Integrated Help Desk Solution

    • 36 posts
    April 25, 2018 8:35 PM EDT

    I looked through the search to see if I could find a topic on this but was not able to locate anything.

    Is anyone aware of a "Help Desk" ticketing system that works well with SE or is available as a plugin? I know there are options such as freshdesk but we are looking for something that will integrate tightly with our SE site and will not appear as a separate system.

  • gs
    • 857 posts
    April 25, 2018 10:14 PM EDT

    Good question - I never found anything either.  My plan was to provide different tools and see what works best for Users (launching next month).  Using a Feedback Plugin with sidebar, Advanced Forum, and h2desk sidebar that includes a full-blown ticketing system and knowledgebase.  My hope is that h2desk will be the best tool for a true help desk and then the plan will be to switch from cloud-based to self-hosted PHP and customize/integrate with SE.  Most likely, the Feedback and Adv Forums will remain as they serve different engagement and informational purposes.

     

    Looking forward to input from the community.  Thx for posting this.

    • Moderator
    • 6891 posts
    April 26, 2018 5:23 AM EDT

    Moved this to the correct forum section. Please check the forum categories when posting and please post in the correct areas. Thank you!

  • gs
    • 857 posts
    April 26, 2018 8:48 AM EDT
    @Donna
    Not sure where this was, but this may not get much (if any) input from ADMINs located here under 3PD FRs. IMHO.
    • Moderator
    • 6891 posts
    April 26, 2018 11:40 AM EDT

    This is for a third party or customization. It's not for the core script. I can move it to 3rd party discussions but then it won't get any attention from third parties who could make it. The OP (Original Poster) needs to let me know where they want it - either here in the custom area or in the 3rd party plugin area. 

    • Moderator
    • 6891 posts
    April 26, 2018 11:49 AM EDT

    I see I forgot to say, I used to use OSticket before. I didn't integrate it due to I'm a bit of a security nut and anything that makes holes is not something I want lol. However, you may be able to integrate it with SE. Other than that, I use Zendesk for support for BryZar/ScriptTechs. It is possible there could be a way for someone to create an SSO for that. If there isn't one in the marketplace already. 

    What a very large roleplaying community does is - they have a private Group. In that Group, they have their "support" area for public support. For any more in-depth or account support, they have the users contact them via a special email address. In this way, they keep it totally private. I don't know if that suggestion would help you.

    • 53 posts
    April 27, 2018 1:58 AM EDT

    We use Helpscout. There is a multitude of reasons but one of the things you might want to consider is if your users can't get onto your site, they won't be able to submit a ticket unless they know how to email you. This is fine for a small site but as you grow you want to consider whats best for your clients. More people understand http(s)://support.domain.com than emailing support@domain.com

    We actually have a simple yet effective SSO integration into Help Desk. It just passes a few details such as username, user ID, email, member level (paid, free) over to Helpscout, so we can provide a seamless solution. Now, this only works obviously if our site is live, but then we keep our FAQ/Support system off our existing site. We also allow guests to send in tickets. 

    The other reason to consider a PaaS solution such as HelpScout, ZenDesk, GrooveHQ (which I don't recommend but like to be fair) - is they will offer you a multitude of features such as multi-user, reporting, satisfaction rating, integration into many other platforms and more. If this is just a hobby, this might not be important to you, but as you grow and you add on support people, moderators, and other staff, you want to be able to keep them accountable. 

    Now, there is ONE solution you can consider for SE, www.socialenginesolutions.com has a FAQ help system that allows people to submit tickets which you can then read inside the admin panel, so that means anyone who you want to enter tickets MUST be an Admin. This is a security issue for me, but might be ok with you. 

  • gs
    • 857 posts
    April 27, 2018 9:50 AM EDT
    @FM Ryan
    Thanks for helpful info.
    • 18 posts
    November 23, 2018 6:52 AM EST

    Hi There, 

    You can opt for the zenddesk as with this you will get - 

    Easy to implement, use, and scale

    Zendesk products work right out of the box, with powerful features and functions to help any business improve their support operations. Our platform is designed to grow and scale, so it works for companies of any size—from startup to enterprise.

    Smooth operator

    Zendesk omnichannel support offers everything you need for a frictionless customer experience. Our products work together to improve agent efficiency and help customer conversations flow seamlessly across channels.Make it your own

    Zendesk is built on Sunshine, open, flexible CRM platform. With Sunshine, you can design personalized customer experiences, create customer applications with our modern developer tools, and all your data is connected—wherever it lives.

    We have integrated this for one of our clients as well. so this would be a good option for you to consider.

     


    This post was edited by Hire Experts at November 23, 2018 6:52 AM EST
    • 57 posts
    July 23, 2020 2:02 AM EDT

    I ended up implementing WHMCS for billing and ticket support, I do not believe that any SE expert can do a good and efficient Help Desk.

    • 474 posts
    July 23, 2020 2:43 PM EDT

    Hei folkes.

    I just use my SE Forums  plugin to talk to my members, just like we do on here when we talk to Donna about anything.. If members have any issues with the site, they can place a fault report, just like on here. if they want to discuss anything personal they can message or chat to my admin or security team.

    works very well for my members and teams.

    Just my simplicity way of doing things.

    mikel.