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Hornbill Systems Supportworks vs Salesforce Service Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 1, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Hornbill Systems Supportworks
Ranking in Help Desk Software
30th
Average Rating
7.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.8
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
IT Service Management (ITSM) (35th)
Salesforce Service Cloud
Ranking in Help Desk Software
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
53
Ranking in other categories
CRM Customer Engagement Centers (2nd), Knowledge Management Software (2nd), IT Alerting and Incident Management (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Help Desk Software category, the mindshare of Hornbill Systems Supportworks is 0.6%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Service Cloud is 2.2%, up from 1.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Help Desk Software
 

Featured Reviews

it_user1262703 - PeerSpot reviewer
Excels in call logging and call flows but is limited in terms of scalability
I'd advise others to map their processes out before starting with the solution. Hornbill has recently generated a new version of its product and it meets some of the requirements that we would have been looking for. It's a bit more scalable, a bit more responsive to a customer-focused model for support, and they've improved a lot of things like process flow and self-service. In terms of rating the solution, it's difficult to grade. It really depends on the size of the organization that's trying to use it as that tool. One of the reasons why we're looking to shift is because we've grown quite a bit over the years that we've had it, which makes it difficult for it to meet our demands. However, for an organization the size of what we were when we started our journey with it, I'd rate it ten out of ten. Where we are now, with our company size and needs, I'd rate it six out of ten.
ChanchalSaxena - PeerSpot reviewer
High scalability with good plugins and excellent customer visibility
The solution should improve: 1. Reports & dashboard - The product should be capable of delivering complex reports as per company requirements without the need for a Tableau license. 2. Einstein has limited capabilities, and it suggests the analysis by predefined algorithms - but in a practical scenario, businesses need to ask real-time questions, and AI products should be capable of delivering the exact answers. Generic answers may not be effective.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The solution's business process flow is quite strong. Its reporting is quite good. The standard, basic ITSM functionality like call logging and call flow, for example, are areas the solution really excels in."
"Salesforce accelerates time to market and streamlines workflows through automation. Integrating with other software systems, such as HR or ERP platforms, allows for seamless data exchange and enhances efficiency."
"The strength lies in its ability to work cohesively with other systems, creating a centralized hub that enhances efficiency and collaboration across various functionalities within our organization."
"Nobody can compete with Salesforce Service Cloud's scalability."
"We use Salesforce Service Cloud for lead management and opportunity management."
"It is a stable product."
"It’s feasible to configure the platform according to the specific processes utilised. Customization of the platform could be carried out based on the techniques we employ."
"The interface is quite user-friendly."
"Salesforce Service Cloud offers several notable features. It includes robust case routing, escalation capabilities, entitlement mapping, and entanglement rules. Additionally, it supports Computer Telephone Integration (CTI), which allows for automatic case generation when a call is made to a designated number."
 

Cons

"It's worked well for us for a significant period of time. However, we are kind-of outgrowing it at the moment. We're struggling a bit with making it meet our requirements."
"Salesforce Service Cloud's report functionality could be improved."
"The documentation could be improved."
"I would like to add some bot features."
"We're seeing a lot of automation and AI enhancements for improvements. This helps answer simple questions without manual intervention, saving time. We can improve by automating more of our solution-building process. Salesforce Service Cloud is a SaaS (Software as a Service) solution. It's constantly evolving, and we're always looking for ways to improve our use. The cloud services we use include CRM (Salesforce), financial (NetSuite), and people (Workday). These services are becoming more automated, with a lot happening in the AI space. We do a lot of modeling ourselves to find answers to questions, and our product team has introduced some AI enhancements."
"I'm not deeply engaged with this team, so I don't have extensive experience with it. As you mentioned, I haven't used it much yet, so my experience is limited."
"The product should be capable of delivering complex reports as per company requirements without the need for a Tableau license."
"We've started using a couple of AI engines. I believe there's room for improvement there. For instance, when an agent receives a message like "My order is stuck midway, and the delivery guy isn't responding," there should be a pre-populated recommended response on the agent's screen. Instead of crafting a custom reply or searching through knowledge articles to find the delivery guy's contact, this should be the process."
"The support team is limited and does not typically go above and beyond like some companies. Unless you have premium support, assistance is restricted."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Our organization pays about $40,000 annually. There are ongoing consultancy costs and if we want to change anything, we're charged a day rate. Other than that, there are no other extra costs involved in working with the solution."
"Only enterprise businesses can afford the solution, and small companies cannot afford it."
"Salesforce is very cost-effective."
"We pay a yearly licensing fee for Salesforce Service Cloud, which is expensive."
"I believe that in our country, Colombia, we utilize this platform for the Latin American region. In terms of expenses, it's somewhat higher compared to other products. I would rate it as expensive and nine out of ten."
"The licensing is flexible. Companies pay for what they use. However, a company with very small needs might find it difficult to justify the cost. Overall, it's in the medium price range."
"The product is expensive. There is a need to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the product."
"The tool is pretty expensive."
"The price of the solution depends on how many users need access to it"
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Financial Services Firm
19%
Computer Software Company
13%
Educational Organization
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Salesforce Service Cloud?
The approximate licensing costs for Salesforce Service Cloud are around three hundred dollars a year per user.
What needs improvement with Salesforce Service Cloud?
The pricing of Salesforce Service Cloud is expensive compared to other solutions like our current SAP CRM ( /products/sap-crm-reviews ), which is much cheaper.
What is your primary use case for Salesforce Service Cloud?
I used Salesforce Service Cloud ( /products/salesforce-service-cloud-reviews ) for our sales agents to track visits, gather feedback from customers, and capture orders.
 

Also Known As

Supportworks
Service Cloud
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Aylesbury Vale District Council
Stanley Black & Decker, Coca-Cola, Activision, Wells Fargo, Spotify, Aldo, Philips, The Red Cross, Blue Shield of California, Sprouts Farmers Market, Direct Energy Solar, Inspirato, Kiva
Find out what your peers are saying about Hornbill Systems Supportworks vs. Salesforce Service Cloud and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.