A help desk for small business that knows your clients.

What a ticketing system does that an inbox doesn't

Most small businesses start with a shared inbox, a phone and a group chat. It works until it doesn't: two people answer the same email, nobody answers the other one, and the owner finds out from a bad review. A ticketing system for small business fixes four things:

1. Ownership. Every request becomes a case with one owner. Nothing sits in "someone will get to it".
2. Deadlines. An SLA sets a response and resolution target by priority, and the clock shows what's overdue.
3. Escalation. When the first person can't solve it, the case moves up a tier with its history attached.
4. Memory. Every past case, reply and satisfaction score stays searchable, so the next person doesn't start from zero.

If none of those hurt yet, you may not need a help desk. If two or more do, you've outgrown the inbox.

Must-have help desk features for a small team

• Priorities and SLAs: at least three or four levels, with response and resolution targets. Our help desk SLA examples give you a P1–P4 table to copy.
• Assignment and escalation: a clear path, such as Tier 1 to Tier 2 to a manager.
• Macros: saved replies for the ten questions you answer every week.
• Knowledge base: answers your team and an AI assistant can draw on.
• Internal notes: comments the customer never sees.
• CSAT: a satisfaction score on each resolved case.
• The client record: who the customer is, what they've bought and what happened last time. This is where most standalone help desks fall short for service businesses.

Worked example: a five-agent team for a year

Five agents on Zendesk Suite Professional cost 5 × $115 × 12 = $6,900 a year, plus $2.00 for each AI resolution after the 10 per agent included each month. Five agents on JBMOnboard360 Support CRM cost the same per agent, $6,900 a year, with team members who raise cases free. The difference isn't the seat price. It's what comes with it: the BAA on every plan, and the option to run the whole business on Business at $399 per location instead.

If you only need a help desk and want the lowest bill, an entry plan at $19 per agent is cheaper. Five agents on Freshdesk Growth or Zendesk Support Team cost $1,140 a year. We'd rather you know that before the call.

Set up your first help desk in a week

1. Day 1: list every way customers reach you today: email, phone, website form, WhatsApp, walk-ins.
2. Day 2: agree four priorities and their targets. Start with the P1–P4 table in our SLA guide.
3. Day 3: name Tier 1, Tier 2 and the manager who gets escalations.
4. Day 4: write macros for your ten most common questions.
5. Day 5: turn the same ten answers into knowledge base articles.
6. Day 6: switch on CSAT and decide who reads low scores.
7. Day 7: review the first week's cases: what breached, what got reopened, which macro was missing.

Why small teams pick JBMOnboard360

• Cases on the client record. The agent sees appointments, invoices, forms and past conversations next to the case.
• An AI assistant that answers first. It answers from your knowledge base and opens a case when it can't help. On WhatsApp, the AI concierge answers new enquiries, captures the lead and hands over to a person.
• Free requesters. Staff who raise cases don't need a paid seat, which also makes it an internal help desk for staff requests.
• A BAA on every plan, with US hosting on AWS.

When JBMOnboard360 isn't the right fit

• You want a free help desk and nothing else. Use a free plan until you outgrow it.
• Your customers expect texts. JBMOnboard360 doesn't send SMS in the US today.
• You need phone queues, IVR or a voice AI that answers calls. Our AI works on WhatsApp and your knowledge base, not phone calls.