Help desk software tools can help businesses streamline customer service operations and enhance the user experience. To help businesses choose, here are our top five picks for the best-rated help desk software on Capterra India.
In this article
Customer service can be a crucial differentiator for businesses of all sizes. Typically, customers demand fast, personalised, and consistent support across multiple channels and may even be willing to switch brands if their needs are not met. However, delivering high-quality customer service may involve managing a large volume of requests, handling diverse communication channels, and resolving issues. So, how can businesses overcome these challenges and provide exceptional customer service? One way to achieve this is by using help desk software.
Help desk software are centralised platforms that assist businesses in managing and streamlining their customer service interactions. They can help automate ticket creation, assignment, and tracking, which are records of customer issues or queries. For instance, when a customer sends an email to a support address, some such software can automatically generate a ticket with a unique ID and assign it to the most suitable agent based on the issue type, customer priority, or agent expertise.
How can help desk solutions help businesses?
Here's how businesses can leverage these solutions for maximum benefit:
- Deliver timely and personalised support across multiple channels, ensuring a more satisfactory customer experience
- Quickly resolve issues to build lasting relationships and encourage repeat business
- Automate routine tasks, streamline workflows and optimise resource allocation to lower overheads and increase cost-efficiency
- Enable agents to manage more requests effectively, collaborate, and access critical information
- Use data and analytics to monitor performance, pinpoint inefficiencies, and continually improve the quality of support services
How do you determine your help desk staffing needs?
Determining help desk staffing needs requires a careful analysis of various factors to ensure that your team is well-equipped to handle customer inquiries effectively without being overburdened. Here are some key steps to follow:
- Analyse customer interaction volume: review the number of customer interactions (calls, emails, chats, etc.) over a given period. Look for patterns such as peak times or seasons to understand when demand is highest.
- Evaluate current staff performance: assess the efficiency of your current team. How many tickets does each staff member resolve daily? Are they meeting customer satisfaction benchmarks?
- Factor in service level agreements (SLAs): if your help desk operates under SLAs, ensure staffing levels are sufficient to meet these contractual obligations.
- Incorporate feedback mechanisms: regularly gather feedback from both customers and staff. This can provide insights into potential areas for improvement or the need for additional support.
- Utilise help desk software analytics: many service desk software can provide detailed analytics on ticket volume, handling time, and customer satisfaction, aiding in more accurate staffing predictions.
- Conduct regular reviews: regularly revisit your staffing needs assessment, as customer support requirements can change over time due to various factors, including new product releases, changes in customer base, or evolving market conditions.
By systematically evaluating these aspects, businesses can ensure that their team is neither overextended nor underutilised, potentially leading to better service quality and higher customer satisfaction.
5 best help desk software companies in India
In this article, we present a list of the five best-rated help desk software options for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in India. All tools are arranged alphabetically and have received at least 4/5 average overall user ratings and over 20 reviews on Capterra. Moreover, all tools are headquartered in India. For more information on our selection criteria, please refer to the methodology section at the bottom of the article.
1.
Agile CRM equips businesses with a help desk system to manage customer service interactions. The platform records customer issues, sorts them into categories, and assigns them to the appropriate support representatives based on expertise. For monitoring purposes, the software offers real-time updates on key metrics. Users can configure service level agreements (SLAs) via the platform to clarify the standards expected from the support team. Additionally, the system helps automate the progression of tickets through various stages, from receipt to resolution, in accordance with the SLAs.
Ticket management in Agile CRM is organised through labelling, which categorises customer queries for ease of access and response. For frequent inquiries, the software can generate pre-formulated canned responses. When it comes to pricing, Agile CRM’s free version supports up to 10 users and includes basic customer relationship management (CRM) features. The Starter plan builds upon the free tier by adding marketing tools, while the Regular plan integrates full help desk features, enhancing the system's customer service capabilities. The Enterprise plan offers extensive plugins, integrations, and advanced support features.
Key features of Agile CRM
- Contact and deal management
- Multi-channel communication
- Interaction tracking
- Two-way telephony and email integration
- Real-time chat
- Marketing automation and campaigns
- Knowledge base
2.
Desku is a customer service software that can be used for managing customer interactions and service requests. The platform is equipped with an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered inbox and a chatbot —Eva AI— that aids in composing responses and summarising customer issues. Desku also enables users to create customisable workflows that utilise bots, triggers, conditions, and rules to automate a variety of customer service operations.
The software includes a ticketing system that facilitates the handling of customer inquiries. It features omnichannel capabilities that aggregate interactions from various platforms into a single interface, presenting a unified view of customer communications. The system's ticket assignment function also helps users organise the distribution of tasks among team members. Additionally, Desku helps users integrate customer data into one interface, streamlining access to important customer details for service teams. Furthermore, the software aids in upholding customer service standards through the support of SLAs.
Desku provides a 14-day trial period, allowing users to explore its features before committing to a plan. The pricing plans, tailored to different team sizes and needs, include Startup, Team, and Business. While all plans offer support for unlimited tickets and customers, the Team plan offers advanced features suitable for small teams, whereas the Startup plan covers basic needs and the Business plan caters to larger businesses with more comprehensive requirements.
Key features of Desku
- Workflow automation
- Omnichannel support
- Self-service portals
- 50+ plugins and integrations
3.
Dialshree is a platform that can assist businesses in managing customer service, sales, and marketing efforts. It functions as an omnichannel contact centre solution, supporting various communication channels, including phone, email, chat, and social media. The software offers group categorisation to route tickets to appropriate agents or teams for personalised service. Customisable dashboards with smart views allow users to display pertinent information such as ticket priority and status, providing at-a-glance insights.
Additionally, the software provides system-generated recommendations based on canned responses and ticket labels. Graphical reporting features offer insights into metrics like ticket status, priority, and response times. Dialshree also supports third-party integrations with various widgets for telephony, support, billing, social media, eCommerce, and custom applications. For information on pricing plans, interested users can visit the vendor’s website and book a demo.
Key features of Dialshree
- Cloud and on-premise deployment options
- Self-service portal
- CRM integration
- Interaction tracking
- Mobile application support
4.
Faveo Helpdesk offers a ticketing management system that enables organisations to handle customer inquiries. The system groups related issues through ticket merging and uses an assignment mechanism to direct tickets to specific agents or departments based on expertise. The system's ticket workflows are designed to incorporate automation tools that aid in managing routine tasks and overseeing SLAs.
An auto-reply function is available for new tickets to ensure immediate acknowledgement. Additionally, Faveo provides a collection of pre-written responses to frequently asked questions, which can help users share consistent replies during customer interactions.
Faveo Helpdesk offers several pricing plans. The Freelancer plan is available at no cost and includes basic capabilities. The Startup and SME plans are more advanced, supporting a greater number of agents. For larger organisations, the Enterprise and Enterprise Pro plans offer a wider range of features and require direct consultation with Faveo's team for detailed information and pricing.
Key features of Faveo Helpdesk
- Customisable ticket workflow
- Priority management
- Self-service portal
- Multi-channel communication
5.
Kapture's help desk system can be used for a range of industries, providing contact centre management solutions for sectors such as retail, banking, financial services, consumer durables, and travel. The platform can help accommodate customer service operations across online and offline channels. It includes an agent assistant bot that can aid customer service agents in issue resolution and service maintenance. Additionally, it equips agents with detailed customer interaction histories. An access-based knowledge repository can assist internal teams in understanding the products and services being offered.
Kapture's pricing options include the Essential plan, which covers basic features like omnichannel ticketing and auto-assignment of tickets. The higher-tier Professional plan is broader, offering additional features such as custom application programming interface (API) access and eCommerce integrations. For larger organisations, the Enterprise plan includes advanced features like custom reporting and dedicated account management.
Key features of Kapture
- Drag-and-drop automation creation
- Skill and region-based ticket routing
- Reports and analytics
- Interaction tracking
- Customisable dashboards
Key considerations when choosing the best help desk system for your business
When searching for the best help desk solution, it's essential for SMEs to consider solutions that are tailored to the needs and constraints of smaller operations. While many features are universally beneficial, certain aspects are particularly crucial for small businesses:
- Ease of setup and use: help desk software should be easy to set up and use, with minimal training required. This is crucial for small teams that may not have dedicated IT support.
- Customisation to small business needs: it should offer customisation options that cater specifically to the scale and workflow of a small business, avoiding the complexity designed for larger enterprises.
- Advanced automation capabilities: even for smaller operations, automation can save significant time. Systems that can automatically categorise, prioritise, and assign tickets can be a huge boon for a small team.
- Self-service options: empowering customers to find answers through self-service can significantly reduce the workload on limited staff. Look for strong knowledge base functionalities and intuitive FAQ-building sections.
- Community and resources: the presence of a strong user community and access to resources like tutorials and best practice guides can be especially beneficial for small businesses.
By focusing on these aspects, small businesses can find help desk management software that is not only efficient and cost-effective but also adaptable to their specific operational dynamics and customer service challenges.
Methodology
To be considered for inclusion in this list, products had to meet the following criteria as of January 2024:
- A minimum average overall rating of 4 out of 5 stars over the past two years (15 January 2022 to 15 January 2024).
- At least 20 reviews of the software over the past two years (15 January 2022 to 15 January 2024).
- Meet Capterra’s definition of help desk software: ‘Help Desk software enables organisations to respond more efficiently to users, answering technical and functional questions by providing improved methodologies for ticket tracking, IT management, and customer service support. Integrating these elements improves the ability of customer service departments to provide fast and effective support to employees, end users, and customers. This facilitates the flow of new information from users, contributing to an organisation's existing knowledge base.’
- Offers the following core help desk features: knowledge base management and ticket management.
- Have headquarters in India.
Out of the resultant list of eligible tools, we selected the five with the highest overall average rating.