Feel free to correct me on that, but here's my understanding. The comprehensive support products cover four main sub-products:
1. FAQ/Knowledge bases with search functionality.
2. Conversational mediums and agent notifications (e.g., live chat widget, messenger support).
3. Ticket management systems and agent management, which is the core of Zendesk/Intercom. This is the most difficult to operationalize as it requires process architecture, SLA management, etc.
4. Orchestration and workflow management, which can be done inside #3, though some products are available as well.
Most new post-LLM startups target #2 but face platform risks as they rely on companies covering #1, #3, and #4 (e.g., Zendesk, Intercom, Gorgias).
I feel InKeep doing some combination of #2 but emphasising that you can support client whenever they are (ie Github, Discord, Slack) instead of asking them to submit tickets in the website widget.
Another issue for AI support startup is the verticalization/horizontal trap. Most LLMs require solid tuning per client, especially for enterprises like us. Startups often avoid this initially, opting for a more horizontal general path (e.g., AI support for Shopify merchants). This is where enterprise players are more beneficial. Thus companies like ServiceNow, Zoom, and Oracle offer products for support and implementation services.
Neat business imo.