The best AI customer support software depends on where your customers contact you and how complex your operation is. Cue suits teams whose customers message on WhatsApp and also call, email and chat. Wati suits WhatsApp-only teams. Zendesk and Freshworks suit ticket-led help desks. Intercom suits in-app and web support. Cognigy suits enterprises building advanced conversational AI. This guide compares ten options.

We're Cue, so we've included ourselves. We've tried to describe every tool fairly, and we've said where others are a better fit.

How to choose AI customer support software

Before comparing tools, answer four questions:

1. Which channels do your customers use? WhatsApp, phone, email, web chat, social, in-app. A tool built around email won't serve a WhatsApp-heavy customer base well, and the reverse is true too.

2. What do you want the AI to do? Answer FAQs, triage and route, draft replies for agents, or resolve enquiries end to end.

3. How will people take over? Handover to a person, with the full conversation, matters as much as the AI itself.

4. How does pricing grow? Per agent, per resolution, per contact or per message. Model it at your real volumes.

At a glance

1. Cue

Cue is an omnichannel customer service platform built around WhatsApp. Phone, email, web chat and Facebook Messenger sit in the same inbox, on one contact record, so your team works from one queue.

Your customer might reach out via WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, your website, email or a phone call. Either way, the conversation lands in the same place, with the history from every channel in view.

Key features

• AI Agents that answer on WhatsApp, web chat, email and Messenger, trained on your documents and website content, with handover to your team.

• Chatbot builder and Flows for routing, bookings and structured journeys, with no code.

• Live Chat and a shared inbox with auto-assign.

• Broadcasts for WhatsApp updates and campaigns.

• Phone included in every plan.

• Integrations with CRMs and industry systems such as dealer management systems.

• Unlimited seats on every plan.

How Cue handles calls

Calls arrive in the same inbox as messages, matched to the contact by phone number. You can route callers with a keypad menu by team, department or site, transfer calls, call customers back from any conversation, and keep recordings and transcripts on the contact record. Calls are answered by your team; Cue's AI Agents work on digital channels. See how calls work in Cue.

Results

• Payflex resolves 82% of customer queries with Cue's AI on its digital channels.

• Richfield saw a sevenfold increase in response rates with WhatsApp broadcasts.

• MANCOSA's WhatsApp conversion rate was 156% above target, and web chat 163% above target.

Pricing

Cue prices by monthly active contacts, with unlimited seats. At 1,500 monthly active contacts, Connect is £249 a month (R4,500), Automate is £499 and Scale is £699, excluding VAT. AI Agents start on Automate, with 500 AI resolutions a month. See Cue pricing.

Best for

UK and South African businesses whose customers message on WhatsApp and also call, email and use web chat, from growing teams to multi-site and upper mid-market operations. If you need a self-service help centre or AI that answers phone calls, look at the help desk and enterprise options below.

2. Wati

Wati is a customer messaging platform focused on WhatsApp Business API.

Key features

• WhatsApp Business API access.

• No-code chatbot builder.

• Broadcast messaging.

• Shared team inbox.

• CRM integrations.

Wati's focus on WhatsApp and simple no-code tools makes it a sensible option for smaller businesses that mainly want WhatsApp for marketing and support.

3. Trengo

Trengo is a shared inbox that brings many channels into one place.

Key features

• Inbox for email, live chat, WhatsApp and social channels.

• WhatsApp Business API.

• Chatbot builder.

• Team collaboration tools.

• Automations and workflows.

Trengo suits teams that want lots of channels under one roof, with good collaboration features. For a wider look, see our Trengo alternatives.

4. Zendesk

Zendesk is a full customer service platform built around tickets, with AI added across its products.

Key features

• AI agents for self-service.

• AI-assisted routing and prioritisation.

• Agent assist and reply suggestions.

• Help centre and knowledge base.

• Custom workflows and reporting.

Zendesk's strength is its breadth and its ability to handle high ticket volumes. It suits larger teams built around email and a self-service help centre. See our Zendesk alternatives for other options.

5. Intercom

Intercom combines messaging, AI and human support, with a focus on in-app and web conversations.

Key features

• Fin AI agent.

• Custom bots and automation.

• Product tours and targeted messaging.

• Help centre.

• Customer data and segmentation.

Intercom's focus on in-app messaging and product education makes it a strong fit for software companies. Our Intercom alternatives guide covers the trade-offs.

6. Freshworks

Freshworks offers customer service software (Freshdesk) with its Freddy AI.

Key features

• AI ticket classification and routing.

• Chatbots for web and messaging.

• Customer satisfaction surveys.

• Multiple channels, including phone.

• Knowledge base management.

Freshworks is easy to get started with and offers a wide range of features, which suits growing help desk teams.

7. Tidio

Tidio focuses on simple chat and AI for small online businesses.

Key features

• Lyro AI agent.

• Visual chatbot builder.

• Live chat with chatbot handover.

• Visitor tracking.

• Ecommerce integrations.

Tidio's quick setup suits small ecommerce teams that are new to AI and chat.

8. Help Scout

Help Scout takes an email-first approach to customer support, with AI built in.

Key features

• Shared inbox for team collaboration.

• Knowledge base.

• Live chat.

• Customer profiles.

• Automations and workflows.

• AI features for drafting and summarising.

Help Scout's clean interface makes it easy for teams to adopt, especially those moving on from basic shared email. See our Help Scout alternatives.

9. Kommunicate

Kommunicate provides AI chatbots for customer service, with a focus on bots and people working together.

Key features

• No-code bot builder.

• Handover to human agents.

• Multilingual support.

• Rich messaging.

• Integrations with business tools.

Kommunicate suits teams that want a bot layer on top of their existing support tools, with clear handover to people.

10. Cognigy

Cognigy is a conversational AI platform for enterprises, with a high degree of customisation.

Key features

• Visual flow editor.

• Natural language understanding.

• Voice bots.

• Deployment across many channels.

• Advanced analytics.

Cognigy suits large organisations with complex AI requirements, including voice automation, and the resources to build and maintain it.

Which AI customer support software is best?

There isn't one answer. Match the tool to your channels and your operation:

• Customers mainly on WhatsApp, plus phone, email and web chat: Cue.

• WhatsApp only, small team: Wati.

• Many channels, shared inbox focus: Trengo.

• Email tickets and a self-service help centre: Zendesk, Freshworks or Help Scout.

• In-app support for a software product: Intercom.

• Small online shop: Tidio.

• Enterprise conversational AI, including voice bots: Cognigy.

Whatever you choose, test the AI on your own real questions before you commit, and check how handover to a person works.

For larger teams, our guide to AI customer service platforms for enterprise and high-volume support goes deeper.

Compare Cue with your shortlist

Book a demo to see Cue with your own channels and questions, or see pricing.