The 15 Best WordPress Help Desk Plugins for Customer Support
Customer support serves as the foundation for creating positive customer experiences and cultivating loyalty. To that end, WordPress is a popular choice for websites and ecommerce stores, as it delivers outstanding customer support on its platform, which is vital for streamlining your support process and ensuring efficient management of customer inquiries.
But with so many plugins out there, it can be confusing to find the right one to build the WordPress help desk your customers deserve. That’s why we’ve created this list of the 15 best WordPress customer support plugins. These plugins offer features like ticket management, live chat, knowledge bases, and automation, allowing businesses to provide personalized and timely assistance to their customers.
What is a WordPress help desk plugin?
A WordPress help desk plugin is a powerful tool that enables online businesses to integrate their customer support software into their WordPress website.
The benefits of using a WordPress help desk plugin
Setting up a help desk doesn’t have to be difficult. Help desk plugins for WordPress bring all of the advantages of customer support software to your WordPress site. Let's explore some of the key benefits:
Efficient support management: Businesses can efficiently manage customer inquiries by centralizing all support requests into a unified dashboard. This eliminates the need for manual tracking and ensures that every customer inquiry is addressed promptly and effectively.
Prompt and timely responses: You can set up automated workflows and routing rules, ensuring that customer inquiries are assigned to the right team members and addressed in a timely manner. This improves response times and enhances customer satisfaction.
Streamlined communication: Whether it's through support ticket threads, live chat conversations, or email notifications, businesses can ensure consistent and seamless communication throughout the support process.
Personalized assistance: Some help desk plugins offer features like customer profiles, allowing support agents to access relevant customer information and provide personalized assistance. This level of personalization helps build stronger relationships with customers and deliver a more tailored support experience.
Knowledge base creation: Many help desk plugins include knowledge base functionality, empowering businesses to create self-service resource libraries. This enables customers to find answers to common questions and troubleshoot issues independently, reducing the need for repetitive support requests.
Improved team collaboration: A help desk plugin can facilitate collaboration among support team members by providing a centralized platform for sharing information, assigning tasks, and providing internal notes. This promotes efficient teamwork and ensures that all team members are on the same page in resolving customer issues.
Analytics and insights: Many help desk plugins often offer analytics and reporting features, providing valuable insights into customer support metrics. Businesses can gain visibility into response times, ticket volume, and customer satisfaction ratings, allowing them to identify areas for improvement and measure the success of their support efforts.
The 15 best WordPress help desk plugins
Now that we've established the significance of customer support for online businesses using WordPress as their CMS and the benefits of using a help desk plugin, let's explore some of the best WordPress help desk plugins available in the market.
We've compiled a list of the top plugins, along with their key features and benefits, to help businesses streamline their support process and deliver exceptional customer service.
From ticket management to live chat and knowledge bases to automation, these plugins offer a range of features to elevate your customer support game.
Help Scout
LiveChat
Zendesk
Freshdesk
HelpCrunch
HappyFox Chat
Support Ticket System for WooCommerce
Support Genix
Awesome Support
SupportCandy
Helpie WP
JS Help Desk
bbPress
Heroic Inbox
WP Ticket
1. Help Scout
Best WordPress help desk plugin for human-first support.
Help Scout is a user-friendly platform that helps teams across your organization have better customer conversations. You can quickly and easily create email inboxes (like support@ and info@), add live chat to your website, build a robust help center, and more.
All customer interactions flow into a single view that looks just like a regular email inbox, but Help Scout offers powerful collaboration and automation tools to increase efficiency without losing that human connection between you and your customers. This shared inbox allows teams to see who is working on a particular customer issue, send private notes to other teammates, create a searchable library of saved replies, and tag customer conversations.
Using a shared inbox offers transparency, preventing any duplication of work and making customer support much more efficient. More importantly, it fosters team collaboration while serving customer queries.
When it comes to facilitating real-time dialogue with visitors, Beacon, Help Scout’s web widget, comes to the forefront. Both Beacon's Messages and Live Chat features aid in providing instant, real-time assistance to your website visitors.
Messages empowers you to send targeted messages to your users, while live chat allows you to provide real-time responses to your customers’ queries. Beacon helps teams interact with customers (and potential customers), provides helpful information during key moments of the customer journey, and even lets customers access their support history — all without leaving your site.
With Help Scout’s WordPress plugin, you can provide an even more powerful customer service experience. This integration facilitates a fluid connection between your WordPress site and your customer service platform, letting customers submit support requests from a contact form on your WordPress site and simplifying the process of adding Beacons to your web experience.
Help Scout's WordPress plugin is free, but you’ll need a Help Scout account. The plugin then acts as a connector between your WordPress site and your Help Scout account.
Price: Free trial available. Plans start at $20/user per month.
Learn more about Help Scout:
2. LiveChat
Best WordPress help desk plugin for real-time customer engagement and support.
LiveChat is a messaging-focused customer service tool that smoothly integrates with WordPress. It lets businesses offer real-time chat, allowing them to personally connect with their customers directly from the website using embedded chat buttons or boxes. The WordPress setup is straightforward, simply requiring a LiveChat account and the installation of the LiveChat plugin on your WordPress site.
One of LiveChat's standout features is the offline messages module. Whenever your support team is unavailable, visitors can leave a message. The plugin allows you to mimic this functionality, using the chat widget as a contact form so customers can still reach out when your team is offline.
Price: Free trial available. Plans start at $20/user per month.
3. Zendesk
Best WordPress help desk plugin for ticket management and automation.
Zendesk is a customer support platform designed to help businesses organize and manage their customer service interactions. It offers a variety of tools, including ticket management, live chat, and shared inboxes, making it simpler for support agents to address customer concerns and improve overall communication.
The platform’s help desk plugin for WordPress makes it easy to bring help desk functionality into your WordPress site. It uses single sign-on so users won’t need to login to Zendesk support to submit or track tickets. You can add the Zendesk widget to any page, allowing users to find their own answers in your knowledge base, submit a ticket, or connect with an agent. Plus, any WordPress comment can be turned into a ticket.
While responding to tickets happens in your Zendesk account, the plugin allows for quick access to tickets, comments, and views directly from the WordPress dashboard. The integration also supports the Zendesk Web Widget, enabling WordPress site guests to search for articles from your knowledge base or to get in touch with your support team.
It’s important to note that the plugin hasn’t been updated over the last few WordPress updates.
Price: Free trial available. Plans start at $19/user per month.
4. Freshdesk
Best WordPress help desk plugin for small to medium-sized businesses.
Freshdesk is a cloud-based customer support software providing businesses with all the tools needed to ensure top-tier service. With features like multi-channel support, a ticketing system, automation, and reporting, Freshdesk enables support teams to efficiently track, prioritize, and solve customer queries, contributing to a smoother customer journey.
Freshdesk's WordPress integration improves customer service by providing a centralized place for customers to submit requests.
Through a straightforward plugin installation, users can transform blog comments into Freshdesk tickets. Moreover, the contact form on your site can also be linked to Freshdesk, transforming inquiries into actionable tickets. With the plugin, you can also embed knowledge base articles on your WordPress site, giving customers the chance to find solutions themselves.
Price: Free trial available. Plans start at $15/user per month.
5. HelpCrunch
Best WordPress help desk plugin for email ticketing.
HelpCrunch is another all-in-one customer communication platform designed to help businesses better engage and support their customers. It offers a robust suite of features including live chat, in-app messaging, email marketing automation, and a complete help desk. This platform can be an effective tool for improving customer service, driving customer engagement, and simplifying communication workflows.
HelpCrunch's WordPress integration enables real-time chat and automated customer communications directly on your WordPress site. To set it up, all you have to do is install the plugin and connect it to your HelpCrunch account. This integration empowers businesses to engage with website visitors instantly, giving a personal touch to interactions. When your team isn't available, the tool also allows for automated messages based on visitor behavior.
Price: Free trial available. Plans start at $12/user per month.
6. HappyFox Chat
Best WordPress help desk plugin for simple live chat.
HappyFox Chat is a customer communications tool that enables businesses to offer live chat on their websites. It offers great features like canned responses, live chat translations, and reporting and analytics features.
The HappyFox Chat plugin integrates smoothly with WordPress, empowering businesses to provide real-time, interactive support. Once installed, the chat interface can be customized and displayed on your website, facilitating direct communication with visitors.
A standout feature of this integration is its proactive chat capabilities, enabling businesses to initiate conversations based on visitor activity. It also supports offline messages, so you never miss a customer inquiry even when your team is not available. Another noteworthy aspect is the comprehensive chat history, ensuring seamless follow-up and ongoing customer service.
Price: Free trial available. Plans start at $29/user per month.
7. Support Ticket System for WooCommerce
Best WordPress help desk plugin for ecommerce businesses.
Support Ticket System for WooCommerce is a comprehensive customer service plugin that seamlessly integrates with the WooCommerce ecommerce platform. With its tailored ticketing system and user-friendly dashboard, customers can efficiently submit both general and order-specific tickets while checking for updates on previously logged tickets.
With a shortcode, you can show the support ticket page anywhere on your website, making it easy for customers to reach you when and where they need you most.
Price: Plans start at $59 per year.
8. Support Genix
Best WordPress help desk plugin for WordPress-only websites.
Support Genix is a comprehensive help desk plugin designed to offer superior customer support completely within WordPress. Once installed, it upgrades the website into a fully-fledged support center with a well-structured ticketing system.
The platform offers an extensive array of features, including the capability for unlimited ticket creation, the option for ticket transfers between agents or departments, and the possibility to add internal notes to tickets, improving interdepartmental collaboration.
Price: Free version available. Plans start at $59/site per year or $99 for a single-site lifetime license.
9. Awesome Support
Best WordPress help desk plugin for freelancers and small businesses.
Awesome Support is an all-inclusive help desk solution that seamlessly integrates with WordPress websites. By installing the plugin, your site transforms into an intuitive customer support hub that's equipped with a ticketing system and easily managed from your WordPress dashboard.
This solution ensures the timely resolution of customer inquiries with features such as automatic email notifications and customizable ticket statuses. One of its strengths is the flexibility to add custom fields to tickets, allowing for more detailed information capture. Additionally, it offers a comprehensive documentation section that caters to visitor self-service.
Awesome Support is handled entirely within your WordPress site and provides unlimited tickets and agents across all plans, making it a possibly cost-effective option if you want to consolidate your support within WordPress.
Price: Free version available. Plans start at $149 per year.
10. SupportCandy
Best WordPress help desk plugin for high-volume customer inquiries.
SupportCandy is an all-in-one WordPress help desk plugin tailored to simplify and optimize your customer support experience. By integrating with your WordPress site, it centralizes your customer queries, providing a seamless support ecosystem handled entirely on WordPress.
One standout feature is the ability to attach files to tickets, empowering your support team to handle even the most complex situations. Moreover, timely email notifications ensure users stay informed about any ticket status updates.
Price: Plans start at $99 per year or $249 for a single-site lifetime license.
11. Helpie WP
Best WordPress help desk plugin for creating a powerful knowledge base.
Helpie WP is a knowledge base plugin tailored for WordPress websites. It can be set up quickly to provide an in-depth, searchable database of information right on your site. It's a valuable tool for self-service, allowing visitors to find answers to their questions independently.
Helpie WP also stands out for its collaborative features, giving you the option to enable front-end editing for users. With features like password protection and user-role restrictions, you can maintain a secure, controlled environment. Further, its integration with Elementor and WPBakery Page Builder allows for seamless design customization.
Price: Free trial available. Plans start at $49.99/site per year.
12. JS Help Desk
Best WordPress help desk plugin for time tracking.
JS Help Desk is an all-in-one help desk plugin designed specifically for WordPress websites, providing a powerful platform that simplifies customer support. By integrating this plugin, you get an easy-to-navigate customer support center, complete with a ticketing system you can manage directly from your WordPress dashboard.
This plugin prioritizes prompt resolution of customer inquiries, offering features like automatic email notifications and customizable ticket statuses. The premium version also includes the advanced functionality of time tracking to monitor agent performance and manage pending tasks effectively. The plugin is also quite adaptable and allows for custom fields to capture more nuanced information.
Price: Free version available. Plans start at $69/site per year.
13. bbPress
Best WordPress help desk plugin for businesses offering crowd-sourced support.
bbPress is a lightweight forum plugin fully compatible with WordPress, designed to promote community-building and open discussions within your website. The ease of integration allows for quick deployment and a familiar setting for WordPress users. It follows the fundamental philosophy of blending simplicity with robust functionality, enabling you to foster strong user engagement without heavy resource demands.
The plugin deeply integrates with your WordPress themes and settings, ensuring a consistent look and feel across your site. It also offers various customization options via extensions, granting you complete control over forum structure and design.
Price: Free.
14. Heroic Inbox
Best WordPress help desk plugin for streamlining team collaboration.
Heroic Inbox is a versatile WordPress help desk plugin that transforms your site into an efficient shared inbox management hub. This solution empowers you to manage all your business emails — including sales, customer service, and partnership communication — directly within your WordPress environment.
With Heroic Inbox, you can easily set up multiple inboxes, assign access to team members, and streamline email management using built-in collaboration features. Furthermore, the plugin enriches your customer service experience by displaying essential client data alongside conversations, keeping you informed about past interactions.
Price: Plans start at $199/site per year.
15. WP Ticket
Best WordPress help desk plugin for small businesses and startups with basic ticketing needs.
WP Ticket is a comprehensive WordPress support ticket plugin designed to streamline customer service by organizing support communications into an easy-to-manage WordPress ticket system. Integration is seamless, enabling you to manage customer interactions directly from your WordPress dashboard.
This plugin allows you to categorize, prioritize, and assign tickets, ensuring each customer query is handled efficiently. Its sophisticated search feature aids in locating past tickets for reference, enhancing resolution speed. Additionally, WP Ticket provides analytics tools that help you measure, analyze, and improve your support performance.
Price: Free.
Wrapping up your search for the best help desk software
The world of online business thrives on effective and efficient customer support. Help desk software, be it a dedicated solution or a WordPress plugin, plays a pivotal role in organizing, tracking, and managing customer queries so you can build a powerful customer service hub that improves efficiency, decreases response times, and elevates customer satisfaction.
In the realm of customer support solutions, Help Scout stands tall. Here's why:
A shared inbox fosters seamless communication with customers.
Saved replies and private notes provide efficient team collaboration.
Comprehensive customer profiles give you valuable insights into their preferences.
Help Scout beautifully integrates with WordPress for a smooth user experience.
All of this is housed within a clutter-free and intuitively organized interface.
Why not put Help Scout to your own test? Sign up for our free trial and experience firsthand the difference Help Scout can make in your customer service journey. Let us help you provide the best support to your customers, one conversation at a time.
Jacinda Santora
The Supportive Weekly: A newsletter for people who want to deliver exceptional customer service.