best helpdesk software 2020

So why do you need help desk software?

Customers are not only after the lowest price, but they are also after value, especially after-sales, a.k.a., customer service. Ace Hardware proves this fact, allowing its much smaller stores to compete with retail giants  Home Depot and Lowe’s by leveraging quality customer service, as this Forbes article pointed out.  Help desk solutions can give you the same leverage. With ticketing automation, intuitive knowledge base and smart alerts, your support team is always on top of incidents.

Likewise, when faced with tons of repetitive questions, it pays to have a robust knowledge base that a help desk app can deliver, especially in light of A Dimension Data survey findings as reported by Forrester: “Customers of all ages are moving away from using the phone to using self-service.”

Not only that, help desk apps almost always feature analytics that can run the numbers on your overall customer service rating. It’s easy to keep a tab of your KPIs, such as resolution time, response time, underperforming agents, ticket volume and recurring issues.

In our 20 best help desk software solutions guide, we discuss the merits of each app, what makes them stand out, why it’s a good fit for certain companies and, also, why it is not. Read through the guide minding the nuances because, yes, except for our top five apps, which lend to themselves obvious advantages, the rest in the list share the usual feature set and it takes an eagle’s eye to spot each one’s unique attribute.

1. Zendesk

Zendesk has all the elements of an efficient help desk app, including flexible ticketing management, multichannel support and advanced reporting and analytics. It also features a knowledge base and allows you to build communities. The app fits the needs of a small business but can scale to standard enterprise requirements.

A standout feature, hosting communities enhances the self-service portal. Customers can share and exchange answers in a structured forum, easing the burden off your agents’ shoulders. The self-service module also features a smart search tool and 24/7 access to guidelines and FAQs. You can use it for internal and external users. Other key features include mobile support, off-the-shelf integrations, group rules, macros, and automated processes.

What is unique about Zendesk?

Communities How do you like customers helping each other to resolve an issue? Zendesk makes this possible by allowing you to host communities (forum). The communities are categorized by topic, theme or any other logical way you think makes it easy for customers to join the right thread.

Out-of-the-box integration Zendesk offers 100 ready integrations that connect the app to other key business solutions like CRM, sales force automation, productivity apps, and cloud storage.

Multi-channel support You can consolidate your chat, email, phone and social media messages in one platform allowing you to never miss a ticket.

2. Freshdesk

Freshdesk is the top choice in our list of 20 best help desk software solutions. It’s as comprehensive as it is simple to use built on an intuitive and scalable architecture, which makes it suitable for myriad business sizes and types. There’s a fitting plan for freelancers, small businesses and enterprises. The vendor also offers a great free trial plan that lets you try out all the key features of the software first. You can easily sign up for Freshdesk free trial here.

What’s more, its mobile apps for Android and iOS are one of the most robust we’ve seen not just in the help desk space, but in the entire SaaS industry. Many mobile apps are a pared desktop version, but not Freshdesk’s, it lets you take the system and your data with you, wherever.

The UI is neat and navigation is smooth, which may deceive you to think it’s a simple app. Look closely and you’ll realize it’s an end-to-end help desk, replete with standard features plus more. From ticket management automation to social media integration and self-service, the app covers the basics; it also features added useful tools, such as, time-tracking to help you gauge agent performance; a unified email that declutters your email messages with smart sorting and automated routing; and powerful analytics to help you benchmark agent performance and other KPIs such as ticket volume, resolution time and recurring customer complaints. If you want to push the quality of your customer service, you need an efficient, powerful app like Freshdesk.

What is unique about Freshdesk?

Mobile apps Freshdesk is among the few SaaS with robust mobile apps that let you take the system and your data wherever you’re internet-connected.

Unified email. The 2-way sync means you can send and receive emails right inside Freshdesk; no more shuffling between apps.

Self-service A standard feature in many help desk, but Freshdesk’s version is neat and makes it quick to build your knowledge base with drag-and-drop ease.

Time tracking It allows you to keep a close tab on agent performance including their resolution time, success rate and other KPIs for performance evaluation and, overall, to benchmark the quality of your customer service.

Configurable ticketing automation Tickets are automatically sorted, labeled and routed to the right agent based on your rules and workflows.

3. Salesforce Essentials

Salesforce Essentials is an out-of-the-box CRM solution designed for small businesses. It helps you provide excellent customer support to make your customers loyal. To quickly respond to customers in the right context and with the right information, it unifies your multiple support channels with relevant customer information on a single page. The software also offers a branded self-service support site to empower your customers in looking for answers independently.

Collecting and tracking information is streamlined as the software automatically syncs your meetings, calls, and emails right from your inbox. This frees up your time from manual data entry and information retrieval. It also centralizes all the relevant details you need – leads, key contacts, and updates – with a 360-degree customer view in one platform. By automating repetitive tasks, your help desk agents can focus on providing outstanding customer support. Questions and concerns are routed to the right agent to ensure they are handled with expertise, knowledge, and availability.

Salesforce Essentials is a complete CRM solution. It goes beyond helping you provide high-quality service to your customers. It also has built-in intelligence so you can sell faster and increase conversions. Priced for SMBs, it also offers a free trial for you to explore its robust features. You can sign up for Salesforce free trial here to immediately start using the software for 14 days at no cost.

What is unique about Salesforce Essentials?

Free G Suite It has an exclusive offer of G Suite by Google for free for 3 months when you sign up for the plan. This streamlines communication and automatically connects your email and calendar.

Complete CRM solution It supports lead management, customer management, billing, CPQ, and real-time insights, among others. Additionally, it is built to leverage sales teams.

Pre-built business apps Extending the software’s functionality can be done with ease by accessing business apps and tools, like customer surveys and e-signatures, in the AppExchange marketplace.

4. LiveAgent

LiveAgent is also a topnotch help desk solution with a comprehensive feature set, mainly its multichannel support. It pulls together live chat, email, and social media to give your customers a choice they prefer when reaching out to you. The app is designed for small business, but can easily scale to enterprise requirements with features for gamification, web-embedded contact forms, and collaboration space. You can easily sign up for LiveAgent free trial here.

Small teams can handle volumes of tickets daily with ease by leveraging the unified inbox and smart automation. All tickets are consolidated in one location, preventing missed tickets and allowing for quick spotting of overdue tickets. The app also integrates with your social media pages, mainly Facebook and Twitter; you can post, reply and manage these pages inside the system. And if you want to align the functions with your workflows, the app offers a richly documented open API for third-party apps.

What is unique about LiveAgent?

Multichannel support Customers can contact you via live chat, email and social media channels. Chat messages are automatically forwarded to your email outside of business hours, so you don’t miss a query.

Unified inbox All customer emails are consolidated inside the app, allowing agents to easily scan new, urgent and aging tickets. Likewise, the single-interface setup lets multiple agents collaborate on a difficult ticket.

Social media integration You can manage your Facebook and Twitter pages–post, like, reply, upload–right inside LiveAgent. Customer posts can be converted to tickets and auto-routed to an agent.

Customized workflows The open API is well documented to let you tweak certain functions along with your process flows.

5. Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk is a powerful support desk platform that has all the needed tools to boost any company’s customer support processes while improving reporting and agent productivity. The reports the system generates are very useful in monitoring agent performance, along with making data-driven decisions. It also delivers automation capabilities and multi-channel support, allowing users to deliver timely and accurate support to customers. Such capabilities can lead to better customer relationships and ultimately, increased earnings.

Customers also get to benefit from using Zoho Desk as it enables them to request for support and post queries via social media. Responses to such can be made directly from the platform so that agents need not leave the system. You can also choose what system to use in addressing issues, be it through ticketing or live support. Among all Zoho Desk features, perhaps the most notable is its ability to allow you to create knowledge bases that customers can use to find solutions to their concerns on their own.

If you want to explore the features that the tool has to offer, you can easily sign up for the free Zoho Desk trial here.

What is unique about Zoho Desk?

Context-aware AI Zoho Desk features Zia, an AI assistant that provides customers and agents with human-level responses in real-time. It assists customers in locating the right knowledge base answers or getting accurate replies to basic queries. It also helps agents in contextualizing customer queries.

Powerful reporting The solution generates reports that can be used in gauging agent performance and in making sound business decisions. Users can likewise address such queries from within the system.

Social media channel support Customers can report issues and concerns directly through social media.

Knowledgebase creation Users are able to make their very own knowledge bases that their clients may utilize to resolve problems and issues on their own.