Intercom Customer Communications Platform vs Salesforce Service Cloud comparison

Intercom and Salesforce are both solutions in the CRM Customer Engagement Centers category. Intercom is ranked #9 with an average rating of 9.5, while Salesforce is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.4. Intercom holds a 1.0% mindshare in CCEC, compared to Salesforce’s 16.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Intercom users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Salesforce users who would recommend it.

Intercom Customer Communica...

Read 2 Intercom Customer Communications Platform reviews

306 Views
43 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Salesforce Service Cloud

Read 55 Salesforce Service Cloud reviews

1,624 Views
568 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Intercom Customer Communica...

Salesforce Service Cloud

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 27, 2025

Salesforce Service Cloud and Intercom Customer Communications Platform are competing in the customer communications and CRM space. Intercom holds an advantage due to its innovative communication features.

Features: Salesforce Service Cloud provides extensive CRM capabilities, integrated service automation, and robust reporting tools. Intercom includes proactive messaging, chatbot automation, and an easy-to-navigate interface.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Salesforce Service Cloud typically requires extensive setup focusing on customization and scalability, suitable for larger organizations. Intercom supports quicker deployment and integrates well with common tools, benefiting companies seeking speed. Salesforce offers comprehensive support, whereas Intercom is known for efficient customer interactions.

Pricing and ROI: Salesforce Service Cloud generally has higher setup costs but offers value through its extensive features, ideal for organizations needing in-depth solutions. Intercom provides competitive pricing, attractive to businesses focusing on communication within budget constraints.

To learn more, read our detailed Intercom Customer Communications Platform vs. Salesforce Service Cloud Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Intercom Customer Communications Platform vs. Salesforce Service Cloud

July 2025

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Helped 865,384 peers since 2012

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

Intercom Customer Communica...

Ranking in CRM Customer Engagement Centers

9th

Average Rating

9.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

CRM (26th), Social CRM (6th)

Salesforce Service Cloud

Ranking in CRM Customer Engagement Centers

2nd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Help Desk Software (4th), Knowledge Management Software (3rd), IT Alerting and Incident Management (6th)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the CRM Customer Engagement Centers category, the mindshare of Intercom Customer Communications Platform is 1.0%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Salesforce Service Cloud is 16.6%, down from 17.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

CRM Customer Engagement Centers

Featured Reviews

Kumar Abhishek Anand

Director at Revivo Technologies

Customer support has improved significantly with seamless chat integration for quick resolutions

The feature we appreciate most about the Intercom Customer Communications Platform is the messenger functionality. We are able to integrate it into our application and provide support to customers directly through our application. The messenger works efficiently, allowing users to have conversations without entering their details repeatedly. There is conversation history available for each customer interaction, and they can access the help section within the chat itself. The Finn AI agent handles conversations both in chat and WhatsApp, which is particularly beneficial. Regarding automation tools, we have enabled the AI agent to answer customer queries instantly, reducing the need for constant staff presence. The AI agent quickly responds to customers and summarizes their issues, informing us when it cannot resolve a problem independently.

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MARIA PILAR CANDA

Assosiate Partner at Autana Business Partners

Improved customer service and post-sales support saves time

The solution could be more affordable as it's quite expensive for some organizations, particularly middle-sized companies. Additionally, finding technical talent for improving the solution is challenging. Configuring Flows in Salesforce Service Cloud is very difficult. There are very few technical people in the market capable of implementing all the flows that clients need at this moment. It's primarily a matter of talent limitation, and flow is the technical mechanism of Salesforce Service Cloud for process automation. In general, while they have the knowledge and help solve problems, finding the right person to address specific issues is very challenging.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The feature we appreciate most about the Intercom Customer Communications Platform is the messenger functionality, allowing users to have conversations without entering their details repeatedly."

"The live chat is pretty good because you can create a macro, which is a predefined input we can give customers."

"With Salesforce Service Cloud, customers can have end-to-end visibility from inquiry to delivery."

"The three major pillars of Salesforce Service Cloud are the SSL, Chatter, and the Dispatcher Console, which routes calls to the technicians."

"Salesforce Service Cloud improved our organization with its mobile capabilities."

"Salesforce Service Cloud is a user-friendly and flexible CRM tool that provides good accessibility and security."

"The plug-ins that work with other standard systems have made the product industry-ready."

"We used Salesforce Service Cloud for CRM (customer relationship management) cases and general sales cases."

"The product's initial setup phase was straightforward."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is the traceability of actions."

More Salesforce Service Cloud pros

Cons

"It would be beneficial if there was a way to train the AI to better understand customer language."

"Sometimes, the solution lags and takes time to update something."

"The documentation could be improved."

"The governor limits are a troubling feature of Salesforce"

"Knowledge Management platform could use some intelligence improvements. Data mining techniques for recommending the most relevant knowledge articles would be beneficial. Currently, that selection process is more administrative. AI could be used here."

"The product should be capable of delivering complex reports as per company requirements without the need for a Tableau license."

"Since customization can increase the cost from an implementation standpoint, we focus on showcasing Service Cloud's built-in features and possibilities."

"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."

"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."

"Salesforce should include maps as a default offering so that, as a customer, I can view where the technician is on the geographical map."

More Salesforce Service Cloud cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"Salesforce Service Cloud is expensive. I worked with ExactTarget over five years ago, and it was quite pricey then. Not everyone could afford it. Salesforce has different tiers for different kinds of users. It's expensive considering their features and services, but they offer best-in-class solutions."

"Salesforce is very cost-effective."

"The product is expensive. There is a need to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the product."

"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 tool is pretty expensive."

"Only enterprise businesses can afford the solution, and small companies cannot afford it."

"The price of the solution depends on how many users need access to it"

More Salesforce Service Cloud pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Financial Services Firm

15%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Performing Arts

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Intercom Customer Communications Platform?

The live chat is pretty good because you can create a macro, which is a predefined input we can give customers.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Intercom Customer Communications Platform?

For the Intercom Customer Communications Platform, we are updating our knowledge base to help the AI read more proactively. It would be beneficial if there was a way to train the AI to better under...

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What is your primary use case for Intercom Customer Communications Platform?

When asked about AI tools and AI coding tools, we were using ChatGPT until recently. We switched to GitHub Copilot, which we have integrated into our IDE for software development purposes. Regardin...

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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.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Salesforce Service Cloud?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Salesforce Service Cloud?

We have many clients with Salesforce Service Cloud and numerous use cases. The main use is in the sales area rather than the marketing area. We utilize it for customer service and customer post-sal...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 100% of the time

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Compared 15% of the time

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Compared 7% of the time

Pega CRM vs Salesforce Service Cloud

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Oracle Fusion Service vs Salesforce Service Cloud

Compared 6% of the time

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Product Reports

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CRM Customer Engagement Centers

August 2025

Intercom Customer Communications Platform report

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Buyer's Guide

Salesforce Service Cloud

July 2025

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Also Known As

Intercom

Service Cloud

Overview

Intercom Customer Communications Platform enhances interactions by offering robust tools designed to streamline customer engagement and support, effectively catering to modern business communication needs.

Providing a comprehensive approach to customer interaction, Intercom facilitates seamless conversation management through its adaptable suite of messaging, logistical, and analytical features. Frequently utilized for customer support and marketing, its flexibility and user-friendly design encourage efficient communication. While offering valuable insights through analytics, some users note areas for improvement in customizability and pricing models, pointing towards a potential enhancement in fine-tuning its cost-effectiveness and adaptability to diverse business strategies.

What are the standout features of Intercom?

Live Chat: Immediate customer support through real-time messaging.
Automated Bot: Streamlines inquiries by handling routine questions.
Integration Capabilities: Connects seamlessly with third-party tools.
Inbox Management: Organizes conversations for efficient response.

What benefits and ROI should users look for?

Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: Faster resolutions lead to happier clients.
Improved Team Efficiency: Automation reduces manual workload.
Actionable Analytics: Data-driven insights optimize strategies.
Scalable Solutions: Adapts to growing business demands.

Industries such as e-commerce, SaaS, and tech-driven businesses often implement Intercom for its ability to provide personalized customer journeys. Its messaging platform excels in maintaining customer relationships and resolving issues quickly, which is crucial in these fast-paced sectors.

Intercom

Service Cloud is fully customizable support and help desk that provide faster, smarter service that will increase loyalty, retention, and satisfaction. From call-center software to self-service portals, our service solutions enhance your customer service with more responsive, more intuitive, more flexible support that anticipates customer needs.

Salesforce

Sample Customers

Expensift, Moz, Invision, Salesforce, Droplr, Vend, BugHerd, Ghost, Put.io, Codeship

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

Buyer's Guide

Intercom Customer Communications Platform vs. Salesforce Service Cloud

July 2025

Free Report: Intercom Customer Communications Platform vs. Salesforce Service Cloud

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