AI customer support agent features & capabilities compared: Help Scout vs. Intercom Fin AI
Help Scout and Intercom Fin AI are two prominent AI customer support platforms designed to deflect support tickets and streamline customer service operations. Help Scout positions itself with a pricing model of $765 per 1,000 tickets or chats and offers three usage tiers—Standard, Plus, and Pro—all of which have no usage limits. However, Help Scout lacks certain advanced features such as human handover and analytics/insights, and it does not include an AI email assistant. It does, however, provide email lead capture capabilities, which can be useful for generating new customer leads.
On the other hand, Intercom Fin AI is priced at $495 per 1,000 tickets or chats and structures its usage tiers based on features rather than a flat rate. It includes several advanced capabilities that Help Scout does not offer, such as human handover and robust analytics/insights, which can provide deeper insights into customer interactions and support performance. Like Help Scout, Intercom Fin AI also offers email lead capture but does not include an AI email assistant. Overall, Intercom Fin AI provides a more feature-rich offering at a lower price point compared to Help Scout, making it a potentially more attractive option for businesses looking for comprehensive AI customer support solutions.
Full breakdown: All available features and pricing
| Feature | Help Scout | Intercom Fin AI | + My AskAI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offers AI Customer Support Features? | No | Yes | Yes |
| Offers AI Features for Support Agents? | No | Yes | Yes |
| AI Price Per 1,000 tickets/chats | $765 | $495 | $99 |
| Usage Tiers | Standard - no usage limit Plus - no usage limit Pro - no usage limit |
Based on features | Essentials - 200 conversations/mo Pro - 1,000 conversations/mo Enterprise - Unlimited $0.10 per conversation beyond limits |
| Human Handover | No | Yes | Yes |
| Conversation Analytics/Insights | No | Yes | Yes |
| AI Email Assistant | No | No | Yes |
| Email Lead Capture | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing Page | Help Scout pricing page | Intercom Fin AI pricing page | My AskAI pricing page |
| Content Limits | Standard - no content limit Plus - no content limit Pro - no content limit |
Not provided | Essentials - Unlimited webpages & documents Pro - Unlimited webpages & documents Enterprise - Unlimited webpages & documents Updated automatically |
| Number of Chatbots/Agents | Not provided | 1 | Essentials - 1 (2 modes: public and private) Pro - 1 (2 modes: public and private) Enterprise - Unlimited |
| Hosted Help Centre | Yes | Yes | No |
| Chatbot Flow Builder | No | Yes | No |
| Integrations (Content/Knowledge) | Not provided | Websites (public and private) Help Center Files (PDF) |
Websites Files (PDF, Docx, txt, CSV, pptx, mp3, mp4 (audio), xlsx) Google Drive Notion Confluence SharePoint Gitbook OneDrive Dropbox Zendesk Intercom Salesforce |
| Integrations (End Users) | Shopify Weebly Squarespace Wix Webflow |
https://www.intercom.com/app-store/ | Website Zendesk (app) Intercom (app) HubSpot (app) Slack (app) Teams (app) Zapier Tidio LiveChat Crisp SalesIQ (Zoho) Tawk Freshchat WhatsApp (via Intercom/Zendesk) Instagram (via Intercom/Zendesk) Messenger (via Intercom/Zendesk) X/Twitter (via Intercom/Zendesk) |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SOC-2 Compliant | Yes | Yes | No |
| Support | Support levels are consistent across plans, with all customers receiving timely and effective assistance. | Not provided | Essentials - Web, email Pro - Priority web, email, video Enterprise - Slack, Success manager |
| AI Models Available | AI Assist and AI Answers are powered by OpenAI's API service | GPT-4o | Essentials - GPT-4o Pro - GPT-4o Enterprise - GPT-4o/Claude/Gemini |
| API Access | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Overview
This analysis focuses on the AI customer support features of Help Scout, Intercom Fin AI, and My AskAI. The goal is to highlight each product's ability to deflect support tickets through AI capabilities and compare their respective features, pricing, and integrations.
AI Customer Support Features
Help Scout does not offer AI customer support features, positioning it differently from Intercom Fin AI and My AskAI, both of which provide robust AI functionalities aimed at enhancing customer support and deflecting tickets.
AI Features for Support Agents
Intercom Fin AI and My AskAI both offer AI features designed to assist support agents, whereas Help Scout lacks these capabilities. This makes Intercom and My AskAI more suitable for companies looking to augment their support teams with AI-driven tools.
Pricing
The cost per 1,000 tickets/chats is significantly different among the three. Help Scout does not have a specific AI pricing model, while Intercom Fin AI charges $495, and My AskAI offers the most cost-effective solution at $99 per 1,000 tickets/chats.
Usage Tiers
Help Scout offers plans without usage limits, whereas Intercom Fin AI and My AskAI have tiered pricing based on usage. My AskAI provides three tiers: Essentials, Pro, and Enterprise, with additional costs for exceeding conversation limits, making it flexible for various business sizes.
Human Handover
Both Intercom Fin AI and My AskAI support human handover, allowing seamless transitions from AI to human agents. Help Scout does not offer this feature, which could be a limitation for businesses requiring smooth handovers.
Conversation Analytics/Insights
Intercom Fin AI and My AskAI provide detailed conversation analytics and insights, aiding in performance monitoring and continuous improvement. Help Scout lacks these analytics capabilities.
AI Email Assistant
My AskAI stands out by offering an AI email assistant, a feature not available in Help Scout or Intercom Fin AI. This can be particularly useful for automating and enhancing email support.
Email Lead Capture
All three platforms support email lead capture, ensuring that potential customer inquiries are efficiently captured and managed.
Content Limits
Help Scout and Intercom Fin AI do not impose content limits, while My AskAI offers unlimited content limits across all its plans, including automatic updates, providing a competitive edge in content management.
Number of Chatbots/Agents
Intercom Fin AI allows only one chatbot, while My AskAI offers more flexibility with one chatbot in Essentials and Pro plans, and unlimited chatbots in the Enterprise plan. Help Scout does not specify the number of chatbots.
Hosted Help Centre
Both Help Scout and Intercom Fin AI offer hosted help centers, whereas My AskAI does not. This could be a consideration for businesses that prefer integrated help centers.
Chatbot Flow Builder
Intercom Fin AI includes a chatbot flow builder, a feature not available in Help Scout or My AskAI. This tool is useful for creating customized chatbot interactions.
Integrations (Content/Knowledge)
Intercom Fin AI supports integrations with websites, help centers, and PDF files. My AskAI offers extensive integrations, including websites, various file types, Google Drive, Notion, Confluence, and many more, making it highly versatile. Help Scout does not provide specific information on content integrations.
Integrations (End Users)
Help Scout integrates with platforms like Shopify and Weebly. Intercom Fin AI provides a comprehensive app store for integrations. My AskAI supports a wide range of integrations, including Zendesk, Intercom, HubSpot, Slack, and more, offering extensive connectivity options.
Compliance
All three platforms are GDPR compliant. Help Scout and Intercom Fin AI are SOC-2 compliant, while My AskAI is not, which may be a factor for businesses with strict compliance requirements.
Support
Help Scout offers consistent support across all plans. My AskAI provides tiered support, including priority and dedicated success managers for higher plans. Intercom Fin AI does not specify its support levels.
AI Models Available
Help Scout uses OpenAI's API service for its AI models. Intercom Fin AI and My AskAI use GPT-4o, with My AskAI also offering Claude and Gemini models in its Enterprise plan, providing more options for advanced AI capabilities.
API Access
All three platforms offer API access, allowing for custom integrations and extended functionalities.
Conclusion
In summary, Help Scout lacks AI customer support features, making it less competitive in this specific area compared to Intercom Fin AI and My AskAI. Intercom Fin AI offers comprehensive AI features but at a higher cost. My AskAI provides a cost-effective and versatile solution with extensive integrations, making it a strong contender for businesses looking to enhance their customer support with AI.
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