Email and Ticket Support

It is common for hosting companies to display an email address or contact form on their website.

Sending an email normally creates an email support ticket. It makes sense for hosting companies to use a ticket support system as the volume of emails they receive and respond to every day would be overwhelming.

Ticket support software helps you and other staff members handle support queries. It is the most practical solution to offering a direct and private support system to customers.

	Artic Desk A professional web-based support system that integrates support for your website, email, Twitter, and Facebook. The ticket management system allows you to communicate with other staff and you can build a knowledgebase and offer a downloads area to customers. The software looks great on mobile devices too and it has a professional user management system, customer reports, and a user feedback option. Artic Desk pricing starts from $14.95 per month. The “Powered by Artic Desk” credit link can be removed if you pay $17.95 per month. If you prefer, you can purchase the branded version for a one-off fee of $299.95 and the unbranded version for $374.95.
	Freshdesk Freshdesk is a professional help desk service that has many great features such as a team inbox. There are tools to help you respond to tickets quickly. These include canned responses to common questions, bulk actions, and ticket merging. Mobile apps are available for iOS and Android and there are built-in features like a knowledgebase, community forums, live chat, and customer feedback. The service is secure and integrates with a range of related services. Their beginner plan is called sprout and allows up to three agents to use email and phone support. Their next plan retails from $16 per month and unlocks additional features such as community forums and social support channels.
	Kayako A scalable customer support solution that offers everything you need. It boasts email and ticket support, live chat, a knowledgebase, customer profiles, and a great report system. The software also works with your chosen VoIP telephone solution. They offer three different plans. Their Case plan retails from $24 per month and offers ticket and email management. Their Engage plan costs $24 too but offers live chat and Voice and click-to-call functionality instead. To unlock all features, you need to opt for their Fusion plan which retails from $39 per month.
	Server Adminz Server Adminz are an Indian company that offer many different support services. They offer chat support, ticket support, and telephone support. A shared team, semi-dedicated team, and dedicated team options are available.
	SugarCRM A complete customer relations management solution that offers sales and support functionality, marketing features, productivity tools, and more. It is perhaps a little too complex for many small and medium sized hosting companies, but still worth checking out. Pricing starts from $40 per month.
	Vision Helpdesk A popular help desk service that is used by thousands of companies. At its core is its multi channel ticket management portal which allows conversations via email, the web portal, phone, chat, and social media services such as Twitter and Facebook. It retails from $7 per month per agent.
	WHMCS WHMCS is widely regarded as one of the best hosting billing solutions available online. Their service also boasts many great support features such as a ticket support system, a knowledgebase, social media integration, multiple support departments, and a pre-sales contact form. If you are already using WHMCS for your billing, I highly recommend you try their support features out. The branded version of WHMCS costs $15.95 per month or a one-off fee of $249.95. The unbranded version costs $18.95 per month or a one-off fee of $324.95.
	Zendesk Zendesk is a feature packed customer support system that allows to to track conversations from multiple sources through the main hub. You can respond to emails, tickets, Facebook and Twitter conversations, customer calls, and online chat. The software looks very professional and is fairly priced for the features on offer. Their Essential plan, which offers unlimited email & social channels and a basic knowledge base, costs only £5 per month per agent. More features can be unlocked by choosing one of their higher priced plans.