Help Desk Software Evaluation Checklist
4.8/5 with 185 votes
Table of Contents
Introduction
A vibrant, competent help desk is vital to any organization that serves its customer base through personal interactions, and this is especially true when technology is involved. Choosing the right help desk software can make the difference between a satisfied customer and one who is frustrated and confused. This help desk software evaluation checklist will help you hone in on the software characteristics that are most important to your company and customers.
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Toggle Customer Base status
Customer Base
Toggle Location. status
Location.
Are they mostly internal or external to your organization?
Toggle Tech savvy. status
Tech savvy.
Evaluate the overall technical aptitude of your customers.
Toggle Communication. status
Communication.
Decide which modes work best.
Toggle Motivation. status
Motivation.
Do they seek answers on their own first?
Toggle Size. status
Size.
How many customers do you have?
Toggle Current Help Desk Operations status
Current Help Desk Operations
Toggle Location. status
Location.
Do staff work on-site, off-site, or both?
Toggle Tech savvy. status
Tech savvy.
Evaluate the overall technical aptitude of your employees.
Toggle Workflow. status
Workflow.
Are there changes you can make to improve efficiency?
Toggle Knowledge Base. status
Knowledge Base.
Do you maintain a repository of helpful articles?
Toggle Activity. status
Activity.
How many help tickets do you process in an month?
Toggle Reporting. status
Reporting.
Who needs access to your activity reports?
Toggle Current Software System. status
Current Software System.
What are its strengths and weaknesses?
Toggle Software Selection and Implementation Project status
Software Selection and Implementation Project
Toggle Budget. status
Budget.
How much can you spend?
Toggle Timeline. status
Timeline.
When do you need to finish?
Toggle Staff Availability. status
Staff Availability.
How much staff time per week can you dedicate to upgrading your help desk software?
Toggle Decision Making. status
Decision Making.
Who will evaluate potential help desk software systems?
Toggle Service Disruption. status
Service Disruption.
Can your business tolerate an interruption in help desk operations during the upgrade?
Toggle Potential Help Desk Software Solutions status
Potential Help Desk Software Solutions
Toggle Initial cost. status
Initial cost.
How much will the software and licenses cost?
Toggle Training. status
Training.
How much does it cost and how is it delivered?
Toggle Expandability. status
Expandability.
Can you add users without incurring additional costs?
Toggle Technology. status
Technology.
Is the software hosted, or does your company need servers and IT staff?
Toggle Update path. status
Update path.
Does the license include all available updates?
Toggle Reporting. status
Reporting.
Does the software provide the reporting you need?
Toggle Integration. status
Integration.
Can the software work with other applications?
Toggle Workflow. status
Workflow.
Will you need to change the way you do business to fit the software?
Toggle Try first. status
Try first.
Will the vendors give you access to trial versions of their software?
Toggle Knowledge Base. status
Knowledge Base.
Does the software support the development of an article repository?
Toggle Migration. status
Migration.
Can you import existing help desk data into the new software?
Toggle Statistics. status
Statistics.
How granular can you make incident tracking?
Toggle Contract. status
Contract.
How long is the contract, and can you opt out at some point?
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Presented by:
Adam Hughes
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Details
Help Desk Software Evaluation Tips
- Choose a system that meets your needs today and is flexible enough to handle any projected growth, but don't overpay for features that your organization will never use.
- Consult with peers at institutions similar to yours who have recently implemented new Help Desk software systems.
- Use the software selection process as a chance to gain insight into industry standards and be willing to change your workflows accordingly.
- Look for systems that can benefit other areas of your business. Many help desk software packages can be purchased as part of a suite that also addresses facilities management and inventory tracking functionality.
Who it's for
This Help Desk Software Evaluation Checklist is for teams that want consistent execution, less rework, and clear ownership.
- Standardize quality - run the same Help Desk Software Evaluation steps every time, regardless of who executes
- Save time - reuse a proven Help Desk Software Evaluation workflow instead of rebuilding processes from scratch
- Improve accountability - assign owners and see what's done vs. what's pending
- Onboard faster - use the Help Desk Software Evaluation checklist as the SOP and training guide
- Coordinate across roles - handoffs are clear and everyone works from the same source of truth
How to use it
How to use this Help Desk Software Evaluation Checklist:
- Start by saving it - save as a Template if you'll reuse it, or as a Checklist if it's a one-off project.
- Customize it once for your workflow - remove what doesn't apply and add your team-specific steps.
- Assign ownership and execute - set owners/due dates where needed and track completion as work happens.
- Reuse without rebuilding - when Help Desk Software Evaluation comes up again, start from your saved version and run it with clear ownership.
Rate this Checklist
5 stars
Scores 4.80 with 185 votes