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A Buyer's Guide to Help Desk Solutions
Help Desk Software Buyer’s Guide
A nice lady on her headset or a group of employees facing their computer screens; very common to see photos on most websites these days, right? Well, whether they are members of a call center agency or of this what we call “Help Desk” team, what is more likely true is that there is a powerful system that helps them execute their jobs better. And that’s the Help Desk software solution.
Help Desk Management or simply Help Desk software solution is a platform that stores customer information in a knowledge database, tracks interactions between customer service representatives and customers, and automates the resolutions of problems and issues raised by those customers. Help Desk has been there since the late 1980’s. Although the conventional customer support strategy of using telephone and spreadsheets containing lists of frequently asked questions (FAQ) are still in use today, Help Desk software solution is undeniably already too far from that setup. Desk side team, network team, server team, and now the help desk; innovations on customer support are coming in from different angles and landscapes.
In this Buyer’s Guide, we at ITQlick.com aim to provide you more details about Help Desk software solutions. We are also keen to explain why investing on this system can help you retain more customers whom are always fully satisfied with the products and services that you offer to them.
Types
Implementing Help Desk software solution correctly can lead to better resolution times, streamlined support processes, and best of all, increased customer satisfaction. By setting this goal in mind, the selection process for the right Help Desk software solution can be made more effective. A good way to start your search is by checking these two types of Help Desk solutions.
Cloud-based
Cloud-based solutions are the most popular type of Help Desk today. Aside from being hosted on cloud servers that are usually owned by the solution provider, cloud-based also offers a wide range of features and functionalities. Customization, branding and user interface design are just some of the excellent features that goes with a cloud-based solution package. In addition, these solutions can be acquired and deployed on a subscription-based scheme.
Self-hosted
Self-hosted Held Desk solutions are deployed on the client’s server. Also known as on-premise solutions, purchasing and implementing this type of Help Desk software product requires additional investments on hardware (ex. management server, database), implementation services (rendered by consultants), and on-going maintenance. These investments should not be considered as downside of self-hosted solutions because everything else about Help Desk for business entirely depends on the size, industry, operational model, range of offered products, and many other factors. That is, by carefully considering the real requirements of your business, on-premise can be better than a cloud-based type, and vice versa.
What we just examined above are the types of Help Desk solutions base on method of deployment. Another important category to explore in Help Desk solutions are the types base on the capabilities of the software solution. Here are the types of Help Desk solutions on that regard.
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Knowledge Management System
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Self Service
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IT Asset Management Systems
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Reporting
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Mobile Support
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Service level Agreement (SLA) Management
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Remote Control
Features
What’s interesting about Help Desk solutions are the almost unlimited number of features that goes with the package. Aside from the ticketing system that most solution packages have, there are more features that when reviewed can narrow down your search for the right Help Desk software product. Here are those features for you to check about in a solution package.
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Web-based Interface
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Single Sign On Authentication (SSO)
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Branding
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Customization
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Multiple Languages
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Knowledge Base
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WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Editor
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Content Restrictions
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Community Forums
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Forum Moderation
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Voting
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Advanced Search Tools
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Tagging
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Electronic Communication Tools
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Multi-channel Request Support
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Customized Ticket Fields
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Automated Responses
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Issue/Ticket Tracking
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Views
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Ticket Merging
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Grouping
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Workflows
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Spam Management
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Web-based Remote Support
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Analytics
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Sandbox Environment
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Mobile Optimization
With the help of your IT team, find out which of these features are really needed by your business at present. The cost of Help Desk software solution is usually dependent on the number and level of features included in the chosen package. The more robust, the more significant is the required initial investment.
Solutions per Business Size, per Vendor
One of the many Help Desk solution providers that offer packages with appealing features is Zendesk. With their cloud-based solution, you can have the features of Web-based interface, a WYSIWYG Editor, SSL encryption, SSO, and real-time analytics. Their basic starter package starts at $9 per month per user with up to 3 users. Zendesk is just one of the many Help Desk solution providers that can help your company in delivering better customer support.
But before examining those vendors in detail, we at ITQlick.com want you to become a smarter buyer by simply following these guides.
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Determine first the deployment model: cloud-based or client-server.
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Always consider selecting a solution that is within your budget zone.
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Identify and stick with the features that you only needed.
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Figure out how much storage space will you need for your data.
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Check everything about hardware/software compatibility.
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Choose the right ticket management features.
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Consider investing on data security.
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Analyze the cost, time and resources needed for the entire deployment process.
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Choose to simulate the 30-days trial version offered by the vendor before finally making your decision to buy.
Now, with the help of these guides, it’s time to go over with this list of solution providers.
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Kayoko Fusion
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Help Desk Pilot
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Hesk
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PerlDesk
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Manage Engine
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I’m OnCall
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247NetSystems
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Aegis Help Desk
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Access Remote PC
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Magnoware DataTrack System
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Alloy Navigator Express
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Altman HelpDesk
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Anyplace Control
Pricing Considerations
It’s time to deal with the price of your Help Desk solution. As we mentioned earlier, most Help Desk companies base their price on the number of users and features that will go with the complete package. Self-hosted solutions are priced significantly higher than cloud-based primarily because of the included deployment cost, cost of training, cost of hardware infrastructure, and cost of on-going support and maintenance.
Basic cloud-based solution costs around $25 to $30 per user per month. The average cost of package with more features is around $50 to $70 per user per month. The price can extend up to around $100 for solutions with a wide array of included features.
Self-hosted solutions are priced at $300 up to $1000 base on perpetuity license. This could significantly goes up to around $800 to $5000 depending on the features that will go together with the software.
Here are three Help Desk solution providers with their offered packages and the equivalent pricing model.
Kayoko Fusion:Solution can be purchased as a downloadable package for $999, or hosted for $49 per month per seat for the hosted version.
Help Desk Pilot:Packages start at $399.95 for the Standard package, which supports up to five users, and go up to $1,799.95 for the Enterprise package, which features unlimited report customization and support for up to 30 users.
PerlDesk:Small Business License is available for a one time fee of $199.99 and supports up to five users. Enterprise License is available for a one time fee of $499.99 and supports an unlimited number of users.
For more information about Help Desk solution providers, visit our website at ITQlick.com. We have a wide range of solutions for you to check or inquire to us about.
Market Trends
With the advent of Social Networking Sites (SNS), Help Desk software solutions can now be integrated with Twitter and Facebook.
Because of the increasing customer demand for support, many companies are moving to the 24/7 operation setup and this trend will continue over the next five years. Phone-based interaction is still the preferred Help Desk support by many customers than any other options available.
Cloud-computing is just beginning to explode and this trend is truly bringing a lot of benefits to the Help Desk industry. On top of that, more and more companies are choosing cloud-based Help Desk solutions.
As you know, the list of solutions provider we presented in this Buyer’s Guide is just a small portion of the entirety. More innovative providers are showing up and they are here to offer new software applications that will provide easier user interface.
With all these influencing trends at hand, selecting the right Help Desk solution for your business is still never been too late.
ITQlick chart - 2024 best Help Desk Software
Finding the right Help Desk software for your business
Proper Help Desk software selections are the precursor to successful deployment and business growth. Finding the right Help Desk solutions doesnít have to be complicated, and it doesnít have to take days or weeks of your time.
After researching over 5,000 systems, we can identify the best solution for companies of all shapes and sizes. ITQlick.com is 100% free for software buyers.