Looking for a good Support Desk

[cashtech29]

Hello everyone, I'm Looking for a good Support Desk program.
Couldn't find anything in the forum search.
Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

[Charlie Parker]

I used to use one but shut it down because of spam.

Now I just use a gmail account which forwards all support into a 'support', folder in my main gmail account. You can set up canned responses in gmail which means answering common questions with one click. Plus I don't have to log into anywhere else, its all within my other main gmail which is the hub of my online communication, almost.

Gmail keeps all replies to the same person threaded which is handy, and if you want to outsource support, you can just give them access to the support gmail address and you'll still be able to check on things from your main gmail hub.

[cashtech29]

Sounds like this might be handy to use.
I'll have to look into this further.

I always though that support desks would stop the spam
with the image box that has the crooked letters.
Anyway,
Thanks for the reply.

[Chris Wilkinson]

Hi,

For my help desk I use osTicket. It's open source software, easy to install and use. Plus it's free. osTicket:: Open Source Support Ticket System - not my site or affiliated with etc. Just a happy user.

Hope this helps
Chris W

[Pat Jackson]

Is there a way you can get Osticket to send you an email when someone opens a new ticket?

[Chris Wilkinson]

Originally Posted by Pat Jackson

Is there a way you can get Osticket to send you an email when someone opens a new ticket?

Short answer 'yes', there is an admin area where you can adjust settings to send you an email when a new ticket is opened.

[ShafirAhmad]

I use somthing called Three Pillars Helpdesk, it also has a desktop module that alerts you (in a tray icon) if you get any support tickets

[Mark .W. James]

the pillars is good. easy to implement and works smoothly. Im working on one myself which will be much simpler, better looking, ability to create custom templates and cheaper than any competition out there.... will launch it in the wso section... but theres time for tht....

im not trying to advertise or anything.. but yes, three pillars is your best choice now.

[Jeff Usher]

Only one I use is Hesk. Updated recently and now looks even better. Loads of functions including canned responses, knowledge base etc etc

Best of all, it's completely free.

Jeff

[thegamecat]

Help Desk Software, Customer Service Software, Live Chat Software is brilliant - it's not free though. I do think osTicket is highly rated as has been mentioned.

[knmrwarrior]

I also use OS Ticket.

If your webhost comes with the Fantastico application manager, use this to install OS Ticket easily in a couple of clicks. I know that this works with both HostGator and BlueHost.

[BrianMcLeod]

I think OSTicket is strangely overlooked. I'm glad to see it recommended here. If there's some hidden potential downside to OSTicket that I'm in the dark about, it certainly hasn't been an issue for me.

I have been using it for some time now and find it quite easy to customize, simple to configure and use, and it's a one click install in Fantastico inside CPanel on all my hosting accounts (and probably all of yours too).

I can set up a new domain, plop OSTicket into a /support directory and configure it in a matter of a few minutes, once. Perfect.

Granted, I have really simple support requirements - mostly just easy creation and tracking of tickets. I don't have monsterous knowledgebases to contend with, I don't have large spikes in support traffic often... and overall, my needs are quite unremarkable. But so are most Internet Marketers' needs.

Another thing that bears mentioning is that every time I respond like this in a thread about OSTicket, I inevitably get some PM's down the line from thankful fellow warriors who tell me how it was exactly what they've been looking for.

If this is YOU... reading this NOW... You're welcome, soon.

Happy Easter,

Brian

[cashtech29]

Sounds like OS is the ticket for me...get it.."ticket"...whatever.

Great feedback folks.
This seems to be a no-brainer.
I use C-Panel so I think it will be useful.


Are there any drawbacks to this software worth mentioning?
If not, this was a very helpful thread and I appreciate all the response.

EJ

[stevenh512]

Originally Posted by knmrwarrior

If your webhost comes with the Fantastico application manager, use this to install OS Ticket easily in a couple of clicks. I know that this works with both HostGator and BlueHost.

It's worth noting that the version of OSTicket that most web hosts offer through Fantastico is pretty outdated. There have been a number of security fixes and feature improvements since then, it's better to download the latest version and install it (and aside from upload time, doesn't really take too much longer than a Fantastico instal).

[jacktackett]

I too recommend osTicket.

I think the reason its overlooked now is that development stopped on it for a long time - picked up in a separate open source project called eTicket, and then things picked up again with osTicket.

I also would recommend downloading the latest version and installing/upgrading - its pretty simple. I even got the thing installed on my el cheapo GoDaddy account.

The admin panel will allow you to set things like when emails are sent - including if no one on your support team answers a new ticket within a specified time frame. You can also customize the look and feel of the UI and also the text of the various emails that are sent.

There's now an active community supporting the product too. I asked a question last Thursday morning and had an answer within 2 hours.

Highly recommended.

--Jack

[ryanjohn23]

Does osTicket have an option to have a knowledge base?

Thanks,

RJ

[Quentin]

I use one called Main Support.

Sample.

Maian Support v1.3

I have also started to use LiveZilla which has also been working well.

Q

[Neil Morgan]

Kayako is the one I settled on after trying a bunch of them.

Ticketing, knowledge base and live chat were my main requirements.

Cheers,

Neil

[GoldTrack]

Hi,
You could try OSTicket - its free and fairly simple

[Neil Morgan]

What makes it different than all other help desk is that users don't have to go through a lengthy registration process before they can submit a ticket.

The same applies to Kayako.

Cheers,

Neil

[SolomonHuey]

I also use OSticket. If you can afford it or have the need for it, I've heard kayako is excellent.

Solomon Huey

[Willie Crawford]

My favorite is the same one used by Allen on this forum

http://ThreePillarsHelpDesk.com

I started using this helpdesk myself 2 years ago, and
liked it so much that I bought the company

Willie

[alan mac]

Hi

I have used helpdeskconnect for about 3 years and they are fantastic. It costs about $20 a month but is very user friendly, preset anwers etc.

Cheers Alan

[SiteMiracle]

Check out cerberusweb.com help desk.

[cashtech29]

Originally Posted by Willie Crawford

My favorite is the same one used by Allen on this forum

Three Pillars Help Desk Software - The Support Desk Designed For And By Internet Marketers

I started using this helpdesk myself 2 years ago, and
liked it so much that I bought the company

Willie

Now there's a man after my own heart...

This is really great feedback folks and thanks for all the replies.

Being owner and president of my own corporation for the past 30 years now,
I look at familiarity as one of the key objectives in any business model,
including my own.

Willy, I've heard a lot of good things about you and I have also business dealings
with Allen in the past.

"Three Pillars" seems like the way to go, considering my applications
for it's intended use.
As I am a very busy person, I will need to learn to navigate this
software in fairly short order.
How would you rate the learning curve?

EJ

[deskmonkey]

Have you already settled on OSticket, or are you still open to suggestions? I'm actually surprised no one mentioned Trellis Desk by Accord5 yet. Its feature set is quite comparable to Kayako, which is arguably the best commercial helpdesk software out there — and Trellis Desk is free. Trellis Desk has all of the basics: ticket departments, canned ticket replies, group permissions, ticket assignment, priority levels and escalation. It also has a built-in knowledgebase and is capable of email piping and email notifications. One thing it doesn't have is built-in live chat, but for a free software, it's actually quite robust.

[anth.elias]

Another vote Trellis Desk, leaves everything else mentioned above in in the dust, and it's free. I don't want to let the secret out, but since it's for other Warriors it's OK.