IT groups have lots on their plates. They handle each inside and exterior service requests, observe property, make certain networks are safe, and carry out a number of different obligations. It’s a high-stakes juggling act that may go sideways simply.
Merely managing all these totally different duties is sort of a job all by itself. As a result of complexity of their work, IT professionals depend on plenty of instruments to maintain all these metaphorical balls within the air. One of the vital used instruments of their stack is a service desk.
What’s service desk software program?
Service desk software program is a software that helps IT groups handle, arrange, reply to, and observe each inside and exterior service requests. Service desk instruments usually embody options to trace group efficiency and perceive general request developments via analytics reporting.
Advantages of service desk instruments
There are just a few key areas IT groups can enhance utilizing service desk software program.
Effectivity
Service desk software program usually contains issues like automation capabilities to cut back the period of time groups spend on routine duties. Some additionally embody the aptitude to construct self-service instruments like data bases and chatbots, each of which cut back quantity for human brokers, giving them invaluable time again.
Transparency
A service desk usually acts as a supply of reality for IT groups. With a service desk as your single level of contact, you possibly can see what everyone seems to be engaged on, the place bottlenecks occur, and what’s trending in requests and points. Elevated transparency may also assist points get resolved sooner, bettering the general buyer expertise, too.
Safety
Plenty of service desk software program decisions embody instruments for asset administration, serving to groups preserve observe of all their totally different gadgets. It’s also possible to usually have totally different permission ranges for brokers, making it simpler to restrict entry to sure info, serving to create a safer atmosphere.
Service desk vs. assist desk: What is the distinction?
Some would possibly think about the distinction between assist desk and repair desk software program to be purely semantic. Because the phrases are sometimes used interchangeably, that’s comprehensible, however there are just a few key variations.
Assist desks give attention to reactive assist — one thing goes unsuitable with a services or products, prospects contact the assistance desk, and the group works to resolve the problem. That is generally known as incident administration or a break-fix mannequin.
Service desks present some reactive assist, however their essential focus is proactive. Service administration is about offering long-term options to rising points, stopping future incidents from happening, and making strategic course of modifications to enhance the group’s stage of service. Additionally they could deal with requests for brand spanking new companies or handle bodily property (computer systems, cell gadgets, and so on.)
Primarily, whereas each are involved with product and repair incidents, assist desks heart across the wants of the client (or person) and repair desks think about the wants of the enterprise. It’s a refined however significant distinction.
15 finest service desk software program
Under is an inventory of 15 of the most effective service desk software program choices in the marketplace at the moment. Naturally, there’s some characteristic overlap, however we did our greatest to name out what makes every software distinctive so that you’re finest capable of resolve what instruments you wish to examine additional.
Assist Scout
Jira Service Administration
Solarwinds Service Desk
Spiceworks
ManageEngine Service Desk Plus
Zendesk
ServiceNow
SysAid
GoTo Resolve
JitBit
Rezo
Salesforce Service Cloud
HappyFox
Exalate
Freshservice
1. Assist Scout
Assist Scout is an intuitive, omni-channel communication software that helps IT groups handle requests successfully and effectively. Assist Scout is a collection of instruments comprised of some distinct components:
The shared inbox helps IT groups handle, arrange, and reply to requests shortly throughout a number of channels. Use options like saved replies to answer person requests extra shortly. Collision detection, which exhibits when one other group member is at the moment engaged on a request, helps groups keep away from duplicate work and retains brokers off one another’s toes. Together with these options, there are workflows which permit groups to automate plenty of handbook duties and tagging options that will help you preserve incoming requests organized.
Assist Scout’s data base builder — Docs — makes it simple to create a self-serve choice. You’ll be able to create totally different sections to make navigating your assist heart simple, and a built-in search operate makes discovering what somebody’s in search of simpler nonetheless.
Assist Scout additionally has plenty of AI-powered options that assist increase productiveness. AI summarize condenses lengthy e-mail threads into just a few bullet factors, serving to group members get up-to-speed on circumstances shortly. AI help can shorten or lengthen textual content, change its tone, and even translate it into a unique language. Assist Scout’s AI drafts characteristic may even draft a whole response to a request, basing it on previous conversations and assist articles in your data base.
Rounding out the checklist is Assist Scout’s Beacon software, which permits groups to supply stay chat for real-time assist. It’s also possible to use it to create messages and surveys, which lets you present related info to or accumulate person suggestions from particular segments of your viewers. This additional saves viewers — and inside employees — time.
Once you join you get entry to plenty of highly effective integrations, like Assist Scout’s Jira integration, which helps with situation administration. Lastly, you get entry to Assist Scout’s studies, which present how group members are performing and provides insights into request developments so that you will be extra proactive and fewer reactive.
Value: Free trial out there. Plans begin at $22/person per 30 days.
2. Jira Service Administration
Jira Service Administration is an IT-focused software that helps groups handle each inside and exterior requests. With it you are able to do issues like create customized request varieties to assist streamline situation decision, create self-service portals, and set and observe SLAs to tasks transferring ahead.
Different key options:
Asset monitoring, administration, and discovery instruments.
Customizable approval workflows.
Prebuilt integrations for instruments like Slack and Microsoft Groups.
AI-powered digital agent.
Value: Free plan out there. Paid plans begin at $22.05/agent per 30 days.
3. SolarWinds Service Desk
SolarWinds is an IT service desk answer serving to groups of all sizes. They provide instruments like worker self-serve portals to cut back pressure on inside groups. One other standout characteristic is their ITIL downside administration that allows you to escalate and clear up points via your personal ITIL framework.
Different key options:
{Hardware} administration.
Benchmarking studies.
Service desk chat.
IT service catalog.
Value: Free trial out there. Plans begin at $39/technician per 30 days.
4. Spiceworks
Spiceworks is a free software IT groups can use to handle, observe, and resolve requests. For a free software it’s fairly strong, providing issues like automated ticket project and routing. It additionally has some fundamental reporting capabilities and a data base builder for self-serve assist.
Different key options:
Cell app for on-the-go assist.
Customized ticket queues.
Automated ticket responses.
Energy BI integration.
Value: Free.
5. ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus
ManageEngine is an providing from the Zoho company. Whilst you could also be conversant in their buyer assist software, Zoho Desk, ManageEngine is geared towards IT professionals. The upper-cost plans allow you to create ITSM workflows in addition to do issues like asset monitoring and administration. It additionally contains helpful assist desk options like a shared inbox in addition to self-service instruments like a data base builder.
Different key options:
Process automation capabilities (auto-tagging incidents, and so on.).
Strong analytics.
On-premise or cloud deployment.
Prebuilt integrations.
Value: Free trial out there. Contact for pricing.
6. Zendesk
Zendesk is properly referred to as a assist desk answer, however they do provide some options that additionally lend to an IT use case equivalent to SLA administration and the flexibility to tag requests to higher observe and report on trending points. The software options an omnichannel inbox to handle requests from quite a lot of sources like e-mail, chat, voice, and social. It additionally integrates with plenty of IT instruments to assist with issues like asset administration.
Different key options:
Value: Free trial out there. Plans begin at $19/agent per 30 days.
7. ServiceNow
ServiceNow payments itself as an enterprise IT answer. It provides variety of instruments for issues like change administration, asset administration, and request administration. Additionally they have plenty of instruments geared at DevOps, so if that’s necessary in your group, then it’s definitely one to think about.
Different key options:
Value: Contact ServiceNow for pricing info.
8. SysAid
SysAid payments itself as an IT service administration software. They’ve options for issues like asset administration in addition to AI-powered automations to assist enhance effectivity. Additionally they provide plenty of integrations to connect with different instruments in your IT tech stack and preserve tasks transferring ahead.
Different key options:
Value: Contact for pricing.
9. GoTo Resolve
GoTo Resolve is a powerful providing with plenty of IT-focused options. They provide distant entry capabilities in addition to distant asset administration. You’ll be able to automate sure routine duties like software program updates utilizing the software and even schedule automations to provide group members invaluable time again of their days.
Different key options:
Value: Free trial and plan out there. Paid plans begin at $57 per 30 days.
10. JitBit
JitBit is an IT assist desk answer you possibly can set up on-premise or entry by way of the cloud. The characteristic set is pretty fundamental and contains issues like a shared inbox to handle incoming requests. It additionally contains some fundamental reporting and automation choices.
Different key options:
Value: Cloud plans begin at $29/agent per 30 days.
11. Rezo
Rezo is a service desk add-on that may add further performance to an current service desk. It could possibly analyze conversations — each voice and text-based — and assist construct automations to enhance your prospects’ experiences, all whereas saving your group time. It additionally has plenty of instruments geared at bettering and monitoring agent efficiency via AI.
Different key options:
Value: Contact Rezo for pricing.
12. Salesforce Service Cloud
Salesforce’s CRM is what put them on the map, but it surely’s removed from the one product they’ve. Their Service Cloud providing is a assist desk software IT groups can use to deal with incoming requests. It’s not essentially an IT-specific software, but it surely does provide asset administration and discipline service capabilities. It’s also possible to construct a data base for a self-serve choice in addition to reply questions stay via chat.
Different key options:
Value: Begins at $25/person per 30 days.
13. HappyFox
HappyFox makes a service desk software that features some handy options for IT groups. The shared inbox makes it easy to maintain requests organized. Additionally they provide a data base builder for self-serve assist, asset administration instruments, a service catalog, and integrations with IT-friendly instruments like LogMeIn.
Different key options:
Value: Free trial out there. Plans begin at $29/agent per 30 days.
14. Exalate
Exalate isn’t a service desk, however it will possibly assist supercharge one by letting you hook up with different instruments. It’s billed as a synchronization app and primarily enables you to ship info each methods between instruments. With it you possibly can sync information throughout platforms to interrupt down information silos and preserve an open circulate of data.
Different key options:
Value: Free plan out there. Contact for paid plan pricing.
15. Freshservice
Freshservice is a cloud-based IT assist desk. It boasts options like machine learning-powered reply recommendations. It’s also possible to deal with requests in quite a lot of platforms like Slack and Microsoft Groups or from their very own Freshservice chatbot. Additionally they have plenty of process automation choices to maintain groups as productive as attainable.
Different key options:
Self-service portal.
Contract administration.
A number of SLAs.
Audit logs.
Value: Free trial out there. Plans begin at $19/agent per 30 days.
Discovering the suitable service desk or ITSM software program for you
IT groups are accountable for lots. Managing these obligations is way simpler to do when geared up with the suitable instruments. Should you’ve not already invested in a service desk, we predict it’s a software each IT group wants to think about. Should you’re able to strive one out, you possibly can join a 15-day free trial of Assist Scout right here.