Freshservice is a solid portal that is a good choice for those looking for a quick and easy help/service desk solution, without extensive customization, extensibility or integration with other systems.
The help desk and service desk features in Freshservice are straightforward and very easy to work with, primarily because Freshservice does a great job of isolating everything that requires in-depth configuration on the Admin page. From there, you can set up useful functions, such as the ability to create canned responses (which support techs can select when responding to the most common questions). There is also the option to set up a gamification tool to track support tech activities and provide rewards.
The Freshservice portal is both lean and straightforward. It lists nine major navigational options to choose from. On the top right is a useful search field that allows you to dig into all content including tickets, problems, changes, releases, assets, contracts, solutions, and requesters. You can also easily and quickly add incidents, problems, changes, or releases from the dashboard. The dashboard gives the status of tickets, recent activity, and assigned tasks (amongst other things). One aspect of the Freshservice dashboard is the fact that it does a top job of obscuring the settings and management features on the admin page, where they are hidden from the average support tech.
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Assets are tracked via the configuration management database (CMDB). As you would expect, navigating the CMDB page is easy. There are a few options to choose from, including export, import (.CSV files), and add new. If you don’t want to enter data manually when adding a new asset, then Freshservice has a really useful Discovery Probe tool that will automatically update newly-added assets and populates forms based upon previous data entered regarding similar assets. The solution also organizes hardware, software licenses, network infrastructure, and consumables in one place.
SLA ManagementManaging SLA’s is a key function of any help desk. With Freshservice’s professional tools, you can reduce time to resolve issues, by setting custom service levels for specific users.
The SLA Management feature is a cool aspect of Freshservice, because it gives IT teams the ability to sort service levels, by source, product or specific user group. This can come in really handy because they can ensure priority user problems are dealt with quickly and in the correct time frame.
GamificationA really cool features worth mentioning is Freshservice's gamification tool. With integrated game mechanics, team leaders and managers can keep all members of their team motivated. With this tool, support ticket become stepping stones to advance up the leaderboard. Freshservice Arcade turns normal tasks into game missions. You can create Quests to make sure the tickets that are the highest priority get done quickly. The system rewards agents with a selection of badges for the best performers. these badges are then displayed on their help desk profiles.
Mobile AppFreshservice's mobile service desk app means work can be undertaken from any location. Agents can manage tickets, resolve issues, track assets, provide services and change requests from their mobile devices. The Freshservice mobile service desk app is a great tool because it can be utilised by everyone: users, agents, technicians and managers. Customers can access self-service tools using the Solutions tab, agents can handle priority tickets from anywhere, and Managers can use it to assign tasks and track team workloads.
PricingFreshservice provides a part Freemium, subscription model with a Free Trial available (No Credit Card required). Freshservice has four levels of pricing plans, starting with a free plan called Sprout for businesses with up to three agents and up to 100 assets. The Estate plan is $79 per agent, per month, billed annually. For Blossom, Garden and Estate Plans you also have the option to purchase additional assets at 20 cents/asset/month.
Bottom LineFreshservice is a straightforward, managed service desk offering with a streamlined and intuitive web interface that provides the ITIL counterpart to Freshdesk. It has a good online help section, including tutorials and videos to get you going and keep you running. With automated IT tasks, ticketing and asset management capabilities, Freshservice is a great choice for SMBs.
