Customer support is evolving rapidly, and businesses are feeling the pressure to keep up. With 67% of customers now expecting responses within three hours and the rise of self-service preferences across multiple channels, traditional support tools are struggling to meet modern demands.

This shift has led 71% of business leaders to invest more heavily in AI-powered solutions like chatbots and AI Agents. As teams seek faster response times, better collaboration, and seamless multichannel experiences, many are discovering that their current platform, including Front, may not be equipped for these new realities.

Modern customer support tools are enabling businesses to improve customer engagement, streamline communication, and adapt to changing customer expectations.

The search for Front alternatives has become less about finding a replacement and more about finding a solution that can truly scale with your customers' expectations.

Comparison table

Picking a customer support tool is like choosing a flavour of ice cream. There are many options, but when you find the perfect flavour, that's when everything clicks, and you know you've made the right choice. Some teams want to reply to customers quickly. Others care about solving tickets on the first try. Many businesses now look for Front alternatives. They want better teamwork and faster replies. They also want more ways to talk to customers.

Let’s see how some top platforms compare:

Some platforms offer unlimited users in higher-tier plans, which is important for growing teams that need to scale easily. Also, robust third-party integrations—such as connections to external tools, marketplaces, and apps via Zapier or native compatibility—are key for streamlining workflows and enhancing your support tool’s functionality.

Why switch from Front

Common limitations

Many businesses start with Front because it looks easy and promises better teamwork. Over time, some teams notice a few things that slow them down. They want to move faster and help customers on more channels. Here are some common reasons why teams look for something new:

• Limited multichannel support: Front works well with email and some messaging apps. Many teams want to talk to customers on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and live chat, all in one place.

• Automation gaps: Teams often need more automation. They want chatbots and AI agents to answer simple questions. This saves time and lets staff focus on harder problems.

• Scaling issues: As a business grows, it needs tools that can handle more conversations and more team members. Some find Front struggles when the team gets bigger.

• Reporting and analytics: Teams want to see how well they are doing. They need clear reports and easy-to-read dashboards. Some users say Front’s analytics do not give enough detail.

• Integration limits: Many businesses use lots of apps. They want their support tool to connect with CRMs, marketing tools, and other software. Sometimes, Front does not offer the right integrations.

Features to consider

Choosing a new support tool can feel tricky. Teams want to make sure they pick the right one. Here are some features to look for when comparing Front alternatives:

1. Multichannel inbox: The best tools let teams manage WhatsApp, Messenger, email, and web chat from one place. This makes multi-channel communication essential for delivering a seamless customer experience, making it easy to keep track of every conversation across all channels.

2. Automation and AI: Look for chatbots and AI agents. These can answer common questions, route tickets, and save time for the team. Automation and AI also enable personalised support for customers.

3. Easy integrations: Good support tools connect with CRMs, marketing platforms, and other business apps. Integration with customer relationship management systems is important to help teams work faster and keep data in sync.

4. Shared inbox and collaboration: Teams need to work together. A shared inbox helps everyone see what is happening and who is handling each ticket. The ability to manage tasks within the platform is a valuable collaboration feature.

5. Analytics and reporting: Clear reports show how fast the team replies, how happy customers feel, and where to improve. These tools help improve team efficiency.

6. Scalability: The tool should grow with the business. It must handle more users, more channels, and more customers as the company expands.

7. User-friendly interface: Teams work better with tools that are easy to learn and use every day.

8. Knowledge base/self-service: A customizable knowledge base is important for delivering a strong self-service experience, enabling customers to find answers independently and reducing support workload.

Front alternatives

1. Cue

Overview

Cue is a modern tool for better customer service. It puts live chat, shared inbox, and chatbots in one place. Teams can see all customer chats together. Cue enables teams to collaborate more effectively and streamline their support workflows, making it easier to manage tasks and communication. Cue helps teams reply quickly and keep customers happy. Many pick Cue as a Front alternative because it uses automation and works on many channels.

AI Agents

Cue’s AI agents do simple jobs using AI-powered features to automate tasks such as ticket routing and answer easy, common questions. They can send tickets to the right person and help customers find answers. This gives human agents more time for hard problems. AI agents work all day and night, so help is always there. Businesses get faster replies and happier customers.

Products

Cue offers four powerful tools to automate and scale customer conversations:

• AI Agents: Handle routine queries, triage messages, and guide customers. All without human input. Available 24/7 and always learning.

• Live Chat:

  Give customers real-time support from your team. Conversations from your website, WhatsApp, and Messenger all appear in one inbox, where collaboration features allow multiple team members to work together seamlessly on customer conversations.

• Broadcasts: Send targeted messages in bulk across channels like WhatsApp. Great for updates, promotions, and nudging warm leads.

• Chatbots: Build low-code bots that answer FAQs, collect details, and route enquiries to the right team.

Analytics

Cue gives clear analytics. Teams check how fast they reply and how many tickets they fix. They also see how happy customers are. Reports show which channels get the most messages. Managers use this to make service better and spot trends. Analytics help teams know what works and what needs to change.

Integration

Cue supports third-party integrations with popular business apps to enhance workflow efficiency. Cue works with tools like Hubspot and Slack. Teams connect their CRM and chat apps. This keeps data together and makes work smoother. Cue’s link with WhatsApp and Messenger lets teams reach customers where they already are.

Pricing

Cue has transparent pricing. There are no extra fees. Teams pick the plan that fits them best. Cue’s pricing is good for growing teams who want value and features.

Pro tip: Companies that care about customer experience get 25% more loyalty and 20% more customer trust. Cue helps teams reach these goals by making support faster and more personal.

2. Missive

Overview

Missive offers advanced inbox management and internal communication tools to help teams collaborate efficiently. It unifies email, chat and social media into a single, shared inbox where teams can co-author replies, assign tasks and automate workflows without ever switching apps. Deep integrations with GitHub, Asana, and others keep conversations firmly anchored to your projects, while customisable templates and real-time analytics help you hone your tone and measure impact.

Key features

Missive is a shared inbox that feels like email. Teams manage emails, chats, and tasks together. Missive works with many organisations and syncs with Gmail, Outlook, and others. It has team chat, task tools, and links with Slack and Zapier. The mobile app has all the desktop features, so teams can work anywhere.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Flexible plans with monthly payments.

• Works with many organisations.

• Full mobile app features.

• Users keep control of their email.

Cons:

• Less automation than some rivals.

• Focuses more on email than chat or social.

Pricing

Missive starts at £10 per user each month. There is no minimum number of users.

3. Zendesk

Overview

Zendesk brings every customer touchpoint, email, chat, social media and phone into a unified ticketing system that’s as flexible as it is robust. Agents can collaborate on tickets in real time, automate repetitive tasks with custom triggers and macros, and tap into a built-in knowledge base for seamless self-service.

Key features

Zendesk is a big name in customer support. It has ticketing, a knowledge base, live chat, and strong analytics. Zendesk links with over 100 other tools, so it is easy to connect. It is made for big teams and complex work. Zendesk helps companies handle lots of tickets and give support on many channels.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good for large teams.

• Many integration choices.

• Advanced analytics and reports.

• Trusted by global brands.

Cons:

• Higher starting price.

• It can be hard for small teams.

Pricing

Zendesk starts at £39 per user each month. Some higher-tier Zendesk plans offer unlimited users, making it scalable and cost-effective for large teams. It is best for businesses that need strong support and advanced features.

4. Freshdesk

Overview

Freshdesk stands out by blending a clean, channel-agnostic ticketing core with AI-powered automations and gamified team engagement. Designed to deliver a seamless customer experience across all channels, it ensures smooth interactions and customer satisfaction. It's Freddy AI bot triages and resolves common queries instantly, while scenario automations let you build multi-stage workflows without code.

Key features

Freshdesk is a flexible help desk tool. It has ticketing, automation, and a helpful knowledge base. Teams can handle emails, chats, calls, and social messages in one place. Agents use canned responses to reply faster. There is a self-service portal for customers to find answers alone. Automation rules do boring tasks for the team. Reporting tools show how well the team works and what needs fixing.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Simple to set up and use.

• Strong automation for tickets.

• Good value for small and medium businesses.

• Free plan for basic needs.

Cons:

• Some advanced features need higher-priced plans.

• Customisation can feel limited for big teams.

Pricing

Freshdesk starts at £12 per user each month. There is a free plan for small teams. Paid plans give more automation, reporting, and integration choices.

5. Gorgias

Overview

Gorgias is built specifically for e-commerce, weaving your Shopify, Magento or BigCommerce store directly into every support ticket so agents see order details, customer lifetime value and cart history at a glance. This integration enhances customer engagement by allowing support teams to personalise interactions and respond in real time with relevant e-commerce data. Its custom macros and AI-powered automations let you resolve common queries like refund requests or shipping updates.

Key features

It connects with Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce. Teams handle emails, live chat, and social messages in one dashboard. Automation helps with common questions like order status or returns, while also enabling personalised support through tailored responses and customer data integration. Macros let agents reply fast with set answers. The platform tracks orders and customer history, so agents have the right info.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Deep links with e-commerce platforms.

• Strong automation handles many customer chats.

• High user satisfaction (4.5 out of 5).

• Easy to use and set up.

Cons:

• Pricing depends on use, which may not suit all.

• Best for online shops, less for other businesses.

Pricing

Gorgias uses usage-based pricing. Plans start at about £8 per user each month. The final price depends on the number of tickets.

6. Groove

Overview

Groove keeps support lean and personal by wrapping every customer interaction. Email, chat or social into clean, conversation-focused threads that feel more like messaging than a ticket queue. Designed for small teams, it slips effortlessly into your existing workflow with one-click integrations and a super-intuitive editor that makes drafting replies a breeze.

Key features

Groove is a simple help desk for small businesses. It has a shared inbox, knowledge base, and reporting dashboard. Teams handle emails, live chat, and social messages in one spot. Automation helps with ticket routing and canned replies. The knowledge base lets customers find answers themselves, so the team does less work.

Groove’s reporting tools track things like first response time, resolution rate, and customer satisfaction. Managers see trends and find ways to improve. Customer satisfaction surveys are sent after each chat or email, so feedback is quick.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Simple and easy to use.

• Built-in reporting and CSAT surveys.

• Good for small teams and startups.

• Low price.

Cons:

• Fewer advanced features than big platforms.

• Fewer integrations than some rivals.

Pricing

Groove starts at £10 per user each month. There is a free trial, so teams can try it first. Paid plans add more features, like better reporting and integrations.

7. Tidio

Overview

Tidio fuses conversational support and proactive marketing into a single chat-centric workspace, letting you spot visitor intent and launch timely, personalised outreach based on behaviour. Its AI features help analyse customer sentiment, allowing you to personalise support and outreach by understanding how customers feel during their interactions. All messages, whether bot- or human-driven, live in a unified thread alongside browsing context and customer data, so every reply feels informed and on point.

Key features

Tidio has a live chat widget that teams can change to look like their brand. The platform uses AI chatbots to answer simple questions. These bots can handle most chats, saving the team time. Tidio works with email, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram. Teams use a visual tool to set up automation without coding. The dashboard shows reports so managers can check team performance.

Pros

• Tidio has a high user rating of 4.7 out of 5 from over 1,560 reviews.

• The live chat widget is easy to change.

• AI chatbots help teams reply faster and manage more chats.

• Teams can set up automation without needing developers.

Cons

• Once you exceed 100 bot-handled chats, you need to upgrade or risk interrupting your automation flow.

• Linking with CRMs like HubSpot or certain e-commerce platforms can be clunky or require workarounds.

• When Tidio’s own support team gets busy, response times can stretch longer than you’d like.

Pricing

Tidio has a Starter plan at $29 per month for small teams. The Growth plan starts at $59 per month and covers up to 2,000 chats.

8. Hiver

Overview

Hiver transforms your Gmail into a zero-learning-curve team hub, letting you handle customer emails with the same ease as personal mail, only now you’ve got full visibility into who’s doing what and when. By surfacing conversation history and accountability right alongside each thread, it keeps handovers smooth and follow-ups timely, all without asking your team to master a whole new interface.

Key features

Teams can manage emails, give out tasks, and track work in Gmail. Hiver adds tags, notes, and alerts to stop double replies. Teams use analytics to see how fast they reply and if customers are happy. Managers can set rules to automate jobs, like sending emails to the right person.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Your team stays in the familiar Gmail inbox while picking up shared workflows.

• Private notes, assignment flags and collision alerts.

• Tags and automations running in minutes.

Cons

• Limited to Google Workspace.

• Lacks some advanced ticketing bells and whistles (SLA tracking, advanced macros).

• No deep-dive analytics or custom dashboards.

Pricing

Hiver’s plans start at £12 per user each month. Higher plans add more automation, analytics, and advanced features. Teams can choose the plan that fits their size and needs.

9. Kustomer

Overview

As an enterprise-grade customer service platform, Kustomer empowers large teams to deliver seamless, personalised support at scale. Every interaction appears in one consolidated timeline, eliminating app-hopping and ensuring agents have the full customer story at their fingertips.

Key features

Kustomer unifies chats, emails, calls and social messages into a single, chronological view so agents never lose context. AI assistants tackle routine tasks. Think auto-categorisation, quick-reply suggestions and simple query handling, letting your team focus on the complex issues.

Advanced automation rules manage ticket routing, escalation and follow-ups without manual intervention, while real-time analytics dashboards surface performance metrics and customer trends to keep your support operation optimised.

Pros and cons

Pros

• All channels in one view means zero context-switching.

• Bots and suggestions speed up repetitive tasks.

• Powerful automation adapts to any enterprise process.

Cons

• A rich feature set can overwhelm new users.

• Pricing ramps up quickly for large teams.

• Might feel bloated if you don’t need every channel.

Pricing

Kustomer’s plans start at £79 per user each month. The price matches its advanced features and focus on large, busy teams.

10. Help Scout

Overview

Help Scout delivers a human-centred approach to customer support, wrapping email, live chat and self-service into a single, intuitive workspace that consolidates all customer messages. Built for growing teams, it keeps conversations feeling personal with real names, friendly profiles and threaded replies, while ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.

Key features

Help Scout offers a shared inbox where every message, email, chat or knowledge-base query flows into a unified queue, making it easy to organise and respond to support queries from multiple channels, complete with smart tags and workflows for automatic sorting and assignment.

The integrated live chat widget provides real-time help on your site, while the built-in Docs centre empowers customers to self-serve with searchable articles. Behind the scenes, powerful reporting dashboards track first response and resolution times, ticket volumes and customer satisfaction, giving managers the data they need to optimise performance.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Easy to use and set up

• Strong reporting and analytics

• Good for small and growing teams

• Clean, simple interface

Cons:

• Fewer advanced features than some bigger platforms

• Limited customisation for large companies

Pricing

Help Scout starts at £20 per user each month. The plan includes the shared inbox, live chat, and reporting. Higher plans add more features, like advanced automation and integrations.

11. Crisp

Overview

Crisp transforms customer conversations into a single, dynamic workspace where live chat, social messaging and email flow together in real time. With built-in video calling and seamless file sharing, your team can solve complex queries without juggling multiple apps.

Its collaborative tools, like internal notes and thread assignments, mean everyone knows who’s handling what, while scalable user management lets you bring new agents onboard in seconds.

Key features

Crisp offers a unified inbox that surfaces messages from your website chat widget, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and email in one place. An AI-driven chatbot effortlessly handles routine enquiries 24/7, handing off to live agents only when needed.

Key collaboration features like internal notes and thread assignments enhance teamwork by allowing support agents to coordinate responses, share context, and manage conversations more efficiently.

You can create a branded knowledge base to empower self-service, launch targeted automated campaigns and gather customer feedback without leaving the dashboard. Deep integrations with popular CRMs and business apps ensure every conversation ties back to the tools you already use.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Real-time chat and video support

• 24/7 chatbot with natural language processing

• Shared inbox for all channels

• Easy team collaboration

• Scales with business growth

Cons:

• Some advanced features need higher plans

• It may feel complex for very small teams

Pricing

Crisp starts at £25 per user each month. The basic plan covers live chat, shared inbox, and knowledge base. Higher plans add automation, chatbot features, and more integrations.

12. Intercom

Overview

Intercom serves as a complete AI-first conversational platform, uniting sales, marketing and support teams under one roof. It lets you engage visitors with in-app messages and real-time chat, then seamlessly hand off to support agents or bots as conversations evolve. Beyond simple Q&A, its product-led growth tools guide users through onboarding flows, steadily nurturing them towards retention.

Key features

Intercom offers live chat and messaging that work across websites, mobile apps and email, all managed through a central inbox. AI-driven bots can deflect routine enquiries and intelligently route complex tickets to the right specialist.

On the analytics side, you gain deep visibility into response times, resolution rates, satisfaction scores (including NPS) and customer churn trends. Finally, an ecosystem of over 250 integrations ensures your workflows stay connected from CRMs and help desks to marketing automation and data warehouses.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Powerful live chat and automation

• Detailed analytics and customer feedback tools

• Works well for SaaS and product-led companies

• Easy to integrate with many apps

Cons:

• Higher starting price than some rivals

• It can feel complex for small teams

Pricing

Intercom starts at £59 per user each month. The basic plan covers live chat and messaging. Higher plans add automation, advanced analytics, and more integrations.

13. Hubspot Service Hub

Overview

HubSpot Service Hub gives support teams a clear edge by keeping everything tied to the customer’s full history. Since it runs on the same system as the CRM and marketing tools, it’s easier to spot patterns, jump into conversations with context, and keep things moving without needing extra tools. Good for growing teams that want to reduce friction and see what’s working in real time.

Key features

Service Hub brings email, chat, and tickets into one inbox with customer info right alongside. Teams can build workflows to handle repetitive tasks, set up a help centre for self-service, and send feedback surveys that plug right into their reports. Dashboards show live updates on performance, so it’s easy to track response times, spot issues early, and adjust quickly

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Strong link with Hubspot CRM.

• Easy automation for simple jobs.

• Real-time dashboards and reports.

• All chats in one place for better teamwork.

Cons:

• Advanced features cost more.

• Some tools may feel hard for small teams.

Pricing

Hubspot Service Hub starts at £38 per user each month. The price goes up if you want more features or users.

14. HelpCrunch

Overview

HelpCrunch gives growing teams a direct way to handle support, sales and onboarding through one focused chat-first platform. It’s built for speed, helping teams respond faster without losing the human touch. Whether you're running support or nudging leads toward conversion, HelpCrunch keeps everything simple and easy to manage without extra bloat.

Key features

It combines live chat, email marketing, automation, and a knowledge base into a single setup. Teams can send automated replies, trigger popups based on behaviour, or launch chatbot flows for common questions. Everything gets tracked in one dashboard so you can see what’s working, how fast the team is responding, and where to improve. You also get tools for targeted email follow-ups, which makes it useful beyond just support.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• High customer happiness.

• Support and email marketing in one.

• Simple for small and medium teams.

• Low starting price.

Cons:

• Fewer links to other apps than some rivals.

• No call centre built in.

Pricing

HelpCrunch starts at $12 per user each month. The price goes up with more users and emails.

15. Zoho Desk

Overview

Zoho Desk works well for teams that want solid support tools without adding too much complexity. It gives you a clean way to manage conversations across different channels and keeps agents focused by showing just what they need. For teams already in the Zoho ecosystem, it fits in easily and makes it simple to share information between departments.

Key features

Zoho Desk pulls in tickets from email, chat, phone and social, all into one view. You can set up rules to sort and assign tickets, use AI to suggest replies, and build a help centre for self-service. The reporting dashboard shows how each agent is performing, what customers are saying, and where issues are building up. It also connects with other Zoho apps like CRM or Analytics for smoother workflows.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Strong automation and AI tools.

• Good links with Zoho apps.

• Easy to track tickets and teamwork.

• Good price for small and medium businesses.

Cons:

• Some tools need higher-priced plans.

• Best for teams already using Zoho products.

Pricing

Zoho Desk starts at £12 per user each month. Higher plans add more automation, AI, and reports.

Choosing the right tool

Team size

Teams come in all sizes. Some small businesses have only a few people helping customers. Big companies might have many agents working at different times. The best support tools should be able to adapt as your team grows.

Small teams want tools that are easy to use. They do not want to spend lots of time learning. Shared inboxes or live chat help everyone work together. Large teams need more features. They look for things like ticket routing and automation. These features help managers see who is doing each job. They also make sure every customer gets help.

Workflow needs

Teams work in different ways. Some answer quick questions all day. Others deal with harder problems that take longer. The best tool matches how the team works.

If a team gets lots of easy questions, automation and chatbots help. These tools answer simple things so agents can focus on harder jobs. Teams that work together on tough problems need good teamwork features. Shared inboxes, notes, and easy ticket assignment help everyone stay organised.

Integration requirements

Integration is very important for support teams. Teams use many apps, like CRMs and chat tools, every day. When these apps work together, things get easier.

• Integration keeps customer data correct and up to date.

• Teams can see all customer info in one place, so they give better answers.

• Data from sales, marketing, and support comes together, so everyone knows the customer’s story.

• Integration helps teams work together and share information.

• Real-time data lets teams spot and fix problems quickly.

Customer data integration helps teams avoid mistakes and make better choices. It also lets them give customers a smooth and personal experience. When support tools connect with other business apps, everyone benefits.

Automation and AI

Automation and AI have changed how teams help customers. Many businesses use chatbots and AI agents to answer questions quickly. These tools help teams reply quickly and fix more problems on the first try. AI can find patterns in messages and suggest good answers. This lets agents spend less time on easy jobs and more on hard ones.

Security and compliance

Security and compliance are very important in customer support. Teams deal with private data every day. If they do not keep this data safe, the business could have big problems. Many security issues happen because of mistakes inside the company. Sometimes, people share files by accident or forget the rules.

Here are some key facts about security in customer support:

• 68% of security problems come from staff or contractors making mistakes.

• 22% are caused by people inside the company who do it on purpose.

• Fixing these problems can cost more than $500,000.

• 90% of security experts think their company could have inside threats.

Budget

Budget is always important when picking customer support software. Leaders often find it hard to get enough money for new tools. They need to show how the tool will help the business and fit the company's goals. Some companies use money from different budgets, like Sales or Customer Service. Others mix funds from several places.

Conclusion

Choosing the right customer support tool matters. Every team has different needs. Some want speed. Others need better teamwork. The comparison above helps readers see what works best. Front alternatives for customer support offer many features and prices.

Teams should match their choice to their goals. Cue stands out for automation and easy teamwork. Ready to see Cue in action? Book a free demo and watch your support team shine.

Frequently asked questions

How can teams get the most out of shared inboxes and customer support tools?

Teams often ask how to boost collaboration and productivity. The answer starts with clear goals and the right habits. When everyone knows their role, work gets done faster. Effective inbox management is key to ensuring no customer message is missed. Shared inboxes help teams see every message in one place, supporting better inbox management. This stops confusion and makes sure no customer gets missed.

Why do multichannel support and automation matter for customer service teams?

Multichannel support means teams can talk to customers on WhatsApp, Messenger, email, and web chat. Multichannel communication and automation tools are essential for modern customer support teams, as they allow support through various channels and streamline workflows. Automation tools help by answering simple questions and sending tickets to the right person. This saves time and lets agents focus on harder problems.

What are the signs of good collaboration in customer support?

Collaboration features such as shared inboxes and internal notes help teams work together effectively by enabling seamless communication and message management. They use shared tools to stay on top of every customer interaction, welcome feedback, learn from mistakes, and take time to celebrate wins and reflect on what could be improved.

How can teams keep improving their support process?

Teams should review their work often. Using robust analytics tools, teams can track team performance and identify areas for improvement. They can look at reports, ask for feedback, and try new ways to work together. Using tools like Cue helps teams spot what works and what needs to change. Regular training and open talks keep everyone learning and growing.