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There is this one cycle in business that never changes no matter what industry you operate in. Be it selling phones, creating software, or even retail, high-quality customer service will always be on top. It’s synonymous with the word brand and for good reasons. Great service means recognition. But how do companies provide round-the-clock high-quality service?
The answer is simple. Help desk software ticketing systems. These seemingly simple tools can mean a difference in the right hand. Service software was created for companies to deliver high-quality, on-demand service no matter what you sell.
Yet, with so many of them on the Internet, it can be very hard to pinpoint which one will actually fit in your organization. To answer this question, we’ve decided to cover some of the most prominent systems out there. We’ll be covering pricing, performance, and unique features they have. Last but not least, like most credible software reviews, we rely only on first-hand experience to provide you with the best helpdesk possible.
Zendesk
At number one we have Zendesk. The company has been in the industry for quite some time and have established a reputation of being a reliable management software developer that delivers on promises. Their tool can be described as a happy medium as it has all the functionality you might need, as well as a few unique features such as AI-enhanced chatbots. Indeed, looking at their service suite, the chatbot functionality is perhaps the most interesting one.
Due to the fact that it’s powered by machine learning tech, it can easily adapt to your business. Be it traditional retail or outsourcing, it will learn as time goes. The pricing, on the other hand, can be described as moderate. For just $100 you will get all the bells and whistles of a traditional helpdesk software system, as well as storage. The tool itself never hang on us or failed to deliver the intended result so no complaints there.
Freshdesk
Freshdesk is among the most popular ticketing software solutions out there. It is a feature-packed system that can easily adapt to any kind of organization. What’s great about this piece of tech is its multichannel capability, support tickets, and shared team inbox. The tool also allows you to create custom labels, as well as it has the ability to manage different customers with similar issues in one place.
Aside from the above-mentioned functionality, this helpdesk ticketing system can easily draw information from phones, emails, social media, and even chats into one live document. This makes managing processes much faster and more convenient. The only downside to this tool is the lack of a free plan. While it's true that the company provides a free trial, it would be better if they let you use the tool for a long time via a free plan. But even still, you can spend approximately $15 per user/month and see if it works for you. Their pricing model is pretty flexible and you get all the benefits of a premium plan but in a limited quantity.
Jira Service Management
Created by Atlassian, Jira Service Management is all about quality. The key takeaway from this support ticketing system is that it does not have a huge set of features but those that are there, are refined beyond perfection. The main objective of the company is to provide end-to-end software solutions to enhance customer service. It was made in a way that lets you connect with your customers effectively and efficiently. Speaking of efficiency, every function is blazingly fast and never in our testing it failed us.
With more than 15,000 organizations using it, no wonder that Atlassian focuses on quality. With it, you can automate a myriad of tasks, as well as gain analytical data in just a few clicks. The best part, however, of this tool is its compatibility system. You can connect Jira Service Management to around 300+ apps. You can also self-host it in case cloud-based isn’t your thing. The only downside of this tool is it’s pricing options. It’s based on how many agents you have, or in other words, if you have 3 people doing support, it’ll cost you $10 a month. Not much but when you have a dedicated customer support software department, the price can stack up. The company does provide discounts but those are rare and far in between.
Salesforce Service Cloud
Salesforce Service Cloud is a stylish-looking service desk that has every major feature a help desk should have right out of the box. It was designed to provide quality, on-demand service, and most of the time it delivers. The performance was good and we never had trouble looking up data. It has a dedicated knowledge base system and is constantly evolving, as well as has a few automation options.
The key disadvantage of this tool is that it was never created with large businesses in mind. Yes, if your company has more than 500+ employees, this tool won’t suffice as it lacks some of the advanced functions other tools have. Although, if you have a small team, its suggestion system will come in handy as it will look up information and can even answer simple questions. The pricing is not high and the top tier costs only $99 per user/month. All features include a few advanced options that will ease the process of gathering feedback, analyzing trends, and tracking burnout rates.
Zoho Desk
Zoho Desk has been at the forefront lately and for good reasons. The company has been dishing out high-quality updates on a monthly basis, as well as introducing new features that aim to accelerate workflow. The great thing about Zoho Desk is that it does not have redundant features and is very simplified. For some, this might be a deal breaker but their pricing is very affordable and they even offer a free tier for those that want to try out the tool in advance. The tool can be self-hosted and the knowledge base is ever-increasing, making it a good choice for businesses that sell intricate products.
Another cool feature of this tool is that it has a smartphone version/companion app. It mimics the full experience and has a few cool features that can help your agents look up information much faster. The main disadvantage of this tool is that it lacks a direct phone support system. You can still integrate a third-party solution but it would be better if it was natively supported. And finally, for $12 per user/month you get practically everything you might need to get you started. Those who want a premium experience can opt for the $25 user/month plan which is only twice the price of the starter plan.
Intercom
Intercom has been in the helpdesk industry for a while now. They have created a positive reputation for providing a feature-rich solution for both small and large organizations. From ticket management to enhanced chat systems, there’s a lot to love here. As the name suggests, Intercom focuses on communication and it’s clearly reflected in their messaging app.
It's one of the best communication tools we’ve used as with it, you can not only serve existing customers but acquire new ones. It has omnichannel support, tons of integrations, and AI-powered bots that can answer questions right out of the box. No need to teach them anything, no configurations, no nothing. The main drawback though is that their knowledge base isn’t as updated as their other products. Another issue stems from the pricing. Their starter pack costs a whopping $136 per user/month. You do get everything you need but this is just too much. Yet, if you work in eCommerce, you might want to use it as the bot is way too good to be ignored.
Hubspot Service Hub
Hubspot Service Hub can be described as a modular help desk system that was designed to help agents engage with new and existing customers. The main three modules of the system were designed to collect customer feedback, create and update the knowledge base, and ticket management. With these modules, you can qualify and quantify customer service, as well as reach new prospects much faster.
The tool also has a nice dashboard system and a few automation options. Similarly to Zoho Desk, the company provides a phone version of their app that can be used on every major platform, including iOS, Android, and even now defunct Windows Phone. Thanks to the open API, all data from the mobile version can be retrieved and synchronized with the desktop version. Lastly, the tool has a few Search Engine Optimization (SEO) features that will help you promote your product/service. As for the prices, they are quite expensive. The starting plan is $50 (unlimited number of users) and the top tier is $3,200.
SolarWinds Service Desk
Built with IT companies in mind, SolarWinds Service Desk is a service desk software engineers love. It has a plethora of different tracking options, analytics, and ticket management. But it’s not just about IT, Samanage is a swiss army knife that will suit any company regardless of its activities. The key advantage it has over the competition is its data-gathering mechanism. Unlike other tools, once you install Samanage, all your data will be collected automatically once users fill in the required spaces. This allows you to organize work much faster, as well as reach new customers with more efficiency.
The tool is also very fast and can process data in the background while doing other operations. As for the pricing, the tool isn’t too expensive and the starter plan will cost you around $29 per user/month whereas the premium one, dubbed Professional, is only $79. Do keep in mind that the company only offers a trial and there is no free option.
Help Scout
If there’s one thing sure about Help Scout it is that it never fails when it comes to customer feedback. As you might have guessed, this service desk was built with data collection and customer interactions in mind. All features have a form for data gathering and this is exactly what separates it from the rest of the competition. Essentially, with this tool, you will get various feedback regarding all sorts of things, from consumer experience to shipping method, you will know exactly how your customers feel about the whole process.
Another focal point of the tool is that, as developers would say, it's about customers and not tickets. What it means is that you do get tickets it's just they will be presented in a way that your customers would like it. All tickets are tied to a specific agent who can interact with customers directly using a live chat. When it comes to pricing, the standard plan is affordable, clocking at $20 per user/month. The medium one is a tad more expensive at $32 per user/month. If you want something more premium, you have to contact the company and settle on a deal. Otherwise, you are limited to just these two options.
Kayako
And the last one on our list is the Kayako help desk. The tool is all about good customer service and branding. This is clearly reflected in their functionality as it allows you to manage multiple brands at a time. As for customer service, you get chats, ticket management, reporting, and of course, a feedback system. Speaking of chats, the tool for some odd reason does not have a native live chat system in place. If you want to mitigate this issue, you will need to spend additional money on a third-party app. When it comes to performance, it's good and gets the job done. Some features might need fine-tuning but other than that, no complaints.
The company offers three service plans. Starting from $15 you get access to a single inbox and chat. The second tier is $30 and it basically doubles the number of features lastly, there’s the premium one coming at $60. It includes everything you might need and has an unlimited number of users.
Final Thoughts
And this concludes our list of 2023 best help desk software solutions. We’ve tried to cover as much as possible and hopefully, we managed to help you out. There are many more tools out there and covering them all would be impossible. Yet, regardless of whatever you choose to migrate to, the tools will get the job done. And while we're on the subject of migration, did you know we have a tool that can transfer all your data in just a few clicks? That’s right, from support ticket history to agent data, it can move everything fast and safely. Don’t believe us? Sign up for a free trial here and see for yourself. You won’t be disappointed!
