A new colleague starts today, but their laptop is not set up yet. At the same time, someone from the sales team reports that their password is not working. Requests go unanswered, and the chaos grows. Welcome to the daily reality of an “accidental IT owner”.

Service desk software is meant to help, but this is where the next problem begins: many solutions are either pure ticketing tools that you have to manage yourself, or MSPs with slow response times and non transparent pay per ticket billing. What is missing is a solution that combines both: a modern, intuitive platform AND real IT support that truly relieves your team.

This comparison shows you 7 service desk software solutions – from pure ticketing tools to all in one platforms with integrated IT service. This helps you find the solution that truly fits your company’s situation.

Benefits and features of service desk software

Service desk software should be far more than a digital ticketing system. It should orchestrate the entire IT support process, organize repetitive tasks, and create transparency across all support requests. Companies not only gain back time, but also measurably improve employee and customer satisfaction.

Service desk features:

• Centralization of all support channels: All requests from email, chat, and phone are consolidated into one omnichannel support system.
• Automation of recurring tasks: Automatic routing by priority instead of manual sorting, and workflow automation significantly reduce manual IT effort.
• Transparent tracking: Every ticket is fully documented, from first contact to resolution. Support teams and management maintain a clear overview of open requests and processing status at all times.
• Improved response times: Reduction of the average resolution time from hours to minutes through intelligent ticket management and direct assignment to available support teams.

The problem: many tools organize requests, but you still need your own IT expertise to resolve issues, or you end up coordinating between the ticketing system and external service providers.

Solutions like deeploi combine these features with real IT service: the platform automatically organizes requests, and real IT experts resolve issues directly, without you having to coordinate. This reduces IT workload by up to 98 %, without requiring technical knowledge.

7 service desk software solutions compared

This comparison shows you the 7 service desk solutions and helps you understand which ones only manage tickets and which ones truly relieve your team.

deeploi: Modern all-in-one IT platform with integrated service desk

deeploi combines IT management, automated onboarding and offboarding, and service desk in a single platform. Unlike traditional helpdesk software, deeploi does not just orchestrate support requests, but covers the entire IT lifecycle – from device procurement and software deployment to compliance management.

• Human IT support instead of pure chatbot solutions: Every employee can report IT issues directly – via email, phone, or ticket – without relying on internal IT resources.
• Average response time of 12 minutes: The SLA is 30 minutes for the first response, but the support team responds after an average of just 12 minutes.
• Automated workflows for onboarding and offboarding: New employees are ready to work in minutes instead of hours. The system synchronizes with HR platforms and automatically orchestrates email accounts, software access, and device provisioning.
• Native integrations with HR systems and workspace tools: deeploi connects seamlessly with Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Personio, and other tools, without manual data maintenance or interface programming.
• Transparent costs without hidden fees: No pay per ticket model as with traditional MSPs, but predictable flat rate pricing. There are no additional costs for emails, calls, or ticket submissions – all support channels are included.
• GDPR compliant with EU hosting: All data remains on European servers, with full ISO 27001 compliance and transparent access management.

What sets deeploi apart is its consistent focus on non IT experts. The platform reduces IT workload by up to 98 % by automating complex processes without requiring technical knowledge. This complete solution also includes device management, software deployment, and cybersecurity.

RECUP, Germany’s leading reusable deposit system, uses deeploi to relieve its internal IT team. “We no longer have to worry about second level topics. With the deeploi team, we know our topics are in good hands,” explains Florian Gandl, IT Operations Team Lead.

IT support that truly relieves your team. deeploi detects IT issues early and resolves requests quickly. For fewer interruptions and greater productivity in your company.

Zendesk

Zendesk is one of the established market leaders in customer service and IT support. The platform offers a comprehensive service desk software solution with a focus on scalability and enterprise requirements.

• Comprehensive omnichannel features: Zendesk consolidates email, live chat, social media, phone, and WhatsApp in one central platform.
• AI powered automation: With AI agents and copilot features, Zendesk automates ticket management, prioritization, and response suggestions – for faster processing and relief of support teams.
• Large integration library: Integrations with CRM platforms, ecommerce tools, and IT service management systems enable seamless workflows.
• Scalable for enterprise: The platform grows effortlessly with large teams and high ticket volumes, offering advanced reporting features and granular access control.

However, Zendesk comes with higher costs, which can be challenging for smaller companies. The complexity of the platform often requires dedicated administrators, and the steep learning curve can overwhelm non IT experts.

Zendesk is suitable for large enterprises with a dedicated IT team that require comprehensive service desk features and enterprise scalability.

Freshdesk

Freshdesk positions itself as a user friendly mid market solution between budget tools and enterprise platforms. Unlike all in one IT solutions, Freshdesk is primarily a tool for ticket management and communication centralization: you need your own IT expertise to actually resolve incoming requests.

• Freddy AI for automation: The AI assistant supports ticket management, automatic categorization, and response suggestions.
• Strong price performance ratio: With flexible pricing plans and a free basic version, Freshdesk offers a low barrier entry for smaller teams.
• Gamification for agents: Motivation elements such as points and leaderboards increase productivity and satisfaction within the support team.

Important limitation: Freshdesk is a ticketing tool, not an IT service. You need internal IT specialists or external providers to work on the recorded tickets. The platform collects and organizes requests, but does not resolve IT issues itself.

Solutions like deeploi, by contrast, provide both from a single source: the tool and the IT expertise, so your team is truly relieved.

ServiceNow

ServiceNow is a comprehensive enterprise platform for IT management and digital workflows. The solution is considered a standard for large organizations with complex IT structures and strict ITIL requirements.

• ITIL compliant processes: ServiceNow natively maps all ITIL processes, from incident management and problem management to change management and service catalog management.
• Comprehensive configuration management: The integrated CMDB (Configuration Management Database) captures all IT assets and their dependencies. This enables full transparency across the entire IT infrastructure.
• Change management: Structured change processes with multi level approvals, risk assessments, and automatic documentation ensure compliance and minimize downtime.
• Asset management: Complete management of hardware, software licenses, and contracts with automatic discovery and lifecycle tracking.

ServiceNow is known for its comprehensive features, but comes with correspondingly high investment costs. The platform requires dedicated administrators with specialized expertise and several months of implementation time. For smaller organizations, the scope of features can exceed actual needs.

For companies without an IT department or with limited budgets, more user friendly solutions such as deeploi offer a more pragmatic alternative with faster time to value.

Jira Service Management

Jira Service Management is part of the Atlassian family and integrates seamlessly with Jira Software. The platform is primarily aimed at tech companies that want to closely link service desk functions with their developer workflows.

• Seamless integration with developer tools: Direct connection to Jira Software, Confluence, and Bitbucket enables DevOps teams to manage incidents and changes without media disruption.
• Incident management: Structured processes for incident reports with automatic escalation and transparent tracking across all processing stages.
• Change management: Change requests can be created directly from developer tickets – including risk assessment and approval workflows.
• Flexible workflows: Customizable ticketing functions allow individual processes without programming knowledge.

Jira Service Management is particularly suitable for tech companies with a DevOps focus.

However, its technical orientation makes Jira Service Management less suitable for non IT support or companies without a developer focus. As more advanced features are added, complexity increases significantly, and compared to more modern solutions, the interface feels less intuitive.

SolarWinds Service Desk

SolarWinds is known as an IT management provider and offers a classic ITSM solution with its Service Desk, particularly focused on asset management and traditional IT infrastructures.

• Integrated asset management: Complete management of IT assets, hardware inventory, and software licenses with automatic discovery to detect all devices in the network.
• ITIL processes: Support for incident management, problem management, and change management according to ITIL standards.
• Remote support tools: Integrated remote access features enable direct access to end devices for fast issue resolution without physical presence.
• Knowledge base: A self service portal with searchable articles and guides reduces recurring support requests and relieves the IT team.
• Discovery features: Automatic detection and documentation of IT resources within the network.

SolarWinds is suitable for traditional IT departments with an on premises focus.

However, SolarWinds shows an older user interface that appears less intuitive compared to modern cloud solutions. The platform is less cloud native and primarily optimized for Windows environments, while cross platform scenarios are supported to a limited extent.

Zoho Desk

Zoho Desk is part of the comprehensive Zoho suite and offers a cost effective all in one solution for customer service and IT support. The platform integrates seamlessly with other Zoho products and is aimed at price conscious SMEs.

• Strong integration with the Zoho ecosystem: Seamless connection to Zoho CRM, Zoho Projects, and other Zoho tools enables consistent workflows without additional interfaces.
• Zia AI assistant: AI features for automatic ticket classification, sentiment analysis, and response suggestions accelerate the processing of recurring support requests.
• Multichannel support: Email, live chat, social media, and phone are centrally consolidated.
• Mobile apps: iOS and Android apps enable support teams to manage tickets on the go.
• Affordable pricing: With flexible plans and a free version for up to three agents, Zoho Desk offers a low barrier entry and is significantly more affordable than enterprise solutions such as Zendesk or ServiceNow.

However, Zoho Desk shows weaknesses in IT specific features such as asset management or deep IT service management. The user interface can feel cluttered, and support quality varies depending on the selected plan. Customization options are heavily limited in lower tier plans.

Zoho Desk is particularly suitable for SMEs that already use Zoho products. Like other ticketing tools, Zoho Desk organizes requests but does not provide IT service: you still need internal IT expertise or external service providers.

deeploi, in contrast, offers a complete IT focused solution: device management, software deployment, automated onboarding, plus IT service delivered by real experts – all from a single source, without dependency on a specific software ecosystem.

Important factors when choosing a service desk software

The technical features of a service desk software are only one aspect of the decision. In practice, the quality of the actual support experience often matters more than the longest feature list. Three factors determine whether a helpdesk solution truly relieves your team or simply creates new complexity:

Tool vs service: what do you really need?

The service desk software market is divided into two extremes – and both have significant weaknesses:

Tool heavy providers (Zendesk, Freshdesk, Jira): Modern, feature rich ticketing platforms with extensive functionality. However, they do not solve one fundamental problem: you still need your own IT expertise to actually process the recorded tickets. The tool organizes requests, but you have to resolve them yourself. For companies without an IT department, this means the IT burden remains with HR, operations, or management.

Service heavy providers (traditional MSPs): They offer IT service and take over problem resolution. However, they often work with outdated legacy tools, slow processes, and non transparent pricing models. Typical pain points include response times of several hours to days, pay per ticket billing that generates additional costs for every minor request, and a reactive “we fix it when it breaks” approach instead of proactive IT support. Even with an MSP, the coordination burden often remains with you, as you act as the intermediary between employees and the service provider, follow up on tickets, and clarify misunderstandings.

The deeploi solution: deeploi combines a modern automation platform with real IT service. You get the simplicity of a modern platform AND the relief of professional IT service, without having to juggle between tools and service providers.

Combine a modern automation platform with real IT service

Human support

AI features and chatbots are valuable tools for routine requests, but they quickly reach their limits when it comes to complex IT issues. IT support means more than question and answer exchanges: system migrations, configuration changes, or resolving critical incidents require active intervention, technical understanding, and often multi step solution paths. A human can think contextually, recognize interdependencies, and respond flexibly to unexpected situations – capabilities that even advanced AI agents cannot fully replace.

The difference becomes visible in customer satisfaction: human support builds trust and resolves problems sustainably, while pure automation often leads to frustration.

deeploi relies on direct communication between employees and IT experts – without AI chatbots as an intermediate layer. AI works exclusively in the background: it analyzes tickets, automatically categorizes requests, and supports the support team with solution suggestions. However, every response comes from real people who understand the context and can react flexibly.

Response time and resolution quality

First response times are an important indicator: they show whether your request is even being acknowledged and whether someone is addressing it promptly. For urgent issues, a quick response is essential so employees are not blocked for hours.

Equally important is the quality of the actual problem resolution. The key difference lies between “ticket has been acknowledged” and “problem has been resolved.” While simple requests such as password resets can often be completed within minutes, more complex IT issues require time, expertise, and often multi step solution approaches.

What truly matters:

Complete problem resolution instead of fast ticket closing: Does the provider consistently work toward a final solution, or are tickets closed as soon as a first response is sent?

Transparent communication instead of automated confirmations: Do you receive real status updates from contacts who are actively working on your issue?

Ownership instead of coordination effort: Does the provider take full responsibility, or do you have to coordinate between internal teams and external service providers?

deeploi focuses on these quality criteria: real IT experts consistently work toward sustainable solutions, you receive transparent updates throughout the entire process, and deeploi takes full responsibility from the first request to the final resolution.

Tom from Wilderness International sums it up: “The response time is around 10 to 20 minutes. That was a real game changer for us.” Even more importantly: “It is really good to see that there are real people on the other side who genuinely care about our questions.”

User friendliness

Many service desk solutions are designed for IT administrators with deep technical knowledge and therefore overwhelm “accidental IT owners” who have to manage IT on the side. Outdated platforms, complex configuration menus, unclear technical terminology, and steep learning curves turn supposed efficiency gains into new frustration. Companies without a dedicated IT department in particular need software that works without training and simplifies IT processes instead of complicating them.

deeploi consistently follows a “zero technical knowledge” approach: intuitive workflows guide users step by step through processes without requiring them to understand what happens in the background. Automated processes replace manual configuration, enabling non IT experts to manage IT professionally. This simplicity allows teams to focus on their core business instead of dealing with IT complexity.

A practical example: a new employee experiences issues with their laptop during onboarding. With traditional ticketing tools, HR or an internal IT contact would need to step in, analyze the issue, and find a solution. With deeploi, the employee contacts the support team directly (via email, phone, or ticket), and deeploi takes care of the complete resolution – without involving HR or internal resources.

This full relief allows teams to concentrate on their core business instead of managing IT complexity or acting as internal coordinators between employees and external service providers.

Would you like to experience how deeploi simplifies your IT support?

Conclusion: the right service desk software for your company

Choosing the right service desk software is not just a matter of features, but of finding the solution that truly fits your company’s situation.

Pure ticketing tools (Zendesk, Freshdesk, ServiceNow, Jira) collect and organize tickets, but you need your own IT expertise to resolve issues. The IT burden therefore remains with you.

Traditional MSPs, on the other hand, provide IT service but come with their own pain points: non transparent costs, outdated technology, and slow response times.

deeploi solves both problems:

✅ Modern and intuitive platform: Automation for device management, onboarding, and software deployment. No IT knowledge required.
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✅ Real IT service: IT experts (German and English) with an average response time of 12 min. resolve issues directly.
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✅ Transparent flat rate: No pay per ticket billing, all support channels included
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✅ Proactive instead of reactive: Automation prevents issues before they arise

Who is deeploi the right solution for?

• Without an IT department: For accidental IT owners (HR managers, operations teams, managing directors) who manage IT on the side and need real relief instead of just another tool.
• With an IT department: For companies whose IT specialists should focus on strategic projects instead of routine support.

The result: modern technology and professional service from a single source, without coordination effort, with up to 98 % less IT workload.

Ready for IT support that truly relieves your team?

FAQ

How do I choose the right service desk solution for my company?

The choice depends on three factors: company size and IT complexity, existing internal IT expertise, and budget. Start with a needs analysis: how many tickets per month? Which channels (email, chat, phone)? Do you need asset management or is ticket management sufficient? deeploi is specifically designed for companies without an IT department and reduces IT workload by up to 98 % through automation and human support.

What makes deeploi different from other service desk providers?

deeploi stands out through three core characteristics. First: an all in one platform instead of pure ticketing, including device management and structured onboarding. Second: real human support in German and English instead of relying solely on chatbots for IT issues. Third: a consistent zero technical knowledge approach, specifically developed for non IT experts.

The average response time is 12 minutes. Companies reduce IT workload by up to 98 % as a result. In addition, deeploi ensures GDPR compliance with EU hosting, guaranteeing full data sovereignty in the DACH region.

Which service desk software is suitable for companies without an IT department?

For companies without their own IT department, solutions specifically developed for so called “accidental IT owners” are most suitable – meaning people who take on IT tasks in addition to their actual role. Key factors include intuitive usability without extensive training, automated workflows, and personal support when needed. Complex enterprise solutions such as ServiceNow, which require dedicated administrators and specialized technical knowledge, are usually not suitable in these structures. deeploi offers IT support on demand, so no internal IT know how is required. The platform orchestrates all IT processes automatically and sustainably relieves companies in their daily IT operations.

How fast is deeploi’s support?

The average response time at deeploi is 12 minutes, with a guaranteed SLA of 30 minutes for the first response. During system migrations or when customer involvement is required, customers are continuously informed about the processing status.