Help desk software for small IT teams of two to five people
With two people in IT, the problem changes. It is no longer just about not forgetting anything. It is about making sure nothing is done twice and nothing falls through the cracks. 404desk assigns tickets by rule, shows in the console who has what, and lets you talk internally without the requester reading along.
A Tuesday for a team of three
Svenja leads IT, Deniz looks after workstations and printers, and Murat is based at the South site. Fictional company, 140 people. Times use Europe/Berlin.
- 08:00
- New tickets distribute themselves: “printer” in the subject goes to Deniz, the permissions category to Svenja, alert emails to Murat.
- 09:30
- On #1286, Deniz writes an internal note: “@Svenja, didn’t we have this one at #1271?” The requester sees none of it.
- 10:15
- Two people report the same VPN problem. Murat merges the tickets instead of replying twice.
- 11:00
- The wallboard in the office shows that three tickets are close to their deadline. Svenja presses a in the list to open assignment and takes one of them.
- 14:00
- Deniz is on holiday from tomorrow. His absence is in the company calendar, Murat is entered as cover and gets the open printer tickets.
- 16:30
- Svenja looks at Analytics: resolution time is stable, printers are still topic number one.
What makes the difference in a team
- Automations
- Distribute by subject, category or source, with a preview before the rule goes live.
- IT console
- Assignment, internal notes, @mentions, merging, bulk actions, personal views.
- Snippets
- For everyone in IT or personal, so the team sounds the same.
- Deadlines
- Shared rules for how fast things get answered, with business hours and public holidays.
- Wallboard
- Everyone in the room sees what is urgent. Numbers only, no names.
- Analytics
- Workload per admin, resolution time, topics.
- Cover
- Holidays without orphaned tickets.
What it costs for 140 people
| 140 activated accounts × €1.50, including the three people in IT | €210.00 |
|---|---|
| Optional AI add-on, 140 × €0.50 | €70.00 |
| Total with AI, including €70 credit | €280.00 |
404desk: No VAT is charged under the small business scheme (§ 19 UStG).
If one more account is activated, the base price rises from €210.00 to €211.50, and with AI from €280.00 to €282.00. If someone who already has an account moves into IT, it costs nothing extra. With systems that charge per IT seat, that step depends on the plan, but there you do not pay for the other 137 employees. You can work out which model is cheaper for you in the calculator and the ticketing system comparison.
When the team grows
With the third or fourth person in IT, specialisations appear: one looks after workstations, one servers, one the sites. Then personal views, automations by topic and snippets help, so everyone sounds the same. The “Workload per admin” report shows whether the distribution still fits, and the IT service report shows whether the team as a whole is getting faster. With five or more people and ITIL processes, the product may be too narrow, and then a look at the ticketing system comparison is worthwhile.
Handovers between shifts or sites
If Murat starts earlier at the South site and Deniz stays later at North, a personal view with all open tickets, oldest first, helps with the handover. Internal notes record what has already been tried. That way nobody has to ask over the phone.
Three rules to set on day one
Who takes new tickets?
Either by automation per topic, or one person sorts each day. Either works, just not “whoever happens to notice”.
What does “High” mean?
Write down what the priorities mean. Templates are in the guide Set ticket priorities everyone understands.
When is a ticket resolved?
When the requester can carry on working, not when IT is done. It sounds trivial, but it saves arguments.
Frequently asked questions
Does each additional person in IT cost extra?
Only as one more account. IT people are accounts like everyone else. There is no surcharge per IT seat and no higher plan for teams.
Can everyone in IT save their own views?
Yes. Everyone saves their own views made of filters and sorting, such as “My open tickets” or “Printers, oldest first”.
How do we distribute tickets fairly?
With automations by subject, category or source, and a look at the “Workload per admin” report in Analytics. The guide Ticketing system and works council lists the questions to settle with your works council.
We have sites in Germany and Austria. Does that work?
Yes, with one limitation. Public holidays are available by country and region for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. But the calendar applies to the whole company, so choose the region your IT works by. For now, only a company based in Germany can take out a subscription.
Further reading
- IT consoleA compact IT ticket console with filters, saved views, bulk actions, keyboard shortcuts, internal notes, mentions and snippets.
- AutomationCreate plain-language rules for categories, priorities and assignment. Preview matches against past tickets and automatically close resolved tickets.
- Set ticket priorities everyone understandsA practical IT ticket priority matrix with three levels, examples and a copyable policy. Separate employee urgency from IT’s overall priority.