Help desk tools download

Users can also post questions for the community to seek solutions and tips on getting the most out of the office system. A wide range of contact methods include phone, email, chat, and social media.

However, if you want to restrict the channels through which users and customers can communicate problems with the help team, just leave those facilities disabled. You can integrate a ticket submission page into your website with a customizable form. Managers get a live view of open tickets. The dashboard displays a card for each operative , dividing the group into those who are online and those who are not currently on their shift.

The number of open tickets that each operator has to deal with is shown, and these are categorized by timeframe. The management console includes analysis tools that include reports on demand over time and the turnover of each support team member. Specific tasks can be automated like work allocation and problem notifications. Zoho offers a day free trial of Zoho Desk to test drive the system. Zendesk is very widely deployed on websites that offer subscription services.

For example, this help desk software is very widely used in the VPN industry. The most noticeable features of Zendesk are its ticket management system and its live chat facility. Webform , live chat , and email are centralized in the console, so the operative only needs to access one point to communicate with customers instead of having to swap between the email system, a chat app, and the web interface.

Although SaaS and cloud storage providers widely use Zendesk , it is also suitable for in-house support departments , including an IT help desk. Zendesk Suite is a package of support utilities available on the cloud.

The suite includes a knowledge base platform , which can be your first port of call for users in trouble. Many calls to the IT help desk originate from users who just want to know what directory to save work in and which printer is the closest to them. So, creating user manuals and a troubleshooting guide on the company intranet will ease pressure on the support team.

Although live chat is probably more regularly regarded as a sales channel, using this feature for IT help desk provision can speed up the problem resolution process.

All communications between a user and a support team member are logged in the system under a ticket number. That ticket can be forwarded to specialist staff or split to create multiple workflows. The user is given the option to close a ticket , and if an operative closes the ticket without permission, the user can reopen the issue.

The involvement of the user in deciding whether a job is finished supports team members who tend to close a ticket rather than deal with it. It is also possible to add in a user or customer satisfaction survey during the ticket closure process to monitor staff performance.

You can set goals to reduce the time each issue takes to resolve, identify the most common issues that provoke calls to the help desk, and track SLA performance. The standard reports produced by Zendesk support analysis and agreement performance delivery, but you can also create your own customized report formats.

The pricing model of Zendesk is entirely scalable. You pay a monthly subscription rate per agent. This makes a very high-quality support desk system available to the smallest of enterprises and you just add on more agent subscription as your company grows.

Zendesk offers a free trial of the service so you can give it a run-through before committing any money. Dameware is a division of SolarWinds.

That company takes the top spot in this list of the best tools for IT help desks. However, Dameware Remote Support is a tool that you should consider to enhance the performance of your support technicians. This is an on-premises system and is priced per technician.

It can be installed on Windows and Windows Server environments. However, it is easy to expand your coverage just by buying in more agent licenses. As the name of this tool suggests, it enables your technicians to access user devices, explore issues, and fix problems. DameWare Mobile includes the same remote control mechanism used in the desktop version of DameWare Remote Support, so it allows IT pros and end-users to share the desktop screen during remote support sessions.

Although the Dameware system can be used for customer support, the issue of control over remote computers is easier to implement on in-house equipment. So, you can expand the use of this software beyond the boundaries of your company , but this strategy is probably better suited to internal support functions, such as an IT help desk. The software includes a range of network analysis tools, such as Ping and Traceroute. These enable technicians to check on possible network issues if a user query sounds as though its cause is outside the endpoint device.

The Remote Support tool is shipped with a number of pre-written analysis and inventory reports, but you can also specify your own customized reports. Security features of the tool include the enforcement of 2FA , and you can get access to devices that are powered off or in sleep mode.

SolarWinds operates a user community, called THWACK , where your team leaders and technicians can get tips and troubleshooting advice from fellow owners of the Dameware Remote Support system. The company offers a day free trial for Dameware Remote Support. It acts as a self-service platform in both searchable troubleshooting pages and in a chat window format. However, it is an interesting utility, which, as an add-on to your ticketing system, can drastically reduce calls to the IT Help Desk and maximize the capabilities of unqualified help desk agents.

The AI-driven knowledge base approach of Agent. This means you could outsource your help desk functions to a call center once you have the knowledge engine of the system correctly set up. However, that approach would require a very comprehensive mapping of all the technical expertise in your IT support department. That encompasses not only the information on how to fix a problem but the process of decision making that derives the probable cause of a problem.

In some instances, that can lead to very complicated paths. As most support technicians know, some problems are caused by an unexpected combination of errors, and it can be tough to isolate each contributing component. The Agent. An effective support scenario implemented with Agent. This uses the Auto-pilot facility of Agent. The module asks questions of the user, successively narrowing down the problem to arrive at a solution.

Once the solution phase begins, the Auto-pilot requests feedback from the user on the effectiveness of the suggestion. This process repeats until the problem is solved. The Auto-pilot can be dressed up to pose as a real person. This can be achieved by implementing the utility through a chat window and giving it a human name.

If no Auto-pilot solution works, the user should be passed on to a support agent and at this point, your ticketing system should kick in. Again, this contact can be performed through a chat screen , or it can be carried out over the phone. The support agent has access to the other format of Agent.

This facility uses probability to guide the agent through investigation and solution options. This is probably going to be exactly the same path taken by Auto-pilot.

However, the inclusion of the human element at this point can help improve the interaction between the user and the AI inference engine. When all of these defenses fail, the ticket can then be passed on to an expert who, with the log of all of the facts unearthed during the Co-pilot stage, will already have much of the investigation taken care of.

This investigation assistance will significantly reduce the time that each expert needs to dedicate to support tasks. However, you will need to populate the knowledge base, and that task can take quite a long time. N-able MSP is a division of SolarWinds that focuses its efforts on providing support products for managed service providers. Each MSP can be expected to serve several companies simultaneously. The service comes with a brandable customer portal , which enables the employees of the supported company to raise a support request ticket and receive feedback on the progress of the problem resolution.

The portal is also accessible through a mobile app. Functions included in the N-able MSP Manager are a ticketing system , which creates access points for users into the support team through email or from the customer portal. The manager also queues queries form users and allocates them to technicians. The time information that comes out of the ticket management system automatically flows through to a billing system.

MSPs using this system can generate their invoices from within N-able MSP Manager, or export the data through to a specialist billing system. N-able MSP offers a day free trial of MSP Manager so you can put the system through its paces before you commit to sign-up for the subscription service. This package can be used to support in-house departments or customers and their staff. The dashboard of the service can be tailored so that you create different screens for different roles. This gives call center staff access to the same system as technicians and managers without revealing functions and data views that could compromise data security.

The system copes with a range of communication channels including calls, email, chat, and web forms. The agents who field initial calls can be given a searchable troubleshooting system that enables them to identify the problem.

If a ticket needs to be allocated to a back-office technician, the system carries through records of contacts and actions that have already been performed. A deeper technical knowledge search facility is available for technicians that give access to corporate-wide applications.

A troubleshooting option is specifically tailored to field agents. Managers can allocate staff to support calls either in-house or out in the field.

That allocation can also be automated. In the automated task allocation scenario, you need to set up groups of competence so specific problems are allocated to members of specific groups.

Managers get live metrics in the dashboard that show current activity in the IT Help Desk Department and tickets that are open but not currently being worked on. You can set up workflows to set a path of actions and designate collaborators on a ticket.

The progress along that critical path is visible in the management dashboard. My Alienware Free. Braytech Free. Gamepad Battery Status Free. Yeelight Control Free. Additional information Published by msiappadm. Published by msiappadm. Approximate size 9. Age rating For all ages. This app can Access all your files, peripheral devices, apps, programs and registry Access your Internet connection Microsoft. I downloaded HESK, now what?

Is there an easier way to get HESK? Why yes, there is, thanks for asking. Yes, you can update your HESK version 2. You can preview entire support email messages and write your replies right in the dashboard, without ever having to jump back and forth between screens.

There's live chat to help customers in real time, mobile apps to help customers on the go, and more. And if you ever need to switch to another customer support app—or want to analyze your support and social data—there's XML exports to take everything with you. Your customers are telling you what new features they'd like to see and what bugs need fixed every time they send you a support ticket.

Whether they directly ask for it, or just mention a problem that bug or lack of feature is causing, each support ticket should be a vote, a reminder that you should get this fixed. UserEcho helps you keep that in focus. It's a forum-focused support tool where your users can ask for new features, add comments and thoughts about them, and upvote their favorite ideas.

Each new comment and vote will show up in your email support queue, along with the rest of your support emails, so you'll never forget about the things that are most important to your users.

You can solve their problems and answer questions, while prioritizing the most important new features for your development roadmap at the same time. See UserEcho integrations on Zapier. With so many great apps, how can you pick the one that's best for your needs? If you just need to offer email support or build help documentation for your users, almost any app in this chapter would work fine. But perhaps you want something extra—a special feature to help you offer better support? Here's some quick tips to help you decide:.

Each of these support tools are dependable, and will each help keep your support inbox under control. But no app is perfect—and no app can include every feature. That's where Zapier app integrations come in. You can use Zapier to connect your favorite apps and add extra features to your support tool. Disqus' customer support team is a great example. With their own support tool, they needed a way to keep track of spam messages that were coming in. Zapier, with a Google Sheets connection, proved to be the solution.

We've since developed more tools to help on this front, but coming up with that first workflow in Zapier gave us a head start. You'll need to add your own extras to make a support app perfect for your team's needs, and Zapier can help you, too. Whether you need to bring in support tickets from other apps, log support data to your CRM, or make sure your team sees the most important tickets—or anything else—there's a Zap for that.

Many support tools include their own support form so customers can get in touch with your team from your website. If you already have a web form on your site, though, you might want to keep using it instead. Or, depending on your customer support app, you may want to bring in tickets from social networks, chat, or even other email accounts. These and other Zaps can help you out. Some tickets take just a quick reply, but others might take hours to solve.

You'll need to loop in the right people, and make sure everyone follows through and closes the ticket. Zapier can automate it by turning your support tickets into bug listings, projects, events, or just a simple task in your to-do list.

Need to make sure everyone knows about the latest support tickets? Whether you need to share difficult questions in your team chat, ping your dev team when there's a technical problem, or make sure your support team sees new messages as soon as they come in, all you'll need is a Zap that connects your support app to your favorite messaging tool. You could just answer your support tickets, make sure your customers are happy, and call it a day. Or, you could keep a detailed log of every support interaction, keeping track of common problems and graphing your support team's performance.

Build your own custom new features with a spreadsheet or database, or help your team celebrate when the support queue is empty—these Zaps will take a bit more creativity, but they're also incredibly powerful. Whether you need a simple tool just to answer emails, or a full-featured support center that lets you talk on the phone, live-chat, and turn feature requests into realities, there's a support app that fits your needs. You just might have to try a few on and see which works best for your team.

So don't be afraid to experiment—after all, your support team will have to use the app you pick all day, every day for the foreseeable future. Try a few of the apps above that seem to fit your needs best, and see which one sticks. Then, bring over your support documentation and accounts, and dig in. Make your new app feel like home.

With that done, it's time to get back to providing great customer support, and building better products. That—not your support tool—is what matters anyhow. Email and documentation are great, but they might not be enough. If your customers need real-time, one-on-one help, you might do better with a dedicated live chat app. In the next chapter, we'll take a look at the very best live chat apps for customer support. Or, if you've already found the app you need for customer support, jump ahead to chapter 8 to learn how to use your support app's best features to support your customers faster.

Go to Chapter 7! Written by Zapier Marketer Matthew Guay. Zapier is the easiest way to automate powerful workflows with more than 3, apps. Email me about new features. Why Zapier? How Zapier works. Product tour. Customer stories. Popular ways to use Zapier. Apps that work with Zapier.

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Zapier for Companies Manage multiple teams with advanced administrative controls in Zapier. Search apps…. Log in. Sign up. Chapter 6 of Download eBook. You are reading: Chapter 6 of Table of Contents. The Top 7 Features of Customer Support Apps If you sell products online, or have an email newsletter , you likely know your customers' email addresses already.

Team Inbox A support inbox with emails in Groove. Slack relies on Zendesk for its knowledge base, the Slack Help Center. Disqus employs a support forum to let customers help one another. HappyFox pulls Twitter conversations into the team inbox. Intercom lets you interact with customers via email or live chat. Freshdesk includes phone support that turns calls into tickets. HappyFox helps you offer mobile support with its HelpStack feature.