Freshworks: a customer service cloud platform powered by AI

General Introduction

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in San Mateo, California, Freshworks is a company that provides cloud-based software. Its products help organizations manage customer service, IT support, and sales processes, serving more than 72,000 customers worldwide, including well-known brands such as Disney, S&P Global, and 7-11.Freshworks' core strength is its simplicity and ease-of-use, combining Artificial Intelligence (Freddy AI) and automation to get teams up to speed quickly and without complex configuration. The product covers customer support (Freshdesk), IT management (Freshservice), and CRM (Freshsales), emphasizing user-friendly design and efficient deployment. Users can access all functions through a browser, supports multiple languages, and is suitable for a wide range of needs from small startups to large organizations.

Function List

• Freshdesk: Multi-channel customer support, integrating email, phone, social media and live chat for unified work order management.
• Freshdesk Omni: Omni-channel self-service with AI-driven conversational support and work order management.
• Freshservice: IT service management, covering incident handling, asset tracking and automated workflows.
• Freshsales: CRM tools to manage sales leads, customer relationships and automate sales follow up.
• Freshsales Suite: Integrate CRM and marketing functions to provide a unified view of customer data.
• Freshchat: A real-time chat tool with support for website and in-app communication and a built-in AI chatbot.
• Freshmarketer: Marketing automation to analyze user behavior and optimize customer conversions.
• Freshworks Neo: A unified platform that integrates all Freshworks products and supports third-party extensions.
• Freddy AI: Provide smart recommendations, automated responses and predictive analytics to improve team efficiency.
• Multi-language support: The interface and communication supports multiple languages and adapts to global users.
• data analysis: Generate detailed reports to track service quality, sales performance and customer satisfaction.
• Third Party Integration: Connect to tools like Google Workspace, Slack, WhatsApp, and more to extend functionality.

Using Help

Freshworks offers cloud-based customer service, IT management and CRM solutions that require no software installation and are accessible to users through their browser. Below is a detailed user guide to help new users get started quickly, covering registration, core product operation and advanced feature setup.

1. Registration and initial setup

interviews https://www.freshworks.com/Click on "Free Trial". Select a product (e.g. Freshdesk, Freshservice or Freshsales) and enter your email and job information. After submitting, you will receive an activation email, click on the link to set your password and login. Supports one-click registration for Google or Microsoft accounts, eliminating the need for manual input. After logging in, the dashboard will display a product overview with an intuitive interface for newbies. The first time you use it, the system will guide you through the basic settings, such as company name and team member addition, which usually takes only 5 minutes.

Operating tips: Select the primary product (e.g., Freshdesk) when registering and subsequently add additional tools through the Freshworks Neo platform.

2. Freshdesk: multichannel customer support

Freshdesk helps organizations manage customer inquiries with support for email, phone, social media and live chat. After logging in, you'll see the work order dashboard showing unresolved requests.

• Configuration Support Channel: In Manage > Channels, connect the mailboxes (e.g.support@yourcompany.com), Twitter account or WhatsApp. The setup wizard is simple, just click "Add" and authorize, it takes about 2 minutes per channel.
• Managing Work Orders: Customer messages are automatically turned into work orders. You can manually assign them to team members or set up rules to automatically assign them. For example, a work order with the keyword "return" can be assigned to a return specialist.
• Enabling Freddy AIActivate the AI chatbot in "Automation". Upload a list of frequently asked questions (e.g. "How much is shipping?") and the bot will automatically respond to simple questions, leaving humans to handle complex requests.
• Generating reports: View response time and customer satisfaction on the Reports page. The system provides charts to help you optimize the service process.

Operating tips: Test a single channel first (e.g., email) and then expand to social media once you are familiar with the work order process.

3. Freshdesk Omni: omnichannel self-service

Freshdesk Omni is an upgraded version of Freshdesk that integrates self-service, AI conversations and work order management. After logging in, go to the Omni dashboard.

• Setting up the self-service portal: Add FAQs and tutorials in the "Portal" settings. Customers can find the answers themselves, reducing the number of work orders. You can customize the appearance of the portal by uploading your company logo.
• AI dialog support: Freddy AI provides a 24/7 conversation service. The setup is similar to Freshdesk, but supports more complex multi-round conversations such as order modifications or complaint handling.
• Omni-channel integrationOmni manages all channel messages (e.g. website chat and WhatsApp) in one place to ensure a consistent customer experience. Click on "Channel Integration" and check the desired box.

Operating tips: Prioritizing self-service portals can dramatically reduce customer service stress.

4. Freshservice: IT service management

Freshservice is suitable for IT teams to manage support requests and assets. Upon login, the dashboard displays pending events.

• event management: When an employee submits a problem (for example, "Wi-Fi disconnection"), the system generates a work order. On the "Incidents" screen, you can assign a work order or set a priority (such as "Urgent"). Batch processing is supported.
• Asset managementRecord equipment information in the "Assets" module. Support scanning barcodes or importing into Excel, the system will track maintenance records and license expiration.
• Automated workflows: In Administration, set up rules. For example, password reset requests are automatically assigned to junior technicians. Drag-and-drop interface is easy to use and requires no programming.
• Employee Portal: Employees submit requests or view answers through the portal. Adjust content in Portal Settings to add IT policies or FAQs.

Operating tips: Importing asset data first and refining the equipment list can improve support efficiency.

5. Freshsales and Freshsales Suite: sales management

While Freshsales is a CRM tool, Freshsales Suite integrates CRM and marketing functions. Once logged in, the dashboard displays leads and deals.

• Import CustomersIn "Contacts", upload Excel or add customers manually. Supports batch import to quickly organize information.
• Stalking the trail: Mark the prospect as a "Lead" and record the communication history (e.g., phone call history). On the Leads screen, you can check the follow-up status.
• Automation Sales: Set up sequences to send emails automatically. For example, after a lead is marked as "contacted", an offer email is sent 3 days later. Adjust the template and time in "Automation".
• Freshsales Suite Benefits: Suite provides a unified view of your customers' sales and marketing data (e.g., whether they purchased after clicking on an ad). Simply switch between the views in the Dashboard.
• AI predictions: Freddy AI analyzes the probability of deal success. On the "Deals" page, high-potential clients are flagged and prioritized for you to follow up.

Operating tipsCheck the "To-Do List" every day and the system will remind you of customers who need to be contacted.

6. Freshchat: real-time communication

Freshchat supports customer communication on the website and within the app. Log in and go to the messaging dashboard.

• Embedded Chat: In "Settings", copy the code into the website HTML. after a few minutes, the chat window will appear in the bottom right corner of the website.
• AI robotEnable Freddy AI and set up answers to frequently asked questions. For example, if a customer asks "business hours", the bot automatically replies. You can adjust the answer logic.
• Teamwork: Messages are transferred in real time. Click "Assign" and select the person in charge.

Operating tips: Test the display of chat windows on cell phones to ensure a smooth customer experience.

7. Freshmarketer: marketing automation

Freshmarketer helps optimize customer conversions. After logging in, the dashboard shows campaign results.

• behavioral analysis: Track user behavior on the site (e.g. browsing product pages). View data in Analytics to optimize page design.
• automated mail: Set up trigger emails, e.g. send coupons after users add to cart. Select the template in "Campaign" and set the trigger conditions.
• Personalized Marketing: Send customized content based on user data. For example, VIP customers receive exclusive discounts.

Operating tips: Analyzing high-traffic pages first and tweaking content can quickly boost conversions.

8. Freshworks Neo: a unified platform

Freshworks Neo integrates all products and provides a unified management portal. After logging in, you can:

• Switching Products: In the Neo dashboard, click to switch to Freshdesk or Freshservice without a separate login.
• Extended functionalityAdd third-party apps (e.g. Zoom) via the Neo Marketplace. Click on "Marketplace" to search and install.
• unified data: Neo synchronizes data across all products. For example, a customer's work order in Freshdesk is associated with a Freshsales record.

Operating tips: Using Neo to manage multiple products saves switching time.

9. Data analysis and integration

Detailed reports are available for all products. View metrics such as work order resolution or sales conversion rates on the Reports page. Export to Excel is supported for easy sharing, and Freshworks also supports multiple integrations:

• Google Workspace: Synchronize mail and calendars.
• Slack: Push work order notifications to the channel.
• Zapier: Connect tools such as Trello or Asana.

Operating tips: Prioritize the integration of commonly used tools (e.g. Slack) to improve collaboration efficiency.

10. Free trials and subscriptions

Freshworks offers a 14-day free trial, no credit card required, and all features are open. At the end of the trial, click "Subscribe" to choose a plan (e.g. Basic or Enterprise). Payments are made by credit card and PayPal, and live prices are displayed on the official website. You can also book a demo by visiting https://www.freshworks.com/demo/ Submission of requirements.

11. Support and resources

• Help Center: Official website https://www.freshworks.com/support/ Video tutorials and documentation are available. Search for "Freshdesk Setup" to find a guide.
• communal: Join the Freshworks Community https://community.freshworks.com/, exchange experiences with other users.
• Customer Support: via e-mail support@freshworks.com or telephone +1 (855) 747 6767 Contact the team, response is usually within 24 hours.

caveat

• data security: Freshworks is GDPR, HIPAA and ISO 27001 compliant and supports SSO and dual authentication.
• polyglot: The interface supports Chinese, English, etc., and customer communication also supports multiple languages.
• learning curve: Newbies are advised to start with a single product and familiarize themselves with it before expanding to other tools.

By following these steps, you can easily utilize Freshworks' features to improve customer service, IT management, and sales effectiveness.

application scenario

1. E-commerce customer support
   Small e-commerce companies deal with hundreds of order inquiries every day.Freshdesk Omni integrates with email, WhatsApp, and website chat, allowing customers to inquire about logistics through a self-service portal, and AI bots to respond to frequently asked questions. The team uses reports to optimize response times and improve customer satisfaction.
2. Enterprise IT Management
   Medium-sized organizations manage thousands of devices.Freshservice provides asset tracking and records the maintenance history of each computer. Employees submit IT requests, such as software installations, through a portal that automates rules to assign tasks, and IT teams focus on strategic projects.
3. Sales team optimization
   Educational institutions track potential students.Freshsales Suite integrates sales and marketing data to record student inquiry history and AI predicts enrollment probability. Automated emails send course offers that lead to conversions.

QA

1. Does Freshworks require local installation?
   No. Freshworks is a cloud-based platform accessed through a browser. https://www.freshworks.com/ Ready to use, supports computers and cell phones.
2. What are the limitations of the free trial?
   The 14-day trial has no feature limitations and includes AI tools and advanced reporting. You can test all products in their entirety to assess suitability.
3. How is data security ensured?
   Freshworks complies with GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 standards, with encrypted data storage, SSO support, and dual authentication for organizations with high privacy needs.
4. Does it support Chinese?
   Support. The interface and customer communication support Chinese, and the language can be switched in the settings, which is suitable for Chinese teams.
5. What tools can be integrated?
   Supports Google Workspace, Slack, WhatsApp, Zapier, etc. Freshworks Neo offers Marketplace to extend more applications.