The 5 best AI helpdesk platforms for IT support in 2024 and beyond

According to Salesforce, 84% of senior IT leaders believe that AI will help them serve their customers better.

Source: Salesforce

Whether an internal IT team serving company employees, or an MSP serving SaaS users, when you deliver faster, more accurate IT ticketing service, then they can work faster and harder too. The company benefits, and your IT department’s value and efficiency is there for all to see.

The better fit your AI helpdesk software is to your organization, the likelier you are to accomplish all that.

Before we dive into our top 5 recommendations for AI helpdesk software, let’s first outline what AI helpdesk software is and more reasons why you need it.

What is an AI helpdesk software?

Helpdesk software, also known as IT service desk software or IT ticketing software, helps IT organizations manage inquiries and IT issues from their user base. Via the helpdesk software, users can contact the IT team and request assistance, whether by email, chat, or submitting a ticket.

AI helpdesk software leverages artificial intelligence and automation to automate some of the tasks involved with helpdesk operations. Some examples of AI helpdesk software functionality include:

• Providing suggestions to customers for knowledge base content to solve particular issues or inquires
• Routing IT tickets to the right agent
• Sending customer feedback surveys
• Periodic reporting and analysis of helpdesk performance
• Resolving common tier-1 issues, such as password resets or automating “out of office” email settings

Types of AI helpdesk software

IT teams use AI helpdesk software platforms to serve two types of customers: internal employees at a company, or external users of a SaaS product.

For internal IT teams, the users are the company employees and also outsourced contractors who may have access to the company’s networks and systems. You need a platform that makes your own operations better and more cost-effective.

Managed service providers (MSPs) use AI helpdesk software to support other companies and SaaS platform users. They usually serve much larger audiences, and have a greater urgency to increase efficiency and scale of their helpdesk capabilities.

Why do you need an AI helpdesk software?

For IT professionals managing multiple customers across networks and locations, an AI helpdesk software is no longer ‘nice-to-have’, but a must. Whether you have 50 or 5000 users, AI-powered software will take your helpdesk to the next level of efficiency, helping you to:

• Manage customers in one location, supporting efficient responses and resolution. AI enables you to offer customized solutions based on customers’ history and data.
• Automate mundane tasks, like routing tickets or resetting passwords, so you can spend more time doing meaningful work.
• Access analytics reports, combined with data-based predictability on what’s next. This not only increases efficiency, but also enables you to demonstrate the performance and value of your IT department, internally and externally.

Does your AI helpdesk do this?

• Offer customized, data-based solutions
• Reduce average resolution time from hours to minutes
• Resolve customer tickets for you
• Drive 10X efficiency
• Provide performance analytics reflecting the true value of your helpdesk

5 best AI helpdesk software products for IT support teams in 2024

With so many tools available on the market, making the decision about the best AI helpdesk software for your organization and needs is not easy. So we’ve done the work for you. Check out our review of the top 5 AI helpdesk software products, including features, capabilities, and pricing, that may be a good fit for you:

1. Atera

Atera is an all-in-one IT management platform that includes helpdesk functionality. But Atera has gone several steps forward, partnering with Microsoft to create Copilot, a vastly advanced AI helpdesk software tailored to the needs of IT departments as well as MSPs. By transitioning to Atera’s AI-powered helpdesk software, IT teams have achieved significant goals:

• Solving 10X as many tickets
• Speeding up response time by 99% 
• Solving 95% of tickets faster

Features and capabilities

Atera worked hard with Microsoft to create an AI helpdesk software that stands out in the market. The Atera Copilot helpdesk offers a wide range of capabilities including:

• Fast resolution of IT issues: It offers AI-recommended diagnostic advice based on ticket history, and solves many issues automatically, with no manual intervention.
• Tailored OID recommendations and terminal commands.
• Automated ticket management, including keyword categorization, routing to the right technicians, urgency prioritization, and ticket summary generation.
• Automatic creation of knowledge base content and context-specific scripts.
• Generation of text and audio responses with your chosen tone of voice.
• Automated reports for a range of performance analytics, including resolution time and quantity, user satisfaction scores, and more.

User interface and usability

Atera prioritizes simple onboarding, featuring an intuitive interface and ease of use. Technicians can get up and running within just one hour!

Atera AI helpdesk software dashboard

Pricing and value for money

Atera pricing is readily available on the website, so you know what you are getting up front. It uses a pay-per-technician pricing model, so you are guaranteed fixed pricing and budget predictability, no matter how many endpoints, devices, or users you add.

Atera offers separate pricing plans for IT departments and MSPs, while enterprises can request a customized quote.

Atera G2 rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars (550+ reviews)

What Atera users are saying on G2:

Reviewers on G2 have noted that Atera’s AI helpdesk software is a “game-changer” and it has even been called “fun”. Setup and usage are described as straightforward. The software helps them enhance their service quality to both internal and external customers, while saving time.

They also appreciate the pay-per-technician pricing, allowing them to serve an unlimited number of clients, the useful automation features, accurate AI suggestions, and the data insights into their own systems. Those who have needed tech support found Atera’s team responsive and helpful.

Atera Capterra rating: 4.6 out of 5 (360+ reviews)

What Atera users are saying on Capterra:

Atera customers share on Capterra how easy and efficient it is to set up and use Atera’s AI helpdesk software. They love the way the software adapts to their needs, the remote monitoring, easy visibility, the many options to automate processes, and the great customer service. Some reviewers have gotten creative with their praise, calling Atera “an extra team member” and “magic.”

Atera pricing:

For IT departments:

• Professional: $149/month per technician
• Expert: $189/month per technician
• Master: $219/month per technician
• Enterprise: Please contact sales for a custom quote.

For MSPs:

• Pro: $129/month per technician
• Growth: $179/month per technician
• Power: $209/month per technician
• Superpower (Enterprise): Please contact sales for a custom quote.

2. Freshworks

Freshworks is a popular IT management tool that offers AI helpdesk software for IT departments looking to modernize. Its platform summarizes tickets, drafts responses, and suggests insight-based predictions and action steps. It also offers data-driven ideas for performance boosting, process optimization, and scaling.

G2 rating: 4.5 out of 5 (7,000+ reviews)

Capterra rating: 5 out of 5 (1 review)

Freshworks pricing:

Pricing is per month, per agent, billed annually.

• Starter: $19
• Growth: $49
• Pro: $95
• Enterprise: $119

3. SupportCenter Plus by ManageEngine

SupportCenter Plus by ManageEngine provides a unified omnichannel helpdesk platform in 16 languages. IT departments can easily manage customer tickets, accounts, and contact information across email, phone, portal, and social media. SupportCenter Plus also allows for multiple service contracts and related support plans, and helps organizations bill effectively.

While AI isn’t the main focus, it does enable IT departments to automate inquiry creation, organization, and tracking into an effective process. Intuitive real-time reports and dashboards provide further support.

G2 rating: 3.6 out of 5 (12 reviews)

Capterra rating: 4.3 out of 5 (14 reviews)

ManageEngine pricing: 

ManageEngine offers three plans, with a basic free plan for up to five agents.

Contact sales to request a quote.

4. Aisera

Aisera’s AI helpdesk software offers a unified user profile. It automatically tracks all inquiries, categorizes and routes them to the right technicians, then offers next steps for resolution.

Aisera also allows for automatic, natural language, human-like conversations in over 100 languages. It auto-detects sentiments and triggers 3,000+ AI workflows to resolve even complex multi-intent inquiries. That said, Aisera also easily escalates conversations to human technicians when necessary.

G2 rating: 4.5 out of 5 (108 reviews)

Capterra rating: 4.5 out of 5 (2 reviews)

Aisera pricing:

Contact sales to request a quote.

5. Zendesk

The well-known Zendesk customer service software offers an AI helpdesk software tool that automatically routes inquiries based on customer needs and agent specialization. It provides agents with response and action suggestions based on business policies, plus context for customer interactions — including history and sentiment.

Zendesk’s AI helpdesk also provides automatic responses to common questions. When topics are sensitive, it automatically routes inquiries to the most relevant team member.

Although Zendesk’s popular software serves a variety of industries, it does not specialize in IT management. This may be an important factor for IT professionals who are looking for an AI-based tool designed specifically for IT helpdesk operations.

G2 rating: 4.3 out of 5 (5,800+ reviews)

Capterra rating: 4.4 out of 5 (3,900+ reviews)

Zendesk pricing: 

All prices are per month, per agent.

• Suite team: $69
• Suite Growth: $115
• Suite Professional: $149
• Suite Enterprise: Contact sales to request a quote.

Discounts are available to companies who purchase annual subscriptions.

Choosing an AI helpdesk software

If you’re looking to increase your IT ticketing efficiency and scale your operations while providing higher quality service, an AI helpdesk software is likely the solution you need.

To choose the best software for you, make a list of your key requirements, and choose the software that fits the profile. Consider how long it takes to onboard and get started, whether the customer interface is intuitive and easy to use, and whether the software includes the features that your IT team is looking for.

If it’s got all that, then you’ve landed on the right AI helpdesk software for your organization.
Interested in trying out Atera’s AI-powered helpdesk capabilities? Start your free trial today.