Helpdesk software makes customer service easier and more efficient. And of course, better customer service is correlated with higher customer retention, better reviews, and higher profitability.

As a small business, you can easily use email as your primary customer communication channel. If you do, Gmail has a ton of built-in features that can help you track and organize incoming messages, or even distribute them throughout your team.

However, it may be in your best interest to use a Helpdesk app to complement, improve, or outright replace your email customer service strategy.

What to Look for in a Helpdesk App

If you’re looking for the best possible helpdesk app, you’ll want to look for these features:

• A team-based inbox. First, it’s helpful to have a team-based inbox. If you’re managing customer service with just a handful of individual customer service email addresses, things can get hectic fast. A good helpdesk software will be able to centralize all incoming messages and support tickets, so you can assign them and address them as you see fit.
• Task assignment and follow-up. Speaking of which, it’s important for your helpdesk app to have task assignment, delegation, management, and follow-up features. Ideally, you’ll be able to convert each new incoming message into a task or a support ticket, which you can then track and manage as it approaches resolution.
• A knowledge base. Knowledge bases are collections of content meant to help people solve a wide range of problems. You can use knowledge bases to allow customers to service themselves, improve the knowledge of your customer service team members, or both. In any case, you’ll want to use a helpdesk app that allows you to create and manage this content.
• Chat and phone options. Email is an ideal platform for customer service, but it’s certainly not the only platform. Many people still prefer options like chat and phone calls. Ideally, you’ll find a helpdesk app that allows you to collect and track customer inquiries from a wide variety of different communication channels.
• Mobile app support. Your customer service agents won’t always have a desktop setup to rely on, so it’s important to have access to a functional, intuitive mobile app. Most modern helpdesk apps are designed with mobile use in mind, but make sure you give the mobile app a whirl before committing to any new services.
• Analytics. Finally, and most importantly, your helpdesk app needs to have some capacity for analytics. You should be able to track your customer service interactions from start to finish, and in ways that allow you to improve your approach. For example, can you track how quickly you’re able to close customer service tickets? Do you have a way to determine whether your customers are satisfied with the interactions they’ve had?

The Best Helpdesk Software for Gmail

Many of these helpdesk software apps function as standalone apps, but can also integrate with Gmail in at least one way (usually, that means collecting incoming messages from your Gmail accounts).

In any case, you can use them as complementary services to your primary Gmail customer service channel, or you can use them in addition to your core email messaging:

1. Drag

Drag recognizes that Gmail is already a powerful communication and customer service tool in its own right, and attempts to use email service as a foundation for its app. With Drag, you’ll be able to create and assign tasks, collectively view incoming messages at a team, automate certain customer service functions, and track KPIs to make sure you’re serving customers effectively. After a bit of initial setup, you can optimize it for your team and individual needs. Plans start at $15 per month per user.

Features

• Shared Inbox
• Multiple boards
• Email assignment
• Internal team chat
• Tasks / subtasks

Pros

• Enhanced focus
• Increases productivity
• Intuitive and easy to use
• Effectively reduces time

Cons

• Buggy at times
• Not many functionalities available
  

Pricing

Drag pricing starts at $15.00 per month, per user. There is a free version, and Drag offers a free trial.

2. Zendesk

Zendesk is designed as a customer service and customer relationship management (CRM) platform in one. Because Zendesk offers a wide variety of different apps and solutions, based on your industry and your needs, it’s hard to easily summarize what it can offer. With even the basic support software, Zendesk will give you customer tracking, group messaging, ticket creation, and automation functionality, and you can scale up to cover almost any business needs. Pricing starts at $5 per month per user.

Features

• Seamless channel integration
• Ticket forms
• Multilingual
• Public apps & integrations
• Contextual workspaces

Pros

• It has powerful reporting and customer satisfaction surveys.
• Eliminates the need for emails and easy to filter messages
• Integrates with a large number of apps, including MailChimp, Trustpilot, Shopify, WooCommerce, Xero and many other solutions
• Ability to create rules to automatically file requests and emails into groups or departments based on a number of values

Cons

• Technical setup is required, which adds up more expenses
• Relatively expensive if you want to use all features of Zendesk

Pricing

Zendesk works for businesses of all sizes and shapes. Starts at $5 per agent.

3. ProProfs Help Desk

ProProfs Help Desk is a cloud-based ticketing software that empowers businesses to offer delightful customer support from anywhere in the world. This robust tool acts as a single platform for all your customer-facing email accounts and lets you convert customer requests into tickets. The product is suitable for any company size, from small scale startups to big multinational enterprises. It has a free plan for a single user with up to 100 tickets per month, or paid plans starting at $10 per month per user.

Features

• Shared inboxes
• Convert customer requests into support tickets
• Knowledge base integration
• Live chat integration
• Unlock powerful reports

Pros

• Best-in-class features
• Easy to use interface
• Suitable for businesses of all sizes
• Powerful internal integrations
• Insightful reports and analytics

Cons

• Limited options when it comes to integrating with other business applications

Pricing

First-time users can sign up for a free premium trial for 15 days. They can then eventually upgrade to the Essentials Plan ($10/month per user) or the Premium Plan ($15/month per user).

4. Snappy

Snappy is a team inbox that allows you to answer emails and manage frequently asked questions (FAQs) from users with canned answers. It’s incredibly simple, so it’s very easy to learn, and it isn’t bogged down with superfluous features you’re not going to use on a regular basis. It’s perfect if you’re used to using Gmail for customer service, but you need a tool with just a little bit extra.

Features

• Streamlined email ticketing
• Knowledge base
• Canned responses
• Provide customers with an elegant support access with seamless integration

Pros

• Great reporting system
• Unlimited mailboxes
• Snappy connects with top apps and even lets you build your own with our open source API.

Cons

• Limited customer support

Pricing

Users have access to all the features of Snappy, including multiple mailboxes. Each user is $15 per month after the free trial has expired. 

5. Help Scout

Help Scout already offers a Gmail-style interface, so if you’re used to managing all customer support in Gmail, it should look familiar. It also has a ton of keyboard shortcuts you can use to greatly reduce the time you spend managing queries. Help Scout supports multiple mailboxes, and the ability to organize all messages and mailboxes into folders and categories. It also has support for surveys, which allow your customers to provide feedback about the help they’ve received. It’s free for up to 3 users and 1 mailbox, but $20 per month per user beyond that.

Features

• Shared Inbox
• Reporting
• Live chat
• Integrations
• Customer management

Pros

• Super responsive
• Easy to use and adapt
• Good customer support
• All cloud based

Cons

• Lack of integrations
• Complicated Automatic workflow
• More automated

Pricing: pricing begins at $25.00 per month, per user. They offer a 15 day free trial

6. Zoho Desk

Zoho’s Desk is an open-ended platform for customer service agents, managers, and customers that allows you to customize your own interfaces. With it, you’ll be able to conveniently collect messages and view them as individuals (or as a team). You can create and assign tickets, and follow up on assigned tasks. And of course, you can measure your results with ongoing reporting. The free plan is available for up to 3 agents, but beyond that, plans start at $12 per month per user.

Features

• Ticket Management
• Self-Service
• Automations
• Customization

Pros

• Powerful automation features
• Auto suggestions
• Great for project management
• Affordable

Cons

• Lack of advanced tools
• Workflow configuration
• Email branding
• Less customizable

Pricing

Zoho gets 3 free agents in the free plan. Zoho CRM starts at 1080 per month for standard plan,1,800 for professional plan, 2,700 for enterprise plan. Zoho also has a 15 day free trial.

7. LiveAgent

LiveAgent help desk software is a cloud-based help desk solution with a powerful ticketing system and multichannel capabilities. It’s the go-to all-in-one help desk software for those who want to manage all important customer communication channels from one place.

The ticketing system can seamlessly integrate and manage your Gmail account, convert emails into tickets, and support agents with powerful productivity features that make email communication easy. LiveAgent offers a free plan with basic capabilities or paid plans starting at $15 per month per user.

Features

• Universal inbox and hybrid ticket stream
• Supports email, live chat, social media, messaging apps, call center, and customer portal with a knowledge base
• A large number of integrations
• Reporting and analytics features
• Multilingual support

Pros

• Seamless multichannel capabilities
• A wide range of productivity features
• Regular updates
• Suitable for any business size or niche
• Free 24/7 customer support for every user

Cons

• The user interface needs a design update

Pricing

LiveAgent offers a free 14-day trial, as well as a free plan with basic capabilities. Paid plans start at $15 per month per user.

8. Front

With Front, you’ll get access to an interface that strongly resembles your existing Gmail inbox. With it, you’ll be able to monitor the inboxes of your individual team members at a high, supervisory level. You’ll also work with a three-column design, providing information on messages, accounts, and details from specific messages. Features include task assignment, snoozing, and a tagging system to help you stay organized. It’s $14 per month per user.

Features

• Email Management
• Manage support tickets as emails
• Assign emails to coworkers
• Multi-channel communication software

Pros

• Multiplayer mode for email
• Simplifies complex processes
• Team collaborations & chat
• Calendar integration

Cons

• Too expensive for starter plans
• Limited features & zero integration for starter plans
• No CRM integration for starter plan
• No API access token for starter plan

Pricing

Front App pricing begins at $12.00 per month, per user. Front App offers a 7 day free trial.

9. Freshdesk

With Freshdesk, you’ll be able to streamline your customer communication, consolidating incoming requests from email, chat, and phone all in one location. You’ll also be able to automate much of your customer service work, and assign and follow up on tasks for whatever you can’t automate. You’ll also get access to in-depth reporting, so you can analyze your best (and worst) customer issues for a given period. There’s a free level available, but pricing for the paid app starts at $15 per month per user.

Features

• Ticketing made easy
• Resolve issues together
• Complete customization capabilities
• State-of-the-art data security

Pros

• Great ticket management software
• Fantastic automation tools
• Userfriendly app
• Very reliable and efficient

Cons

• Better Integration
• Salesforce integration needs a lot of work
• Plans & pricing are a bit annoying
• Better options for ‘canned’ reports

Pricing

There’s a free level available, but pricing for the paid app starts at $15 per month per user.

10. Groove

Groove is another helpdesk software that gives you the power to access a full team email inbox, without ever leaving your personal email inbox. You can create and assign tickets, and set it up so individuals are auto-forwarded tickets assigned to them. It’s a perfect system to keep track of incoming and completed requests, and it has plenty of built-in dashboards to measure your results. It’s free for up to 2 users with basic features, and $15 per month per user beyond that.

Features

• Collaborate on conversations
• Deliver instant answers
• Chat with your customers
• Find your VIPs
• Integrate your favorite tools

Pros

• Great canned replies
• Multiple inboxes in one single account
• Great way to organize
• No coding needed

Cons

• Frequent updates and move features
• Functionality of logging phone calls is a bit behind 
• Lack significant amount of features
• Better tracking functionality

Pricing

Affordable pricing for growing businesses. 4 months free, and then $12 per user per month.

Setting up a Helpdesk for G Suite

You might have discovered this article if you were searching for a helpdesk software solution for Gmail (and other facets of G Suite). If that’s the case, Google offers several built-in G Suite tools you can use to provide support to your employees and teammates.

Check out their guide on setting up a helpdesk for G Suite. And don’t miss our guide to the best shared mailbox tools as well as our list of the best customer engagement platforms.

And check out this article if you’re looking for enterprise helpdesk software.

If you want to better understand your email habits and incoming email requests, you’ll need an analytics tool to dissect your incoming and outgoing messages. That’s where EmailAnalytics comes into play.

With EmailAnalytics integrated with your team’s Gmail accounts, you can study essential email metrics like total incoming and outgoing emails, average email response time, and even average thread length. Sign up for a free trial today, and take control over your customer service.