Name: FreeScout
Author: FreeScout

Communications Outsourcing

Help Desk

Web and Video Conferencing

Customer Support

Text Editors

Development

Business Intelligence (BI)

Collaboration

Desktop Publishing

Diagramming

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

Meeting Management

Operational Analytics

Project Portfolio Management

Enterprise

Accounting

Blockchain Payments

Cryptocurrency Mining

Finance and Accounting

Applicant Tracking

Corporate Learning Management

Employer of Record (EOR)

HR Management

Payroll

Stock Option Plan Administration

Talent Intelligence

Talent Management

Workforce Analytics

Workforce Management

Human Resources

Archiving

Cloud Storage

Continuous Delivery

Data Fabric

Endpoint Encryption

Enterprise Backup

File Sync and Share

Firewall

Fraud Detection

IT Service Management (ITSM)

Infrastructure Capacity Planning

Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS)

Network Operating Systems

Network Performance Monitoring

Network Traffic Analysis (NTA)

Network Virtualization

Phishing Detection and Response

Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)

Voice Recognition

Web Application Firewalls

Web Scraping

Zero Trust Security Solutions

Information Technology

A/B Testing

Ad Serving & Retargeting

Advertising Agency

All-in-One Marketing

Business Card Scanning

Content Management

Digital Experience Platforms (DXP)

Email Marketing

Graphics

Location Intelligence

Marketing Automation

Social Media Management

Survey & Forms Building

Translation

Web Analytics

Marketing

Professional Services Automation

Project Management

Professional Services

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Proposal

Sales

Operational Technology (OT) Security

Security

Auto Repair

Camp Management

HIPAA Compliance

Homeowner's Association (HOA) Management

Legal Research

Municipal

Trucking Software

Vertical-Specific

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### Open Source Solutions
Users consistently highlight the value of FreeScout's open source solutions, emphasizing the freedom and control it provides over data and application management. The ability to customize and choose modules based on individual needs, along with the one-time fee for additional features, is well-received. While some users faced initial challenges with setup, the long-term benefits of cost savings and autonomy offered by FreeScout's open source model are widely appreciated.

### Cost-Effective Alternatives
Users appreciate FreeScout as a budget-friendly solution that offers similar functionalities to more expensive alternatives like HelpScout. The ability to host data on their own servers rather than relying on a SaaS provider is a key selling point for many users. The cost-saving aspect of FreeScout is highlighted as a significant advantage, especially for startups and businesses looking to optimize their expenses without compromising on essential features.

### Ticket and Email Management
Users unanimously praise FreeScout's efficient ticket and email management capabilities. The platform is commended for its structured and seamless handling of query tickets, timely tracking, and resolution, leading to enhanced customer satisfaction. Additionally, users appreciate the platform's ability to manage escalation matrices between different verticals in a structured manner. The lightweight nature of FreeScout, coupled with its smooth performance and quick email management, has garnered positive feedback. However, some users suggest improvements such as enabling the viewing of attachments without downloading and enhancing conversation deletion functionalities. Despite minor suggestions for enhancement, FreeScout remains a top choice for businesses seeking robust ticket and email management solutions.

FreeScout is a free open-source help desk and shared mailbox software that aims to provide professional customer support. It is positioned as a solution suitable for businesses of various sizes, from small startups to large enterprises. According to the vendor, FreeScout is used by customer support teams, IT departments, service providers, e-commerce companies, and software development companies.

## Key Features

**Inbox Module**: According to the vendor, the Inbox Module converts emails into FreeScout conversations, supports multiple mailboxes, allows agents to reply to emails directly from FreeScout, and provides a unified inbox for efficient email management.

**Customers Management (CRM) Module**: The vendor claims that the Customers Management Module manages customer information and profiles, tracks customer interactions and history, assigns customers to specific agents or teams, and enables customer segmentation and filtering.

**Knowledge Base Module**: According to the vendor, the Knowledge Base Module creates a centralized knowledge base for self-service support, categorizes articles and FAQs for easy navigation, allows customers to search for relevant information, and supports article versioning and updates.

**Widgets White-Labeling Module**: The vendor states that the Widgets White-Labeling Module customizes the look and feel of FreeScout widgets, adds branding elements such as logos and colors, provides a consistent user experience across customer touchpoints, and enhances the professionalism of customer support interactions.

**GDPR Module**: According to the vendor, the GDPR Module helps businesses comply with GDPR regulations, manages customer data privacy and consent, enables data subject access requests, and provides tools for data retention and deletion.

**Keyboard Shortcuts Module**: The vendor claims that the Keyboard Shortcuts Module allows users to perform actions using keyboard shortcuts, saves time by reducing reliance on mouse navigation, provides shortcuts for common actions such as replying and assigning, and enhances productivity for power users.

**Mentions Module**: According to the vendor, the Mentions Module enables users to mention other users in notes and send them notifications, facilitates collaboration and communication within the help desk, notifies mentioned users about relevant conversations and updates, and improves response times and team coordination.

**Slack Integration Module**: The vendor states that the Slack Integration Module sends FreeScout events and notifications to Slack channels, maps different mailboxes to different Slack channels, supports instant notifications for new conversations and updates, and enhances team collaboration and communication.

**WhatsApp Integration Module**: According to the vendor, the WhatsApp Integration Module converts WhatsApp messages into FreeScout conversations, allows support agents to reply from FreeScout, supports integration with 1msg.io or Twilio for WhatsApp integration, and enables communication with customers via their preferred messaging platform.

**Facebook Integration Module**: The vendor claims that the Facebook Integration Module converts private messages sent to a Facebook Page into FreeScout conversations, allows support agents to reply from FreeScout, requires Facebook Business Verification for app integration, and provides a seamless customer support experience on Facebook.

Lightweight and Compatible: Several users have noted that FreeScout is a lightweight software with great integration capacity. They appreciate its compatibility with any window server, allowing for seamless integration into their existing systems.

Smooth Performance: Users have consistently praised the smooth performance of FreeScout. They have mentioned that the software never lags or slows down, ensuring a hassle-free experience while managing tickets and queries.

Open Source and Feature-rich: Many reviewers have highlighted that FreeScout is an open source ticket management solution platform with great features for wide utility. They appreciate the extensive range of functionalities offered by FreeScout, which allows them to effectively manage their support cases and optimize resource management in an enterprise setting.

High Subscription Cost: Some users have felt that the subscription cost of FreeScout is on the higher side. They suggest that reducing the cost could attract more clients and make it a more affordable option in the market.

Lack of Embedded Features: Users have noted that FreeScout needs an upgrade with more embedded features to stay competitive in the market. They believe that having additional functionalities would enhance their experience and make the platform more valuable for their business needs.

Challenges with Database Migration and Support: Several users mentioned facing difficulties when migrating the database from one server to another. Additionally, finding ongoing support and oversight from developers has been a challenge for some users, especially those who don't have access to developers.

Users have found FreeScout to be a valuable platform for managing query tickets in a structured and seamless manner, leading to high levels of customer satisfaction. The software has been effective in managing the escalation matrix between different verticals, providing a structured approach and ensuring that queries are addressed promptly. Its lightweight design and ease of deployment have attracted many users who appreciate its smooth performance and lack of technical glitches. With features such as seamless notifications, conversational tracking, and record management, FreeScout enhances overall user experience and enables efficient ticket management.

While the support and dependability of FreeScout have generally been satisfactory, some users have opted to pay for another solution that offers more extensive support. When FreeScout functions properly, users have no complaints; however, when issues arise, users may need to invest time in resolving them due to minimal developer support. Nevertheless, those who have been using FreeScout for almost 2 years have no plans to switch to another solution as they value the control they have over their data and application. Additionally, the fact that FreeScout is an open-source project without a monthly fee makes it highly recommended among cost-conscious individuals or businesses looking to save on expenses. Startups and businesses alike have praised FreeScout for its ability to provide a collaborative platform for email management, offering features such as Saved Replies, Tags, Folders, and automation workflows for incoming emails. Overall, FreeScout is considered a reliable and cost-effective option for teams seeking efficient email collaboration and help desk functionality.

Standard

Plus

Company

Growth

Free

FreeScout

Software to manage the customer support function which involves responding to user's technical questions. Software prioritizes and routes tickets, tracks status, and provides ticket reporting metrics. Questions and answers can be delivered by telephone, e-mail, phone or, increasingly, social channels. Help desk software also makes it easier for the people running the help desk to quickly find answers to common questions.

Incident and problem management

Streamlining ticketing and service restoration processes

Organize and prioritize service tickets

Prioritize tickets to ensure most urgent are tackled first

Expert directory

Directory of IT and businesses services available to customers to help route tickets to appropriate subject matter experts

Subscription-based notifications

Users subscribe to notifications for ticket updates

ITSM collaboration and documentation

Issue resolution through collaboration mechanisms like discussion threads, social tools; agents can attach notes, files, etc. to tickets in order to maintain a record of all interactions related to the case.

Ticket creation and submission

Users and agents can easily enter new support requests.

Ticket response

Agents can easily follow up with customers.

Automated responses

Common requests can automatically trigger a standard response.

Attachments/Screencasts

Agents can send attachments and/or set up screencasts to assist with support issues.

SLA management

Service level agreement management allows agents to view and adhere to the terms of a customer's support package.

Self Help Community

Features that allow customers to self-service for support issues.

Forums

Allows customers to engage in discussion threads about support issues with other customers and/or agents.

External knowledge base

Customers can self-service by searching through help articles.

Internal knowledge base

Internal knowledge base helps agents answer customers' support questions.

Q and A

Q&A allows customers to ask the support team questions online; conversations are posted publicly for the benefit of other customers.

Surveys/polls

Surveys/polls allow customers to submit ideas and leave feedback about the product or quality of support.

Multi-Channel Help

Features related to providing customer service and support via different communication channels. Communications are organized by ticket/customer/channel for the convenience of agents.

Customer portal

Customer portal allows customers to submit tickets themselves and/or access self help resources.

Live help chat

Live chat allows customers to get help via instant messaging within a software product or on a company website.

Phone support

Customers can get support from agents over the phone.

Includes an interactive voice response system for routing callers to the correct agent or information.

Call scripting

Provides a script or system for guiding agents through callers' support issues.

Social integration

Agents can communicate with customers via social networks like Facebook and Twitter; may also include brand activity monitoring/reporting capabilities.

Email support

Integrates with email so that agents can send and receive information related to support tickets via email; email communications are attached to support tickets.

Help Desk CRM integration

Integrates with CRM so that tickets and support communications are coordinated with customers' records.

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FreeScout

Overview

What is FreeScout?