WordPress is an incredibly powerful and ready to use content management system right out of the box. What really sets it apart though, is that its code infrastructure creates a basic framework that makes it easy to add additional functionality via plugins. Add this to the enormous popularity of WordPress, and you create an environment where thousands of brilliant minds are working to create plugins to perform an ever expanding list of functionality for WordPress users. Event management, learning management systems, forums, and of course eCommerce are just a small sampling of what WordPress is capable of when you pair it with the right combination of these wonderful plugins. More recently, a growing number of development teams have been working on an exciting new tool: support ticketing systems built on the WordPress framework. In our experience the most robust among these is WSDesk.
WSDesk: Feature rich self hosted WordPress based ticketing system
WSDesk is a full featured ticketing system built on the native WordPress posts architecture, and features a clean AJAX driven interface for support desk personnel. The potential cost savings of hosting a WordPress based ticketing system vs. one of the typically expensive enterprise solutions is significant, but we’ve found that clients are just as attracted to the fact that with a self hosted system, they are in complete control of their own data. This is not the case with the traditional cloud based solutions. The system is capable of managing multiple support inboxes, though if the number extends beyond a handful, the currently limited view options may make it more practical to use a different installation and subdomain for each.
Simple low cost pricing
The current license fee as of this writing is $89 for a single site. This is nothing short of a smoking deal when you look at the amount of features out of the box and compare it to the cost of enterprise solutions, which often charge hefty prices based on the number of support tickets and/or agents. With WSDesk the only cost is the license fee, and support is included as part of that.
Excellent Support
In our experience, the support team at WSDesk has been very responsive and helpful. They have answered simple configuration questions, and also resolved some issues unique to the specific mail configuration we were using for the system we were building. The plugin is in active development, and new features are being added all the time.
Features
- Unlimited tickets and agents
- Custom ticket views
- Triggers and automation
- Integrates with Google chat and email (direct response via email)
- Text notifications
- Rich text and auto canned replies
- Multiple support desk emails possible on the same installation
- Pay for support integration
- Much more!
Summary
WSDesk is an ingenious WordPress based ticketing system solution for organizations who need to manage customer or vendor support, most notably when low cost and ownership of data are paramount. If you have any questions, please let us know! We’d be happy to walk you through a sample installation to help determine if WSDesk would be a good fit for your business.
