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HELP DESK SOFTWAREJanuary 2017

CONTENTS46

78

3334

Introduction

Defining Help Desk Software

The Quadrant

Help Desk FrontRunners Index

Runners Up

Methodology Basics

FRONTRUNNERS9 Zendesk

10 Freshdesk

11 Samanage

12 Spiceworks

13 Track-It!

14 JIRA Service Desk

15 Cherwell Software

16 Tracker

17 SysAid

18 Issuetrak

19 Freshservice

20 Agiloft

21 Apptivo CRM

22 iSupport

23 Pulseway

24 InvGate Service Desk

25 Mojo Helpdesk

26 Vision Helpdesk

27 NABD

28 Cayzu

29 BOSS Support Central

30 Jitbit Helpdesk

31 SMART SERVICE DESK ITSM

32 SapphireIMS

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INTRODUCTION

This FrontRunners analysis is a data-driven assessment identifying products in the Help

Desk software market that offer the best capability and value for small businesses. For a given market, products are evaluated and given a score for the capability (x-axis) and value (y-axis) they bring to users. FrontRunners then plots the top 25-30 products in a quadrant format.

In the Help Desk FrontRunners infographic, the Capability axis starts at 3.0 and ends at 4.4, while the Value axis starts at 3.0 and ends at 4.6. Scales may differ between quadrants in order to capture the relative positioning of the specific products in each category.

To be considered for the Help Desk FrontRunners, a product needed a minimum capability user rating score of 4.0 and a minimum value user rating score of 4.0. So, all products that qualify as FrontRunners are top performing products in their market. The quadrant positions a product relative to its peers in the market.

I N T R O D U C T I O N

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Each product falls within a designated quadrant based on their axis scores. Dependent on the specific needs of the software buyer, a product placed in any quadrant category could be a good fit.

QUADRANT CATEGORIES:

» Upper Right = Leaders: Leaders are all-around strong products. They offer the highest value and capability in that market.

» Upper Left = Masters: Masters may have fewer capabilities, but end users value those capabilities highly. Depending on the functionality needed, a product positioned in the Masters quadrant might be a better option to consider than products positioned in other quadrants.

» Lower Right = Pacesetters: Pacesetters may offer a strong set of capabilities, but are not rated as high on value. For example, a Pacesetter might have a breadth of functionality at a higher price point.

» Lower Left = Contenders: Contenders are strong-performing products that have not yet achieved the Value and Capability of the products in the other quadrants. For example, products in this quadrant may be more suited for companies that need more specialized functionality that comes at a price.

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Help Desk software allows internal- or external-facing support groups to initiate, track, resolve

and analyze technical issues. The software stores customer information in a searchable database, tracks interactions and automates the issue resolution process.

Software Advice’s FrontRunners quadrant is focused on the North American Help Desk market. We identify this set of core capabilities for the Help Desk software category: ticketing / issue tracking, as well as at least one of the following: IT asset management, network monitoring and service level agreement (SLA) management.

In addition, we identify several related features that organizations purchasing a Help Desk system may also need or wish to consider: knowledge management, self-service, alerts / escalation, automated routing, billing & invoicing, community forums, customer database, document management, inbox / queue management, known issue management, live chat, social media integration and surveys / feedback.

DEFINING HELP DESK SOFTWARE

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THE QUADRANT

All products that qualify as FrontRunners are top performing

products in their market.

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HELP DESK FRONTRUNNERS INDEX

9 Zendesk

10 Freshdesk

11 Samanage

12 Spiceworks

13 Track-It!

14 JIRA Service Desk

15 Cherwell Software

16 Tracker

17 SysAid

18 Issuetrak

19 Freshservice

20 Agiloft

21 Apptivo CRM

22 iSupport

23 Pulseway

24 InvGate Service Desk

25 Mojo Helpdesk

26 Vision Helpdesk

27 NABD

28 Cayzu

29 BOSS Support Central

30 Jitbit Helpdesk

31 SMART SERVICE DESK ITSM

32 SapphireIMS

9

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7

FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDZENDESK

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: LEADERS

4.26 4.56

4.09 4.16

4.70 4.95

4.40 5.00

5.00 5.00

4.15 4.70

5.00 5.00

4.70

4.10

2.80

10

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDFRESHDESK

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: LEADERS

4.33 4.35

4.15 4.36

4.65 4.35

4.40 4.40

4.90 4.40

4.38 4.30

4.40 4.30

4.30

4.70

4.10

11

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDSAMANAGE

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: LEADERS

4.11 4.20

4.61 4.54

3.20 3.87

2.30 3.80

4.10 4.90

4.03 3.10

3.80 3.80

3.60

4.30

4.40

12

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDSPICEWORKS

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: MASTERS

3.52 4.55

4.13 4.36

2.55 4.75

4.10 4.90

1.00 4.30

3.28 4.60

4.90 4.90

4.10

3.10

1.00

13

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDTRACK-IT!

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: LEADERS

3.78 4.24

4.30 4.49

3.05 4.00

2.30 4.10

3.80 3.10

3.48 4.90

4.10 3.90

5.00

3.60

1.20

14

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDJIRA SERVICE DESK

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: LEADERS

3.93 4.04

4.35 4.25

2.90 3.83

1.50 3.90

4.30 3.90

4.10 3.10

3.90 4.10

4.90

4.90

2.70

15

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDCHERWELL SOFTWARE

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: MASTERS

3.54 4.35

4.58 4.63

1.25 4.07

1.50 4.70

1.00 4.60

3.75 1.00

4.70 4.70

3.90

3.30

3.10

16

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDTRACKER

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: MASTERS

3.65 4.22

4.69 4.60

2.30 3.83

2.30 3.50

2.30 3.80

2.90 5.00

3.50 3.60

2.00

2.30

3.80

17

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDSYSAID

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: MASTERS

3.69 4.16

4.20 4.20

2.95 4.13

2.30 4.60

3.60 3.30

3.40 3.10

4.60 4.60

3.50

3.00

2.50

18

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDISSUETRAK

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: MASTERS

3.41 4.34

4.49 4.59

2.05 4.10

3.10 4.30

1.00 4.10

2.60 3.10

4.30 4.40

3.00

1.90

1.20

19

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDFRESHSERVICE

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: PACESETTERS

4.03 3.64

4.14 4.22

3.75 3.07

3.10 3.00

4.40 3.30

4.10 3.10

3.00 3.00

4.30

5.00

4.10

20

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDAGILOFT

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: PACESETTERS

3.79 3.78

4.86 4.95

2.10 2.60

1.20 3.10

3.00 1.40

3.35 1.00

3.10 3.50

3.10

4.40

2.80

21

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDAPPTIVO CRM

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: PACESETTERS

3.96 3.42

4.65 4.62

3.90 2.22

3.10 1.90

4.70 4.70

2.65 1.00

1.90 1.90

3.80

1.00

3.90

22

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDISUPPORT

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: CONTENDERS

3.70 3.60

4.61 4.46

3.30 2.73

4.40 2.70

2.20 2.70

2.28 4.30

2.70 2.00

2.50

2.70

1.20

23

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDPULSEWAY

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: CONTENDERS

3.68 3.61

4.71 4.67

1.90 2.55

1.00 2.80

2.80 3.30

3.40 1.00

2.80 2.70

2.30

3.90

4.60

24

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDINVGATE SERVICE DESK

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: PACESETTERS

3.71 3.57

4.61 4.74

2.80 2.40

3.10 1.50

2.50 1.70

2.83 3.10

1.50 3.30

2.70

3.50

3.60

25

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDMOJO HELPDESK

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: CONTENDERS

3.67 3.57

4.43 4.49

3.65 2.65

3.80 3.30

3.50 2.70

2.18 1.00

3.30 2.80

2.20

2.00

1.20

26

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7

FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDVISION HELPDESK

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: PACESETTERS

3.76 3.39

4.70 4.80

3.05 1.98

1.50 2.30

4.60 2.30

2.60 1.00

2.30 2.00

1.00

2.20

4.90

27

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDNABD

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: PACESETTERS

3.96 3.05

4.76 4.77

3.95 1.33

4.90 1.00

3.00 3.00

2.38 1.00

1.00 1.00

2.80

1.00

4.70

28

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7

FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDCAYZU

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: PACESETTERS

3.97 3.01

4.87 4.93

4.00 1.08

4.10 1.00

3.90 1.50

2.13 1.00

1.00 1.00

1.50

1.00

5.00

29

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDBOSS SUPPORT CENTRAL

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: CONTENDERS

3.63 3.29

4.54 4.46

2.40 2.12

3.80 2.50

1.00 1.70

3.03 1.00

2.50 2.50

4.60

3.80

1.20

30

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7

FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDJITBIT HELPDESK

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: CONTENDERS

3.42 3.43

4.61 4.29

2.40 2.57

2.30 3.60

2.50 1.00

2.08 1.00

3.60 3.10

1.00

2.50

1.20

31

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7

FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDSMART SERVICE DESK ITSM

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: CONTENDERS

3.37 3.42

4.66 4.76

1.25 2.08

1.50 2.20

1.00 2.50

2.90 1.00

2.20 2.30

1.70

4.60

3.10

32

The scores below are based on numeric value between 1 and 5.

CAPABILITY VALUE

Capability User Rating Value User Rating

Functionality Breadth Adoption Score

Features Customer Base

Integrations Reviews Volume

Confidence Score Google Searches

Customer Base Skills Base

Employee Base

Customer Growth

Employee Growth

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FRONTRUNNERS SCORECARDSAPPHIREIMS

QUADRANT PLACEMENT: CONTENDERS

3.33 3.00

4.08 4.06

3.40 1.95

4.90 1.50

1.90 2.20

1.75 3.10

1.50 1.70

3.30

1.00

1.20

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Providers listed as Runners Up were eligible for inclusion in the FrontRunners quadrant,

including having 10+ product reviews, but their value or capability axis score was not high enough for positioning on the FrontRunners quadrant.

RUNNERS UP

ITRP

Tele-Support HelpDesk

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The FrontRunners methodology assesses and calculates a score for products on two primary

dimensions: Capability on the x-axis and Value on the y-axis.

THE CAPABILITY SCORE IS AN OVERALL WEIGHTED AVERAGE OF SCORES INCLUDING:

» End-user ratings of one to five stars on the product’s functionality.

» End-user ratings of one to five stars on the product’s ease of use.

» End-user ratings of one to five stars on the product’s customer support.

» A score, relative to other products in the market, for the product’s inclusion of key functionality for the software category.

» A score, relative to other products in the market, representing the number of other products that integrate with it.

METHODOLOGY BASICS

M E T H O D O L O G Y B A S I C S

35J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 7

THE VALUE SCORE IS AN OVERALL WEIGHTED AVERAGE OF SCORES INCLUDING:

» End-user ratings of one to five stars on overall satisfaction with the product.

» End-user ratings of one to five stars on how valuable users consider the product to be relative to its price.

» End-user ratings of one to five stars on how likely they are to recommend the product to others.

» A score, relative to other products in the market, for the size of the product’s customer base.

» A score, relative to other products in the market, for the number of professionals in the market who have experience with the product (e.g., users, developers, administrators).

» A score, relative to other products in the market, representing the total number of user reviews across the three Gartner web properties.

» A score, relative to other products in the market, representing the average number of times per month internet users search for the product on Google.

M E T H O D O L O G Y B A S I C S

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Markets are defined by a core set of functionality, and products considered for, and included in, FrontRunners must offer that core set of functionality. Additional related functionality can contribute to the capability score for a product. To qualify for consideration in FrontRunners for a software category, a product must have at least 10 unique user-submitted product reviews across the three Gartner Digital Markets web properties:softwareadvice.com, capterra.com and getapp.com.

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