ManageEngine ServiceDesk Plus help desk dashboard
Reporting is another ServiceDesk Plus 9.3 strength. The product comes with 150 canned reports that will cover most businesses’ needs. ServiceDesk Plus 9.3 does provide the ability to build custom reports for any module but you’ll be editing down to the table and column level and using specific tools such as Query Editor to do so. That’s more complex than the checkbox customization we saw in some of the lighter-weight products in this roundup, such as HappyFox, but then again, it gives you complete customization flexibility which will be important to some. For those looking for easy custom report creation, however, ServiceDesk Plus 9.3 is not for you.
One thing we would have liked to have seen in the Standard helpdesk module we reviewed was support for remote desktop sharing. Remote control is available as an out-of-the-box feature in both the Professional and Enterprise editions. ManageEngine added limited forms of that for its iOS app in 2016 but it’s still not part of the Standard ServiceDesk Plus 9.3 package. The ability to take over a user’s PC to make fixes should be ubiquitous for helpdesk staffers and, while there are other third-party ways to enable this capability, ManageEngine does not provide it in the Standard version (however, they do provide it in the higher-priced ServiceDesk Plus 9.3 versions). If you’re using the Standard verison, change management, asset management, and project management are all add-ons requiring additional cost or a version upgrade, too, but those are feature categories that make sense to push up the cost ladder. By contrast, remote desktop seems like a noticeable gap.
Still, even without remote desktop, ServiceDesk Plus 9.3’s Standard edition can be considered a full-featured helpdesk platform and the fact that it’s free makes it very attractive indeed. What you’ll need to watch out for are its backend requirements. Client-server means you’ll need to manage a server installation and configuration process as well as client installation for all users. ManageEngine is a very Microsoft-centric company so a network based on Windows Server and Active Directory (AD) is the primary target, but the company also supports Linux.
ServiceDesk Plus software summary dashboard
ManageEngine Pricing and Plans
As stated earlier, the version we reviewed was ServiceDesk Plus 9.3’s Standard edition, which is the free edition. It includes a free trial (as do the Professional and Enterprise editions) but there is also a free tier that gives a business access to basic helpdesk functionality such as incident management, a knowledge base that can be populated by your team, and both canned and custom reports.
You’ll need to do different math to decide whether or not it’s a good fit for your budget. Once you go beyond the free product, ServiceDesk Plus 9.3 will bill on a base price adjusted by the number of IT technicians and agents accessing the app and the number of IT assets managed using the app. For 100-percent ITIL shops, the Enterprise tier is probably the best fit, even with its $995 starting price.
ManageEngine Interface and Workflow
Unfortunately, ServiceDesk Plus 9.3’s UI is less than inspiring but it is easy to use. All of the software’s various modes are listed across the top of the screen, which makes for easy navigation. Because of this, users are unlikely to get lost while doing their work. All of the suite’s major points of interest are easily found thanks to their big and clearly labeled buttons at the top of the screen.
Important for busy helpdesks is a one-button solution for creating new tickets that persists as users move around the app. This, along with the ability to choose templates right from that same button, means that creating new incidents doesn’t involve digging through menus. Instead, agents can click one button and start typing. There is also a Search box right on the menu bar at the top of the screen, which lets you search for anything from problems to purchase orders.
This button also makes raising new tickets a breeze and a keyboard shortcut is also available for those who like to avoid using their mouse. Once inside a newly created ticket, just select the relevant drop-down options and complete the freeform Description box with information about the issue at hand. Those drop-down boxes are plentiful and they let you add assets and the department that is requesting the new ticket.