HelpDesk vs. Email comparison. Which to choose in 2024?

HelpDesk is a customer support software that enables businesses to provide excellent customer service. Their platform allows teams to manage customer inquiries across multiple channels, including email, chat, social media and form.

Email is a communication platform created by Google accessible through the Gmail website. It allows users to send, receive, and manage emails efficiently.

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HelpDesk vs. Email features and capabilities — how to choose the best tool for your service?

HelpDesk offers ticketing, automation, reporting, and collaboration tools to streamline the customer support process and ensure timely resolutions. Their software is designed to improve customer satisfaction, boost team productivity, and optimize support operations. Overall, HelpDesk aims to help businesses build stronger customer relationships through exceptional support experiences.
Email features include a large storage capacity, spam filtering, and organization tools such as labels and folders. Users can also customize their inbox layout and access their emails on the go through the Gmail mobile app. Overall, email provides a user-friendly and secure platform for managing email communication.

Let's compare the features offered by both tools.

HelpDesk features

HelpDesk app

  1. Ticketing system: A ticketing system allows users to easily submit technical issues or service requests to the help desk team. Each ticket is logged, assigned a priority level, and tracked until resolved.
  2. Remote desktop support: Remote desktop support enables help desk agents to connect to a user's computer remotely to troubleshoot issues, provide real-time assistance, and resolve technical problems without needing in-person visits.
  3. Reporting and analytics: Reporting and analytics tools provide valuable insights into help desk performance metrics such as ticket volume, resolution times, customer satisfaction scores, and agent productivity, allowing organizations to identify trends, monitor performance, and make data-driven decisions.
  4. Self-service portal: A self-service portal allows users to access a range of resources, submit tickets, track ticket status, and find solutions to common issues without needing to contact the help desk directly, increasing efficiency and reducing the workload on help desk agents.
  5. Integration with other systems: Integration with other systems such as CRM, WordPress, Webflow, and monitoring tools enables seamless data sharing, enhances collaboration between teams, and streamlines workflows for more efficient issue resolution and customer support.
  6. Multichannel support: Multi-channel support ensures that users can contact the help desk through various communication channels such as phone, email, chat, or social media, providing flexibility and convenience for users to reach out for assistance in their preferred way.

Email features

  1. Email encryption: Email encryption safeguards the content of an email message from being read by unauthorized users. It ensures that the email content is only visible to the intended recipient.
  2. Attachment support: Email services allow users to attach files, such as documents, images, and videos, to email messages. This feature allows users to share and collaborate on files with others easily.
  3. Autoresponders: Autoresponders are automated emails sent in response to incoming emails. They can be used to acknowledge an email receipt, provide information, or set expectations about follow-up communication.
  4. Spam filtering: Email services often include spam filtering to detect and filter out unsolicited and potentially harmful emails automatically. This helps users maintain a clutter-free inbox and protect against potentially malicious content.
  5. Email forwarding: Email forwarding allows users to redirect incoming emails to another email address automatically. This feature helps share important information with colleagues or redirect emails to a different account.

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Pricing and plans comparison

HelpDesk pricing and plans

HelpDesk offers a flexible pricing structure based on your team's needs. They offer three plans: Team, Business, and Enterprise. You can also try HelpDesk for free during the 14-days trial. Check more information on the pricing page: https://www.helpdesk.com/pricing/

Email pricing and plans

Email services typically offer a range of pricing and plans to cater to individual and business users.

Integrations comparison: HelpDesk vs. Email

HelpDesk integrations

It's possible to integrate HelpDesk with many tools.

  1. LiveChat: Integrates with LiveChat to provide seamless real-time customer communication directly from the HelpDesk interface. This allows support agents to handle tickets and live chats in one place, improving response times and customer satisfaction.
  2. ChatBot: This integration works with ChatBot to automate customer interactions using AI. It enables businesses to set up automated responses, handle common inquiries, and reduce the workload on support teams by filtering and resolving issues without human intervention.
  3. WordPress: The WordPress integration allows HelpDesk forms to be embedded directly onto WordPress sites. This makes it easy for customers to submit tickets or requests without leaving the website, enhancing user experience and ensuring that support requests are seamlessly captured.
  4. Zapier: By connecting with Zapier, HelpDesk can integrate with over 3,000 different applications. This integration is highly versatile, allowing businesses to automate tasks, such as syncing customer data between HelpDesk and CRM systems or triggering alerts based on ticket status.
  5. Slack: The Slack integration sends ticket notifications and updates directly to Slack channels. This allows support teams to stay informed about ticket statuses and collaborate effectively without leaving their preferred communication tool.
  6. Jira: Integrating HelpDesk with Jira facilitates smooth issue tracking and management for technical teams. Tickets from HelpDesk can be directly linked to Jira issues, enabling better coordination between customer support and development teams.

Email integrations

Some of the most essential integrations of email are:

  1. Marketing automation platform integration: Email marketing is a key component of marketing automation, and integrating email with marketing automation platforms allows businesses to create and send targeted, personalized email campaigns to prospects and customers. This integration also helps companies track email campaign performance and optimize them for better results.
  2. Social media integration: Integrating email with social media platforms allows businesses to amplify their email marketing efforts by incorporating social sharing buttons, allowing customers to easily share email content on social media. This integration also helps companies to grow their email list by enabling customers to sign up for email updates through social media.
  3. Customer support software integration: Integrating email with customer support software enables businesses to provide timely and personalized customer support via email. This integration helps companies track customer inquiries, assign support tickets to team members, and resolve customer issues efficiently.

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What are the key differences between HelpDesk and Email?

If you need the perfect tool for customer support, choose HelpDesk for its user-friendly interface and efficient ticketing system.

Should I choose HelpDesk or Email?

The key difference between HelpDesk and Email is the primary method of communication they facilitate. HelpDesk is a specialized software designed to provide customer support and assistance in a more structured and organized manner. On the other hand, email is a general communication tool that can be used for various purposes, including customer support, but lacks the specialized features of a HelpDesk.

  1. Ticketing system: HelpDesk includes a ticketing system that allows support tickets to be created, tracked, assigned, and resolved systematically. It helps efficiently manage customer queries and issues. In contrast, email needs a built-in ticketing system, which can make it challenging to keep track of and prioritize customer requests.
  2. Automation and workflows: HelpDesk includes features and workflows to streamline support processes, such as automatic ticket assignment, monitoring response times, and escalating unresolved issues. Email, while it can be automated to a certain extent, offers a different level of customization and workflow management capabilities than a HelpDesk.
  3. Collaboration and team communication: HelpDesk platforms tenable collaboration and communication among support team members through features like internal chat, shared notes, and knowledge bases. Email, while allowing team members to communicate, may have different collaboration tools and integrations than a HelpDesk.

Choosing the best help desk for your business

When choosing the right help desk tool for your business, several factors must be considered. First, consider the size of your business and the level of support you will need. Consider the features and functionality of the help desk tool, such as the ticketing system, automation capabilities, and reporting. Look for a tool that integrates well with your existing systems and software. Consider the cost of the tool and whether it fits within your budget. Finally, consider the reputation and track record of the help desk tool provider to ensure you are getting a reliable and effective solution for your business.

How to Transition Smoothly to a HelpDesk Tool

Transitioning to a new helpdesk tool can be challenging, but with careful planning and execution, you can ensure a smooth migration of your tickets and data.

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We're here to support you during the entire migration process, offering information about any related costs and, if possible, covering them for you.

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