Top 5 Free or Affordable Online Helpdesk Ticketing Software Systems for Small Business

Using customer support software, sometimes known as helpdesk or ticketing software is probably the most effective way for a small business to manage it’s interactions with it’s customers and users of it’s products and services. Traditionally, helpdesk and online job ticketing software was used in IT departments who were servicing software to help them manage the flow of support queries from employees. But, helpdesk and ticketing software has expanded it’s reach and is now used in a range of business areas and sectors, such as online shops, hotel and travel booking websites, etc…

Below are a selection of the top 5 free or affordable online helpdesk ticketing software systems for small business.

1. Freshservice. This is a marketing IT Help Desk Tool with helpdesk and online ticketing software functionality. It comes with state of the art features such as gamification, which allow you to turn your service desk into a highly engaging and fun experience for your agents. It comes with a 30-day free trial and is free to use for up to 3 agents. Prices start at £20 a month for 4 or more agents. It has all the functionality that you would expect from an online helpdesk tool, including ticketing, secure helpdesk, productivity tools and enhanced reporting and analytics.

2.ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus. Used by the likes of Vodafone, Dell and Honda, this one of the big hitters in the help desk world. It comes with both a cloud-based and download-ready version and currently powers over 100, 000 IT help-desks. It comes in 3 version to suit your size of the business and these are: Standard, Professional, and Enterprise. Features include incident management, service catalog, problem management, IT project management, CMDB, automatic ticket dispatch, help desk notifications, user survey, business rules, asset management and much more.

4.ZenDesk. This is probably one of the most well known helpdesk and ticketing software tools. It has all the features you would expect from a best-of-breed tool, including: online ticketing, a centralized system to view and review conversations, self-service so customers an answer their own questions, reporting and analytics to help drive greater team performance and customer satisfaction. It comes with a free trial and pricing starts from £1 per agent per month, moving up to £22 per agent per month for more sophisticated features like: custom domains, satisfaction surveys and communities.

5.OsTicket. This is an opensource and completely free help desk and online ticketing system. Not only is it free, but it comes with all the features you would expect such as: sophisticated reporting, a customer portal, service level agreements, internal notes, auto responder, ability to assign and transfer tickets manually or automatically, agent collision avoidance, ticket filters etc…

6.Spiceworks. This is a helpdesk tool that is specifically designed for an IT department. This tool is also completely free and has no admin limit and no ticket limit. Key features include: ticketing with manual or auto assignment, self-service, team metrics, knowledge base and IT asset monitoring.