Hi All - I work in hospital I.S dept that employees 6k employees. We currently are using HEAT ver 7.0 from Front Range Solutions. But want to move away and are looking for a new Help Desk Software. We are interested in things like SLA agrrements, Web based Self-Service, Change Management, and Electronic Signature. Can any of you share with me why you selected HelpMaster Pro as your software and what you like most about it. There are so many choices out there, and we are on a tight schedule for implementation. Thanks, Clark from the Hoosier State! 

Hi Clark,

Thanks for stopping by.  You're right - there are so many choices these days.  Back in the day, HEAT was the product of choice.  These days though, it is showing its age, and for the price Frontrange are asking for it, there are many alternatives that do the same and better.  HelpMaster Pro is currently being used by many hospitals and medical centres around the world.

Here's some of my personal observation on a HEAT vs HelpMaster Pro discussion.

1. The database.  The database behind a product should never be overlooked - after all, it is the place where your valuable data is stored.  The HEAT database is a non-relational, badly designed database that is the reason for poor performance, difficult customization and reporting.  HelpMaster has a fully relational, SQL Server 2005 database that contains many views that can be used for custom reporting.

2. The interface.  HEAT has a lot of different interfaces for each different part of the product.  This means that you need to use a lot of different user interfaces and applications to work with the product.  By contrast, most of the administration and configuration of HelpMaster Pro can be achieved  via the desktop edition.  From here you can administer the Email Manager, the Priority Manager, the Web Interfaces, and the Active Directory module.

3. The price.  Last I heard, HEAT is about 4 times more expensive than HelpMaster Pro.  For products that do essentially the same thing, the price becomes something to consider.

4.  The Technology.  HelpMaster Pro is written using the Microsoft .NET framework and uses the most up-to-date 3rd party components like Crystal Reports 2008, Component Art controls for the web interface, SQL Server 2008 and more.  PRD Software do not use legacy code and we strive to stay on the cutting edge of the Microsoft development framework.

5. The Flexibility.  HelpMaster Pro can be configured to do so much more than service management and helpdesk.  It has application in software development, bug tracking, complaints management, facilities management and more.

Just a few ideas here.  If you would like a WebEx demonstration, tailored to your needs, please contact our sales staff and they will be more than happy to show you why HelpMaster Pro is a compelling alternative to HEAT.

Hope this helps,

Rod