Stop running support
out of Outlook.
Move beyond the limitations of Shared Mailboxes. HelpSpot provides the structure, reporting, and accountability that Office 365's simplistic email design cannot offer.
Why teams switch from Office 365
The same frustrations we hear from every shared mailbox user
The Collision Nightmare
Outlook has no "lock" on emails. Two agents can open, read, and reply to the same customer simultaneously without knowing it, making your company look uncoordinated.
Single Assignment
Every request in HelpSpot is assigned to exactly one agent. There's never any question about who's responsible. Combined with real-time collision detection, duplicate replies become impossible.
Data Black Hole
The Microsoft 365 Admin Center tracks storage usage, not support metrics. You have no way to know your average response time, ticket volume per category, or individual agent performance.
Actionable Analytics
Built-in reports track volume, response speed, and resolution times automatically. Know exactly how your team is performing.
Manual Workflow Fatigue
Teams try to use Outlook Folders as 'Statuses' and Color Categories as 'Assignments'. It's a fragile system that breaks the moment someone forgets to drag an email or sync lags.
Structured Workflow
HelpSpot uses true statuses (Open, Pending, Closed) and strict ownership. Every request is assigned to exactly one agent, ensuring total accountability.
Office 365 vs HelpSpot
Why support teams outgrow Exchange Online
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Fragile automation
Outlook rules run client-side by default, meaning they only fire if the desktop app is open. Server-side rules are extremely limited. Power Automate is complex and requires a separate license for advanced flows.
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No true status tracking
You can't mark a ticket as "Pending" or "Waiting for Reply." Teams resort to Outlook Folders as statuses and Color Categories as assignments. It's a fragile system that breaks the moment someone forgets to drag an email.
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Zero analytics
You cannot track response time or ticket volume. You have no way of knowing if your team is getting faster or slower, or which agent is doing the most work.
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Server-side Automation
Our automation rules run 24/7 on the server. Route tickets, escalate issues, and send auto-replies reliably, even when your team is asleep.
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Clear Statuses
Know exactly what needs attention. Tickets have clear statuses (Open, Pending, Closed) so nothing slips through the cracks.
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Actionable Analytics
Built-in reports track volume, response speed, and resolution times automatically. Know exactly how your team is performing.
Ready to simplify your support?
Feature-by-feature comparison
Comparing Office 365 Shared Mailbox vs HelpSpot
HelpSpot
|
Office 365
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Feature | All Inclusive | Shared Mailbox (Free) |
|
Core Ticketing
|
||
| Centralized shared inbox | ||
| Single assignment | ||
| Collision detection (who is viewing) | ||
| Status tracking (Open/Pending/Closed) | Manual Folders/Categories | |
| Internal private notes | ||
| Unified customer history | ||
|
Portal & Knowledge Base
|
||
| Customer self-service portal | ||
| Public knowledge base | ||
| Contact forms with custom fields | ||
| Multi-brand support | Manual switching | |
|
Automation & AI
|
||
| Real-time trigger actions | Power Automate (Complex) | |
| SLA (Service Level Agreements) | ||
| Time-based automation triggers | ||
| AI Ticket Summarization | Included | Copilot ($30/user/mo) |
| AI Response Generation | Included | Copilot ($30/user/mo) |
| Round-robin assignment | ||
|
Reporting & Analytics
|
||
| Response time tracking | ||
| Ticket volume trends | Basic Volume Only | |
| Agent performance metrics | ||
| Custom report builder | Requires Power BI | |
| Scheduled report exports | ||
|
Technical & Limits
|
||
| Storage Limit | Unlimited | 50 GB (Free tier) |
| Recommended Max Users | Unlimited | 1 User |
| API Access | Full REST API | Graph API (Complex) |
| Self-hosted option | ||
"Free" is the most expensive option
The sticker price is $0. The actual cost? It's hiding in every inefficient workflow, every lost customer, and every decision you can't make because you don't have the data.
Wasted Agent Hours
Searching for context, duplicate replies, manual sorting. Minutes per email add up to hours per week, per agent.
Lost Customers
Slow responses and dropped requests drive customers away. One lost customer costs more than a year of proper tooling.
Reputation Damage
Duplicate replies, conflicting answers, and missed follow-ups make your team look unprofessional. Trust is hard to rebuild.
Flying Blind
No response time data. No volume trends. No agent metrics. You can't improve what you can't measure.
Migration made easy
We'll help you every step of the way
Connect Office 365
Authorize HelpSpot to access your shared mailbox via secure Microsoft Graph (OAuth). No complex server settings required.
Import Your Team
We help you map your existing Outlook categories to HelpSpot tags and set up automation rules to replace manual folder sorting.
Gain Visibility
Immediately start tracking response times and volume. See the metrics you've been missing in the Microsoft Admin Center.
Built for teams who live in email
Most help desk software tries to replace email with something entirely different. Enterprise tools are built for organizations with dedicated implementation teams and months of training.
HelpSpot takes a different approach. Our workspace mirrors the email experience your team already understands: a clean inbox view, threaded conversations, and a rich text editor that works exactly like Outlook or Gmail.
"After switching to HelpSpot our ~18 person support team feels like it gained an invisible full time employee."
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about switching from Office 365
Shared Mailboxes are free, but they lack accountability. There is no 'assign to agent' button, no way to prevent two people from replying at once, and no reporting to see if you are answering customers fast enough. At roughly 20-25 users, Outlook performance also begins to degrade significantly.
Yes. HelpSpot fully supports OAuth (Modern Auth) for Microsoft 365, including government cloud environments (GCC, GCC High, and DoD). This ensures your connection is secure and complies with Microsoft's latest security standards—no 'app passwords' required.
Yes. HelpSpot supports all Microsoft 365 government cloud environments. Whether you're on GCC, GCC High, or DoD, HelpSpot connects via OAuth and the Microsoft Graph API with full support for government-specific endpoints.
Absolutely. HelpSpot's AI features are built-in and included with your subscription. You do not need to purchase expensive Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses ($30/user/mo) to get summarization and drafting tools.
You can keep them in your Office 365 archive for reference, or depending on your setup, import active threads into HelpSpot. Moving forward, HelpSpot becomes your shared workspace, while Office 365 handles the mail delivery in the background.
Trusted by teams who made the switch
Trusted by industry leaders
Ready to switch?
We'll help you move.
Start your free trial and our team will help migrate your data, train your agents, and get you up and running. No risk, no commitment.
