Interscale Content Hub – These days, great customer service is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a must. That brings us to an important question: what is the best help desk software?
It’s true that choosing the right help desk software can significantly improve customer satisfaction, team productivity and overall business success.
So, let’s break down what help desk software is, why it’s essential, the key features to look for, and a rundown of the top contenders from 2024 into 2025.
What is a Help Desk Software?
Help desk software is a kind of centralised system that helps you manage, track and resolve customer inquiries and issues.
In their paper “Towards an Improved IT Service Desk System and Processes: A Case Study,” Marko Jäntti, Anup Shrestha, and Aileen Cater-Steel look at the help desk, or service desk, as a key point of contact between customers, users, IT service providers and third-party service providers.
The service desk is in charge of carrying out incident management and request fulfilment processes.
Its main goal is to get users back to normal as quickly as possible, which has a big impact on customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
Yuval Marom and Ingrid Zukerman’s work, “Towards a Framework for Collating Help-desk Responses from Multiple Documents,” goes into more detail about the help desk’s role.
They point out that a lot of email inquiries are repetitive and that there needs to be an efficient way to respond to common problems.
They point out that help desks spend a lot of time dealing with the same problems repeatedly, which shows how important it is to have a good system in place to handle these kinds of inquiries quickly and easily.
So, help desk software usually includes things like ticket management, a knowledge base, automated workflows, and multi-channel support (like email, chat, phone, and social media).
Help desk software helps customer service agents respond to customers quickly and easily, which makes for a better overall experience for the customer.
For another reference, please refer to “What are Some of the Reasons to Outsource Your IT Helpdesk?”
Why Do Businesses Need Customer Help Desk Software?
Help desk software makes it easier to handle customer queries by automating routine tasks and providing a structured process. This helps to reduce response times and increase productivity.
Jäntti and his team stress the importance of a well-organised service desk to manage incidents effectively and maintain a high level of service performance.
Automation and streamlined processes let support agents focus on more complex issues that need human intervention.
Good help desk solutions mean that customers get their issues sorted out quickly, often on the first try.
Jäntti and co. say that the service desk is the main point of contact with customers, so it’s really important to get it right.
Keeping customers in the loop about the status of their support requests makes their experience better, which makes them happier overall.
Automating ticket resolutions can save a lot of money. For example, it’s much cheaper to handle a self-help ticket than to provide walk-up support.
Marom and Zukerman’s research into help desk responses shows that a lot of inquiries can be handled with generic responses, which means you don’t need to hire as many people.
As businesses grow, their customer support needs become more complex.
Help desk software can grow with the business, offering features like AI-driven insights, automated workflows, and comprehensive reporting to handle increased volumes efficiently.
It’s not just about managing incidents on a help desk. It’s also about making sure different stakeholders can communicate with each other.
The IT service desk is the main point of contact for customers when it comes to IT service management. It makes sure that everyone’s on the same page and that communication is effective at every stage of the service delivery process.
Top Help Desk Software in 2024
The help desk software market is pretty dynamic, with loads of different options out there for different businesses, industries and budgets. Here are some of the top contenders for 2024.
1. Zendesk
Zendesk is a big name in customer support, known for its scalability and comprehensive features, and it’s a popular choice with businesses of all sizes.
It’s got a solid ticketing system, customisable workflows, multi-channel support and lots of integrations.
One of the best things about Zendesk is how it can be automated. You can set up workflows and use AI bots to take care of repetitive tasks, so you can offer customers support 24/7.
Zendesk can grow with your business, no matter what size you are.
On top of that, Zendesk works with over 1,200 third-party apps, including well-known tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom, making it easy for support teams to get things done.
But, with all those features come a lot of costs. Yes, Zendesk can be pricey, especially the top-end plans.
The basic plan costs $19 per agent per month, while the Suite Professional plan can cost up to $115 per agent per month.
2. Freshdesk
Freshdesk, made by Freshworks, makes it easy to manage tickets with customisable agent roles, ticket forms and portals.
It also helps you manage identities and access to information, which is great for keeping your data safe.
One of the best things about Freshdesk is how easy it is to scale up and customize.
You can tailor the platform to your specific needs, whether you’re a small team that just needs a simple ticketing system or a larger organisation that wants to use custom automations and in-depth reporting.
Another great thing about Freshdesk is that it’s mobile-friendly, so agents can manage inquiries on the go, which is really useful for remote teams.
However, some advanced features like custom automations and advanced reporting are only available in higher-tier plans, which might be a bit restrictive for businesses looking for all the bells and whistles without a big upfront investment.
3. Zoho Desk
Zoho Desk is known for its context-aware ticketing, multi-channel support, workflow automation, and knowledge base creation.
It’s really flexible and has a mobile app, so it’s great for businesses that need to be able to change things around and have a mobile-friendly solution.
Zoho Desk lets businesses make workflows, customer portals and agent roles their own, so they can be tailored to their specific requirements.
However, setting up Zoho Desk can be a bit of a challenge at first, especially for businesses without dedicated IT support.
Even so, its affordability and comprehensive feature set make it a strong contender for businesses looking for a robust and customisable help desk solution.
Zoho Desk’s ability to integrate with other Zoho products and third-party apps makes it a great choice for businesses looking for a seamless support system.
4. Help Scout
Help Scout’s Beacon feature lets customers access knowledge base articles from any page on the website, so they can get answers fast and reduce the number of support calls.
This tool can really help customers out by letting them help themselves.
Help Scout’s mobile accessibility means agents can work from any device, which is great for remote or on-the-go support teams.
However, Help Scout does have a few limitations, like limited customisation options and reporting capabilities.
The price starts at $25 per user per month, which can be a bit steep for larger teams or businesses with high ticket volumes.
5. Jira Service Management
Jira Service Management, created by Atlassian, is mainly used for managing IT services.
It’s got a solid platform for incident management, problem tracking, and change management.
One of the best things about it is that it works seamlessly with other Atlassian products like Jira Software and Confluence. This means that IT teams can work in a really cohesive ecosystem.
Jira Service Management has some great features, including advanced workflows, SLA management, and automation capabilities.
These tools help IT teams get on top of and fix issues quickly.
The platform also helps teams manage changes effectively, from planning to tracking and implementing them.
What’s more, Jira Service Management’s incident management features let teams respond to IT issues quickly, which means less downtime and better service reliability.
For more info on how to get in touch with the IT helpdesk, please refer to “Stuck on a Tech Snag? Here’s How to Contact the IT Helpdesk Like a Pro.”
How Interscale Can Be Your IT Helpdesk Supporting System
With so many options out there, you must start considering a few things related to the company’s internal processes and how the software can help your help desk system.
It might seem complicated, but it’s worth taking the time to go through this process.
That’s why we at Interscale can be your supporting system. We’ve got all the IT helpdesk solutions you could need, tailored to your business.
We’re all about providing personalised support, which means we’ll resolve any issues you have quickly and keep on improving your IT infrastructure.
Whatever you need, from remote assistance to onsite support, advanced cybersecurity measures to proactive IT management, Interscale has got you covered.
Our track record speaks for itself. Over the past year, we’ve closed 8,553 tickets, delivered 8,500 projects in the last 18 months, and kept the average helpdesk wait time to a minimum.
Also, 90% of tickets are resolved within an hour, so your business won’t miss a beat and you’ll get the most out of your IT.
So choosing Interscale means you get quality service with a customer-centric approach.
To find out how we can help with your IT support needs, kindly read our Helpdesk Support page here.
And we’re more than happy to arrange a one-on-one meeting to discuss your solutions.
In Closing
With so many options out there, it’s vital to choose software that meets your specific needs.
It doesn’t matter if you go for a full-on platform or a more specialised solution – your chosen system should be able to grow with your business and keep on improving your customer service.
So, what is the best help desk software? It’s about choosing a system that can grow with your business and keep on improving customer service.
