What is the difference between a helpdesk and live chat?

A helpdesk manages asynchronous ticket queues across email, forms, and social. Live chat handles real-time conversations on your website or in-product. Many platforms now combine both, but they serve different response-time expectations and staffing models.

How do AI agents change the pricing model?

Traditional pricing is per human seat. AI-agent tiers charge per resolved conversation instead, which can be cheaper at high volume but expensive if your AI deflection rate is low. Always calculate cost based on your actual ticket mix and expected deflection rate.

Do I need a separate tool for customer feedback and CSAT?

Most support platforms include basic CSAT surveys triggered after ticket closure. If you need NPS, cohort analysis, or product feedback loops, you will likely want a dedicated voice-of-customer tool that sits alongside your helpdesk.

How important is a knowledge base for deflection?

Very. A well-maintained help centre that surfaces in your AI agent and your search results can deflect 20–40% of tickets before they are ever created. Most helpdesk tools include a knowledge base builder, but the quality of your content matters more than the tool.

Can one person run a helpdesk effectively?

Yes, for most early-stage operations. The key is investing time in macros, canned replies, and automation rules upfront so that repetitive work is handled by the system rather than the human. AI agents accelerate this significantly.

What metrics should I track from day one?

First response time, full resolution time, CSAT score, and ticket volume by channel. These four tell you whether your team is coping, where bottlenecks sit, and whether customers are satisfied. Add agent-level reporting once you have more than two or three people.

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