In today’s fast-paced digital world, effective communication and streamlined workflows are the cornerstones of any successful business.
Navigating through the myriad of customer support tools can be overwhelming, but there’s one software that stands out for its seamless integration and robust features – Hiver. This article delves into the world of Hiver, a revolutionary help desk software that transforms Gmail into a dynamic, multi-channel support system.
From enhancing team collaboration to managing high-volume customer interactions, we explore how Hiver’s innovative features can revolutionize the way businesses handle their communication needs, making it an indispensable tool in the arsenal of modern enterprises.
Read further to learn more about Hiver, in our review we will detail its features, pros and cons with our rating, and a conclusion about why you should use it.
Click on “open” if you want to see exactly what we will talk about in the rest of this article.
Overview
What is Hiver?
Hiver is a multi-channel help desk software that integrates seamlessly with Gmail, offering a unified platform for handling customer support and internal team communication. It streamlines collaboration by allowing teams to manage email support, live chat, knowledge base, phone, and WhatsApp support directly from Gmail.
Hiver enhances team efficiency and transparency, simplifying the management of business queries and eliminating the complexities typically associated with traditional ticketing systems. Its intuitive design requires no learning of a new interface, and it leverages Gmail’s AI capabilities to improve day-to-day operations.
Hiver is distinguished by its 24/7 customer support, white-glove onboarding, and cost-effective pricing, making it a preferred choice for businesses seeking to improve their email communication and collaboration productivity.
Hiver specifications
Features | Analytics / Automation / Cross-Platform Accessibility / Easy Integrations / Email Management / HIPAA / Multi-channel Engagement / Onboarding / Service Level Agreements (SLA) / Team and Collaboration / Voice Call Engagement |
Best suited for | Individuals, Freelancers, Small businesses, Mid size businesses, Large enterprises |
Website languages | English |
Website URL | Visit official website |
Support link | Support page |
Live chat | Yes |
Company address | Suite 203, 2880 Zanker Rd, San Jose 95134 |
Year founded | 2011 |
Pricing
Hiver pricing: How much does Hiver cost?
Pricing range | From $19 to $69 per month |
Pricing types | Annual subscription / Monthly subscription |
Free plan | No |
Free trial | Yes, 7 days |
Money back guarantee | No |
Pricing page link | See plans |
Hiver pricing plans
The pricing plans for Hiver include a range of features tailored to different organizational needs:
- Lite (Easy Starter) – $19 per user/month
- Multi-channel Engagement: Manage customer interactions across various channels directly from Gmail.
- Email Management: Efficient handling of emails with features like shared inboxes and labels.
- Team Collaboration: Collaborate seamlessly with team members within Gmail.
- Usage Limits: Set limits to manage the volume of emails and tasks.
- iOS & Android Mobile Apps: Access Hiver on-the-go with mobile applications.
- Onboarding Support: Assistance for setting up and starting with Hiver.
- 24×7 Chat & Email Support: Round-the-clock support for any queries or issues.
- Pro (Rapid Growth) – $49 per user/month
- Includes everything in Lite, plus:
- Voice Call Engagement: Integrate voice communication within Gmail for direct customer calls.
- Automation: Automate repetitive tasks and workflows to increase efficiency.
- Analytics: Gain insights into team performance and customer interactions with detailed analytics.
- Out-of-the-box Integrations: Seamless integration with other tools and platforms.
- Service Level Agreement (SLA): Set and track SLA for customer queries to ensure timely responses.
- Elite (High Volume) – $569 per user/month
- Includes everything in Pro, plus:
- Advanced Automation: More sophisticated automation options for complex workflows.
- HIPAA Compliance: Ensures compliance with HIPAA standards for handling sensitive health information.
- Out-of-the-box Okta Integration: Enhanced security and access management with Okta integration.
- Priority Support: Get priority assistance for any support needs.
Each plan is designed to cater to different scales of operation, from small teams needing basic email management to large organizations requiring advanced automation and compliance features. The tiered structure allows businesses to choose a plan that best fits their specific requirements and scale up as they grow.
Features
Hiver features: What can you do with it?
Diving into the features of Hiver, we uncover a treasure trove of functionalities designed to optimize email management and team collaboration. This section will explore how Hiver’s innovative features, from shared inboxes and automated workflows to detailed analytics and robust integrations, empower teams to work more efficiently.
We’ll see how Hiver not only simplifies the complexities of customer support but also enhances internal communication, making it a comprehensive solution for businesses aiming to elevate their customer service experience and internal team dynamics.
Email Management
Hiver’s Email Management feature is a robust solution that transforms the traditional email inbox into a dynamic, collaborative workspace. The Shared Inbox functionality is pivotal, converting emails into assignable tasks, ensuring accountability and prompt resolution. Shared Labels facilitate the organization of emails, allowing for efficient categorization and retrieval.
Unique Conversation IDs provide a systematic way to track email threads, akin to ticketing systems in traditional customer support tools. Email Views offer a customizable approach to sorting and accessing emails, using a variety of filters for efficient management.
Collaborators, who may not be part of the shared mailbox, can be brought into conversations, broadening the scope of problem-solving and knowledge sharing. This feature is particularly useful for involving experts from different departments in resolving specific queries.
Customer Contacts provide valuable context, helping teams understand customers better and tailor responses. Email Templates and Shared Drafts are time-saving tools, enabling quick and consistent communication. Notes and @mentions facilitate internal communication without cluttering email threads.
Approvals streamline decision-making processes directly within Gmail. Permalinks offer a secure way to share email conversations, while Collision Alerts prevent multiple team members from responding to the same query.
Email Tags help in prioritizing and categorizing emails, and Workload Distribution ensures balanced task allocation among team members. Together, these features create a comprehensive email management system that enhances productivity and collaboration.
Automations
Hiver’s Automations feature is designed to increase efficiency by automating routine help desk tasks. Rule-based automations are a cornerstone of this feature, allowing teams to set up custom workflows that automatically handle repetitive tasks based on predefined criteria.
Harvey, the AI Bot, is an innovative addition that intelligently identifies and closes non-actionable conversations, such as ‘Thank you’ emails, reducing unnecessary workload. Round robin assignment is a fair and efficient way to distribute incoming queries among team members, ensuring balanced workload and timely responses.
Body-search automations add a layer of context sensitivity, triggering actions based on specific content detected in email bodies. This feature is particularly useful for categorizing and prioritizing emails based on their content, without manual intervention.
Automations in Hiver not only save time but also reduce the chances of human error, leading to a more streamlined and effective customer service process. By automating mundane tasks, teams can focus on more complex and valuable activities, enhancing overall productivity and customer satisfaction.
Analytics (Insights)
Hiver’s Analytics, also known as Insights, is an advanced feature that provides deep insights into team performance and customer interactions. The Reports and Dashboards component offers a real-time, graphical representation of various customer service metrics, making data analysis intuitive and actionable.
These tools are essential for managers to monitor team performance, track key metrics, and make data-driven decisions.
SLA (Service Level Agreement) and Business Hours settings are crucial for maintaining service standards and ensuring timely responses to customer queries. By tracking SLA violations and setting clear expectations for response times, Hiver helps maintain high service quality.
Customer Surveys (CSAT) are integrated into the platform, allowing for immediate feedback collection at the end of email interactions. This direct line of feedback is invaluable for understanding customer satisfaction and identifying areas for improvement.
The analytics suite in Hiver is not just about tracking metrics; it’s about gaining actionable insights that can drive continuous improvement in customer service. By providing a comprehensive view of customer interactions and team performance,
Hiver’s Analytics empowers teams to optimize their workflows, improve response times, and enhance overall customer satisfaction. This level of insight is crucial for businesses looking to maintain a competitive edge in customer service and support.
Integrations
Hiver’s Integrations feature significantly enhances Gmail’s capabilities by seamlessly connecting with a variety of essential business applications. The Aircall integration transforms Gmail into a comprehensive call center, enabling teams to make, receive, and manage calls without leaving their inbox.
This integration is particularly beneficial for support teams that rely on voice communication. Asana integration brings robust project management tools into Gmail, facilitating task tracking and collaboration directly within the email platform.
Jira integration is a boon for teams that manage complex projects and need to link customer communications with project tasks. It allows for seamless tracking and updating of Jira issues from within Gmail.
Okta integration streamlines user access and identity management, enhancing security and administrative efficiency. QuickBooks integration simplifies financial processes by allowing teams to manage invoices and financial queries directly from Gmail.
Salesforce integration ensures that customer conversations are aligned with CRM data, providing a unified view of customer interactions. Slack integration enhances internal communication, allowing for real-time updates and collaboration.
WhatsApp integration adds a popular communication channel to Gmail, broadening the scope of customer interactions. Lastly, Zapier integration opens up endless possibilities for workflow automation by connecting Hiver with hundreds of other apps, enabling teams to create custom workflows that suit their unique needs.
Multi-Channel Support
Hiver’s Multi-Channel Support is a game-changer in customer service, offering a diverse range of communication channels all managed from Gmail. The Knowledge Base is a self-service portal where customers can find answers to common queries, reducing the load on support teams.
Live chat integration provides immediate assistance to customers, with the convenience of managing chats directly from Gmail, ensuring quick and efficient responses. The email channel is the backbone of Hiver’s multi-channel support, ensuring that every customer email is tracked and responded to promptly.
The voice channel, powered by Aircall, adds a personal touch to customer interactions, allowing support teams to handle calls within the familiar interface of Gmail. The WhatsApp channel leverages one of the world’s most popular messaging apps, enabling businesses to communicate with customers on a platform they are comfortable with.
This multi-channel approach ensures that businesses can meet their customers where they are, offering support through their preferred channels, leading to improved customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Collaborators
The Collaborators feature in Hiver is a powerful tool for fostering collaboration across different departments within an organization. By inviting external coworkers as Collaborators using @mentions in Hiver Notes, teams can bring in specialized knowledge and expertise to resolve customer queries more effectively.
Collaborators join through a secure, private link and have read-only access to email conversations, ensuring data security and preventing unauthorized actions. This feature is particularly useful for teams like Customer Support, Finance, ITSM, and People Ops, where cross-functional collaboration is often necessary to resolve complex issues.
For instance, a customer support agent can quickly bring in a finance team member to address a billing query or consult with an IT specialist for technical issues. This not only speeds up resolution times but also ensures that customers receive accurate and comprehensive responses.
The centralized communication in Hiver’s Collaboration Space eliminates the need for switching between multiple tools and platforms, streamlining the workflow and enhancing productivity.
By breaking down silos and promoting interdepartmental collaboration, Hiver’s Collaborators feature plays a crucial role in improving overall customer service and operational efficiency.
Conclusion
Hiver review: Why you should use it?
Hiver is a versatile and efficient tool designed to enhance team collaboration and streamline business communication. It integrates seamlessly with Gmail, providing a unified platform for managing email, live chat, knowledge base, and voice communication.
This integration simplifies the user experience, as there is no need to learn a new interface, making it highly intuitive and easy to adopt.
Hiver’s strength lies in its ability to transform Gmail into a multi-channel help desk, enabling teams to manage all communication channels from a familiar environment. The software is particularly beneficial for teams that rely heavily on Gmail for their daily operations, as it enhances Gmail’s functionality without adding complexity.
Pros:
- Seamless Gmail Integration: Hiver’s integration with Gmail makes it easy for teams to adopt and use, as it builds on the familiar Gmail interface.
- Enhanced Team Collaboration: The software facilitates efficient collaboration among team members, allowing for easy sharing of emails, notes, and tasks.
- Multi-Channel Communication: Hiver enables handling of various communication channels like email, live chat, and voice calls, all within Gmail.
- Intuitive User Experience: The platform is user-friendly, requiring minimal training or adjustment period for new users.
- Efficient Email Management: Features like shared inboxes, labels, and automation tools streamline email management and response times.
Cons:
- Dependence on Gmail: Hiver’s functionality is heavily tied to Gmail, which might limit its utility for teams not using Google Workspace.
- Limited Advanced Features in Basic Plans: Some advanced automation and integration features are only available in higher-tier plans, which might be a constraint for smaller teams or businesses.
- Mobile App Limitations: While Hiver offers mobile apps, they may lack some features available on the desktop version, potentially affecting on-the-go productivity.
- Pricing: For small businesses or startups, the cost might be a consideration, especially for accessing more advanced features.
- Learning Curve: While generally user-friendly, some users might experience a learning curve when dealing with more advanced features or integrations.
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