Front pricing: is it worth it? Are there alternatives?

Is Front pricing a good investment for your company? Which other tools can you use to streamline your workflow? 

From internal communications to sales and marketing, email is a key factor in today’s workplace. In fact, according to Gmail stats, the average worker gets 121 emails per day. That means your inbox should work for you, not against you. Many tools market themselves as a way to declutter and streamline your email, but do they work? In this article, we will explore one of them: Front. Let’s dive into Front pricing, the features available and, if that doesn’t work for your workspace, some other options that will. 

What you need to know about Front

Front is a software developed to streamline your conversations with customers. It’s a platform that allows agents to develop more efficient connections with their client base and it covers the whole process. From sales pitches to customer support, this platform has been used across industries to avoid inbox overwhelm and foster collaboration.

At its core, Front aims to centralize communication to distribute it to the right channels. That is, instead of having to switch apps and lose momentum between tasks (aka, context-switching), they’re all there. Email, voice channels, social media and other platforms are all integrated.

On the flip side, it works by sending the message to the right person or department. That way, you avoid the dreaded CC and BCC email threads and the customer reaches who they actually need.

The best Front resources

Front has been popular among professionals because it offers interesting tools to enhance productivity and kill inbox clutter. That is, a lot of companies invest in Front pricing even if it’s not the least expensive option because these tools can be a huge timesaver in the office.

Omnichannel inbox

Are you tired of having to go through multiple platforms and digital spaces to fulfill your customer’s requests? A lot of communication is done through email, but there are other channels you need to look into. Most companies have a social media presence that brings inquiries, for instance. E-commerce websites probably have a live chat pop-up that allows potential new customers to contact the team.

However, monitoring and responding to all these inquiries can be time-consuming. This is where a multi-channel inbox management tool becomes useful. Front offers a centralized dashboard with incoming messages from all of your channels. Now you won’t miss any inquiries and your customers get their response faster.

Conversation history

Some companies offer multiple products to their customers and those come with their own set of challenges. But how do you know what your client needs? A conversation history feature is Front’s answer to this question. Part of what makes Front pricing worth it for some companies is the ability to review previous conversations in one click. That is, when you have a new message from your customer, you can go back and check other interactions to understand what they have bought, check for any previous issues and direct them to the best solution.

For example: your company offers two different versions of a sales management system. One is tailored to crafters, the other to service providers. When a customer messages you about an app glitch, you need to understand what version they have and how the issue affects their work.  Or if your company is an e-commerce and deals with stocking: if customers message frequently about specific manufacturers, you might need to look deeper into it.

The Front conversation history is a snapshot of your relationship with your customer and includes previous interactions. If the client is reaching out to talk about an unsolved issue, you will see the previous tries. That way, you avoid wasting time with dead ends.

Message routes

This is probably the crucial tool that often justifies Front pricing. Message routes are automated rules that establish who gets a customer’s message and when. These rules are based on many factors, such as availability, user roles and keywords. But the basic idea is that messages are delivered to the best person to respond to them.

So if a customer emails you about implementing your software, they get the IT specialist. If someone is inquiring about prices, they can chat directly with sales. And that happens automatically with set rules. So you don’t have to forward emails to collaborators and add relevant attachments. With Front, they reach the right person’s dashboard instantly.

Front pricing breakdown

Front can be more or less of an investment, depending on which features you’re looking for. To understand the difference between the plans and find out which tier works best for you, here’s a breakdown:

Routes and data

Message routes are a key resource from Front and that means users will prefer a plan that includes it. It’s worth noting that the Starter plan doesn’t offer live chat context routing. This feature, present only on the Growth plan and above, categorizes chat messages based on which page the visitor was on.

The Growth plan also offers routing assignments based on CRM data, such as specific clients and subjects being directed to an agent, with workload distribution systems. However, these rules are limited to standard templates. For custom rules, you’d have to pick the Scale or Premier plan.

CSAT

Customer satisfaction has to be tracked to monitor customer service success. But it’s not always easy to do it, especially when working across platforms. CSAT surveys, scores and analytics are only available from the Growth plan and beyond. The conversation history, a crucial part of Front, is also available on more expensive plans only.

Team and company analytics

The Growth plan offers team performance reports. but they are limited to one group. With the Scale plan, you can also track your entire company across different departments, channels and expertise. This allows for a better view into the workflow as a whole, but also helps you notice any issues before they develop into bigger risks.

History and knowledge base

While any company can find success using the tools Front offers, there are limits. One of the reasons the Premier plan is highly valued is that it offers unlimited customer and activity data. Without a time or space limitation on previous interactions, your company has a better understanding of any issues and the solutions previously offered.

In a way, this helps you build a knowledge base, a guide on how your products work, any problems found and fixes implemented. That is very useful as an internal guide for any future company and product development strategies.

However, it’s also efficient as a way to help your clients. The Premier plan allows you to build up to 10 knowledge bases with 10,000 articles in 5 categories. This means a lot of useful information is available both internally and to your customers. With this resource, you can build easily accessible learning tools while growing the company itself.

Front pricing alternatives: which factors are key

Before you pick a Front alternative, it’s important to understand each tool’s limitations and user experience. Here are some factors to look into:

Format and different views

Some email and multi-channel management tools offer a central dashboard system. That means all of your messages are brought into the same digital space. Front, for example, duplicates the incoming messages for each assigned user, allowing all team members to receive communication that fits their expertise and schedule.

However, there are other, more efficient ways to view your incoming messages. Using a shared inbox tool for customer support, for example, allows users to view all incoming messages in real-time, even the ones that are not assigned to them. Instead of having to manually update collaborators on each task, all users can see the progress from their own digital workspace.

Integrations

Not all platforms are able to work together. In fact, one of Front’s limitations is that the least expensive plan, Starter, doesn’t offer Salesforce and Zapier integration. It’s important to note which tools are important to your work and find software that meshes well with them.

Cost and user limits

Naturally, the main concern is Front pricing. It doesn’t offer a free version and the least expensive plan is $19/user/month. The second problem, however, is with user limitations. Even as a paid plan, the Starter only allows up to 10 users. Entrepreneurs might be ok with it, but most small businesses would outgrow this quickly, especially when including different departments.

So when picking a new software, it’s important to check if it offers a free version and what are the limitations on the first pricing tier.

DragApp

DragApp is a great option against Front pricing. Instead of viewing emails solely in inbox view, you can switch to Kanban project management mode, which transforms your workspace into a board with task cards. That way, the entire team can track the progress, add context and @mention collaborators. When a task moves into the next phase, you just drag it to the next column.

Capterra review: 4.4 stars

Price: From $8/user/month (free version available)

Freshdesk

With Freshdesk, users can create a better digital workspace to chat with potential and existing clients. With this tool, you can fulfill existing tickets efficiently. There’s also a knowledge base builder, which helps you develop a self-service portal in which your customer can find the answer 24/7.

Capterra review: 4.5 stars

Pricing: from $15/user/month (limited free version available)

Groove

Groove can be a helpful tool for different kinds of customer service teams, due to its flexibility.  A dashboards connects different support channels, such as email and social media, while showing KPI metrics and offering insights into conversations. That way, the entire team can be kept up to date on current issues.

Pricing: from $12/user/month up to 5 users (free trial available)

HelpScout

With HelpScout, you also get a multi-channel dashboard, which makes it a great option if you’re looking for a Front pricing alternative. With over 100 third-party integrations, it’s easy to solve any client concerns and convert more sales from one single place.

Capterra review: 4.6 stars

Pricing: from $20/user/month (15-day free trial available)

Hubspot

Hubspot’s Service Hub is an add-on to other apps from the developers, such as the Sales and CRM tools. As such, it helps teams manage the customer service pipeline, from social media to voice channels. The dashboard centralizes and redirects inbound messages and helps you manage task assignments.

Capterra review: 4.4 stars

Pricing: there’s a free version available and paid plans start at $45/month

Setting up your workflow

While the platform can be useful and resourceful, is Front the best option for small companies? The main concern is that Front pricing is higher than the alternatives, which can disrupt budget limits. This is why exploring other tools can be a great way to find the one that fits your needs better.

Of course, there’s no set answer. The process requires analyzing your team’s workflow, noting the main bottlenecks and where the agents lose their productivity. It can be switching between platforms or having to write detailed responses to each inquiry.

Then, you should note which resources are key to streamlining the workflow. Perhaps implementing shared drafts would lead to quicker responses. Or your customer base requires a well-categorized knowledge base. Team management is an important factor as well: some of these tools offer specific task assignment systems that can be useful for different types of teams.

Then, after picking out the software that most aligns with your goals, start your trial to understand how it works and it if would truly help. Look for apps that offer a quick, efficient onboarding with a low learning curve. Drag uses a Gmail shared inbox to build a helpdesk system, for instance, which means you already know how to use it.

The last step is to explore the different features. The apps above offer a variety of learning tools, from demos to user forums. With personalization and habit, the Front alternative you choose will be the ideal workspace for you.