This onboarding guide helps you set up your Freshdesk account, explore essential features, and start resolving customer queries.

You will learn about:

• Different products and plans available (Freshdesk Omni vs. Freshdesk)
• Core features that power your support operations
• Quick setup guide for admins to configure your account
• Quick start guide for agents to respond to their first customer ticket

About Freshdesk SKUs

We offer two core products that differ by capabilities and channel support. Choose the product that matches your support needs:

Here’s a quick comparison:

Tip: Start with Freshdesk Omni's 14-day free trial. You can explore all channels and decide what works best for your team.

Core features

Freddy AI

Freddy AI includes two powerful tools that help your agents work faster and efficiently.

Freddy AI Agent Studio

Freddy AI Agents act as digital teammates that automate repetitive work across all your channels. With AI Agent Studio: 

• Update records, process refunds, manage subscriptions, and handle common customer requests. 
• Deploy pre-built agentic workflows with apps like Shopify, Stripe, PayPal, and more, or create your own custom AI Agent on a no-code builder.
• Use the Email AI Agent to read and respond to emails, and resolve tickets as needed.

For more information, see Overview of Freddy AI.

AI Copilot

Freddy AI Copilot helps every human agent work smarter by offering context-aware assistance right inside the ticket.

• Draft clear, on-brand replies instantly using ticket details.
• Summarize long threads in seconds with smart, contextual summaries.
• Surface similar past tickets and relevant knowledge base articles.
• Generate new help articles directly from conversations.

For more information, see Freddy AI Copilot.

Unified Inbox (Freshdesk Command Center)

The Ticket Inbox is the central workspace in Freshdesk Omni, where agents manage all customer conversations across multiple channels, like Email, Web Chat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and more. Every message becomes a ticket, and agents can respond without switching between tools.

Key capabilities:

• View all channels in one place with smart filters and priorities
• Collaborate using private notes and @mentions
• Track SLA timers and due times in real-time
• See instant updates as new messages arrive

For more information, see Ticket List.

Workflows

Automate ticket routing, assignments, and follow-ups to eliminate manual work:

• Auto-assign tickets to agents based on availability, skills, and agent ticket capacity. For details, see Advanced Automatic Routing.
• Set channel-specific rules for ticket assignment. For details, see Overview of Automation.
• Create SLA policies for response time targets. For details, see SLA policies.
• Configure business hours that match your team's schedule. For details, see Business Hours.
  
  

Knowledge Base

Build a branded Help Center to deflect common questions and reduce ticket load.

You can:

• Publish FAQs, articles, and product documentation.
• Organize content in categories and folders.
• Enable customers to self-serve before contacting support.

For details, see Knowledge Base.

Analytics Reports and Dashboards

Use powerful analytics and visual dashboards to monitor team performance and identify improvement opportunities:

• Track CSAT, response time, resolution time, and ticket volume
• Compare performance across email, chat, social, and WhatsApp
• Spot trends, recurring issues, and workflow bottlenecks
• Use visual dashboards to share insights across your organization

For details, see Analytics.

Quick start for admins

Follow these steps to configure Freshdesk and prepare your team to start supporting customers.

Before you begin

Ensure that you have:

• Admin access to configure all features
• Your support email credentials (Gmail, Office 365, or custom email)
• A list of team members to invite
  
  

1. Sign up and explore
   • Sign up for Freshdesk Omni or Freshdesk.
   • Explore all features with a 14-day free trial (no credit card required).
   • Once you are ready, choose a subscription plan - Growth, Pro, or Enterprise
     
     Note: You can upgrade or change plans at any time. For more details, see Understanding Pricing Plans.
2. Connect your support email
   
   Connect your support email to Freshdesk and convert incoming customer emails into tickets
   Supported email types:
   • Freshworks mail server (default, quickest setup)
   • Gmail
   • Microsoft Office 365
   • Custom email servers
     
     For details, see Set Up Your Email.
3. Set up your team
   Add agents, assign roles, and organize them into groups.
   1. Add Agents
      1. Add agents
      2. Assign roles based on responsibilities (Agent, Admin, Supervisor)
         
         For instructions, see Add agents.
   2. Create Groups
      1. Create groups based on expertise. For example, Billing, Technical Support, VIP Customers.
      2. Add agents to relevant groups
      3. Set group-specific business hours if needed
         
         For instructions, see Groups.
4. Define Business Hours and SLA
   Define when your team is available and set customer expectations.
   1. Add business hours
      Specify the team’s availability based on your company’s policies. Create multiple schedules if needed (weekday vs. weekend support). For instructions, see Configure Business Hours.
      
      
   2. Define SLA policies
      Set clear timelines for your support team to solve customer tickets. For example, how quickly an agent should reply to or resolve a ticket. You can also apply different SLAs by priority, channel, or customer type.
      
      For instructions, see SLA policies.
5. Add more support channels (optional)
   Expand beyond email by adding additional channels where your customers are.
   
   Available channels:
   1. Web Chat (both Freshdesk and Freshdesk Omni)
      Freshdesk: Basic Web Chat widget with Knowledge Base integration
      Freshdesk Omni: Advanced Web Chat with topic configuration, AI Agent mapping.
   2. WhatsApp Business (Freshdesk Omni only)
   3. Facebook Messenger (both Freshdesk and Freshdesk Omni)
   4. Instagram Messaging (Freshdesk Omni only)
6. Enable Freddy AI tools
   If you purchased Freddy AI add-ons, enable AI Agents and Copilot to boost agent productivity.
   Set Up AI Agents:
   1. Choose a pre-built workflow. For example, Order Status, View Past Orders, and more)
   2. Or build a custom AI Agent using the no-code builder
   3. Test your AI Agent and deploy it to specific channels
      
      For instructions, see AI Agent Studio.
7. Enable AI Copilot:
   Enable Freddy AI Copilot from Admin Settings and activate features such as Summary Generator, Writing Assistant, and more. For instructions, see Freddy AI Copilot.
   
   Your Freshdesk account is now ready. Share login credentials with your team and start helping customers.

Tip: Refer to the Freshdesk Admin Guide for advanced configuration options like custom fields, canned responses, and marketplace integrations.

Quick start for Agents

If you are new to Freshdesk as an agent, here's how to start responding to customers in minutes.

1. Log in and explore the Inbox
   1. Open your Freshdesk account using the credentials provided by your admin
   2. Navigate to the Inbox (Tickets page).
   3. Get familiar with the layout:
      1. Ticket List: Get a glance of all your tickets in your account. 
      2. Layouts and views: Use the different layout options (Card, Table, Inbox) and choose your preferred view (New and My Open tickets, Unresolved, etc.) 
      3. Filters: Refine your view using an exhaustive list of filters.
         
         For instructions, see Ticket List.
2. Respond to your first ticket
   1. Select a ticket from Unassigned or My Open Tickets
   2. Read the customer's message and any internal notes
   3. Click Reply to compose your response
   4. Type your message or use AI Copilot to generate a suggested reply
   5. Click Send to respond to the customer.
      Tip: Use canned responses for frequently asked questions to save time and effort.
      For instructions, see Ticket List.
3. Use AI Copilot for faster responses
   When you click on the Reply button, Freddy AI Copilot appears in the editor. Try these features:
   1. AI summary: Get a quick overview of long conversation threads
   2. Writing assistant: Generate a draft response based on the ticket context
   3. Find Similar Tickets: See how teammates handled similar issues
   4. Recommend Articles: Pull relevant knowledge base articles to share
      
      For instructions, see Freddy AI Copilot.
4. Collaborate with teammates
   Get help from other teammates or loop them on a ticket
   1. Add a Private Note
   2. Assign to Another Agent
   3. Start a thread
      
      For instructions, see Perform Ticket Actions.
5. Track and resolve tickets
   1. Monitor the SLA timer at the top of the ticket to stay on track
   2. Update the ticket Status as you progress (Open, Pending, Resolved)
   3. Set Priority (Low, Medium, High, Urgent) to help organize your workload
      
      Tip: Resolved tickets can be reopened by customers if they reply within a set timeframe.

Now you're ready to offer exceptional customer service. As you get comfortable, explore advanced features like:

• Creating custom ticket views
• Using keyboard shortcuts for faster navigation
• Setting up email notifications

What’s Next?

• Explore advanced features, such as Marketplace Integrations, Ticket Fields, and Advanced Automations.
• Connect with other Freshdesk users and share tips on Freshworks Community.
• Explore and compare features across our Pricing Plans, and choose the one that best suits your business. 
• Contact Support if you need more help:
  • Email: support@freshdesk.com
  • Live Chat: Available 24/7 from your Freshdesk account
  • Help Center: support.freshdesk.com