Top 5 Incredibly Cheap Help Desk Software Products You Should Try in 2024

How do you raise the efficiency of your business without costing an arm and a leg? One of the best ways to do so is to value customer feedback and maintain a relationship with them. As a business owner or manager, it is important that you engage with your customers and help them use your products and services to their best possible benefit.

Fortunately, we have today cheap help desk software that can handle troubleshooting assistance and gain insight from the experience of your customers, whether good or bad. However, some businesses equate cost with quality, but this is always not the case. There are a number of customer support platforms that provide excellent utility sans a huge capital outlay.

In this article, we’ll discuss five affordable help desk solutions that, despite their low price, provide reliable and efficient service. Any of them can also be your first step to building a help desk stack, as they scale to more advanced features to match your growing needs.

Help desk software is a godsend in today’s shift to a customer- and subscriber-centric business. The Temkin Group, for example, has found that companies can recoup up to 70% of their investment in customer experience within three years.

However, adoption, implementation, and compatibility issues are real challenges toward a more unified customer service front. Your business may have the most expensive help desk solution, but if it does not fit well with how your organization is set up in the first place, then you are wasting some of your investment. If you have a fully optimized help desk solution running, you are more likely to enjoy a customer satisfaction rating of 95% as others do.

It almost literally pays, before buying a full version of any help desk software program, to research your options. You can check online reviews to see if a certain solution matches your needs. It’s also a good idea to look at how it’s going to be implemented and maintained in your case.

What role does AI play in help desk software solutions?

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into help desk software is transforming the way businesses manage customer support. AI-driven features enhance efficiency, speed, and the personalization of responses, which can significantly improve customer satisfaction. Here are some key AI functionalities within help desk solutions:

• Automated Response and Chatbots: AI-driven chatbots can handle a wide range of common queries, guiding customers through basic troubleshooting or providing answers to frequently asked questions. This reduces the workload on human agents and allows them to focus on more complex issues.
• Sentiment Analysis: AI tools can analyze the sentiment in customer messages to gauge mood and urgency. By identifying keywords and tone, the software can prioritize requests based on customer frustration or satisfaction levels, ensuring that high-priority issues receive faster responses.
• Predictive Analytics: AI algorithms can analyze historical support data to predict future trends, such as peak hours for customer inquiries or common seasonal issues. This helps businesses staff their help desk more effectively and preemptively address issues before they escalate.
• Personalized Support Recommendations: AI can use past customer interactions and profile information to suggest personalized responses and solutions. By accessing previous inquiries and purchases, AI helps agents offer more tailored support, leading to a more satisfactory customer experience.
• Automated Ticket Categorization: AI can automatically categorize incoming tickets based on keywords and content, ensuring they are routed to the correct department. This speeds up resolution times and minimizes misrouted requests.

1. Freshdesk

Freshdesk was created to meet the demands of both small companies and large enterprises. It has a wide range of useful features, including multichannel capability, integrated game mechanics to improve agent productivity, multiple SLA policies, smart automation, and self-service portals.

Freshdesk

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Freshdesk also offers a range of standard help desk features such as help desk ticketing, knowledge base, and community platform. Once set up, Freshdesk turns your support emails into tickets that you can track for fast and accurate response. What is more, the solution offers you the flexibility to link forum questions to a ticket and vice-versa, enabling you to create a more streamlined set of answers and responses.

One of the best help desk solutions, Freshdesk offers a flexible pricing plan, with a free plan for up to three users and a great free trial. Paid plans start at $15 a month per agent, billed annually.

2. Salesforce Service Cloud

Salesforce Service Cloud is a help desk and customer support platform designed to help you obtain quicker and more reliable case resolutions. It provides a 360-degree picture of every client, allowing you to fix issues on any channel and improve customer satisfaction. Your service staff will be able to uncover more relevant cross-sell and upsell possibilities by having access to information about the goods and services your clients already use.

Accessible from any location or device, Salesforce allows users to quickly check service insights and customize messages. These messages can even be set to be automatically activated by client interactions or service activities, making it easier for you to spot opportunities and challenges. To help you focus and optimize your resources, the platform also offers a service analytics dashboard.

A full customer care platform, Salesforce Service Cloud includes features and capabilities such as omnichannel routing, case management, account and contact management, and social media customer service. It offers more than just basic customer service capabilities; it also includes tools for improving marketing and customer interactions, recognizing opportunities and problems from any location or device, and coordinating field service activities.

Salesforce offers four pricing tiers starting with the Essentials plan that costs $25 per user per month. It comes with all-in-one sales and support features which are perfect for small and growing companies.

3. Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk is an affordable help desk option. Like many on this list, it helps businesses render service to customers using tools that improve user productivity. It’s also armed with analytics and report generation functionalities that give managers the insight to determine relevant KPIs in agent performance. On the other hand, customers interacting with businesses that use Zoho Desk can find timely support.

Zoho Desk

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Using this software furnishes support teams with the best tools. These include multiple support channels and task automation tailored to the needs of the customer. In addition, Zoho Desk enables employees from other departments to contribute to customer service, empowering them toward more consistent customer experience. Communications software can complement the way your team discusses the way you furnish customer support.

The vendor also has an appealing free trial where you can tinker with the features at no cost. Zoho Desk has three plans, starting at $12 per month per user.

4. LiveAgent

LiveAgent is a popular helpdesk support solution that provides users with omnichannel help desk support capabilities. The product is known for its easy-to-use live chat support solution. It offers a well-rounded set of engagement features for social media and email support. The platform offers six main modules. These include ticket management, reporting, support portal, and gamification. Top features include a universal inbox, canned messages, ticket/customer insights, agent ranking, contact forms, real-time chat, performance reports, analytics, and channel report among others.

LiveAgent offers multilingual support tools with 39 translations. Hence, it is perfect for international operations. Furthermore, the software works well with other tools such as Slack, CoreCommerce, WordPress, and MailChimp, among many others. It has a free plan with basic features that can be enough for small business needs. Beyond that, it offers flexible per-agent-based pricing starting at $15 per agent a month for its ticketing features.

5. Zendesk

Zendesk is a modular solution that forms one of the products in the Zendesk Suite. In this article, we’ll be referring to Zendesk Support, the core product of the suite.

Right from the outset, Zendesk’s modular nature allows you to use the software with only the functions that you need. With Zendesk, you have all you need to answer customer feedback and interaction in one simple interface and inbox. You can respond to messages and queries via templates and use data from widgets and the customer’s search history. This allows you to craft personalized responses rather than start a conversation from scratch all the time.

Zendesk

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Zendesk is highly configurable, allowing you to customize and integrate it with your existing customer service workflow or other relevant apps. The software comes with built-in customer satisfaction ratings and analytics via performance reports and dashboards. You can look at our business intelligence software reviews for tools that can make sense of the data you gather from Zendesk.

The solution starts at $5 a month per agent, including that full-featured free trial. In fact, the free trial starts at a mid-level Professional plan so you can experience more tools at your disposal before you upgrade to a paid plan.

Price Should Never Be a Factor in Help Desk Software

While these five help desk software apps are great and affordable, you might be tempted to think that low price is all that you should factor in deciding which application to buy. As we’ve demonstrated in this article, price alone does not make any application better than other similar apps.

Like any other tool, some pieces of software have features that are more apt for a certain business or size (or even circumstances). Look at each’s feature set and reviews, then make a decision based on which software makes more sense for your needs.

Consider Other Tools That Work With Your Budget

If your budget is not too tight, you might consider other tools to help your business realize more ROI.

One that easily comes to mind is survey software that you could run concurrently with your help desk app investment. The feedback you stand to gather from this solution should help you enhance customer experience and satisfaction.

Some help desk software solutions are also embedded in some CRM tools. If you’re interested in such a program, help yourself to our CRM software reviews to find the one that matches your organization’s requirements.

That said, some solutions perform much better than others because they have a combination of a comprehensive feature set while costing less. One such software is Freshdesk, which tops this list. Freshdesk offers a slew of features that you need for any organization to engage with its customers while having a powerful engine under the hood. It offers automation, simplicity, and analytics that are of great use to any department in a company. With its advanced features, you can deliver top-notch customer support and technical service.

Key Insights

• Customer Engagement: Utilizing help desk software improves customer engagement and relationships by efficiently addressing customer inquiries and issues. This can significantly enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Affordable Solutions: There are numerous affordable help desk software options available that offer robust features without requiring a significant investment. Freshdesk, Zendesk, Salesforce Service Cloud, Zoho Desk, and LiveAgent are highlighted for their cost-effectiveness and capabilities.
• Feature-Rich Platforms: These platforms offer a range of features including multi-channel support, automation, analytics, and customization. These features help businesses manage customer interactions more effectively and gain insights into performance metrics.
• Scalability: The help desk solutions discussed are scalable, making them suitable for businesses of all sizes. As a business grows, these platforms can adapt to increased demands and additional features can be unlocked.
• Remote Accessibility: Many of these help desk systems offer cloud-based access, allowing customer service teams to work from any location. This flexibility is particularly valuable in the current trend towards remote work.
• Integration Capabilities: These help desk solutions can integrate with other business tools such as CRM, email, and social media platforms, providing a seamless workflow and enhancing overall operational efficiency.
• Support and Training: The platforms offer support and training resources to help businesses implement and make the most of their help desk software. This ensures that businesses can maximize the benefits of their investment.

FAQ

1. What is the importance of using help desk software? Help desk software improves customer service by efficiently managing and resolving customer inquiries and issues. It enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty by providing timely and effective support.
2. Which help desk software is the most affordable? Among the discussed options, Freshdesk and Zoho Desk offer competitive pricing, starting at $12 to $15 per user per month, making them affordable choices for businesses on a budget.
3. Can these help desk solutions scale with my business growth? Yes, the help desk solutions mentioned are scalable. They offer various pricing plans and features that can be upgraded as your business grows, ensuring they meet increasing demands.
4. Do these help desk systems support remote work? Yes, many of these systems, such as Salesforce Service Cloud and LiveAgent, offer cloud-based access, allowing customer service teams to work from any location with internet access.
5. How can help desk software improve customer engagement? Help desk software streamlines customer interactions through multi-channel support, automated responses, and personalized communication. This leads to more efficient issue resolution and a better customer experience.
6. Are these help desk solutions easy to integrate with other tools? Yes, the help desk solutions discussed can integrate with various business tools such as CRM systems, email platforms, and social media channels, providing a cohesive workflow.
7. What kind of support and training is available for these platforms? These platforms offer extensive support and training resources, including tutorials, customer service, and implementation guides, to help businesses effectively use the software.
8. What features should I look for in a help desk solution? Key features to look for include multi-channel support, automation, analytics, customizable templates, integration capabilities, and scalability to ensure the software meets your specific business needs.
9. How can I determine which help desk software is right for my business? Evaluate your business needs, budget, and the specific features offered by each platform. Consider starting with a free trial to test the software’s functionality and compatibility with your operations.
10. Can help desk software improve my business’s operational efficiency? Yes, by automating repetitive tasks, providing analytics for performance improvement, and integrating with other business tools, help desk software can significantly enhance your business’s operational efficiency.

By Christopher Robinson

Christopher Robinson is a senior productivity research analyst who specializes in optimizing online collaboration and project management using Scrum and agile approaches. In his work, he always emphasizes the need for distributed work training and the formation of efficient work habits. His work was mentioned in various business publications, including Entrepreneur and InfoQ. He’s a strong proponent of the GTD model. He has been cooperating with the FinancesOnline team for 5 years now, and his publications always focus on practical aspects of productivity tools that can have an actual, transformative impact on a company.