Industry-specific help desk software can be used by companies to offer customer support right from the front desk level which can respond to common issues up to the level of senior management to whom serious problems can be escalated until the matter is resolved. A good quality solution helps you track, address, and resolve customer concerns quickly to earn their goodwill and continued patronage.Show more The software stores purchase records, email messages, user correspondence, and other interaction details, and you can use this information for reporting as well as a reference for knowledge base. We invite you to pay particular attention to the current category leader Freshservice.Show less
To prepare this list of best Industry-Specific Help Desk Software we have examined 154 popular tools currently available on the market, analyzing their features, ease-of-use, customer service, possible integrations and mobile device support with our exclusive SmartScoreTM rating algorithm. This list has been developed by Jenny Chang, our software expert dedicated to the Industry-Specific Help Desk Software category.
Providing reliable online customer service is important no matter which industry your company is operating in. You can create repeat business if you keep your customers satisfied and happy. To provide quality customer service, you need to invest in a top-rate industry-specific help desk tool. Before you start evaluating the various help desk programs available, you need to be clear about your needs and the tasks you wish to achieve with the software. You should look to customize the software to your needs, rather than transforming your processes to fit the solution. This buyer’s guide helps you out by providing a list of factors to consider as you start looking for the best among industry-specific help desk tools for enterprises and SMBs.
A great way to start your search for the perfect software is to register for the free trials or demo offered by popular industry-specific help desk software providers. We recommend you sign up for the following applications which have received high SmartScore rankings and user satisfaction rating in our reviews of industry-specific help desk tools, do a comparison, and choose the best Industry-specific Help Desk software for your company: Freshdesk reviews, Samanage, Freshservice, and ManageEngine ServiceDesk.
Improved issue tracking and organization
The software offers a single system for agents to track and resolve queries and ensure every support request gets a response. They can improve efficiency and productivity with workflow rules for standardized business processes.
Reduced service expenses
Automation helps agents to resolve issues more quickly and respond to more queries every day. This results in improved productivity which can reduce the number of support agents and minimize costs.
Improved customer satisfaction
A good help desk system can aid your agents to resolve customer issues speedily and efficiently which can boost customer satisfaction.
Better knowledge sharing
Successful resolutions can be documented and made searchable, so that agents can reuse past resolutions for recurring issues. Some systems even enter the solutions into a knowledge base which customers can use for self-help.
Be Clear About Your Budget
Many companies balk against investing in a help desk solution because of the expenses involved. However, cloud-based systems are affordable even if you have a tight budget. Do your homework and select a solution that is sustainable and allows you to scale up if required. The most expensive software may not be the best fit your company. In fact, startups and small businesses can even consider using a free open source software to kick things off.
Be Sure About Your Requirements
Analyze your customer support process and identify areas that could be automated to boost agent productivity and reduce redundancies. Re-visit the customer support channels you use such as toll-free hotline, live chat, email, etc. and think about adding some more to enable easier access. Do your own research to find out about the features that could be useful for your company. Read online reviews and visit application marketplaces to get started.
Evaluating a System
Many vendors advertise about offering strong ticket management features. However, don’t take their word and do your own analysis of the software. Select a system whose features match your requirements. If you cannot accomplish a simple task like tracking agent productivity, the solution may not be useful to you. If you are a trans-national company that has international customers, select a web-based solution that offers multilingual ticket submission capability. Plus, you should be able to brand the software with your company logo and colors to make the app yours.
Vendor Credibility
Considering brand reputation is important in the selection process. It is hard for a vendor to create a good brand around their product. Find out details such as the longevity of the company, their solution’s uptime, and whether you need to sign a contract for the subscription plan. Some companies even offer refunds if you are not happy with their solution. So, go about the selection process in a steady and systematic manner to select the right help desk system.
Data Security
If you include sensitive information such as names, passwords, addresses etc. in the ticketing system, make sure the data is safe from hackers. Select a vendor that complies with the data security regulations of the nation your company is based in. If you use email for customer support, encrypt the data using technologies like SSL. Data security is an important aspect to ensure all customer information is stored safely and securely.
Now You Are Ready
After considering all the above factors and features, you are now ready to invest in a suitable industry-specific help desk software. Silicon Valley startups and NGOs can ask for discounts from the vendor. If you are convinced about the software’s quality and wish to give it a long run, you can sign up for yearly subscription to get discounts. Talk with the sales personnel of the vendor to get more information and the best possible quotes.
When evaluating help desk software, consider these four factors for comparison to select the best available solution:
Customer service is a dynamic industry and innovations continue to enhance its general infrastructure. With more and more businesses going global, help desk software systems have been revolutionizing their way of enhancing customer support with the following:
Artificial intelligence: AI technology is everywhere and help desk is just one of the industries that can reap a lot of benefits of AI-powered automation.
Self-service portals: More and more customers prefer looking for answers by themselves instead of seeking customer support agent’s assistance.
Help desk software does not always deliver seamless and perfect solutions. Below are some of the issues encountered when using a help desk application:
User adaptability: This issue can arise in times of rapid turnovers, especially when the new help desk administrator is still learning the ropes.
No dedicated help desk staff: Operating help desk systems fall under the responsibility of IT teams, and the lack of a dedicated help desk team is also a common scenario among businesses. This, however, can result in a lack of proper standard procedures and disorganized documentation.
You need to consider a lot of factors as you sit down to evaluate the quality of your shortlisted help desk apps. It can be a tricky process to select the right system from among the many available ones. Follow the guidelines provided in this article to make informed comparisons of the various solutions and zero in on the one that offers the essential features you need to run a reliable customer service operation.
Additionally, keep in mind that help desk software solutions have their own strengths and weaknesses. How a help desk system will work for your business, however, is anchored on whether it is the right one for you. You can determine this by defining the type of customer support your customers want.
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SaaS software provides many benefits such as simple setup, access, and integration as well as data security. To choose the perfect system for your needs, you need to do your research thoroughly. To start, begin with the following tips to consider and evaluate the various programs:
Know your needs: First, be certain about your company’s needs and requirements. Why do you need to spend on a SaaS application? What tasks and goals do you intend to accomplish with the solution? If you are clear about your needs, you can easily find a suitable solution that fulfills them.
Compare features and price: Make a shortlist of SaaS solutions that offer the functionality you need and are within your budget. Browse online reviews of the shortlisted programs to learn what each one offers.
Use the free trial and extend it if necessary: Subscribe to the free trials of the shortlisted platforms and check out their tools firsthand. This will help you to understand if the system provides what you need to boost your organization’s efficiency and productivity. Request an extension of the free trial if the time is too short to learn about the solution’s effectiveness.
Talk to the vendor: Finally, talk to each vendor about the help and support they can offer. Try to discuss the price and get discounts. Ask about the training and consultation they provide to help you to use the system effectively.
The best on our list is Zendesk, which offers an industry-grade help desk solution not only to large enterprises but also to SMBs. Veering away from the traditional help desk platform, Zendesk combines customer service and engagement tools in a single platform.
Zendesk is equipped with robust help desk features, such as a ticketing system, call center, live chat, and messaging tools. It also offers self-service customer support like knowledge base and community forums.
Beyond help desk functionalities, Zendesk also generates customer data that also turns this help desk system into a valuable lead source for insights that can help boost customer retention.
Using industry-specific help desk software comes with a lot of benefits that enhance your customer support system. Some of these benefits include:
Organized issue tracking. Agents track and resolve queries using the same system. Automation tools also ensure that all issues and queries are handled and resolved in a timely manner.
Improved productivity. Help desk automation features allow agents to attend to issues and queries in a more efficient manner.
Improved customer experience. Timely and helpful responses, along with self-service portals, keep customers satisfied.
Internal and external knowledge base. Help desk systems are designed to make documentation easier and this is particularly helpful in documenting and organizing successful resolutions for agents to use as references in resolving recurring issues. These solutions can also be documented in the knowledge base that is accessible to customers.
Help desk software systems are not meant to be identical but here are some of the industry-standard help desk features:
Multiple contact channels. Help desk software must be able to provide multiple contact options to customers, including phone support, live chat, email, and social media, among others.
Ticketing system. Support agents can respond to user queries and track issues in an organized manner.
Issue routing. Not all issues can be resolved on the help desk frontline. Issue routing features allow agents to escalate certain issues and queries to managers to provide customers with a more helpful response.
Automation tools. Streamline help desk-related processes, such as administrative and repetitive tasks, to save time and boost productivity.
Dashboard. Dashboards give agents and managers visibility into relevant data, such as the number of requests, urgent issues, backlogs, etc.
Self-service portals. A growing number of customers prefer researching answers to address their concerns and self-service portals like knowledge bases and community forums can provide the information customers may need.
Analytics. Customer queries, issues, and feedback are valuable sources of insights that can help your business deliver better customer experience.
User-friendly help desk software must have a streamlined and straightforward design and functionality to help agents efficiently and effectively address customer queries. Below are the help desk solutions that rank high in the ease-of-use category:
Zendesk. Used by more than 40,000 business organizations around the world, Zendesk takes the top spot of the most user-friendly help desk software with its robust automation, straightforward interface, and easy deployment.
Freshservice. Freshservice is not only easy to install, but it can also run on autopilot, as well as allow agents to resolve issues and respond to queries from their mobile devices.
LiveAgent. Designed to be simple and intuitive, LiveAgent is the ideal software for businesses that do not want to spend time and resources on extensive training sessions. LiveAgent’s interface is easy to navigate and can be learned by new users in a matter of hours.
Here are three of the help desk software solutions that you can use for free:
Zendesk. Zendesk’s tools are offered in scalable modules, two of which are free. The Zendesk Chat Lite module is limited to one concurrent chat and it also comes with chat rating and 30-day history retention. Meanwhile, Zendesk Guide Lite includes Zendesk support, knowledge base, support request form, and Google analytics reporting.
Freshservice. Its Sprout plan offers basic features at zero cost and these features include incident management, knowledge base, and the capability to support a maximum of 100 end users.
Zoho Desk. The free plan includes an extensive list of tools and features accessible to a maximum of three agents. These features include email inbox and web form, a customizable help center, knowledge base, community forums, rebranding, domain mapping, and priority SLAs. Also included are basic reporting capabilities, dashboards for agents and managers, ticket overview dashboard, team feed, and remote support for one user.
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