Freshworks partners with Hexaware to reduce the cost of customer support

Chennai-based software as a service (SaaS) firm Freshworks has partnered with information technology (IT) services company Hexaware Technologies for digital solutions that will reduce the cost of customer support while improving the response.

Mumbai-based Hexaware will make use of Freshworks’ customer and employee engagement software to build digital solutions for the former's customers, the companies said in a statement. 

Since March, most businesses have been forced to move most of their work to digital platforms including for their engagement with end customers. Freshworks said that Hexaware’s IT service delivery and execution model combined with its products provide customer engagement solutions that give a quick return on investment. 

Founded in 2010 by Girish Mathrubootham and Shan Krishnasamy, Freshworks was earlier called Freshdesk.

“A recent Forrester study showed that Freshdesk omnichannel customers, on average, pay off their investment in less than 3 months. Hexaware’s expertise in the cloud space and prowess in implementing automation will increase value for our joint customers who are looking to leverage our artificial intelligence (AI)-engine called Freddy's to deliver faster responses,” Anand Venkatraman, vice president of global partnerships at Freshworks said.

Last week, Freshworks said that it had doubled the annual revenue run rate (ARR) of its omnichannel customer support product in the first half (H1) of 2020, propelling the firm past the $200 million ARR milestone announced earlier this year.   

The companies have also announced a package for digitally native businesses, which will help these firms to leverage new technologies that can help scale customer engagement efforts quickly and efficiently.

During the first six months of the year, Freshworks appointed key executives and entered into a strategic partnership with Tata Consultancy Services. 

In July, alternative investment firm Steadview Capital infused $85 million in Freshworks for a minority stake. Prior to that, Freshworks raised $150 million in November 2019, in a funding round led by returning investors Sequoia Capital, Accel and CapitalG, valuing the company at $3.5 billion, post money.

In 2020, it also bought two companies -- Flint, an IT orchestration and cloud management platform, and AnsweriQ, a machine learning and artificial intelligence solution startup.