There are seven types of help desk software. The differences have to do with where the software is hosted, whether internal or external, the type of company it’s designed for, and whether the underlying code is open source.
Each type has specific benefits, depending on the size, complexity, and customer service needs of your business. Let’s take a look at them:
1. Help Desks for Large Companies
As the name suggests, this type of help desk tool is made for larger organizations that need a help desk that can operate at scale. An enterprise help desk offers a range of features such as account and asset management, knowledge base, and IT helpdesk collaboration tools, and has no (or very high) user limits. This is ideal for large companies looking to support their customers and employees.
2. Internal and external service desks
Internal help desks, also known as service desks, were created to help internal teams such as IT and HR support employees. The internal help desk works similarly to the external help desk. The main difference between internal and external help desk tools is who uses them: employees use internal tools, and customers use external tools.
3. Web-based help desk
Web-based help desk solutions are SaaS platforms hosted on the software provider’s servers. Such help desk solutions are typically offered through monthly or annual subscriptions, which include maintenance, updates, and security costs. A SaaS help desk is a great option for SMBs that don’t have the budget or infrastructure to host and maintain their own help desk system.
Advantages of a Web-Based Help Desk
Web-based help desks (or SaaS help desk software) are worth considering because of their popularity in the market right now and their impressive flexibility. As many companies have moved to remote work, customer service teams have had to learn how to work from home rather than the office. SaaS help desk software empowers customer service teams to quickly manage tickets, securely access customer data, and deliver exceptional customer service anytime, anywhere.
Another advantage of using an online help desk tool is the flexibility it offers. SaaS help desk platforms are often customizable and extensible, allowing teams to tailor the platform to their needs. Additionally, they can add features and functionality as customer service needs increase.
4. On-Premise and Cloud-Based Help Desk Software
The core functionality of the on-premises agent app is the same as that of the cloud-based agent. But with an on-premises help desk, the necessary software is hosted “on-premises” rather than in the cloud like a cloud-based help desk.
A local IT help desk allows companies with strict data security requirements to store their data on their own servers. Plus, they can be customized to your liking, so they work with your company’s internal systems. However, this requires regular maintenance, which must be done in-house.
Cloud-based help desk software stores your data on external servers of the software provider or a third party. When this data is stored in the cloud, it is often easier to scale it up and down as needed. Also, you are not responsible for the maintenance of the software.
5. Open source and closed source
Open source help desk software allows users and organizations to copy, modify or remove the underlying code. This flexibility enables companies with highly skilled programmers to fully customize the software according to the needs of the company. This customization goes far beyond standard plugins and integrations.
On the other hand, closed-source help desk applications are proprietary. What you see is what you get, only your software developer can copy, modify or delete it. Of course, there is still plenty of room to customize closed-source helpdesk software to your liking thanks to APIs, SDKs, integrations with third-party apps, and plugins.
