Internal customer support channels, traditionally limited to email and chat systems, are expanding to include platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Discord. However, managing numerous channels can be challenging, especially with Slack’s potential to host hundreds of channels.
Plain, a UK-based company, addresses this issue with its API-first platform. It consolidates communication channels, enabling businesses to streamline their support operations. CEO Simon Rohrbach emphasizes that this platform allows businesses to connect with customers seamlessly across all channels.
In addition to traditional chat and email capabilities, Plain also integrates with Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Discord through a single user interface. Rohrbach highlights the platform’s user-friendliness, extensive support functionality, and comprehensive data on service level agreements (SLAs) and response times.
Plain promotes collaboration by fostering internal teamwork between support, customer success, engineering, and other departments. As part of its growth strategy, the company has secured $15 million in Series A funding led by Battery Ventures, with participation from Index Ventures and Connect Ventures.
Plain plans to establish its first U.S. office in San Francisco with this investment. Founded by Rohrbach and Matt Vagni, the company draws upon their experience at Deliveroo, where Rohrbach led the content, research, and design team while Vagni focused on design systems and internal tooling.
Plain’s customer base includes businesses such as Sanity, Laravel, Stytch, and Raycast. Battery Ventures General Partner Neeraj Agrawal acknowledges the shift towards collaboration and AI in B2B support.
While Plain is a prominent player in this market, competitors like Thena and Pylon also offer solutions for aggregating customer support channels. Thena has raised over $7 million, while Pylon secured $17 million last year to build a comprehensive B2B customer service platform.
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