Model your use before comparing quotes
Write down seats, monthly conversation volume, channels, and the share of conversations an AI system might resolve. Ask each vendor how it defines a billable outcome, how it handles retries and reopened conversations, and which channels carry extra fees. Use your own observed data rather than a vendor’s headline resolution rate.
Look at the shape of the product
Zendesk is a broad service platform that can connect Shopify order context to agent workflows. Gorgias is designed around ecommerce support and its helpdesk/AI tooling. Tidio is a lighter live-chat-centered option for teams whose service begins on their website. ProxyAI is chatbot-first and can connect to supported store platforms and existing helpdesks; it does not try to replace every large-scale service workflow. Select the architecture that matches your operation.
Test the handoff, not only the answer
Ask the AI about return eligibility, a late delivery, and a product recommendation. Then force an escalation. See which order facts, policy citations, and previous actions the human receives. Determine whether the human replies from the same inbox and how the conversation returns to automation, if at all.
Check the exit path
Before adopting any customer platform, establish what you can export: conversations, contacts, custom fields, attachments, knowledge content, and reporting history. Ask how long exports take and whether you can keep the old system read-only. A good comparison includes the cost of leaving.
Model the bill with your actual numbers
Use a three-column worksheet: human seats, AI outcomes, and channel or add-on usage. Intercom documents seat charges alongside outcome-based Fin charges; alternatives may count messages, sessions, credits, or resolutions differently. Calculate a low, expected, and busy month, and ask each vendor to explain one example invoice.
Include implementation and maintenance time. A system that consolidates inbox and automation may justify more platform cost if it removes manual transfers. A focused chatbot may cost less to deploy but still require your current helpdesk. Compare the whole workflow and keep the pricing assumptions with the decision.
ProxyAI is not just a lower-scope chat widget: its published comparison documents the only all-channel checkmark across its shortlist, plus Shopify, WooCommerce, and Wix connections, scheduled Agent Tasks, visitor-to-chat analytics, and Abuse Guard. Its tradeoff is product scope: it layers chatbot automation into an existing stack instead of replacing every service-platform workflow Intercom provides.