The best help desk software is necessary for any business. A properly selected support center will not only satisfy customer requests with quick answers and solutions but also predict possible problems and serve as a resource for self-solving repeated requests.
Help desk tools make companies more effectively resolve complaints, requests and issues from various support channels in a centralized console and automate the entire workflow.
Top 13 Help Desk Software
- Freshdesk - The best help desk software
- Zoho Desk - Best free version for small companies
- LiveAgent - Best live chat with analytics and reporting functions
- EngageBay - Affordable comprehensive helpdesk software
- Crisp - All-in-one live chat & messenger
- Scribe - Automatically create how-to guides
- Zendesk Support - Best-in-class multi-channel support
- Cayzu - Affordable cloud incident ticketing system
- HappyFox - Best help desk ticketing tool
- ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus - For enterprise IT shops
- Freshservice - Best IT service desk for beginners
- SolarWinds Service Desk - Affordable IT service management (ITSM) solution
- Jitbit Helpdesk - On-premise or online email ticketing system
Automation remains the key to effective support. Help desk ticketing software provides employees with a ticket sales system and an automation package. It isn’t just a convenient way to receive messages from customers and respond to them but also to set priorities and track problems without loss.
Help desk support software may contain additional modules for self-service, integration of social services, live chat, creation of information portals on the company’s website. Elements of reporting, optimization and engagement analytics can be part of a broad, an integrated management approach that links support to sales in order to track marketing performance better.
1. Freshdesk - Our Choice
- Integration with Google Apps, live chat, Zapier
- Real-time reports/analytics
- Personnel management
- Identity, access, security management
- Reliable SaaS mobile apps
- Key features available at high price
Verdict: This cloud-based integrated omnichannel support system offers a comprehensive AI-based solution, including a chatbot and workflow automation for all customer interaction points. It is focused on servicing external clients of small and medium-sized businesses in the areas of insurance, healthcare and real estate services.
Freshdesk offers many features of the best customer service software: multi-channel help services, metric measurement, SLA agreement management, self-service portals, a FAQ section with SEO, as well as full customization options that increase productivity, form management and community. This helpdesk ticket software boasts a useful toolset for analytics, time tracking and integrated reporting for evaluating performance.
2. Zoho Desk
- Close integration with Zoho products
- Real-time context-sensitive AI
- Powerful reporting for making decisions
- Ticket routing, automation, SLA
- No asset, issue, change management
Verdict: This cloud-based software with contextual AI is designed for scalability and cross-vertical functionality of small companies and health services. It offers a full-featured ticket sales system and a call center solution. There is a separate knowledge base containing answers to the FAQ.
Zoho continues to add features to improve the Zoho Desk, building on an already rich feature set, such as voice over IP (VoIP) and social media integration, data analysis for managers tracking customer interactions and Service Level Agreements (SLA). The reporting tool and analytics features are useful for monitoring agent performance, as well as for making decisions based on data.
3. LiveAgent
- Single mailbox for consolidation
- Documented open API
- Ability to manage SLAs
- Call center with IVR, unlimited storage
- Incentives and gamification for performance
- Maximum performance requires knowledge of programming
- Limited mobile applications
Verdict: This comprehensive cloud/on-premise CRM platform personalizes customer engagement with the benefits of segmentation, automation, a powerful analytics package and a knowledge base. LiveAgent offers an omnichannel mailbox, real-time chat, integrated call center and online self-service portal. It is scalable with built-in contact forms, collaboration space, migration plugins, hundreds of features and integrations: Zapier, tracking with Google Analytics, e-marketing, e-commerce, CMS.
The combined narrative model unites all channels of communication in a shared mailbox company on the basis of the scenarios. LiveAgent is one of the best help desk software due to robust rules for starting automation by time, SLA or action, reporting and analytics for evaluating service standards.
4. EngageBay
- Easy to use
- Direct integration with CRM for a complete view of the customer
- Multi-step service automation
- Helpdesk is completely free
- Ticket routing and SLA
- Highly affordable for small businesses
- Not enough third-party helpdesk integrations
- Advanced features are only available in paid plans
Verdict: EngageBay is an excellent cloud-based helpdesk solution for small businesses, startups, and solopreneurs. The helpdesk software is part of a comprehensive all-in-one marketing, sales, and customer support solution – this means all your teams have access to the same centralized information about your customers.
EngageBay routes tickets to the correct service agent and even reassigns them for cross-team support. With canned responses, you can have pre-built answers to commonly asked queries and save time in the process. The smart multi-step service workflows are among the best – with ticket prioritization, status updates, assignments, and auto-close flags.
5. Crisp
- Marketing features
- Customizable chats
- Omni channel client service
- Enhanced CRM
- May take some time to master
- Sometimes hangs
Verdict: Crisp is a versatile business messenger allowing for gathering entire teams, conversations, and files in a centralized location. It combines the functionality of live chat software, a knowledge base, a chatbot, co-browsing, and so on.
Here you can customize widgets and more tools – you can change the color scheme, interface language, and add e-commerce and website parameters. Chatbots support the creation of advanced scripts, which improves the quality of service for your customers who come to the site.
What’s more, Crisp is highly interactive, offering you a rich selection of animations and emojis. Being a reliable instant messaging software, it allows participants to exchange files while keeping personal data secure.
6. Scribe
- Integrates with other services
- AI-generated files
- Sensitive data protection
- Supports shareable links and PDF exporting
- The buttons in PDF files might not function properly
- Some issues with reporting
Verdict: Scribe allows you to quickly create detailed guides for your knowledge base to help your clients and employees master the tools they need to use. You just need to go through all the steps of the process, and the program will automatically record them and create screenshots. Then, you can edit your file and share it with others.
When your document is ready, share it using a link or embed it on your platform. It’s also possible to download the guide as a PDF file. Scribes can also help you record all the steps of complex workflows across different platforms. You can use this tool for free. However, its functionality will be quite limited.
7. Zendesk Support
- Customizable reports, 100 ready-made integrations
- Flexible application management with automation
- Powerful knowledge base portal, public/private forums
- Advanced analytics with open API
- Lack of ITIL enterprise features
- Key features at a premium level
Verdict: To closely integrate marketing with customer support, the Zendesk CRM family will be the best help desk software. Zendesk Support takes a marketing approach to customer support, integrating its cloud-based software solution with a larger package aimed at managing the customer experience.
The self-service module boasts an intelligent search tool and branding of support pages. Key features include group rules, macros and automated processes, a customizable front-end portal and chat functions. Zendesk integrates with dozens of content management systems, CRM, sales automation, eCommerce platforms, productivity applications, cloud storage, customer relationship management tools, Salesforce and Google Analytics.
8. Cayzu
- Self-service portal with Google Analytics
- Discrete app instance creation for the brand
- Multi-channel ticket sales
- Customizable forms, quick responses
- There is no complex automation and reporting
Verdict: Cayzu works well as a cloud-based support platform for small businesses and startups, offering robust integration capabilities with third-party vendors at a nice price. The strong point is that companies offering multiple products can create a branded support portal for each product.
It offers standard general-purpose and agent-specific reports, as well as a number of standardized workflow automation tools that can be enabled or disabled with a single click. The Cayzu API allows employees who can write code to create interfaces with other business intelligence tools. Cayzu’s accessibility, integrated analytics, self-service features and creative brand management make it the best help desk software. You can also take a look at the VinSolutions guide to learn how you can leverage this third-party solution for maximizing lead generation.
9. HappyFox
- Asset and application management functionality
- Decent automated functions, application routing
- Cyclic distribution, automatic SLA control
- Detailed real-time reporting
- Support for ITIL best practices
- Can’t be used for free
- Limited integration options, internal SMS option
Verdict: This cloud-based ticketing system includes SLA management, surveys and reviews, reporting, asset and task management, escalation, community forums, a self-service portal and a knowledge base.
It is a universal package for businesses to enjoy unlimited storage space, backup, classify emails by ticket and track their cycle, measure key metrics to evaluate team performance, as in the best time management software.
HappyFox integrates with business applications for accounting, customer feedback, CRM and commerce. The customer self-service channel supports searchable knowledge bases that can be specifically set for internal or external use, as well as category-based forums in public options, customer-only and agent-only options.
10. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
- Full ITIL toolset
- Integration with ManageEngine solutions
- 3 editions in 37 languages
- Live chat, reporting system
- Integration of Microsoft, Jira products via the REST API
- Support is limited to the change management process
- No public portal or knowledge base
Verdict: The Service Desk Plus version of the platform is designed for managed service providers (MSPs) with advanced IT asset management (ITAM) and project management features. It lets you make changes without any risks by means of simplified planning, approval and implementation.
A complete IT Service Management package (ITSM) with integrated Configuration Management Database (CMDB) provides integrated management and knowledge base builder, a virtual assistant with AI, efficient SLA management with proactive and reactive escalations.
With powerful automation and intelligent customization, ServiceDesk Plus helps IT support teams deliver world-class services at a lower cost. Capabilities of this IT help desk software include robust incident management processes that increase agent productivity, as well as features to meet the requirements of IT infrastructure libraries with product and contract management tools.
11. Freshservice
- ITIL support for change management
- Excellent gamification, collaboration
- Built-in Freshdesk integration, multiple via Zapier
- Self-service portal as a service catalog
- Reliable mobile applications
- No integration with social networks
- No Corrective Actions (CAPA), portfolio management
Verdict: Freshservice is a comprehensive cloud support service and enterprise project, asset and IT Service Management (ITSM) solution. It is the best help desk software for IT support of large organizations in the management of internal projects, especially those who use the methods of working with the Information Technology Library (ITIL): change management, from eliminating technological problems to storing and managing technical assets and creating new products. Freshservice is suitable for SLA compliant managed service providers.
An automated internal process lets you use various business methods and CMDB. The risk detection algorithm uses all incidents to assess potential problems. Besides, Freshservice includes standard CMDB modules and a knowledge base, as well as many plug-in management modules.
12. SolarWinds Service Desk
- Lots of client resources
- The interagency access
- Automated incident management
- Advanced routing, consolidated requests
- Reporting on the performance
- No support for Linux
Verdict: This affordable end-to-end asset management solution is based on the cloud for IT Service Management (ITSM). It boasts robust asset management features (hardware, software licenses, warranties) and change management, workflow automation, incident tracking, SLA reporting, remote support integration and knowledge base capabilities.
The relational ticket management system will automate such tasks as ticket assignment, routing and escalation. By integrating Web HelpDesk with the Dameware Remote Support software, you can provide support to end-users. This service desk software offers reports that help you measure your SLA. Detailed analytics will help you measure your organization’s performance. The portal lets users independently search for a solution using the system’s customizable knowledge base.
13. Jitbit Helpdesk
- Robust email system
- Machine learning for task automation
- Extensive third-party integration capabilities
- Custom report designer
- AI-based knowledge base
- Plans aren’t cheap
- Not the best choice for reference
Verdict: Jitbit Helpdesk as a ticket sales system is available as a cloud SaaS. If you want to host the application on your own server and use it internally, it offers a local version. It boasts a robust automation engine that handles routing tasks, SLA rules, Live Chat, asset management, knowledge base and real-time screen recording. SaaS and IT versions integrate with 500+ apps, mailboxes and Google Drive.
Although email is the main channel, chat, web portal, API and several built-in integrations are supported. Jitbit is updated in real time and for collaboration on issues. It offers a dozen of built-in reports on all aspects of support with data export to Excel. You can customize the public and private parts of your support service to match your brand.
