The Best Respond Alternatives for Social Customer Service

Respond, a powerful social customer service tool from Buffer, has long been the go-to for companies like Slack and Stripe to manage their social media support. It excels at cutting through the noise, filtering mentions, DMs, and searches into a single inbox, complete with features like collision detection and robust reporting. However, as excellent as Respond is, businesses often seek alternatives for various reasons – perhaps different feature sets, pricing models, or integration capabilities. This article explores the top Respond alternatives that can help your team provide exceptional social support.

Top Respond Alternatives

When it comes to managing social media for customer service, a one-size-fits-all solution rarely exists. Here are some of the leading alternatives to Respond, each offering unique strengths that might align better with your specific support needs.

TweetDeck

TweetDeck aims to evolve the existing functionality of Twitter, breaking down an abundance of information into more manageable bite-sized pieces. While primarily a Twitter client, its column-based interface can be highly effective for monitoring specific keywords, direct messages, and mentions, making it a viable free Respond alternative for small teams or individuals focused solely on Twitter support. It's available on Free, Mac, Web, Chrome, and PortableApps.com and offers features like scheduling tweets.

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a comprehensive social media and brand management solution, ideal for those seeking a broader tool than just customer service. It allows users to schedule and track posts across multiple platforms, analyze social reach, and manage multiple accounts, making it a strong Respond alternative for teams that blend marketing and support. Hootsuite is a Freemium tool available on Web, Android, iPhone, Blackberry, iPad, Chrome, and Firefox, featuring social media analytics, automation, and RSS to Facebook.

Freshdesk

Freshdesk is an award-winning online help desk software that extends support beyond social media to email, phone, and web. It's a robust Respond alternative for companies looking for an all-in-one customer service platform that includes social media integration. Freshdesk is a Freemium software available on Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, Android, iPhone, Chrome OS, Android Tablet, iPad, and Google Apps, offering features like automatic customer engagement, customer feedback, and team collaboration.

Front

Front is the first email management software for teams that integrates seamlessly with existing tools. It provides a shared inbox experience where teams can assign messages, write comments, and collaborate in real-time, making it an excellent Respond alternative for teams that manage customer service across multiple channels, including social. Front is a Commercial product available on Mac, Windows, Linux, Web, Android, iPhone, Android Tablet, and iPad, featuring shared inboxes, comment sections, and real-time collaboration.

Zendesk

Zendesk offers on-demand help desk software covering customer support, trouble tickets, and knowledge base management. As a comprehensive customer service platform, Zendesk is a powerful Respond alternative for organizations needing a scalable solution for all their support channels, including social media. Zendesk is a Commercial, web-based tool available on Android, iPhone, Blackberry, and iPad, offering robust customer support features, forums, and a knowledge base.

Sprout Social's social media management software helps brands find, form, and deepen connections with their audience. With strong analytics, scheduling, and engagement tools, it serves as a robust Respond alternative for businesses looking to integrate their social customer service with broader social media marketing efforts. Sprout Social is a Commercial, web-based tool also available on iPhone, featuring calendar view, extensive social media analytics, and team collaboration.

Loomly

Loomly is a simple social media calendar designed to make managing social media content easier. While more focused on content planning and scheduling, its collaborative features and analytics can make it a useful Respond alternative for teams that want to tightly integrate their social content strategy with their customer service messaging. Loomly is a Commercial SaaS available on Web, Android, and iPhone, offering automatic scheduling, content discovery, and social media analytics.

Sociality.io

Sociality.io is a complete social media management tool for brands and agencies, offering capabilities to publish, listen, engage, and measure across social platforms. This unified platform makes it a strong Respond alternative for businesses seeking an all-encompassing solution for social marketing and customer engagement. Sociality.io is a Commercial SaaS available on Web, Android, and iPhone, featuring competitive analysis, multiple account support, and social media publishing.

Plumm

Plumm offers a single collaborative customer support dashboard for all projects, allowing teams to chat with customers and team members from one workspace. This focus on unified communication and collaboration makes Plumm an effective Respond alternative for teams prioritizing a streamlined, real-time customer support experience. Plumm is a Commercial SaaS with features like shared inbox, live chat, and helpdesk ticketing.

ProProfs Help Desk

ProProfs Help Desk ticketing software assists agents in tracking and timely resolving customer queries. With its focus on efficient ticketing and customer support, it stands as a solid Respond alternative for businesses that need a dedicated help desk system that can also integrate with social channels. ProProfs Help Desk is a Commercial web-based tool, featuring a shared inbox, in-built bug tracking, and custom data fields.

Choosing the right social customer service tool depends entirely on your team's specific needs, budget, and existing workflows. Whether you prioritize deep social listening, an all-in-one help desk, or a robust social media management suite, these Respond alternatives offer a wide range of features to explore. We encourage you to try out a few options to find the perfect fit for your customer support strategy.