Having help desk software can make managing your business a breeze. Keeping track of all incoming and outgoing customer contacts helps improve your customer satisfaction by making contact simpler for the customer and a breeze for you.
Because of how important this software is, deciding on the one you want to use can be intimidating. Below you will find an in-depth analysis of five popular on-premise help desk softwares.
The Top 5 On-Premise Help Desk Software
| Brand | Starting price | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. HelpSpot | $999/year | Performance Analytics |
| 2. JitBit | $69/month | Automation Tools |
| 3. LiveAgent | $15/month | Chat Tool |
| 4. Kayako | $30/month | Customization |
| 5. SolarWinds Web Help Desk | $753/license | IT Professionals |
1. HelpSpot – Best for Performance Analytics
PRICING: FREE or $999 / year for 5 agents
HelpSpot is unique in this list because it is the only one that is solely web-based. They offer a mobile app if you prefer that, but from the computer all that is needed is a web browser. This could be helpful for large teams who don’t have the ability to add to the applications on their computers.
HelpSpot prides themselves on their simple product that gives you everything you need and nothing that you don’t. It is great for people who know what they want in help desk software. It can also be great for those that don’t have the time or energy to waste on trying out several features at once. If you’re someone who is always looking for the next big thing, you may want to find software that offers more bells and whistles.
KEY FEATURES:
- Shared inbox with collaboration tools
- Knowledge base for customer self-help
- Reporting and analytics
- Customer login so customers can keep track of their support tickets
- Automations
- Permission grouping to better manage who has access to what
- Has a mobile app
REASONS TO BUY:
- 21 day free trial
- Free version available
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Web based
- Not suited for smaller companies
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2. JitBit – Best for Automation Tools
PRICING: $69 / month for up to 4 agents
JitBit Help Desk cares about their customers succeeding. They do their best to teach the importance of personalized responses towards customers. To help, they provide suggestions and suggest having pre-made responses tailored to your needs. Their focus on customer satisfaction is one of their biggest successes.
With the goal to ensure you have all the tools necessary to keep your customers happy, it’s no wonder they are well known. This is further proven by their extensive free trial period and lifetime customer support with license purchases. Their focus on customer satisfaction makes them one of the best for companies in the retail space.
KEY FEATURES:
- Screen capture on web app
- Live chat
- Phone support
- Knowledge base for customer self-help
- Reporting and analytics
- user/company history
- Automations
- Permission grouping to better manage who has access to what
- Has a mobile app
- API
- import/export from other help desk software
- Audit logs
- Has integrations
REASONS TO BUY:
- 21 day free trial
- Purchase is for the license
- Includes free upgrades within the year of purchase
- Support will provide a new key for free if you lose yours
- Free technical support for life
- Offers cloud-hosted or on-premise options
- Provides response suggestions
- Best for retail focused companies
- Can be web based or used through the app
- Easy to use
REASONS TO AVOID:
- No free version
- Does not offer social media integration
- The app doesn’t work as well as the web version
3. LiveAgent – Best for Chat Tool
PRICING: FREE or $15 / month per agent
If your focus is quickly and efficiently responding to your customers, then LiveAgent may be the software for you. Their focus on streamlining communication across channels along with their extensive list of features put them on top with having everything you may want in one place. They make managing responses across multiple platforms a breeze.
All the features they provide may leave you confused or frustrated, though. When deciding on this software, remember to give yourself time to learn everything it offers. There’s no getting around the fact that there is a lot to take in with this product. Getting the hang of how to work with the features provided will help this software become a powerhouse.
KEY FEATURES:
- Knowledge base for customer self-help
- Reporting and analytics
- Live chat
- Can connect Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (on paid subscription)
- Phone support
- Call routing and transfers with the All-inclusive subscription
- API
- Analytics and performance reports
- Keep ticket history for 7 days (forever with paid versions)
- Different departments for ticket routing with paid versions
- Real-time visitor monitoring with certain versions
- Has integrations
- API
- Provides notifications
REASONS TO BUY:
- Has a free option
- 24/7 customer support
- No credit card is required to test the trial
- Great if you have multiple social channels to manage
REASONS TO AVOID:
- Only offers month-to-month billing
- Learning all of the features can be overwhelming
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4. Kayako – Best for Customization
PRICING: $30 / month per agent for up to 5
Getting to know your customer is Kayako’s key goal. They monitor and provide all information relevant to your customers so that you have all the information needed to best meet your goals. Having so much information about your customer before having to respond can make a world of difference in providing personal responses.
Kayako continues their focus on personalization by allowing you to have different customized help centers for the customer to use. This will allow you to keep things organized and easy to understand for the customer, which ultimately leads to higher satisfaction. You can also use their report feature to monitor how much traffic your different help centers are getting. Doing this will allow you to improve things to meet your customers’ needs.
KEY FEATURES:
- Help center for customer self-help
- Outline of the customer journey to see what they’ve viewed and contacted about previously
- Live chat
- Has a mobile app
- API
- Automations and SLA rules
- Reporting and analytics
- Message status to see when you’re messages have been read
- Provides notifications
- Has integrations
REASONS TO BUY:
- 14 Day free trial
- Great customization options
- Great for e-commerce
- 24/7 customer support
- Offers cloud-hosted or on-premise options
REASONS TO AVOID:
- No free version
- Bonus features cost more
- Updates and new features are infrequent
5. SolarWinds Web Help Desk – Best for IT Professionals
PRICING: $753 / license up to 5 agents
SolarWinds is the oldest software on this list. Started in 1999, they’ve had a while to figure out what they believe is important. A key thing to note about SolarWinds is that their software is best used by those who want to have a focus on IT functionality. They put a focus on having fantastic automations to ensure that it satisfies your customers while making your life easier.
While there was a vulnerability found while using the software on public infrastructure, the company was quick to launch an investigation. The company put out a notification as soon as one of their customers came forward with the discovery. Luckily, the issue only involved a specific version of the software. It’s good to know that the company was quick to react and work with its customers to keep them safe.
KEY FEATURES:
- Automations and SLA rules
- Knowledge base for customer self-help
- Phone support
- Reporting and analytics
- Has a mobile app
- API
- Can be web-based
- Provides notifications
- Has integrations
REASONS TO BUY:
- 14 Day free trial
- Provides performance alerts
- Offers subscription or permanent license options
- 24/7 customer support
- Offers subscription or license purchasing option
REASONS TO AVOID:
- No free version
- UI feels outdated
- A vulnerability was found last year in the security
- Not good for freelancers
References and Links
- https://helpdeskreviews.com/top-3-on-premise-help-desks.php
- https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/best-help-desk-software/
- https://www.helpspot.com/
- https://www.jitbit.com/
- https://www.liveagent.com/help-desk-software/#sth
- https://kayako.com/
- https://www.solarwinds.com/