Use casesTeams that aren't 24/7
Be honest about when you're open, and keep your targets
Most small teams aren't staffed at night or on weekends, and a help desk that counts every hour will always show you missing your targets. Flatdesk counts your business hours, skips your holidays, and tells customers when they'll hear back, at $49 per agent per month, or $39 billed yearly.
What it does for this
Targets in business hours
Set a first reply target like 4 business hours, a next reply target and a resolution target, with faster or slower ones by tag. The resolution clock can pause while a ticket waits on the customer.
Holidays
List the days you're closed. Reply targets skip them, and customers who write in get your after-hours reply.
After-hours reply
Write the message once. A new email that arrives while you're closed gets it, if the AI didn't already answer.
Acknowledge new emails
Send “Got it, ticket #1042” to every new email ticket the AI didn't answer, so customers know it arrived.
Update the customer every…
On a ticket that stays open a while, promise an update every 4 hours, a day or a week. When one is late the ticket is tagged and posted to your alerts.
The AI covers the gap
When your macros, help articles or facts cover the question, the AI answers at 2am. Tickets it hands over wait for your team with a note saying why.
Where it falls short
If you need these today, another help desk fits better.
- Flatdesk doesn't staff the night for you. The AI answers routine questions; the rest waits until you're open.
- No periodic-update SLA timers like Zendesk's, though the update timer covers the common case.
Questions
Does the SLA clock stop outside business hours?
Yes. Reply targets count only your business hours and skip the holidays you list.
Can customers be told when we'll reply?
Yes. Your after-hours reply goes to new emails that arrive while you're closed, and an acknowledgement goes to new email tickets the AI didn't answer.