutions and ultimately, happier customers.

Zendesk: Flexibility for Various Industries

Zendesk offers a wide range of integrations, spanning across CRM systems, communication tools, project management platforms, and more. While it may not have the same level of specialisation in e-commerce integrations as Gorgias, Zendesk's extensive integration options make it a versatile choice for businesses in other industries.

Pricing Structures

Gorgias: Ticket Volume-Based Pricing

How much does Gorgias cost? Gorgias follows a pricing model based on the number of support tickets you handle each month. This can be advantageous if you have a high volume of tickets, as it allows for predictable costs. This model allows you to add new agents at no extra cost as well as tag technical support or other non-customer experience team members to assist with queries (and for a little added bonus, spam message wont count as tickets that are billable).

Zendesk: User-Based Pricing Model

Zendesk offers a user-based pricing model, where you pay a monthly fee per agent (pay per seat). This pricing structure can be beneficial for businesses with a smaller support team or varying ticket volumes. However, this model could stunt growth as it limits you as to who you can invite into the helpdesk without having to pay, such as marketing, product and website teams who could gain key insight from customer communications.

Reviews

Looking at customer reviews over on the Shopify App Store, Gorgias sits at 4.4 stars out of 5 from 592 reviews and Zendesk sits at 3.5 stars out of 5 out of 151 reviews.

We’ve linked their review sections for you to take a look for yourself.

What's the best customer service platform for e-commerce brands?

Consider Your E-commerce Focus

If your business revolves primarily around e-commerce, Gorgias' specialised features and e-commerce platform integrations make it a compelling choice. It caters to the unique needs of online stores, providing automation, social media integration, and a user-friendly interface tailored for e-commerce support.

Evaluate Your Support Team's Needs

Take into account your support team's requirements and preferences. If you value flexibility, extensive customisation options, and a broader range of industry integrations, Zendesk might be the better fit. Zendesk's versatile platform can accommodate businesses from various sectors and offers powerful automation capabilities.

Assess Your Budget and Scalability

Consider your budget and scalability requirements. If you have a large support team or expect rapid growth, Zendesk's user-based pricing model allows you to scale up or down easily. On the other hand, Gorgias' ticket volume-based pricing may suit businesses with stable or predictable support ticket volumes.

At the end of the day, we can’t make the decision for you that’s completely down to you. However, if you run an e-commerce business Gorgias has been designed with you in mind as the ideal customer and caters to everything that’s vital to keeping your business running smoothly.

For us, Gorgias is the number one customer service helpdesk for e-commerce brands. Don’t believe us? All you need to do is use this link to book a call and get a 2 month free trial by signing up you can sign up ​here​. You get:

• FREE Gorgias for two whole months
• A contract buyout if you're already committed to another help desk provider
• 30-day money-back guarantee if Gorgias isn't a great fit

If you run an e-commerce store and need help with your strategy, book a call with Joe, Dom, or Freddie today to learn more about how we can help you Soar!

Words by:

Andrew Boardman - Marketing Content Manager