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Ultimate service desk checklist

What do you need in a service desk? How do different vendors stack up? When you're comparing software options, there are lots of things to consider. It can help to make a list to keep track. Below, you'll find our list of the questions you should ask about your service desk software options with our answers filled in for Jira Service Management. 


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Admin experience

Can admins tailor the service desk software to the needs of their teams?

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Out-of-the-box and configurable workflows and requests 

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Multi-lingual support for customers around the world

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Configurable email notifications and access

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Customizable portal to show off your branding


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Agent experience

Does the service desk software help agents streamline their work?

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Automated task assignment, rules, and canned responses integration to cover routine tasks 

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Custom SLA goals to fit your criteria and hours

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Mobile app for work on the go

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RM app and Confluence integration allow work to be done right from the ticket


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Customer experience

Does the service desk software allow customers to get help where and how they need it? 

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Portal, email channel, and embedded widget meet customers where they are

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Live chat, social media, phone and SMS apps extend service channels

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Configurable workflows, status updates, and notifications, so customers know where their request stands

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Confluence knowledge base integration with automated article suggestions for self service 

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Customer satisfaction (CSAT) feedback and self-service ratings 


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Reporting and management

Does the service desk software provide reports on the service you're providing and help you forecast what's to come? Does it show your team's value?

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Default reports on workload, SLAs, customer satisfaction, deflected requests, and more

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Configurable dashboards highlight the daily information you need

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Time tracking integrations to analyze productivity 

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Real-time queue updates to see that you're working on the right thing at the right time 

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Exportable reports, customer-facing reports and billing apps for external stakeholders


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Collaboration

Does the service desk software enable work across teams?

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Capability for internal support, external support, or both

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Permissions and role-based ability to set, view, edit, share, and act on requests to fit your team's needs

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Tickets linked across teams to involve the right people


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Ready for ITSM

Does the service desk software have everything you need to excel in ITSM? 

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PinkVerify™ and Axelos ITIL™ certification 

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Workflows for incident management, service request management, change management, and problem management

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Best practice guides and playbooks to help your team continuously improve

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Asset management and discovery apps

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Automatic prioritization to triage requests


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Resources and support

Does the service desk software have everything you need to excel in ITSM? 

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Comprehensive documentation, how-to articles, and best practice guides 

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Demo videos with live chat support

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Training and certification program 

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Active Atlassian online user community 

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Local Atlassian user groups and Atlassian conferences

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Network of certified solutions partners available to provide product configuration, implementation, and training

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Variety of support offerings 


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Developer resources

Can the service desk software integrate with other tools? Can you develop your own solutions and build a service desk that fits your team?

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Marketplace with over 800 apps to build a service desk that fits your unique needs 

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Free access to APIs with no API call limits and ability to develop your own apps 

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Developer documentation including tutorials and online developer community 

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Transparent uptime status and incident communications


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Security and compliance

Does the service desk software have data and security policies that won't keep you up at night?

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Data encryption at rest, frequent data back-ups, disaster recovery

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Rigorous security testing and assessments  and commitment to personal data protection and privacy

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ISO/IEC compliance

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SOC2 compliance

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PCI DSS compliance

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CSA STAR compliance

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Configurable in accordance with industry and area standards such as HIPAA and GDPR


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Pricing and licensing

Is the service desk software a good value now? Will the investment pay off in the years to come? 

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Transparent pricing with no sales games 

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Volume pricing discount

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Free, fully functional trial to get to know the product 


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Deployment choice

Does the service desk software offer deployment options? 

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Cloud to get started quickly and avoid hosting complexity

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Data Center with infrastructure choice for scaleability

*Product features vary across deployment options


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Platform

Is the service desk software built on a platform that helps you avoid hassle, cost, and complexity?

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Atlassian product integrations including Jira Software, Confluence, Bitbucket, Statuspage, and others

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Jira platform reporting, cross-product functionality, and licensing

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User management and authentication across Atlassian Cloud products

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Data import via CSV


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Vendor track record

Are you confident that the service desk software vendor is stable and continually investing in product improvements?

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Publicly traded company with 15+ years of experience building software for teams

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125,000+ Atlassian customers

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Ongoing investment in research and development


Looking for more product advice?

Reach out to a product advocate about what your team could accomplish with Jira Service Management.