Lifecycle Management

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Top 10 Kayako Alternatives & Competitors in 2024

Team Zluri

9th January, 2024

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Kayako-Help Desk software is a powerful ITSM tool that has been helping IT teams manage internal IT support interactions for years. However, like any software, it has its own set of limitations that might hinder your growth. As an IT manager, exploring other Kayako alternatives is always better if your IT team is experiencing challenges with Kayako or simply looking for a better experience.

Kayako is a cloud-based "Help Desk" software that provides your IT team with a centralized platform for managing employee support inquiries and tickets. It offers a range of features, including a shared inbox, customizable support ticket fields, automated workflows, and reporting tools to manage your internal IT support process.

Key Features of Kayako

Now, let's discuss a wide range of essential features of Kayako.

• User-Friendly Ticketing System: Kayako simplifies IT issue tracking with its intuitive ticketing system. The user-friendly interface enhances team collaboration, allowing for a more agile and responsive IT support environment.

• Robust Knowledge Base: Empower your IT team and end-users with a robust knowledge base provided by Kayako. The platform enables you to create and maintain a centralized repository of solutions, FAQs, and best practices. This popular feature reduces the workload on your IT support team and encourages self-service among end-users, ultimately leading to quicker problem resolution.

• Automated Workflow Management: Kayako introduces automated workflow management, allowing you to streamline repetitive tasks, approvals, and notifications. This accelerates the business process and ensures adherence to predefined processes and standards, contributing to a more organized and controlled IT environment.

• Real-Time Collaboration Tools: The platform provides real-time collaboration tools such as chat and messaging, enabling you to foster quick and direct communication within the team. This advanced feature significantly reduces resolution times, enhances team coordination, and ultimately improves overall IT service delivery.

• Comprehensive Asset Management: Kayako incorporates comprehensive asset management capabilities beyond conventional ITSM solutions. This popular feature ensures optimal resource utilization and aids in strategic decision-making related to IT investments and upgrades.

• Powerful Reporting and Analytics: With Kayako's intuitive interface, gain valuable insights into IT performance, identify trends, and track key performance indicators (KPIs). This data-driven approach enables you to make proactive decisions, optimize processes, and continuously improve ITSM efficiency.

Drawbacks of Kayako

The tool has a number of limitations that hinder you from making the most of it. Some of these limitations are:

• One of the cons of using Kayako Help Desk software is that sometimes the system may experience errors that cause your response to be posted twice, making it frustrating and time-consuming for your IT teams. As a result, your team has to spend twice the amount of time resolving and closing a ticket, which can impact productivity.

• It doesn't provide your team with advanced features to customize reports, limiting your team's ability to track and analyze customer support operations the way they want.

• If budget concerns you, this option isn't suitable for you and your team. That's because most of the features are available in the costlier tier of the software.

Considering the above potential drawbacks, let's explore the top 10 alternatives that perfectly fit your IT support desk.

List Of 10 Kayako Alternatives 

In this section, we've compiled a list of 10 powerful alternatives to the Kayako Help Desk that offer unique features and benefits to streamline your IT service management operations. So, let's dive in and explore the top contenders for your next help desk software!

1. Zluri

With diverse app requests from various corners of your organization, effectively managing these queues is paramount for your IT admin. Zluri's Employee App Store (EAS) presents a robust self-serve solution, eliminating prolonged waiting periods, transitioning to a ticketless system, and streamlining the entire app access request process. 

Let's discuss the benefits of Zluri's EAS.

Streamlined App Requests: Zluri's EAS provides a curated inventory of pre-approved SaaS apps. Employees can independently select and request the apps they need for their respective jobs from Zluri’s EAS. Once an employee submits an access request, the IT admin is instantly notified, enabling quick identity verification and secure access provision.

Effortless Procurement Process: In cases where the desired app isn't available, employees can still request it. The IT admin reviews the request, considering threat level, risk score, and compliance factors. 

If it meets security standards, the request moves to the procurement team. Leveraging Zluri's SaaS buying capabilities, the app is acquired under favorable terms, and the IT admin grants the employee access.

Transparent Communication: It's crucial to note that app requests may be declined due to pricing concerns or security issues. In such instances, employees receive clear notifications explaining the reasons. Any modifications or alternative suggestions from approvers are documented in the "Changelogs" section for transparency.

Customized App Visibility: Zluri empowers IT teams to control app visibility in the EAS, tailoring it to specific needs. This feature restricts employees' access to apps with high threat levels, risk scores, and compliance requirements. Imagine being able to customize your app store just like arranging apps on your smartphone based on your preferences and needs.

Monitoring & Improvement: Zluri goes beyond app management by conducting regular audits and generating reports on ticket resolution rates and approval times. This data aids in effectively monitoring the approval workflow, streamlining processes, and enhancing overall IT service management for increased productivity.

To sum up, Zluri is a critical platform that simplifies your everyday IT operations and enhances your organizational efficiency. Book a demo today to explore the platform's unique and compelling features.

Pros

• It provides your employees with real-time updates on their app, license requests, and any newly available apps. It increases transparency in the approval process by allowing requesters to see comments and feedback on their app requests.

• Zluri's EAS helps your IT teams control SaaS sprawl by enabling users to select the most appropriate apps for their requirements. Additionally, it offers visibility into all SaaS purchases, which can help to prevent shadow IT within the organization.

Cons

• Zluri's extensive integration capabilities into your existing systems and workflows may necessitate additional time and resources, particularly for enterprises managing intricate IT environments.

Customer Rating

• G2: 4.8/5

• Capterra: 4.9/5

2. ServiceNow

ServiceNow, one of the best Kayako alternatives, is a powerful IT service management platform that enables greater interdepartmental communication and collaboration, making it an ideal solution for rapidly growing organizations.

With its advanced features, ServiceNow enables your IT team to pinpoint and address the root cause of productivity downgrades. Moreover, its customizable templates offer flexibility, enabling them to respond quickly and efficiently to their most frequent employee queries.

Additionally, ServiceNow's AI-assisted ticket assignments and other productivity tools increase your team's efficiency and help them prioritize tasks. With its self-service capabilities and virtual assistants, ServiceNow streamlines communication channels, simplifying the process for employees to get timely feedback and reports, monitor their performance and identify problematic areas.

Overall, ServiceNow provides a comprehensive solution that enhances communication, increases efficiency, and optimizes IT operations for businesses of all sizes.

Pros

• The software provides your IT team with a complete overview of all the IT services delivered to the user. Besides, it helps them control and manage all such IT service offerings to maintain them.

• The software can automate the asset management process by offering intelligent automation features to discover, track, and manage assets in real-time. This helps ensure your IT team that all assets are accounted for and that they have complete visibility into the organization's asset inventory.

Cons

• This isn't the ideal choice if your IT team generally deals with large data sizes. That's because it delays or sometimes responds very slowly while loading a page or report with large data

• Your team may need to manually cancel change requests after the given time, which can be time-consuming and inefficient. This could lead to delays in the overall change management process and potentially cause issues with your project timelines.

Customer Rating

• G2: 4.4/5

• Capterra: 4.5/5

3. Freshservice

Freshservice, one of the best Kayako competitors, is a cloud-based ITSM solution that's intuitive, fast, and highly intelligent. With its advanced features, Freshservice streamlines your service processes by eliminating repetitive tasks and consolidating all your service needs into one comprehensive platform. Plus, it takes your service game to the next level with its no-code migration services for both end-users and managers.

Moreover, Freshservice assists you in prioritizing your core objectives, which include delivering timely support services and ensuring the complete satisfaction of both clients and employees. Its user-friendly graphical interface, extensive configuration options, and versatility in meeting the specific requirements of individual customers and employees are notable features.

Additionally, Freshservice can integrate seamlessly with other business and IT systems.

Pros

• It is a highly versatile and customizable option, providing your team with many useful features that can be customized nicely for submitting tickets.

• If you're looking for a tool that can offer your team multiple features at an affordable price, this is the one. It comes with many features for its price point and, thus, is a cost-effective option to consider.

Cons

• The user interface (UI) is slow sometimes, delaying the tasks and affecting your IT team's overall efficiency and productivity.

Customer Rating

• G2: 4.6/5

• Capterra: 4.5/5

4. Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk, One of the notified Kayako alternatives, is a fully customizable Help desk and service desk solution that simplifies even the most complex IT processes through automation. Its advanced features align processes as per your IT teams and integrate with various resources, creating a dynamic support system that streamlines ticket-resolving processes.

Zoho Desk offers a range of service management-oriented features, such as a collaborative inbox, device synchronization, and chat functionalities. Not only does Zoho handle all technical, security, training, and support requirements within your organization, but its ticketing system is top-notch, providing efficient customizations that meet your specific business needs.

Additionally, Zoho offers different analytical reports for various channels, such as email for app requests and chats for queries, giving you valuable insights into the effectiveness of your support operations.

Pros

• The application is simple and easy to use, making it easier for your IT teams to customize it for their various social media accounts.

• It comes with an easy-to-reach customer support service compared with other platforms. Their responses are immediate; all your IT team has to do is click on the chat icon and ask Zoho directly.

Cons

• This isn't a suitable fit if you are looking for robust reporting capabilities for custom attributes. The tool comes with a few reporting capabilities, hindering your ability to analyze and interpret data better.

Customer Rating

• G2: 4.4/5

• Capterra: 4.5/5

5. Help Scout

HelpScout, one of the prominent Kayako alternatives, is a powerful ITSM solution that efficiently tracks, manages, and organizes raised tickets. With its intuitive dashboard, you can easily visualize your team's performance and gain valuable insights into their support operations.

Apart from this, HelpScout also offers a self-service portal, a knowledge base that answers your employees' common queries. It also features a "saved reply" function, allowing faster response times with starter templates for common inquiries.

Additionally, HelpScout's intuitive interface seamlessly integrates with various systems, including business intelligence tools, enabling you to analyze your organization's structure in-depth.

Pros

• HelpScout is a great option for your IT teams for ticketing, allowing additional collaborators, making draft emails to the users, and getting quick and easy service to those who inquire.

• If you're a small IT team, you can make good use of the tool's note option that it offers. It provides any of your team members with the additional information they require while collaborating or following up with the user in anyone's absence.

Cons

• The mobile app of the tool has some limitations. Hence, if your team relies on it to access the platform on the go, it may affect their productivity.

Customer Rating

• G2: 4.4/5

• Capterra: 4.7/5

6. SysAid

SysAid, a notified alternative to Kayako, is a cloud-based service desk and help desk solution designed to assist your IT teams in resolving technology-related issues. It offers key features such as help desk automation, asset management, patch management, reporting, and performance analysis with customizable dashboards.

SysAid ITSM provides management tools for incidents, problems, changes, service level targets, and resolution knowledge. It also offers features like self-service portals, password resets, and automation of service desk processes. The IT asset management functionality includes mobile device management, patch management, hardware and network monitoring, and network discovery.

Overall, SysAid's intuitive interface helps improve the efficiency of your organization's IT processes through service automation, enabling your team to focus on other critical organizational demands.

Pros

• The tool is easy to configure and deploy. Hence, your team can implement it quickly without the need for extensive technical knowledge or expertise.

• Due to its seamless integration capabilities, it integrates quickly and efficiently with other systems. Hence, providing a more comprehensive and complete view of information leads to better decision-making and insights.

Cons

• The SysAid support team response time is quite long, leading to delays in problem resolution, affecting your team's overall productivity.

Customer Rating

• G2: 4.5/5

• Capterra: 4.5/5

7. Zendesk 

Zendesk, one of the prominent Kayako alternatives, is a comprehensive IT service management tool enabling you to resolve any IT-related issues through single or multiple contact points. Its advanced features allow your team to troubleshoot problems, monitor and track issues faced by your employees, customers, and stakeholders, and provide assistance associated with services, processes, or products to resolve the issue promptly.

In addition, Zendesk offers self-service portals that empower your employees to find solutions to their queries related to IT processes, app approval requests, and more without the involvement of your IT team. This frees up your team to focus on more complex tasks while providing employees with a streamlined and efficient solution to their issues.

Moreover, Zendesk's reporting capabilities provide you with visibility into recurring types of queries and cases to identify solutions and create standardized processes to resolve the issue effectively.

Pros

• Empower your IT team with Zendesk's unparalleled customization capabilities, providing a solution perfectly aligned with your unique requirements. Tailor the platform to meet the specific needs of your IT environment, ensuring a seamless integration into your workflow.

• Zendesk allows your IT manager to establish automated processes and workflows based on predefined events or criteria. This streamlines operations and significantly diminishes the need for manual intervention, thereby boosting overall efficiency. 

Cons

• One drawback of Zendesk's reporting capabilities is that the data may not always be accurate or reliable. So, if you need potential data from the tool, it may give inaccurate or unreliable data that can lead to incorrect conclusions and poor decision-making.

Customer Rating

• G2: 4.3/5

• Capterra: 4.4/5

8. HappyFox

HappyFox, a distinguished alternative to Kayako, equips your IT team with an unwavering ticketing system, robust SLA management, and intelligent ticket assignment features to streamline the handling of support requests. Customize the software extensively to align with your unique requirements, ensuring a seamless fit for your IT processes.

Furthermore, HappyFox seamlessly integrates with various third-party applications, such as CRM systems, eCommerce platforms, and collaboration tools. This integration amplifies the platform's functionality and ensures harmony with your existing toolkit, fostering a coherent workflow.

Beyond conventional features, HappyFox prides itself on a formidable knowledge base functionality. This empowers your IT team to curate a comprehensive repository of informative articles and FAQs, facilitating self-service options for both customers and employees. Effectively address common issues while arming users with the knowledge they need, thereby elevating your support capabilities to unprecedented levels.

Pros

• Boost your team's collaboration and customer communication effortlessly with HappyFox's user-friendly interface, promoting smooth teamwork among agents. Enjoy streamlined ticket assignments and easy customer interactions, improving your overall support operations.

• HappyFox provides ready-made reports and customizable dashboards. This allows your IT team to monitor important metrics, making informed, data-driven decisions for better performance.

Cons

• In certain scenarios, delays in ticket notifications reaching your IT team can lead to resolution delays, impacting the overall experience for both employees and clients.

• While effective, HappyFox's foundational "smart rules" feature may present some limitations in terms of triggers and actions. For instance, executing tasks such as changing the ticket status and assigning it to an agent in a single step may not be feasible.

Customer Rating

• G2: 4.5/5

• Capterra: 4.6/5

9. BMC Helix ITSM

Discover the unparalleled flexibility of BMC Helix ITSM, a leading competitor to Kayako. This dynamic solution is meticulously crafted to align with the unique requirements of every IT organization. Boasting a comprehensive suite of features, it outshines with its user-friendly interface, swift deployment capabilities, and a rich array of the latest advancements in service administration.

BMC Helix ITSM goes beyond conventional offerings by seamlessly incorporating cutting-edge digital and automation technologies into a cloud-native platform. This empowers organizations to embrace adaptive service management seamlessly across hybrid and multi-cloud deployments. Experience the future of IT service management with BMC Helix ITSM.

Pros

• Discover a myriad of customization features within BMC Helix ITSM, meticulously crafted to effortlessly synchronize with the distinct demands of diverse organizations. Tailor the tool precisely to your specifications, guaranteeing a personalized strategy for overseeing incidents and requests.

• A standout benefit for IT managers lies in the user-friendly interface of BMC Helix ITSM. This intuitively designed platform elevates the user experience, fostering heightened efficiency in administrating IT processes—a feature that IT managers will truly value.

Cons

• While BMC Helix ITSM boasts various strengths, it's essential to address a notable constraint: scalability. Handling extensive datasets may lead to performance issues, posing challenges as your organization expands or deals with substantial data volumes. 

• Another consideration involves the intricacies of setting up and configuring BMC Helix ITSM. This complexity might present challenges, particularly for organizations with constrained IT resources or those seeking additional IT expertise. 

Customer Rating

• G2: 3.7/5

• Capterra: 4.1/5

10. LiveAgent

Elevate your customer service experience with LiveAgent, an all-encompassing Help Desk and live-chat solution designed to infuse personalization into every customer interaction. With one of the notified Kayako competitors, uncover the potential of over 175+ help desk features and seamlessly integrate with 200+ third-party applications.

Experience the synergy of an omnichannel universal inbox, real-time live chat, an integrated call center, and a robust customer service portal within LiveAgent. Tailor your communication with advanced features like customer segmentation, automation, a built-in CRM, powerful analytics, and an extensive customer knowledge base.

Pros

• LiveAgent understands the importance of aligning your communication tools with the identity of our business. This adaptability empowers you to create a chat experience that resonates with your company's ethos, making it a valuable asset for the IT management role.

Cons

• While the current user interface is functional, there hasn't been significant improvement in this area for quite some time. This lack of visual updates might not impact functionality, but in a rapidly evolving digital landscape, a more modern and visually appealing UI can contribute to a better overall user experience.

Customer Rating

• G2: 4.5/5

• Capterra: 4.7/5

Select the Right Kayako Alternatives to Enhance Your Service Operations

Selecting the appropriate help desk solution plays a pivotal role in ensuring the streamlined operation of any organization. Exploring options beyond Kayako can unlock fresh opportunities. As an IT manager, your primary concerns revolve around efficiency, scalability, and seamless integration.

While Kayako may present certain features, exploring alternatives that closely align with your business requirements is essential. Whether you prioritize enhanced automation capabilities, robust reporting functionalities, or a more intuitive user interface, the ideal help desk tool should empower your team to excel.

Thoroughly evaluate each Kayako alternative, carefully considering the pros and cons, to make an informed decision. This ensures that your IT infrastructure is managed and optimized for success. Keep in mind that the choice made today will significantly impact the future resilience and agility of your organization's IT service operations.

FAQs

What is Kayako used for?

Streamline your customer support operations effortlessly with Kayako's helpdesk software, featuring an intuitive shared inbox tool. Empower your customer service team with customizable views, tags, and automated conversation assignments, ensuring they effortlessly stay ahead of open issues and efficiently route conversations to the most qualified individuals.

What is the alternative to Kayako Classic?

Optimize your sales-focused team's efficiency with the top alternative to Kayako – Zoho. As part of a comprehensive suite alongside Zendesk, Freshdesk, and Salesforce, Zoho stands out with its primary emphasis on CRM. Elevate your support capabilities with Zoho, the perfect ticketing system for sales-centric teams seeking a robust solution.

What are the popular integrations of Kayako?

Unlock a world of possibilities with Kayako's seamless integration with Zapier, connecting you to a vast ecosystem of leading apps and platforms. Enjoy instant access to hundreds of popular tools that streamline your workflow and enhance productivity. Plus, experience hassle-free out-of-the-box integrations with key platforms like Slack and Salesforce, ensuring a smooth and efficient collaboration experience from the get-go. Elevate your business processes with Kayako's versatile integrated applications. 

About the author

Team Zluri

Team Zluri