Explore the top picks for Help Desk Platforms to improve customer service. Compare leading choices like HubSpot Service Hub, Freshdesk, Jira, and Zendesk.
According to a study by Microsoft, 96% of consumers worldwide say customer service plays a crucial role in their choice of and loyalty to a brand.
We all know customer service is important and customers expect it. Yet, so many companies get it wrong – they aren’t efficient enough, they aren’t automated, and they didn’t see your Facebook message. The list goes on and on.
The companies that are really turning heads with their remarkable customer service teams are able to do so with the help of Help Desk Software.
What Is Help Desk Software Used For?
At its core, help desk software automates key functions to empower your support staff, usually through a ticketing system. That means, regardless of the channel your customer chooses for support (Facebook, email, Whatsapp, live chat, etc), their request is transformed into a digital ticket with all the vital case/customer information needed to process it.
What are the Standout Features to Look for?
- Ticket Management: Efficient creation, routing, and tracking of support tickets.
- Ticket Modification and Closure: Ability to modify and close tickets while maintaining a detailed record of closure.
- Data Sharing: Capability to share ticket data seamlessly with other integrated systems like Slack, Shopify, and others.
- Multichannel Ticket Reception: Ability to receive tickets through various channels, including chat, email, SMS, and social media.
Here's what's covered in this article - just click to jump to the section you're most interested in:
- Best for Growth-Minded Businesses
- Best for Small-to-Mid-Sized Businesses
- Best for Enterprise Service Management
- Best for Customer Experience
- Which is Right for Your Business?
- Tips for Help Desk Platform Implementations
HubSpot Service Hub
Overview
HubSpot’s Service Hub is a cloud-based customer service platform that helps businesses manage their customer interactions and support requests. It’s designed to provide personalized, 24/7 service through flexible channels, such as email, phone calls, chat, and social media.
Service Hub connects all your customer service data and support channels on one customer platform, so you can easily support, retain, and grow your customer base.
With Service Hub, you can gather important insights about your customers, track their interactions, and deliver personalized service experiences that keep them coming back for more. It helps you deepen your customer relationships and build a loyal customer base.
Key Features:
- Conversational tools
- Shared inbox
- Help desk automation
- Knowledge-base functionality
- Customer surveys for customer feedback
- Reporting
- Customer Portal
- And more
Pricing:
HubSpot offers a free plan with limited features for all of its products, including Service Hub. Paid plans add additional features and start at $20/month (Starter).
- $0/month USD (Free)
- $20/month per seat USD (Starter)
- $100/month per seat USD (Professional)
- $130/month per seat USD (Enterprise)
Get the most accurate pricing and learn more about HubSpot Service Hub here.
Best for Growth-Minded Businesses – HubSpot Service Hub
HubSpot Service Hub stands out as our top choice for growth-oriented businesses because of its connection to the full HubSpot platform. That means beyond being a standalone service software, HubSpot Service Hub is run on a platform with additional native business tools for marketing, sales, and more.
The synergy with the HubSpot platform empowers businesses to create a truly customer-focused approach. With all of your data and information flowing through the same platform, it can enable next-level customer service to help your business grow.
For example, imagine if your social media team could create a service ticket for a customer who posted on Facebook about a bad experience – which immediately triggers the customer support team to follow up.
It’s all possible with the single source of truth that HubSpot provides.
What do users think of HubSpot Service Hub? Click here to see what users reveal to be the true pros and cons.
Freshdesk
Overview
Next on our list is Freshdesk, a customer-facing help desk solution designed specifically for small-to-mid-sized businesses (SMBs). Freshdesk is focused on efficiently resolving customer issues with minimal friction for both customers and service technicians. Some of its advanced features and tools for responding to customers help set it apart from the competition.
Key Features:
- Team inbox
- SLA management
- Canned responses
- Linked tickets
- Multi-channel support
- Intelligent ticket assignment
- Event-triggered automation
- AI-powered chatbot
- And more
Pricing:
Freshdesk offers a free trial for up to 10 agents with limited features. Paid plans start at $15 and add additional features and functionality.
- $0/month USD (Free)
- $15/agent/month USD (Growth)
- $49/agent/month USD (Pro)
- $79/agent//month USD (Enterprise)
Get the most accurate pricing and learn more about Freshdesk service portal here.
Best for Small-to-Mid-Sized Businesses - Freshdesk
We like Freshdesk, the all-in-one help desk software to support the customer service needs of small businesses. As one of the market leaders, Freshdesk stands out for its scalability, intuitive interface, and powerful automation capabilities. Yet, with a free trial and four flexible pricing tiers, small businesses can access the tools they need to provide intuitive and contextual support across channels.
Trying to choose between Freshdesk and Hubspot? Here's a head-to-head comparison.
Jira Service Management
Overview:
Jira Service Management, born from Atlassian’s initial help desk offering, caters to various needs, including IT operations, facilities management, and more. It stands out by integrating team messaging and AI-powered problem resolution.
Key Features:
- Service desk
- AI-powered virtual agent
- Self-service
- Reports and Metrics
- Dynamic Forms
- Dependency Mapping
- And more
Pricing:
Jira offers a free version for up to 3 agents with limited features. Paid plans start at $22.05/agent/month and add additional features and functionality.
- $0/month USD (Free)
- $22.05/agent/month USD (Standard)
- $49.35/agent/month USD (Premium)
Jira also offers an enterprise-level subscription, but you need to contact their sales team for pricing.
Get the most accurate pricing and learn more about Jira Service Management here.
Best for Enterprise Service Management – Jira Service Management
Jira Service Management provides additional security and identity management (primarily single sign-on or SSO) features, which may be key differentiators for larger companies looking for a solution.
Zendesk for Service
Overview:
Evolving from a basic help desk system, Zendesk for Service is now a comprehensive platform. It is particularly suitable for companies aiming to improve the overall customer experience.
Zendesk for Service includes social tie-ins that can turn questions and requests from social media platforms into tickets. This could be a much-needed feature for a company that deals with a large customer base.
With a marketplace containing more than 1,200 third-party apps and integrations, Zendesk has many options for customizations.
Key Features:
- Customizable user interface
- Reporting and query tooling
- Messaging
- AI and automation
- Help Center
- Large marketplace of apps and integrations
- And more
Pricing:
Zendesk offers a free trial for all of their plans. Paid plans start at $19/month and add additional features and functionality.
- $19/month USD (Support Team)
- $55/month USD (Support Professional)
- $49.35/agent/month USD (Support Enterprise)
Get the most accurate pricing and learn more about Zendesk here.
Best for Customer Experience – Zendesk
With a flexible, easy-to-use platform, Zendesk is perfect for businesses that want to explore new ideas for customer experience and need the tools to do so.
As they say on their site, “From small businesses to enterprises, Zendesk gives organizations the ability to move quickly, focus on innovation, and scale their growth—all while providing an immersive customer experience that’s second to none.”
Trying to Choose Between Zendesk and HubSpot? Here's a head-to-head comparison.
Which Is Right for Your Business?
Just how important is customer service and support? Think about it in your own personal experience. Have you ever sworn off a restaurant because of bad service? Have you ever switched to a different company because of bad support? Of course, we all have.
Just the same – have you ever recommended a product because of the great experience you had? Yup, we all do that too!
That’s the benefit of good customer service. By delighting your customers, they not only continue to be your customers, but they may even refer more business too.
A customer support platform is an investment in your customer service. To choose the right one, it’s important to carefully consider your specific needs, scale of operations, and required features.
Here at Growth Spurt, we believe that great customer support is a piece of the bigger puzzle. That’s why we always recommend HubSpot Service Hub, built on HubSpot Free CRM, and paired with the other appropriate Hubs needed for your specific business (Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Content Hub, Commerce Hub, and Operations Hub). That setup will provide your business with a single source of truth for your data and a seamless and integrated approach to leveraging it across your entire business.
If you need any help along the way, just reach out.
Tips for Service Desk Implementations
Once you've picked your platform, it's time to start planning your implementation. Use these helpful tips to ensure your implementation goes as smoothly as possible.
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Define Your Goals: Before diving into implementation, clearly define your objectives and what you hope to achieve with the service software. Whether it's improving response times, enhancing customer satisfaction, or increasing efficiency, having specific goals will guide your implementation strategy.
- Involve Your Team: Get buy-in from your support team early in the process. Involve them in the software selection and implementation decisions since they'll be the ones using it daily. Ensure they understand the benefits of the new software and provide training to maximize adoption and efficiency.
- Customize to Fit Your Needs: Tailor the software to align with your business processes and workflows. Customize ticket categories, SLA rules, and automation settings to reflect your support practices. A well-aligned system will improve productivity and ensure a better fit for your team's needs.
- Provide Comprehensive Training: Invest in thorough training for all users of the service software, from frontline support agents to managers. Offer initial training sessions as well as ongoing support and refresher courses to keep everyone up to speed with new features and updates.
- Promote Collaboration: Encourage collaboration among team members by leveraging features like shared inboxes, internal notes, and team messaging. Foster a culture of knowledge sharing and teamwork to ensure issues are resolved efficiently and effectively.
- Measure Performance Metrics: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to track the success of your service software implementation. Monitor metrics such as response times, resolution rates, customer satisfaction scores, and agent productivity. Use this data to identify areas for improvement and refine your support processes over time.
- Seek Customer Feedback: Solicit feedback from customers about their experience with your support team and the service software. Use surveys, feedback forms, or customer interviews to gather insights into what's working well and where there's room for improvement. Incorporate customer feedback into your continuous improvement efforts.
- Stay Flexible and Adapt: Be open to making adjustments as needed based on feedback from your team and customers. Service software implementations are not one-size-fits-all, and flexibility is key to optimizing your processes for success.
- Stay Updated: Keep up with software updates, new features, and industry trends to ensure you're leveraging the full potential of your service software. Regularly evaluate your system's performance and explore opportunities for optimization and enhancement.
