# Support Sorted > Independent UK-focused guidance on customer-support software, buying decisions and support operations for small teams. Support Sorted compares provider documentation, pricing and plan limits. Product-fit conclusions are editorial judgements based on published plan scope, costs and workflow requirements. Prices, features and programme terms can change; consult each article's cited sources and the provider before buying. Security and UK GDPR articles are buyer guidance, not legal advice. This directory links to the canonical HTML articles. It is an optional navigation aid, not a replacement for robots.txt or sitemap.xml, and does not grant crawler access. ## Start here - [Home](https://supportsorted.co.uk/): Browse the main topics and use the software finder. - [Software directory](https://supportsorted.co.uk/software/): The eight reviewed products and links to their reviews. - [All articles](https://supportsorted.co.uk/site-map/): The complete organised article directory. - [Software comparisons](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/): Buying guides and head-to-head comparisons. - [Product reviews](https://supportsorted.co.uk/reviews/): Product fit, documented features, plan scope and limitations. - [Team needs](https://supportsorted.co.uk/team-needs/): Guidance for team sizes, business models and support channels. - [Support workflows](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/): Practical implementation and operations guidance. - [Buying advice and metrics](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/): Pricing, procurement, security and service improvement. - [Integrations](https://supportsorted.co.uk/site-map/#integrations): Ecommerce support connections and their practical limits. ## Publication and policies - [About the editorial team](https://supportsorted.co.uk/about/): Audience, editorial responsibility and research approach. - [Editorial policy](https://supportsorted.co.uk/editorial-policy/): How recommendations, updates and corrections are handled. - [Source policy](https://supportsorted.co.uk/source-policy/): Evidence standards and the distinction between documentation and testing. - [Affiliate disclosure](https://supportsorted.co.uk/affiliate-disclosure/): Commercial relationships and editorial independence. - [Contact](https://supportsorted.co.uk/contact/): Questions and corrections. ## Software comparisons - [Best AI customer-support software](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/best-ai-customer-support-software/): Compare AI customer-support software by safe use case, handoff, knowledge quality and real usage cost, with practical picks for chat, ecommerce and help desks. - [Best customer-support software for startups](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/best-customer-support-software-startups/): Choose customer-support software for a UK startup using free-plan boundaries, four-agent growth budgets and a worked monthly-versus-annual commitment model. - [Best ecommerce help desk software](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/best-ecommerce-help-desk-software/): Compare ecommerce help desks using documented Shopify actions, a three-agent seasonal cost model and clear boundaries for channels, permissions and AI fees. - [Best email-only help desk software](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/email-only-help-desk-software/): Compare focused and email-first help desks for small teams that need ownership, automation and reporting without a complex omnichannel platform. - [Best free help desk software](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/best-free-help-desk-software/): Compare genuinely free help-desk options with time-limited trials, including user limits, ticketing, live chat, knowledge-base access and upgrade costs. - [Best help desks with no minimum seats](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/help-desks-no-minimum-seats/): Compare help desks that let small teams start without buying a large seat block, including free routes, per-user plans and volume pricing. - [Best help-desk software for small businesses](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/best-help-desk-software-small-businesses/): Compare six credible help desks for a small UK team, including current prices, plan limits, channels, strengths and likely upgrade points. - [Best knowledge-base software for small businesses](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/best-knowledge-base-software-small-businesses/): Compare knowledge-base software for small businesses by authoring workflow, search, ticket integration, permissions, reporting and price. - [Best live-chat software for ecommerce](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/best-live-chat-software-ecommerce/): Find the right ecommerce live chat for product advice, Shopify order context and post-purchase support, with realistic staffing, AI and plan-cost comparisons. - [Best live-chat software for small businesses](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/best-live-chat-software-small-businesses/): Compare live-chat software for small businesses by staffing model, ticket handover, channels, CRM context, ecommerce features and price. - [Best omnichannel customer-service software](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/best-omnichannel-customer-service-software/): Compare omnichannel customer-service platforms for small teams by channel coverage, shared history, routing, AI costs and the exact plan needed to use them. - [Best shared inbox software](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/best-shared-inbox-software/): Compare shared inbox software for customer support by assignment, collision detection, channels, reporting, CRM context and upgrade cost. - [Best ticketing systems for small teams](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/best-ticketing-systems-small-teams/): Compare ticketing systems for small teams by ownership, routing, reporting, free plans, channels and the real price of adding agents. - [Freshdesk vs Zendesk](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/freshdesk-vs-zendesk/): Compare Freshdesk vs Zendesk with matched-plan scenarios, five-agent annual costs and transparent currency assumptions for email, self-service and routing. - [Gmail shared inbox alternatives](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/gmail-shared-inbox-alternatives/): Compare Gmail delegation and Google Groups with help desks that add ownership, collision control, reporting, knowledge and customer context. - [Gorgias alternatives for Shopify](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/gorgias-alternatives-shopify/): Compare Gorgias alternatives for Shopify by order actions, ticket pricing, knowledge bases, agent seats and the support work your store handles most. - [Gorgias vs Freshdesk](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/gorgias-vs-freshdesk/): Compare Gorgias and Freshdesk on ecommerce context, ticketing, pricing, automation, channels and fit for growing customer-support teams. - [Gorgias vs Zendesk](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/gorgias-vs-zendesk/): Compare Gorgias and Zendesk on Shopify workflows, ticket and agent pricing, channels, routing, AI and fit for ecommerce support teams. - [HelpDesk vs Freshdesk](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/helpdesk-vs-freshdesk/): Compare HelpDesk vs Freshdesk beyond the $19 headline, with channel and knowledge-base requirements, rule-limit scenarios and two- and five-user upgrade costs. - [HelpDesk vs Gorgias](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/helpdesk-vs-gorgias/): Compare HelpDesk and Gorgias on pricing, ticketing, chat, ecommerce context, automation, AI and fit for small customer-support teams. - [HelpDesk vs Zendesk](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/helpdesk-vs-zendesk/): Compare HelpDesk and Zendesk for small support teams, including pricing, channels, automation, reporting, AI and likely upgrade costs. - [HubSpot Service Hub vs Freshdesk](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/hubspot-service-hub-vs-freshdesk/): Compare HubSpot Service Hub and Freshdesk on CRM context, ticketing, knowledge, automation, reporting, pricing and small-team value. - [HubSpot Service Hub vs Zendesk](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/hubspot-service-hub-vs-zendesk/): Compare HubSpot Service Hub and Zendesk on CRM context, ticketing, channels, knowledge, pricing, automation, reporting and team fit. - [LiveChat vs Tidio](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/livechat-vs-tidio/): LiveChat vs Tidio for UK small teams: compare agent-seat and conversation pricing, AI allowances, Shopify fit, reporting and the right chat workflow. - [LiveChat vs Zendesk Messaging](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/livechat-vs-zendesk-messaging/): Compare LiveChat and Zendesk Messaging on real-time versus persistent conversations, tickets, staffing, plan costs and the right fit for UK support teams. - [Outlook shared inbox alternatives](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/outlook-shared-inbox-alternatives/): Compare Microsoft 365 shared mailboxes with help desks that add ownership, collision control, automation, reporting and customer history. - [Tidio vs Gorgias](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/tidio-vs-gorgias/): Compare Tidio and Gorgias for Shopify support: chat and AI quotas, order context, ticket-volume pricing, automation and the best fit for growing stores. - [Zoho Desk vs Freshdesk](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/zoho-desk-vs-freshdesk/): Compare Zoho Desk and Freshdesk on free and paid plans, ticketing, knowledge base, automation, reporting and small-team value. - [Zoho Desk vs Zendesk](https://supportsorted.co.uk/comparisons/zoho-desk-vs-zendesk/): Compare Zoho Desk and Zendesk for pricing, free entry, ticketing, knowledge, automation, channels, reporting and small-team fit. ## Product reviews - [Freshdesk review](https://supportsorted.co.uk/reviews/freshdesk/): Our Freshdesk review covers Growth, Pro and Enterprise pricing, ticketing, knowledge base, SLAs, routing and its fit for growing UK teams. - [Gorgias review](https://supportsorted.co.uk/reviews/gorgias/): Our Gorgias review examines Shopify support features, ticket-volume pricing, AI costs, channel limits and its fit for UK ecommerce teams. - [HelpDesk review](https://supportsorted.co.uk/reviews/helpdesk/): Our HelpDesk review explains its current pricing, ticketing, automation, AI allowances and fit for UK small teams moving beyond shared email. - [HubSpot Service Hub review](https://supportsorted.co.uk/reviews/hubspot-service-hub/): Our HubSpot Service Hub review covers free tools, paid seats, onboarding, help desk, CRM context and its value for growing UK teams. - [LiveChat review](https://supportsorted.co.uk/reviews/livechat/): An independent LiveChat review for UK small teams: assess website chat, agent limits, reporting, ecommerce integrations and the cost of adding a help desk. - [Tidio review](https://supportsorted.co.uk/reviews/tidio/): Our Tidio review explains the free conversation limit, paid chat plans, Lyro AI allowance, Shopify use and the real fit for a small support team. - [Zendesk review](https://supportsorted.co.uk/reviews/zendesk/): Our Zendesk review explains UK Support and Suite pricing, ticketing, knowledge base, omnichannel routing and the fit for growing service teams. - [Zoho Desk review](https://supportsorted.co.uk/reviews/zoho-desk/): Our Zoho Desk review examines its three-user free edition, paid-plan features, automation, channels and value for UK small support teams. ## Team & business needs - [Customer-support software for five-person teams](https://supportsorted.co.uk/team-needs/customer-support-software-five-person-teams/): Compare support tools for a five-person team, with practical advice on queues, reporting, knowledge, permissions and the real cost of five agents. - [Customer-support software for online retailers](https://supportsorted.co.uk/team-needs/customer-support-software-online-retailers/): Compare support platforms for online retailers across delivery questions, returns, product advice, seasonal peaks, self-service and cost per resolved enquiry. - [Help desk software for agencies](https://supportsorted.co.uk/team-needs/help-desk-software-agencies/): Compare help desks for agencies that manage client enquiries, with guidance on separating accounts, permissions, branding, reporting and handovers. - [Help desk software for marketplace sellers](https://supportsorted.co.uk/team-needs/help-desk-marketplace-sellers/): Choose help desk software for Amazon, eBay and other marketplaces while preserving channel identity, order context and each marketplace's service rules. - [Help desk software for remote teams](https://supportsorted.co.uk/team-needs/help-desk-software-remote-teams/): Compare help desks for remote teams that need clear handovers, visible ownership, sensible business hours and secure access across locations. - [Help desk software for SaaS startups](https://supportsorted.co.uk/team-needs/help-desk-software-saas-startups/): Choose support software for a SaaS startup by testing bug escalation, onboarding questions, account context, self-service and the cost of scaling beyond email. - [Help desk software for Shopify stores](https://supportsorted.co.uk/team-needs/help-desk-software-shopify/): Compare Shopify help desks on order context, refunds, cancellations, channels, seasonal costs and the real difference between native and app-based workflows. - [Help desk software for sole traders](https://supportsorted.co.uk/team-needs/help-desk-software-sole-traders/): Compare simple help desks for UK sole traders, including free ticketing, focused email support, CRM context and ecommerce options without paying for unused seats. - [Help desk software for two-person teams](https://supportsorted.co.uk/team-needs/help-desk-software-two-person-teams/): Find a help desk for two support agents that prevents double replies, makes ownership visible and keeps costs proportionate as a small team grows. - [Help desk software for WooCommerce stores](https://supportsorted.co.uk/team-needs/help-desk-software-woocommerce/): Compare WooCommerce help desks on order visibility, integration limits, WordPress support, ticket costs and the steps needed to finish returns and refunds. - [Support software for peak sales periods](https://supportsorted.co.uk/team-needs/support-software-peak-season/): Prepare ecommerce support software for seasonal peaks: model ticket capacity, train temporary agents, protect refunds and test the queue before demand rises. - [Support software for subscription-box businesses](https://supportsorted.co.uk/team-needs/support-software-subscription-boxes/): Choose and configure support software for recurring boxes, renewal dates, address changes, skipped deliveries, failed payments and returns. ## Support workflows - [Add live chat to a website](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/add-live-chat-to-website/): Set up website live chat without missed messages: choose a tool, install the widget once, define hours, privacy, handoff and a practical launch test. - [Audit outdated help content](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/audit-outdated-help-content/): Run a risk-based help-content audit: find stale articles, test current steps, fix or redirect pages, assign owners and use support feedback to prevent drift. - [Automate “where is my order?” tickets](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/automate-wismo-tickets/): Reduce routine WISMO tickets with accurate tracking, careful order matching, status-specific replies and a human route for lost or delayed parcels. - [Build a small-business knowledge base](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/build-small-business-knowledge-base/): Build a small-business knowledge base from real support questions: choose topics, structure articles, assign owners, launch search and measure useful answers. - [Create customer-support troubleshooting trees](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/create-troubleshooting-trees/): Build safe support troubleshooting trees from a symptom, observable checks and clear outcomes; test every branch and provide a human handoff. - [Customer-support workflow templates](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/customer-support-workflow-templates/): Adapt practical customer-support workflow templates for triage, handovers, complaints, refunds, incidents and follow-up, with clear owners and outcomes. - [Deflect repetitive support tickets](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/deflect-repetitive-support-tickets/): Reduce repetitive support tickets with better answers, timely placement and honest measurement, while preserving a clear human route for exceptions. - [Design a useful help desk dashboard](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/help-desk-dashboard-design/): Design a help desk dashboard that reveals unowned work, ageing backlog, response and quality, with a practical layout and checks for misleading metrics. - [Ecommerce customer-service reporting](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/ecommerce-support-reporting/): Build an ecommerce support dashboard combining ticket reasons, backlog, response quality and order volume without confusing fewer tickets with better service. - [Ecommerce support macros and saved replies](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/ecommerce-macros-saved-replies/): Create safe ecommerce support macros for delivery, returns and damaged orders, with useful placeholders, ownership and review rather than robotic promises. - [Help desk automation for small teams](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/help-desk-automation-small-teams/): Choose practical help desk automations for a small team, from acknowledgements and routing to reminders, with rule tests and human-review safeguards. - [Help desk implementation checklist](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/help-desk-implementation-checklist/): A practical help desk implementation checklist covering ownership, channels, access, migration, routing, knowledge, pilot tests, training and launch monitoring. - [Import historic support tickets](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/import-historic-support-tickets/): Decide which old support tickets to import, map customers and attachments, run a sample, prevent unwanted notifications, and reconcile the result. - [Knowledge-base templates](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/knowledge-base-templates/): Use practical knowledge-base templates for how-to articles, troubleshooting, policies, internal runbooks and escalation notes, with examples and review checks. - [Manage returns in a help desk](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/manage-returns-help-desk/): Build a returns support workflow with eligibility checks, warehouse handoffs, refund approvals and reporting—without confusing a ticket with the order record. - [Migrate from a shared inbox to a help desk](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/migrate-shared-inbox-to-help-desk/): Plan a shared-inbox-to-help-desk migration without lost replies or duplicate tickets. Covers audit, history, forwarding, pilot, cutover and rollback. - [Run a help desk pilot](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/run-help-desk-pilot/): Run a fair help desk pilot with real support cases, pass/fail criteria, agent observations, plan checks and a safe route to full rollout or rollback. - [Set up a customer-support shared inbox](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/set-up-customer-support-shared-inbox/): Set up a shared customer-support inbox with a clear address, access permissions, ownership rules, handovers, templates and a simple daily quality check. - [Weekly customer-support report template](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/weekly-support-report-template/): Use a practical one-page weekly support report with queue, speed, quality, causes and actions, plus clear metric definitions and a meeting routine. - [Write a useful help-centre article](https://supportsorted.co.uk/workflows/write-help-centre-article/): Write support articles that solve one customer task: choose a clear title, explain eligibility, give tested steps, cover failure paths and schedule review. ## Buying advice & support metrics - [AI chatbot vs live chat](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/ai-chatbot-vs-live-chat/): Choose between an AI chatbot, human live chat and a hybrid support flow using response quality, staffing, handoff, risk and full cost rather than hype. - [Budget for AI support add-ons](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/budget-ai-support-add-ons/): Model help desk AI costs by seat, session, credit and resolution, then test overages, quality and human handoff before committing. - [Calculate the total cost of a help desk](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/calculate-help-desk-total-cost/): Calculate 12-month help desk costs with seats, monthly tickets, AI, tax and internal time separated. Includes worked examples and a printable worksheet. - [Customer portal vs knowledge base](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/customer-portal-vs-knowledge-base/): Understand the difference between a public knowledge base and signed-in customer portal, including ticket status, account data, access and software fit. - [Customer satisfaction score for support](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/customer-satisfaction-score-support/): Calculate support CSAT from rated interactions, understand response bias and use feedback alongside ticket outcomes instead of trusting one score. - [First-response time explained](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/first-response-time/): Learn how to calculate customer-support first-response time, distinguish human replies from acknowledgements and improve the slowest waits without gaming the metric. - [Forecast support-ticket volume](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/forecast-support-ticket-volume/): Forecast customer-support ticket demand using clean weekly history, seasonality and business drivers, then turn a range of arrivals into a realistic staffing plan. - [Free help desk plan limits](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/free-help-desk-limits/): Check free help desk seats, channels, history, automation, security and upgrade paths before relying on a £0 plan for customer support. - [Help desk data residency](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/help-desk-data-residency/): Examine where help desk tickets are hosted, backed up and accessed, and distinguish a hosting-region promise from UK international-transfer questions. - [Help desk data-retention settings](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/help-desk-data-retention/): Turn a justified customer-support retention schedule into help desk settings, covering tickets, attachments, exports, backups and account closure. - [Help desk procurement checklist](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/help-desk-procurement-checklist/): Use a practical help desk procurement checklist covering use cases, plan fit, costs, security, contract terms, implementation and exit before signing. - [Help desk reporting for small teams](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/help-desk-reporting-small-teams/): Build a small help desk report that reveals backlog, demand, response and resolution quality without misleading averages or vanity dashboards. - [Help desk security checklist](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/help-desk-security-checklist/): Check help desk access, authentication, encryption, audit logs, backups, integrations and incident response before placing customer conversations in a new platform. - [Help desk software pricing explained](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/help-desk-software-pricing/): Understand per-agent, per-ticket and usage-based help-desk pricing, including annual billing, AI charges, onboarding and the cost of scaling. - [How to choose help desk software](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/how-to-choose-help-desk-software/): A practical process for choosing help-desk software using support channels, team workflow, plan limits, total cost, security, trials and migration evidence. - [Internal vs external knowledge base](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/internal-vs-external-knowledge-base/): Decide what belongs in a public help centre versus a staff knowledge base, with examples for permissions, sensitive procedures and shared policy ownership. - [Knowledge-base SEO](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/knowledge-base-seo/): Improve knowledge-base SEO with clear task pages, logical links, crawlable public content, canonical URLs and honest measurement—without keyword stuffing. - [Measure self-service success](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/measure-self-service-success/): Measure whether a help centre helps customers complete tasks, using search, feedback and ticket demand without mistaking views for solved issues. - [Per-agent vs per-ticket help desk pricing](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/per-agent-vs-per-ticket-pricing/): Compare help desk seat and ticket-volume pricing with worked scenarios, billable-event definitions, overages and the costs that change as teams grow. - [Plan a knowledge-base structure](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/knowledge-base-structure/): Plan a knowledge-base structure customers can navigate: choose categories, name task-based articles, handle overlap and test search before publishing. - [Questions to ask in a help desk demo](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/questions-help-desk-demo/): Get more from a help desk demo with realistic ticket scenarios and questions on roles, automation, reports, pricing, security and exit. - [Set customer-support SLAs](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/set-customer-support-slas/): Set realistic support response and resolution targets with business hours, priorities, pause rules, escalation and reporting that customers can understand. - [Shared inbox vs help desk](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/shared-inbox-vs-help-desk/): Understand the practical difference between shared inbox and help-desk software, the signs it is time to switch and how to choose without overbuying. - [Support-agent workload reporting](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/support-agent-workload-reporting/): Report support-agent workload without reducing people to ticket counts. Combine active assignments, case complexity, coverage and time for safer staffing decisions. - [Support-ticket backlog reporting](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/support-ticket-backlog-reporting/): Define a support-ticket backlog, report unresolved work by age and owner, and find why a queue grows without hiding difficult cases. - [Ticket reopen rate explained](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/support-ticket-reopen-rate/): Measure the proportion of solved support tickets that reopen, distinguish unique tickets from reopen events and use the cases to improve lasting resolutions. - [Ticket resolution time explained](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/ticket-resolution-time/): Calculate support-ticket resolution time, compare first and full resolution, account for reopens and improve outcomes rather than close tickets early. - [UK GDPR questions for help desk buyers](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/uk-gdpr-help-desk-software/): Ask better UK GDPR questions before buying a help desk: roles, processor terms, subprocessors, transfers, retention, rights and incident support. - [When to move beyond a shared email inbox](https://supportsorted.co.uk/guides/when-to-move-beyond-shared-inbox/): Learn when a shared support mailbox stops working, how to measure the cost of missed ownership, and whether a help desk is the right next step. ## Ecommerce integrations - [Connect Shopify orders to support tickets](https://supportsorted.co.uk/integrations/shopify-orders-support-tickets/): Choose a Shopify help-desk integration, match customers and orders safely, test status freshness and control refund access before agents use order data in tickets. - [Connect Shopify to Freshdesk](https://supportsorted.co.uk/integrations/shopify-freshdesk/): Follow Freshworks’ current Shopify custom-app setup for Freshdesk, then verify order matching, staff permissions, refunds and multiple-store behaviour. - [Connect Shopify to Zendesk](https://supportsorted.co.uk/integrations/shopify-zendesk/): Set up Zendesk’s Shopify integration with the right prerequisites, storefront permissions and sidebar checks before using refunds or cancellations in tickets.