7 best B2B AI customer support platforms in 2025

The future of B2B customer support: why AI platforms are changing the game

B2B support has evolved. It’s no longer about closing tickets quickly; it’s about managing entire customer relationships across multiple channels with speed, accuracy, and context.

Traditional helpdesks, designed for email-only interactions, are falling short in today’s B2B landscape. Unlike B2C support, B2B customer support isn’t just about resolving individual tickets — it’s about managing accounts made up of multiple stakeholders with different roles and expectations.

B2B support requires:

• Account context: Agents need to see the full picture — tickets, SLAs, conversations, and health metrics across the entire account, not just a single user.

• Cross-team collaboration: Support doesn’t happen in isolation. It often involves success managers, product specialists, and even engineering working together in shared channels.

• All-channel coverage: Customers don’t just use email; they expect support in Slack, Teams, email, and web chat — whichever channel is most natural for them.

• Project-level visibility: Many B2B support relationships involve ongoing projects, escalations, or onboarding milestones that require structured tracking, not one-off responses.

Without these capabilities, teams end up with fragmented conversations, frustrated customers, and missed opportunities to strengthen the relationship.

This is where B2B customer support platforms are rewriting the rulebook. By combining omni-channel ticketing, AI agents, conversational AI, and account-centric support, they’re transforming support from a reactive cost center into a growth driver.

The rise of AI in B2B customer support

AI has moved from buzzword to baseline, but in support it’s becoming a game-changer.

“The chart above illustrates where AI is already delivering measurable impact in B2B customer support — from ticket triage and response automation to proactive communication, account health, and even operational tasks like automatic status updates and field completion.”

Modern AI customer service platforms now:

• Detect issues in real time across Slack, Teams, email, and chat.

• Respond directly to customers with contextual, conversational AI.

• Follow up automatically to ensure no issue is left hanging.

• Summarize and update tickets dynamically, keeping records accurate and up to date.

• Proactively change statuses and notify stakeholders at each stage.

• Route tickets intelligently, balancing workloads and meeting SLAs.

This isn’t about marginal efficiency. It’s about turning support into a strategic engine that protects revenue, builds stronger relationships, and scales with SaaS growth.

Read: What tasks can AI agents automate in B2B customer support?

Why account-centric support matters

In B2B, support isn’t about a single user. Multiple stakeholders, from admins to end-users, sit under the same account.

An account-centric model ties every ticket, conversation, and SLA back to the customer account. That means support, success, and sales teams all share the same 360° view.

The result? Prioritization of high-value accounts, better renewals, and stronger partnerships.

Multi-channel reality: from email to Slack and Teams

Most requests today don’t start in email. Customers raise issues in Slack, Teams, or website chat.

AI support platforms unify all of these into one hub, so agents can respond without toggling tools. Customers get service where they already work. Teams reduce friction, speed up resolution, and eliminate the risk of missed requests.

Learn how Thena’s Slack integration helps support teams meet customers where they are.

Proactive communication as a competitive advantage

Traditional support is reactive: wait for a ticket, then respond. AI flips that.

Proactive communication means:

• Broadcasting updates before customers ask.

• Alerting specific accounts about risks or outages.

• Sending nudges during onboarding to ensure adoption milestones are met.

This isn’t just efficiency — it’s how SaaS companies differentiate in competitive markets. Customers trust partners who anticipate their needs.

See Harvard Business Review on proactive customer service for why it drives loyalty and revenue.

7 best B2B AI customer support platforms in 2025

1. Thena

G2 rating: emerging, strong early reviews (~4.7/5)
Pricing & free version: free up to 10 users and 1000 tickets/month, $79/user/month for Standard plan

Why B2B customers like it

• Native integration with Slack and Teams means customers raise, track, and resolve issues without leaving their collaboration tools.

• Account-centric support: every ticket, SLA, and customer interaction is tied to the account, not just an individual user.

• AI-native design: provides instant responses, summaries, proactive recommendations, and automatic status updates.

• Extensible via MCP ecosystem — supporting Claude, Cursor, and Raycast.

Limitations

• Still newer compared to incumbents, so integrations and marketplace apps are expanding.

Bottom line: The only platform designed ground-up for B2B SaaS support in 2025.

2. Zendesk

G2 rating: ~4.3/5 (thousands of reviews)
Pricing & free version: $25–$55/agent/month; 14-day trial; no free plan

Why B2B customers like it

• Mature platform with deep integrations and reliability.

• Compliance and enterprise readiness (HIPAA, SOC2, etc.).

• Handles large-scale omnichannel workloads across email, chat, phone, and social.

Where it falls short for B2B

• Slack and Teams integrations exist but are notification-only, not native support experiences.

• Customers are treated as tickets and end-users, making account-level views difficult.

• AI is strong in macros and chat but doesn’t drive the lifecycle automatically.

3. Freshdesk

G2 rating: ~4.4/5
Pricing & free version: free plan; paid $15–$79/agent/month; trial available

Why B2B customers like it

• Easy to set up, with a clean and intuitive interface.

• Freddy AI helps auto-tag tickets and provide canned responses.

• A cost-effective option for SMBs scaling beyond email.

Where it falls short for B2B

• Designed around an omni-channel email/chat model, not Slack/Teams-first.

• Accounts aren’t treated as first-class objects — harder to manage multiple stakeholders.

• AI is helpful for responses, but not operationally intelligent (routing, proactive updates, MCP extensibility).

4. Intercom

G2 rating: ~4.5/5
Pricing & free version: free starter plan; advanced pricing varies and scales quickly

Why B2B customers like it

• Excellent for SaaS companies that combine customer support with in-app engagement.

• Fin AI chatbot delivers a polished front-end support experience.

• Blends marketing and support into one tool.

Where it falls short for B2B

• Slack and Teams are secondary, used only for alerts or notifications.

• Accounts aren’t central — data is user-driven, not account-driven.

• AI is customer-facing (chatbots) but doesn’t manage support workflows or ops.

5. HelpScout

G2 rating: ~4.4/5
Pricing & free version: $25+/user/month; no permanent free version; 15-day trial

Why B2B customers like it

• Loved by SMBs for its simple, email-first design.

• Fast to deploy and minimal learning curve.

• AI assists with reply drafting and summarization to reduce agent workload.

Where it falls short for B2B

• Optimized for small teams running on email, not modern Slack/Teams collaboration.

• Cannot handle complex account structures where multiple stakeholders exist.

• AI adds convenience but doesn’t automate tasks end-to-end.

6. Hiver

G2 rating: ~4.6/5
Pricing & free version: $15–$30/user/month; trial available; no free plan

Why B2B customers like it

• Gmail-native platform — lives directly inside Google Workspace.

• Simple, quick to set up, with familiar UX for teams already on Gmail.

• Includes SLA management and lightweight automation.

Where it falls short for B2B

• Lock-in to Gmail environment — doesn’t extend to Slack or Teams.

• No account-level grouping; still built on a shared inbox paradigm.

• AI support is minimal, with no lifecycle automation or advanced intelligence.

7. Zoho Desk

G2 rating: ~4.4/5
Pricing & free version: free for up to 3 agents; $18–$45+/agent/month; 15-day trial

Why B2B customers like it

• Affordable and customizable; strong fit for companies already in Zoho ecosystem.

• AI assistant “Zia” provides suggestions and reporting.

• Known for flexibility and detailed analytics.

Where it falls short for B2B

• Slack and Teams are not native channels.

• Customer accounts are managed at the individual level.

• AI is suggestion-oriented, not operationally intelligent.

Comparison of 7 best B2B AI customer support platforms

Frequently asked questions

What is the best AI support platform for modern B2B teams?

The best AI customer support platforms combine smart ticketing, automation, proactive communication, and account-centric views. For B2B, Slack and Teams integration is critical.

How do I implement smart ticketing in a multi-channel support system?

Smart ticketing connects all customer channels into one hub. AI automatically tags, prioritizes, and assigns issues — ensuring the right agent handles the right request at the right time.

Explore Thena smart ticketing to see how it works in practice.

Can I use natural language queries to search my help center?

Yes. AI lets teams and customers use plain English instead of structured filters. Example: “Show me all open tickets from Acme Corp” returns results instantly.

How does an account-centric support model work?

Account-centric support organizes tickets and conversations by customer account. This makes it easier to monitor health, SLAs, and escalations across all stakeholders in one view.

What are the benefits of proactive communications in AI helpdesk software?

Proactive comms prevent problems before they happen. From renewal reminders to real-time outage notices, they reduce inbound tickets and strengthen customer trust.

Which AI support platforms integrate with Slack and email?

Most tools integrate with email. Only a few integrate natively with Slack and Teams. Thena.ai was built specifically for these environments, allowing customers to raise and resolve issues without leaving their workspace.

How can I automate ticket routing using AI?

AI analyzes keywords, urgency, sentiment, and account value to route tickets automatically. This reduces manual triage and ensures SLA compliance.

What’s the ROI of using an AI support platform for multi-channel operations?

ROI comes from efficiency and retention:

• 30–50% fewer manual steps

• Faster SLA compliance

• Stronger CSAT and retention metrics

See Gartner’s guide on ROI of AI in support for benchmarks.

How do I build a custom help center using AI support software?

AI-driven help centers go beyond static FAQs. They dynamically surface answers from your knowledge base, personalized to the user’s context.

Which AI helpdesk solutions streamline B2B onboarding and support?

Platforms that blend automation and account views help customers onboard faster. AI checklists, nudges, and alerts keep adoption smooth and reduce churn risk.

Conclusion

AI in B2B support isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s the new operating system for customer relationships. From smart ticketing and multi-channel support to proactive communication and account-centric views, it changes the role of support itself.

Companies that adopt AI customer service platforms today aren’t just improving efficiency. They’re building stronger customer loyalty and competitive advantage in markets where support is make-or-break.

👉 Ready to see it in action? Get started with Thena for free and experience how your team can deliver smarter, faster, account-centric support.