[hajrice]

Disclaimer: I'm the founder of Helpjuice.com. We compete with Zendesk's knowledge base.

This is so rude from Zendesk. In case you think someone has ripped of your product, in any way, you (as the CEO of a 30+ company with 10,000 customers) SHOULD NEVER, EVER write something like that.

I'm 100% with Freshdesk on this one specifically because of the tone of Zendesk and Freshdesk. The way Mikkel responded to Freshdesk is silly and childish.

If someone were to make a knock off of my product, I wouldn't tweet at them like Mikkel did. Or support one of my buddies (who is perhaps disguised as a blogger for blog XYZ) that's trolling a company's image, saying that they're the same as Zendesk. Or calling them Indian cowboys.

Zendesk, I hope you understand that you've turned me (an actual person who supports everything you do, and someone who talks to the folks at Assistly with a great and friendly tone) into someone who honestly hopes you loose this "battle" and have left a nasty look in a lot of people's eyes.

I don't know much about Freshdesk's product, but I know the way they reacted was nice and professional (exactly the opposite of how you responded). +1 on that.

Lesson learned: You don't do marketing by bashing on someone's product without looking like an ass (and perhaps loosing a couple customers).

P.S.: (to the Freshdesk folks) Congrats on stepping up and putting time in to create a page like this. I would have maybe included screenshots of the product to further help your customers understand that you're not a knock off of Zendesk.

[nodata]

> I'm 100% with Freshdesk on this one specifically because of the tone of Zendesk and Freshdesk.

Why would you decide who is right based on tone?

Why not on the validity of their argument?

[hajrice]

There isn't too many arguments in play. One thinks Freshdesk is knockoff of Zendesk, the other one makes a website describing how it isn't. The real play is the choice of words and how Mikkel("Indian cowboys", the RIP OFF comment, etc.) went on about this, and how Zendesk responded

The customers are there to tell whether they're a knock off or not. I don't want to say anything as I'm not a customer.

[nl]

I don't think Mikkel called them Indian cowboys - that was someone else.

[ecaron]

Correct, it was @cloudgroupsyd (Christian Marth), who promptly apologized and explained what message it was trying to originally say.

Though he should've learned from Michael Richards and never said something that stupid in the first place. He had plenty of characters to phrase it right in his original tweet. But you know what they say about hindsight...

[nl]

It wasn't an apology at all. This is what he said:

@mrgirish not attacking your nationality only your lack of innovation for product development, if you were offended in any way sorry

Let's parse that.

@mrgirish not attacking your nationality only your lack of innovation for product development - here he attempts to justify himself, by trying to explain what he meant.

if you were offended in any way sorry - here he says he is sorry if @mrgirish was offended - NOT that he was sorry for offending.

That's like me saying "Please come out and have Thai with me and my friends. Oh - you don't like Thai food? Sorry to hear that - will I see you there anyway?". In both cases there is no acknowledgement of wrongdoing, and in both cases the other person is effectively blamed for either being offended or for not liking Thai.

[microarchitect]

who promptly apologized

Sorry, but that wasn't much of an apology for a racist slur.

[heelhook]

I agree with what you said except for the last part. I think it was a great call NOT to include screenshots of their product, otherwise it would totally come across like they are trying to (directly) use the controversy to sell their product.

Including a side by side comparison of features almost gets them there but not quite since its still relevant to the article itself.

Kudos to freshdesk for a tactful reply to what could have easily spiraled down to a pathetic childish argument. And in the mean time Zendesk's brand was hurt and freshdesk got front page in HN. Brilliant!

[lordlicorice]

A one-sided side-by-side comparison does get them there. Only points where the Freshdesk side is tied or wins (or is "coming soon") are displayed in the table.

I'm sure Zendesk does something better than Freshdesk.