Every customer service tool now says it has AI. What matters is what the AI actually does: does it answer on its own or draft for you to check, does it know the customer's order, and how are you charged for it? Here is an honest look at six options, written by the team behind Paperflower.
Updated 29 September 2026
Reads every comment, DM and email, sorts them, flags buying questions and drafts each reply with Shopify order details and your brand knowledge. AI is included on Standard, and nothing is sent without you unless you switch that on. Best for: Online stores in Australia and New Zealand that sell through Instagram, Facebook and email.
Fin answers customers on its own from your help content and hands over to your team. Charged per resolution on top of seats. Best for: Software and app companies that support customers inside their product and want a strong AI agent.
AI agents and Copilot added to the Zendesk helpdesk, priced separately from seats. Best for: Bigger teams that need enterprise features, strict permissions and a help centre, and have someone to run it.
An AI agent inside an ecommerce helpdesk, charged per automated resolution. Best for: Stores with a support team that lives in tickets and wants deep Shopify actions inside each ticket.
Freddy suggests replies and answers common questions, sold as add-ons on top of per-agent plans. Best for: Growing support teams that want classic ticketing, SLAs and automations at a lower price than enterprise tools.
Lyro answers website chat questions from your help content, with AI conversations metered. Best for: Stores whose customers mostly ask questions through the website chat widget.
| Tool | Best for |
|---|---|
| Paperflower | Online stores in Australia and New Zealand that sell through Instagram, Facebook and email. |
| Intercom (Fin) | Software and app companies that support customers inside their product and want a strong AI agent. |
| Zendesk AI | Bigger teams that need enterprise features, strict permissions and a help centre, and have someone to run it. |
| Gorgias AI Agent | Stores with a support team that lives in tickets and wants deep Shopify actions inside each ticket. |
| Freshdesk (Freddy AI) | Growing support teams that want classic ticketing, SLAs and automations at a lower price than enterprise tools. |
| Tidio (Lyro) | Stores whose customers mostly ask questions through the website chat widget. |
Most tools treat comments as noise. Paperflower reads every one, spots buying questions like “do you ship to NZ?” and makes sure they get answered before the customer moves on.
Every conversation gets a score so the people ready to buy come first. You see who to reply to now, and who can wait.
Order status, shipping and product details are pulled in automatically, so drafts are right the first time and private order details never go out in public.
AI drafts are on and auto-send is off by default. Complaints are escalated to you. Refunds and cancellations always need a human.
Paperflower starts free with 100 customer interactions a month, no card needed: every message in one list, and you write the replies. AI sorting, reply drafts and spam hiding come with Standard, which is A$47 a month for 3,000 customer interactions, with a 7-day free trial. Human replies are always free. See all plans.
Local time zones, local shipping questions, and support from people who know the market.
It depends where your customers talk to you. For an online store where Instagram, Facebook and email bring in sales, Paperflower. For a software company with an in-app messenger, Intercom. For website chat, Tidio.
Many tools charge for every question the AI answers, on top of seat fees, so costs rise with your traffic. Paperflower includes AI on its Standard plan, priced by customer interactions with no seat fees.
Not unless you turn that on. By default it drafts a reply and you approve it. You can switch on auto-send for simple, safe questions once you trust the drafts.
Instagram, Facebook and TikTok comments and DMs, support email through Gmail or Google Workspace, and Shopify for order details.
Yes. The Free plan is the basics: 100 customer interactions a month in one list, no card needed, and you write each reply. Standard adds AI sorting, reply drafts and spam hiding, and comes with a 7-day free trial. You can cancel any time. Compare plans.
Connect Instagram, Facebook, email and Shopify in a few minutes. On Standard, AI sorts every message and drafts every reply, you stay in control, and nothing is sent without your say-so unless you switch that on. Free puts every message in one list for you to answer.