Compare 8 leading omnichannel support platforms for 2026

Updated January 8, 2025 | 14 min read

One of the biggest bottlenecks in B2B support is scattered customer context. When teams don't have a centralized place to manage Slack threads, email chains, and chat requests from customers, they waste time piecing together fragmented support interactions.

That's where omnichannel support comes in. An omnichannel support platform brings all your customer conversations — across email, chat, Slack, Teams, Telegram, ticket forms, and more —into a single view.

We'll walk through what makes a platform truly omnichannel, compare 8 leading options for B2B teams, and show you how to pick the right one for your post-sales function.

What makes a support platform truly omnichannel

An omnichannel platform unifies customer conversations from different support channels in one interface. Support interactions from Slack, email, or chat all flow into a single view, so your team doesn't have to jump between tools to respond.

There's a subtle difference between omnichannel and multichannel support. Multichannel means you offer different channels to your customers, but each one is siloed — you manage them in different queues or tools, so the interactions and customer context are still scattered. Omnichannel support pulls everything together into one platform.

Essential features of omnichannel customer service software

When you're evaluating omnichannel platforms, you'll want one that does more than just integrate different channels. It should create a collaborative workspace where every team member can share customer context, and it should automate repetitive work so you can keep scaling support operations.

Here are a few specific features for B2B support teams to consider.

Ticketing workflows

Whether it starts as a Slack message, an email, or a live chat, every customer conversation becomes a unique ticket that your team can track. You can add tags, update statuses, and fill in other custom fields to manage each interaction and tie it back to a customer account.  

Real-time collaboration

Team members can mention each other in responses, start internal threads to partner on issues, or see who's already working on a request — and this all happens directly within the ticket. You can also create shared issue views to see new, in progress, and closed tickets across teams and support channels.

AI agents and automations

You can configure AI agents to handle routine work, like answering basic product questions or troubleshooting simple errors. But you can also set up automated workflows for triage, advanced routing, or SLAs — so you keep up high-quality and consistent support across every channel.

Account-level signals

At a higher level, the platform connects all your support interactions to customer health and other account-level context. For example when AI detects an influx of tickets from a high-value account, or a sudden downshift in customer sentiment, the system flags it to your team or reflects it in automatically calculated health scores. This gives you a chance to proactively prevent churn.

Top 8 omnichannel support platforms for B2B teams

In the last few years, more support platforms have started to offer omnichannel support. We've researched and compared the top options here, with a special focus on the best tools for B2B support teams.

1. Pylon

Pylon is specifically built for B2B support. It offers native integrations with modern support channels like Slack, Teams, Discord, and Telegram, alongside traditional channels like email and live chat. You can customize different views to track issues from all the channels you support, and configure AI workflows for triage, routing, and more.

With Pylon, you can also manage B2B accounts, track health scores, detect churn risks, and more — right where you run your support operations. Support interactions inform your retention strategy, and customer success context helps you personalize support for each account. You get unified customer intelligence for your entire post-sales team to act on.

• Best for: B2B companies who support modern customer channels, and want an all-in-one platform for post-sales
• Key channels: Slack, Microsoft Teams, email, in-app chat, ticket forms

2. Zendesk

Zendesk covers a lot of ground with email, chat, and social media support. It's built for traditional organizations with complex support operations, and you can configure custom routing workflows.

But there are a few downsides to Zendesk. Many teams find its complexity overwhelming, and take up to months to implement their instance. Some of Zendesk's integrations with modern support channels (like Slack or Teams) were only recently added on to the platform, so they can feel clunkier than with Slack- or Teams-native solutions.

• Best for: Traditional enterprises with dedicated implementation resources
• Key channels: Email, chat, social media, SMS

3. Intercom

Intercom started as a messaging tool and grew into a full support platform. It's strongest suit is live chat, where you can reach customers while they're using your app.

For that reason teams often use Intercom alongside other tools, instead of as their only support platform. The chat features are solid, but email workflows aren't as robust. So if your customers primarily reach out through email (or other lower priority channels like Slack and Teams), you might find Intercom limiting.

• Best for: Product-led companies where in-app chat is the primary channel
• Key channels: Live chat, email, social media

4. Freshdesk

Freshdesk covers the basics — email, chat, phone, social media — at a price point that works for smaller teams. You get straightforward ticketing and basic automation without a steep learning curve.

That said, you won't get sophisticated AI or deep integrations with customer success workflows. But if you're prioritizing cost over advanced features, Freshdesk delivers solid omnichannel support without breaking your budget.

• Best for: Cost-conscious teams who want reliable, basic omnichannel
• Key channels: Email, chat, phone, social media

5. Salesforce Service Cloud

Service Cloud makes sense if you're already using Salesforce for CRM, sales, or marketing. All your customer touchpoints connect across the entire lifecycle.

But similar to Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud is complex. Teams typically need to dedicated Salesforce administrators or consultants to implement the platform, and the learning curve is steep. It might make sense if you're committing to the entire Salesforce ecosystem.

• Best for: Organizations already invested in Salesforce
• Key channels: Email, chat, phone, social media, SMS, messaging apps

6. Help Scout

Help Scout feels like a shared email inbox, which makes it easy to adopt for most teams. It has expanded into chat and knowledge base features while keeping the interface simple.

Note that email is the primary channel here. If that's where most of your customer conversations happen and you value simplicity over advanced features, Help Scout can work for you. But you won't get sophisticated AI or customer success workflows.

• Best for: Email-first teams who value simplicity
• Key channels: Email, live chat

7. HubSpot Service Hub

Service Hub is part of HubSpot's platform for marketing, sales, and service. If you're already using HubSpot for other functions, Service Hub creates a seamless experience with shared contact data and unified reporting.

But it's less specialized than dedicated support platforms. You get a smooth integration with your other HubSpot tools, but fewer advanced support workflows and AI tools.

• Best for: Teams already using HubSpot for marketing or sales
• Key channels: Email, live chat, phone, social media

8. Front

Front is a shared inbox that centralizes email and messaging. It brings team collaboration directly into your inbox with internal comments, shared drafts, and assignments—so coordinating responses feels natural.

Like Help Scout, this platform is email-centric. If email is your primary channel and you only need light omnichannel capabilities, Front might be a good option. But it's less robust for teams who channels like Slack or sophisticated automation.

• Best for: Teams who want collaborative email with basic omnichannel
• Key channels: Email, live chat, SMS, social media

How to choose the right omnichannel support platform

Now that you know the top platforms out there, it's time to decide which ones to evaluate. Here's a 5-step framework to help you choose the right platform for your team.

Map your channels

Start by mapping where your customers actually reach out to you. If you're a B2B team that mostly supports customers over Slack and email, you won't want a B2C-focused platform with social media integrations. Match the platform's strengths to your actual channel usage.

Consider unifying support and customer success

Then, think about whether you want support and customer success to live in the same platform. B2B teams often get more value when both functions share a system of record, so support patterns can inform retention strategies and customer success context can shape support responses.

Evaluate the integrations

Check your integration requirements early. You'll want an omnichannel platform that connects to your CRM, product tools, data warehouse, and communication apps — so you have full account context every time you respond to an issue.

Decide on AI requirements

Consider which support workflows you want to automate with AI. Some platforms can help you draft canned responses to issues, while others offer advanced agentic workflows to accelerate your team's operations.

Know your budget

Decide what you're willing to pay for a platform that meets all your needs and can scale with you over time. For each platform you're evaluating, make sure to check the total cost — including extra charges for additional channels or separate pricing for AI features.

Implementation timeline and best practices

Most teams can implement an omnichannel support platform in 2 to 8 weeks. Modern platforms like Pylon can take as little as a few days, while large deployments with complex integrations can take even longer.

Here are 4 steps to help you set up your new omnichannel platform.

Step 1: Configure channels and routing

Decide how conversations get assigned, what triggers escalations, and which issues to assign to AI agents. Import historical conversations so your team maintains customer context from day one.

Start with your highest-volume channels first, instead of launching everything at once. Get those working smoothly, then add additional channels in phases.

Step 2: Train your team on new workflows

Omnichannel platforms change how your team works. They're not just switching tools, they're adopting new processes. Give them time to practice before going live with customers.

Step 3: Refine your automations

Monitor key support metrics like first response time and time to resolution. Can your team easily track conversations coming in from different channels? Are there bottlenecks with triage, routing, or assignment? Adjust as you adapt to the new platform.

Transform your support with a true omnichannel platform

Omnichannel platforms help you scale customer support across channels like Slack, Teams, email, chat, and more. Your team can manage every customer conversation without switching between tools or constantly monitoring different communication platforms.

Pylon is the modern B2B support platform that offers true omnichannel support across Slack, Teams, email, chat, ticket forms, and more. Our AI Agents & Assistants automate busywork and reduce response times. Plus, with Account Intelligence that unifies scattered customer signals to calculate health scores and identify churn risk, we're built for customer success at scale.

Book a demo today.

FAQs

How long does implementing an omnichannel support platform take?

Implementation timelines range from under a week, for straightforward setup, to several months, for complex enterprise deployments. Your timeline depends on how many channels you're connecting, whether you're migrating historical data, and how much customization you need for your workflows.

Can omnichannel support tools integrate with existing CRM and product tools?

Most modern omnichannel platforms offer native integrations or API access to connect with popular CRMs, product management tools, and data warehouses. Check that your specific tools are supported before committing to a platform — generic integration claims don't guarantee your particular setup will work.

What ROI can teams expect from switching to omnichannel customer service platforms?

Teams typically see faster response times, reduced customer effort, and better visibility into account health after switching to omnichannel platforms. The unified context helps your team resolve issues more efficiently and identify retention opportunities earlier, though exact outcomes depend on your current setup and how well you implement the new platform.