YEAR 4 PROJECT

REVISED IMPLEMENTATION PLAN/

DETAILED PROPOSAL

04 FEBRUARY 2025

TUDUBLIN

X00192580 Connie Lau

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Contents

1. Introduction ......................................................................................................... 3

2. Methodology ........................................................................................................ 3

2.1. System Development ..................................................................................... 3

2.1.1. Choosing a platform ................................................................................. 3

2.1.2. Setting Up and Configuration .................................................................... 4

2.2. Testing Procedure ........................................................................................... 5

2.2.1. Functional Testing .................................................................................... 5

2.2.2. Usability Testing ....................................................................................... 5

2.2.3. Scalability and Stress Testing .................................................................... 5

2.2.4. Integration Testing .................................................................................... 5

2.2.5. Cross-Platform Accessibility Testing ......................................................... 5

3. Results ................................................................................................................ 6

3.1. Functional Testing Results .............................................................................. 6

3.1.1. Freshdesk ............................................................................................... 6

3.1.2. Tidio ........................................................................................................ 6

3.1.3. Help Scout .............................................................................................. 6

3.1.4. Zoho Desk ............................................................................................... 7

3.2. Usability Testing Outcomes ............................................................................. 7

3.3. Scalability and Stress Testing Outcomes .......................................................... 7

3.4. Integration Testing Results .............................................................................. 7

4. Discussion ........................................................................................................... 8

5. Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 8

Bibliography .......................................................................................................... 10

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Development, Testing, and Evaluation of a

Helpdesk Ticketing System for SMBs

1. Introduction

Customer support in today's technological era has become critical factor for success in any

business, and most importantly for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs). With budget

and resource constraints, SMEs often face difficulty in creating effective structures for

customer service in compliance with their growth path. With growing use of helpdesk

ticketing tools in such companies, managing queries, resolving issues, and maintaining high

service standards for customers become more accessible. Yet, having a large number of

ticketing platforms available proves to be a challenge for SMEs in choosing an ideal platform

for a helpdesk.

The purpose of this report is to ease out this challenge through an in-depth evaluation of four

most popular free helpdesk tools: Freshdesk, Tidio, Help Scout, and Zoho Desk. By

comparing these tools with a range of key factors including their capabilities, scalability,

integration capabilities, ease of use, and pricing, this study aims to provide SMEs with

relevant information that will enable them to choose a helpdesk tool best suiting their

requirements.

The report structure is organised in a logical manner in the following sections: Section 2

describes methodologies adopted for development and evaluation; Section 3 lists out testing

results; Section 4 describes an analysis of findings; and Section 5 concludes with actionable

tips. The report also contains a thorough analysis of involved risks and technical requirements

in order to make the project feasible and sound.

2. Methodology

2.1. System Development

For developing an efficient helpdesk ticketing tool, following actions have been taken:

2.1.1. Choosing a platform

Four complimentary helpdesk platforms, Freshdesk, Tidio, Help Scout, and Zoho Desk, have

been chosen for evaluation. These platforms have been chosen for analysis in view of their

popularity, offering free plans, and suitability for SMBs (small and medium-sized

businesses). All four platforms offer a range of functionalities, including ticket management,

collaboration, automation, and reporting capabilities.

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2.1.2. Setting Up and Configuration

The four platforms have been installed in a controlled environment to simulate real-life SMB

scenarios. Setup involved following a series of steps:

User Accounts: User and administrator accounts have been created for both to simulate a

default customer service team.

Ticket Categories: Categories have been defined for tickets in terms of types (e.g., technical

support, billing-related queries).

Workflow Rules: Simple automation workflows for routing and prioritization have been

defined.

Email Ticketing: Email ticketing integration has been added for allowing customers to submit

queries through an email.

Collaboration Features: Inbuilt notes, agent collisions, and shared inboxes have been enabled

for collaboration between the team.

Simulated Business Cases:

To evaluate each platform's capabilities, dummy information has been used to simulate

workflows for customer support processes. Test cases have been designed to simulate real-life

customer support cases, each investigating into the metrics below:

Ticket Management: Analysis of the effectiveness with which tickets are generated, assigned,

and resolved.

Collaboration Features: Analysis of the effectiveness of collaboration tools, such as shared

inboxes and conflicting agents' management.

Automation Capabilities: Analysis of the level to which assignment, prioritization, and

escalation processes can be automated.

Reporting and Analytics: Analysis of reporting tools' effectiveness in tracking volumes,

response times, and relevant metrics.

Scalability: Analysis of the system's capabilities in supporting increased volumes of

transactions and its capabilities in servicing concurrent demand.

Integration with Outside Software: Analysis of compatibility with external software

packages, including email software, CRM software, and other tools.

Usability and User Experience: Analysis of usability and overall ease of use for both system

administrators and end-user groups.

Cost: Overall analysis of its free offering pricing model and availability of key features.

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2.2. Testing Procedure

A series of tests have been designed and performed for testing each platform's performance.

The testing procedure included following a series of steps:

2.2.1. Functional Testing

Functional testing involved testing each platform's key capabilities. The items mentioned in

the metrics are being evaluated.

2.2.2. Usability Testing

Usability testing was conducted to evaluate UI and UX of each platform. Testers were asked

to perform routine operations, such as creating a ticket, assigning a priority, and resolving an

issue. Feedback about ease of use and usability of platforms was collected.

2.2.3. Scalability and Stress Testing

Scalability and stress testing were conducted to assess performance under high volumes of

tickets. The following tests were conducted:

- High-ticket volumes were emulated through creating a high volume of tickets in a short

period of time.

- System reaction times and UI behaviour under high loads during high usage times.

- Ability of each platform to receive concurrent support requests with no degradation in

performance.

2.2.4. Integration Testing

Integration testing was conducted to understand the capability of each platform in terms of

integration with tools such as email software and CRM software.

The following actions were performed:

- Integration of each platform with common use email software (e.g., Gmail, Outlook) was

performed.

- Smooth flow of information between the helpdesk system and external tools.

- Compatibility of each platform with current in-use business systems.

2.2.5. Cross-Platform Accessibility Testing

Cross-platform testing for accessibility was conducted to confirm compatibility of each

platform with a variety of devices, including smartphones and tablets.

The following actions were taken:

- Each platform was run in a variety of devices to maintain uniform performance and

usability.

- Responsiveness of UI in smartphones and tablets.

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3. Results

3.1. Functional Testing Results

3.1.1. Freshdesk

Ticket Management: Freshdesk demonstrated strong ticket management capabilities, with

easy ticket creation and assignment. The platform allowed for efficient classification and

tracking of tickets.

Collaboration Features: The internal notes and shared inboxes were effective in enhancing

team collaboration. Agent collision detection worked well, preventing multiple agents from

working on the same ticket simultaneously.

Automation: The free plan offered basic automation rules for ticket routing and prioritization.

While limited, these rules were sufficient for small teams.

Reporting and Analytics: The reporting tools were adequate for tracking basic metrics, such

as ticket volumes and response times. However, more advanced analytics were not available

in the free plan.

3.1.2. Tidio

Ticket Management: Tidio’s ticket management features were limited compared to other

platforms. While it allowed for ticket creation and assignment, the process was less intuitive.

Collaboration Features: Tidio excelled in live chat and chatbot integration, making it ideal for

real-time customer support. However, collaboration features for ticket management were

lacking.

Automation: The platform offered basic automation for live chat, but ticket automation was

limited.

Reporting and Analytics: Tidio’s reporting tools were basic, focusing primarily on live chat

metrics. Detailed ticket analytics were not available.

3.1.3. Help Scout

Ticket Management: Help Scout offered a user-friendly interface for ticket management.

Tickets could be easily created, assigned, and tracked.

Collaboration Features: The shared inboxes and internal notes were effective in facilitating

team collaboration. However, agent collision detection was not available in the free plan.

Automation: Automation capabilities were limited in the free plan, with only basic rules

available for ticket routing.

Reporting and Analytics: Help Scout’s reporting tools were basic, providing insights into

ticket volumes and response times. More advanced analytics were not available.

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3.1.4. Zoho Desk

Ticket Management: Zoho Desk offered a rich feature set for managing tickets, including

complex options for creating, assigning, and tracking tickets.

Collaboration Features: The platform supported powerful collaboration tools, including

internal notes, shared inboxes, and collision detection for agents.

Automation: Zoho Desk’s automation capabilities were strong, with sophisticated protocols

for routing and prioritization of tickets. Certain features showed limitations in the free model.

Reporting and Analytics: Reporting tools were abundant, offering deep analysis of volumes,

response times, and performance statistics for agents. The free model, however, placed a

restriction on the number of users.

3.2. Usability Testing Outcomes

Freshdesk: The platform simple and accessible, with a simple, uncluttered UI. The process

for managing tickets was simple, and collaboration tools were simple to use.

Tidio: The chat UI is useful, but its ticket management feature seemed less accessible. The

platform was best for real-time chat service but not for managing tickets.

Help Scout: The platform is easy to use without a high learning-curve, due to its simple UI

and accessible feature for managing tickets. Nevertheless, the lack of sophisticated

capabilities is a drawback.

Zoho Desk: The platform is feature-intensive but showed a high learning curve compared to

others. Mastering sophisticated functions took a larger period.

3.3. Scalability and Stress Testing Outcomes

Freshdesk: The platform handled high volumes of tickets efficiently, with little in terms of

processing times for tickets. It showed high scalability, making it ideal for growing

companies.

Tidio: The platform struggled with high volumes of tickets, as it is best for real-time chat

service. It showed defects in processing high volumes of concurrent tickets.

Help Scout: Handled moderate volumes of support tickets effectively but struggled with high

volumes of workloads. It is a proper platform for small companies but can face obstacles in

scaling for larger companies.

Zoho Desk: Displayed strong capabilities in terms of scalability, with robust performance

even under high volumes of tickets.

3.4. Integration Testing Results

Freshdesk: Displayed compatibility with email clients and simple CRM tools, allowing for a

free flow of information between external programs and the helpdesk software.

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Tidio: Displayed limited integration capabilities, with a strong focus placed on chat and

chatbot integration. The platform failed to function effectively for companies that require

integration with CRM tools.

Help Scout: Enabled free integration with email clients and supported little else in terms of

third-party programs. The platform is ideal for companies with simple integration

requirements.

Zoho Desk: Offered perfect integration with Zoho CRM and several tools in third-party

integration, making it a perfect platform for companies that use Zoho tools.

4. Discussion

The testing results showed that each platform carries its strengths and weaknesses, and

therefore, best fit for a variety of types of SMBs:

Freshdesk is a balanced platform with strong capabilities in terms of ticket management and

collaboration, and therefore, a perfect platform for companies with an emphasis on efficiency

in supporting customers.

Tidio is best for its capabilities in terms of chat and chatbot integration, and therefore, ideal

for companies that require real-time customer service.

Help Scout offers an easy-to-use platform with efficient email-ticketing capabilities; however,

its poor automation and reporting capabilities can fall short for companies with complex

requirements.

Zoho Desk is the most feature-filled platform, with strong capabilities in terms of automation

and integration, but its complexity can become an issue for small companies with a lack of IT

capabilities.

5. Conclusion

Based on testing conducted and analysis, thereafter, following recommendations can be

made:

For SMBs that value collaboration and ticket management, Freshdesk stands out as the best

option, due to its ease of use and diverse features included.

For SMBs with a strong focus on real-time customer care, Tidio can be recommended for its

chatbot and live chat capabilities.

For SMBs with basic customer care requirements, an alternative option can be seen in Help

Scout, with its ease of use and simplicity in design.

For SMBs with Zoho integration in use, and for SMBs with complex service requirements,

Zoho Desk stands out as best, due to its high level of automation and integration capabilities.

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The analysis proves that free helpdesk software can have a significant impact for SMBs,

providing them with a chance to boost efficiency in customer care operations at low cost.

By choosing the best platform in terms of specific requirements, SMBs can maximize

operational efficiency, boost customer happiness, and maximize overall productivity.

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Bibliography

Chanchad, Y., Kanade, S.T. & Singh, R. (2023) ‘HelpDesk Ticketing System’, International

Journal of Innovative Research in Technology, 9(10).

Hardianto, H., Shofi, I.M., Khairani, D., Subchi, I., Ginanto, D.E. & Hidayati, A. (2021)

‘Integration of the helpdesk system with messaging service: a case study approach’,

Proceedings of the 2021 9th International Conference on Cyber and IT Service Management

(CITSM), 27-29 September, IEEE, pp. 1-5.

Harun, N.A., Huspi, S.H. & Iahad, N.A. (2021) ‘Question classification framework for

helpdesk ticketing support system using machine learning’, Proceedings of the 2021 7th

International Conference on Research and Innovation in Information Systems (ICRIIS), 5-6

October, IEEE, pp. 1-7.

Rachmawati, E., Kom, M. & Kom, M. (2018) ‘Web-Based Ticketing System Helpdesk

Application Using CodeIgniter Framework (Case Study: PT Commonwealth Life)’,

International Journal of Computer Science and Mobile Computing, 7(12), pp. 29-41.

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