Freshworks: empowering clients with team-based software

At a time when more workers are reliant on business software than ever before, Freshworks is dedicated to ensuring that users have an optimised experience.

Considering the average digital solutions provided to be “clunky, expensive, hard to set up and frustrating to use”, the company strives to eliminate the need for clients to spend prolonged periods of time customising inefficient apps.

Instead, Freshworks aims to deliver intuitive, ‘out-of-the-box’ style software which is immediately ready for use. It does this with cost-conscious and expert execution that doesn’t sacrifice quality in return. 

The origins of world-class solutions

Starting organically as the response to a broken television in 2010, founders Girish Mathrubootham and Shan Krishnasamy began creating a user-centric cloud-based customer service software named ‘Freshdesk’. 

Little over a year later, Freshdesk was officially in Chennai, India and almost immediately began receiving clients from all over the world; the company began its first-round funding in December 2011, worth US$1mn.

Later, in April 2012, the company moved to its second-round funding via New York investment firm Tiger Global Management and venture capital company Accel, this time for $5mn. 

By 2014, Freshdesk had managed to break the 30,000 customer mark and in 2017 rebranded as ‘Freshworks’ to reflect its new focus as a products platform. The following yearn Freshworks managed to generate an annual revenue in excess of $100mn.

Full-spectrum software

Now trusted by over 150,000 clients around the world to deliver best-in-class software, the company has worked hard to ensure all aspects of 

With a portfolio of 13 products and growing, Freshworks has a diverse range of solutions that can empower teams to reach their potential and optimise businesses. These include:

SEE ALSO:

• Mastercard's $250mn to small businesses affected by COVID-19

• Onix receives eleventh Google Cloud Partner award

• US businesses resist COVID-19 hiring disruption

• Read the latest issue of Business Chief North America here

Freshdesk: An omnichannel, AI-driven, self-service solution aimed at customer service agents. Enabling staff to work together when addressing customer enquiries, the app consolidates conversation threads into a single place and automates repetitive work.  

Freshsuccess: A key tool for companies seeking to expand and/or strengthen their client relationships, Freshsuccess provides an easy window to learn about customers, identify opportunities and boost productivity. 

Freshworks 360: Dubbed the ‘ultimate customer-for-life suite’, this app aims to bring together the entire customer journey or cycle: support, CRM, customer success, marketing, voice and chat. 

Aiming to provide a seamless experience for both clients and team members, the separate aspects of Freskworks 360 can be found individually if required. However, for those wishing to integrate sales, support and marketing into one platform, 360 is the ultimate solution.

Helping to understand customers

In a recent press release, Freshworks announced that it had acquired AnswerIQ, an ML and AI (machine learning and artificial intelligence) provider for large enterprises. 

With Freshworks’ AI engine, ‘Freddy’, matching well with AnswerIQ’s software, the acquisition was seen by both companies as a logical and welcome choice. 

“With Freshworks’ commitment to deploying enterprise-scale AI to better understand customers and build relationships for life, this acquisition is a natural fit,” said Pradeep Rathinam, former AnsweriQ CEO and CCO. 

“I’m excited to join Freshworks as their new chief customer officer as we create delightful experiences for enterprises that use our products worldwide.”

“The integration of AnsweriQ’s technology enhances our AI/ML capability in the customer engagement space and offers significant value to our customers,” added Mathrubootham.

That value has clearly permeated the thousands of clients which Freshworks currently serves, including some of the largest companies in North American business, including American Express, Hewlett-Packard and Cisco Systems. 

In addition to wide industry recognition across the world, from technology to healthcare, clothing and engineering companies, Freshworks’ appeal is near-universal and it is very likely that the company will soon be seen as one of the great tech success stories of the last 20 years.

For more information on business topics in the United States, please take a look at the latest edition of Business Chief North America