Do you know what you're looking for when it comes to help desk software for small businesses? Here are the three things every small business should keep in mind when on the hunt for a new solution.

Running and managing a small business is no mean feat. You need to balance limited resources, restricted budgets and the ability to innovate. One of the most effective ways for small businesses to differentiate themselves is through the quality of support they deliver to customers.

Competitive products and pricing is still important, but a differentiated level of customer support is absolutely essential for victory in today's battle of the brands. Customer retention is just as important to growth and sustainability as acquisition, and the support experience remains a key loyalty driver.

That's exactly why small businesses necessarily require tools that allow them to add value through quality support. That's why small businesses need help desk software. As your business grows, even modestly, using Outlook and Gmail to manage support becomes untenable.

There are a whole number of help desk software solutions available on the market today, but finding one that truly caters to the needs of small businesses remains difficult. Leading helpdesk providers offer a range of feature sets with an even wider range of pricing plans. That's why finding a help desk for a small business can feel like a lot like navigating a minefield.

To help you figure out what you might need, here are what we think are the three pillars of great help desk software for any small business:

Affordability

One of the most critical restraints for small businesses is budget. When it comes to help desk software, this limitation can cause quite the headache. Some leading help desk software providers offer pricing structures that accommodate freemium and enterprise options - and everywhere in between.

This is great in the sense that it allows small businesses to acccess industry-standard help desk software, but there's a caveat. These kinds of 'free' pricing plans only offer very basic functionality, which quickly becomes very expensive. This tends to happen because some help desk software providers lock core functionality behind more expensive pricing plans.

As a small business, you may begin with very simple needs and one or two agents, but as circumstances change or your company grows, you may find it extremely costly to scale your help desk software alongside commercial growth.

Help desk software for small businesses needs to be affordable, now and in the future. Make sure you find a provider that won't force you to cough up extra for access to simple features.

Power

If there's a problem with the more expensive providers, surely that means the totally free solutions are the way to go. Not quite. This creates a totally new problem for small businesses. Using free or open source help desk software can mean hidden costs rack up through complex installations, configurations and maintenance needed from highly-trained developers.

Free help desk solutions also lack the features you need to provide genuinely meaningful customer support that is so crucial for small businesses. Some solutions marketed as 'help desk software' can be nothing more than glorified email management systems, with little to no support for automation tools and a joined-up self-service portal.

Help desks with features like fully-integrated self-service are essential for small businesses. It's truly the most effective way to scale your support with limited staff and resources. Self-service means you can help your customers to help themselves by offering instructional content and FAQs whilst reducing ticket volume.

When it comes to help desk software for small business, a fully-featured help desk that's supported by a team of dedicated staff is absolutely key for success. This leads us on to the final pillar of great help desk software for small businesses.

Support

We know what it's like to be a small business, and we know how painful it can be to evaluate new software. As a budding company with exciting prospects on the horizon, you need help desk software that comes with all the resources you need to succeed.

Sometimes, highly-available and friendly support can make the difference between a successful help desk deployment and a failed one. Other leading help desk providers often fail to give their customers the attention they often need and deserve.

When examining help desk software for small business, ensure you invest your time and money in a provider that takes the needs of their customers into account - no matter how small they are.

Finding the right help desk software for your small business

At Deskpro, we pride ourselves on being able to meet criteria we think are important when it comes to help desk software for small businesses. That's why we offer full access to our fully-featured helpdesk for just $30 per agent per month, and strive to be there for our customers every step of the way.

But don't just take our word for it, check out our pricing, features, or read what our customers have to say about us.