ArcticDesk v1.1.0 (stable) released, more feedback welcome

AD_Jay

v1.1.0 Stable Release

We are very pleased to announce the stable release of ArcticDesk v1.1.0. The update, which drops the beta tag from the software, includes more than 20 bug fixes, enhancements and new features based on the feedback received from the last version.

The full changelog can be found at the following page: http://www.arcticdesk.com/docs/index.php/Release_Notes#Changelog

More Feedback Welcome

Our initial release was posted on this forums some four months ago and the feedback we received was very useful, so I'd be happy to hear more.

About ArcticDesk http://www.arcticdesk.com

ArcticDesk is a new support help desk application that is powerful and yet lightweight. It allows you to support customers over several channels (including social media) with better organisation. Below are some of the key features included:

• Single inbox for all channels of support
• Twitter integration
• Knowledgebase for self-service support
• Announcements, downloads, server status
• Fully featured REST API
• Smarty template system for both customer facing and operator area
• Language files for both customer facing and operator area
• E-mail piping, e-mail download and remote e-mail piping support
• Custom fields for both tickets and users
• Access control lists for operators
• Rating and comment systems
• And much, much more...

We also offer a WHMCS integration script as well as an import script to migrate your data over.

Take our feature tour to find out more about ArcticDesk. http://www.arcticdesk.com/tour.php

tommy

not LEB price :P

Damian

@AD_Jay said: We also offer a WHMCS integration script as well as an import script to migrate your data over.

Does this come free with the 'standard' monthly fee?

AsadHaider

That renewal price is pretty expensive...

AD_Jay

@tommy said: not LEB price :P @AsadHaider said: That renewal price is pretty expensive...

I can understand if it may appear expensive, though it is cheaper than most alternatives.

@Damian said: Does this come free with the 'standard' monthly fee?

Yes, it's a free download for all users.

GetKVM_Ash

WHMCS - Full billing/support/automation panel. Arctic Desk - Support with multiple mediums (Social etc)

Both for the same price. Im sure you can see why some may think this is over-priced. But don't under-value your software for the sake of a few complaints.

When compared to Kayako etc, its a pretty good deal.

AD_Jay

@jhadley said: Which alternatives?

I'm not going to name them myself, but most don't even offer a monthly fee for a downloaded version.

Our pricing points have been chosen so we can build a sustainable company with a great product in the long term, given the cost of development is not free.

@GetKVM_Ash said: Both for the same price. Im sure you can see why some may think this is over-priced. But don't under-value your software for the sake of a few complaints.

When compared to Kayako etc, its a pretty good deal.

Thanks. We've aimed our product at companies who care a bit more about support and find WHMCS to not be powerful enough.

GIANT_CRAB

The features are not great enough, I would still go with Kayako.

GetKVM_Ash

@GIANT_CRAB said: The features are not great enough, I would still go with Kayako.

I tried it once and thought it was a real overkill for selling VPS services alone.

Damian

@AD_Jay said: We've aimed our product at companies who care a bit more about support and find WHMCS to not be powerful enough.

I've been trying to get an external support system onboard, but keep getting outvoted. Can you give me some specific points to bring up with the team on moving to this system versus keeping WHMCS's support system?

GIANT_CRAB

@GetKVM_Ash said: I tried it once and thought it was a real overkill for selling VPS services alone.

Its still better than this overpriced support system.

Wintereise

I don't think Kayako pricing is anywhere near these guys, it's far larger.

That said, they have a free option for Open Source projects, maybe it'll come in handy for me someday, haha!

Keep up the great work Jay, although I can't afford it, it looks great so far :)

GIANT_CRAB

@Wintereise said: I don't think Kayako pricing is anywhere near these guys, it's far larger.

Do you have any idea of how much hardwork is put into Kayako? This support system is overpriced with so less useful feature.

Its price is close to WHMCS and is it better than WHMCS? No.

AD_Jay

@Damian said: I've been trying to get an external support system onboard, but keep getting outvoted. Can you give me some specific points to bring up with the team on moving to this system versus keeping WHMCS's support system?

We actually use the WHMCS support system at our other company LicensePal, so I have quite good experience with it. (And we're quite keen to move to our own software soon!)

I think first and foremost, the experience is a lot more dynamic, most things just require a single click, so you'll be saving some time if you have a large support volume. Other operators can see when you're viewing and replying to a ticket, and you can save a draft if you have to come back to the ticket later. You can accept support requests from Twitter, with Facebook support coming soon. Your company may require internal escalation, so you can have private sub departments and assign different operators to different levels. You can also open internal tickets, if a staff member has to raise an issue for a whole department to look at.

Security is another issue. In WHMCS, you may be asking for passwords and other sensitive information, and it is stored unencrypted in your database. ArcticDesk lets you create encrypted custom fields, and they can be purged when the ticket is closed so you're not holding information you no longer need.

A couple of other points: - Operators aren't locked out of tickets assigned to other members of staff - Users bumping a ticket won't put them on top/bottom of the list, they stay in the same position

I'll be the first to admit that the software isn't perfect as we're still at an early version, but we have been making some great strides forward in the past months.

GIANT_CRAB

@AD_Jay said: I'll be the first to admit that the software isn't perfect as we're still at an early version, but we have been making some great strides forward in the past months.

Give us like a 50% discount as an "Early bird" discount or something?

Blesta does that until version 3.

jarland

If you're happy with the return then it's priced right. Nice software. If I ever feel like moving my support out of WHMCS this is probably the first I'll consider.

AD_Jay

@Wintereise said: That said, they have a free option for Open Source projects, maybe it'll come in handy for me someday, haha!

We've made use of a number of open source scripts in our software, so it's only fair to offer something back to the community!

@GIANT_CRAB said: Give us like a 50% discount as an "Early bird" discount or something?

We had a beta program previously, and we've offered all those users (many of whom were from LET) a good discount for trying out our software before it was deemed stable.

@jarland said: If you're happy with the return then it's priced right. Nice software. If I ever feel like moving my support out of WHMCS this is probably the first I'll consider.

Thank you!