Ridgeline Outfitters · Helpdesk bake-off · same 40 tickets, three tools, one winner

Helpdesk bake-off: three tools, five rounds Three channel strips. Five rounds on the faders. The master reads the final score.

Scene A is round 1: one fader up per strip, the house lights wandering. T runs the show to the final. Drag any fader (or focus it and use ↑ ↓); keys 1–5 jump to a round; hit MUTE / SOLO. Sound on gives you the mix.

Numbers — round 1 → final score

Rounds played
0 → 5
Rounds won by Tool B "Ridge"
0 → 4
Setup time
A 6 h · B 2 h · C 1.5 h
Monthly cost
A $890 · B $570 · C $430
Median reply time
A 7 min · B 3 min · C 4 min
Orders visible inside a ticket
A no · B yes · C partial

Items — the cue list, round by round

  1. Setup and import — winner B (2 h, clean import); C faster but partial
  2. Order data inside the ticket — winner B (full order + tracking)
  3. Macros and saved replies — winner B
  4. Mobile app for warehouse staff — winner B
  5. Reporting — winner A (deepest), B enough
  6. Tie-break: cost per seat — C cheapest, B middle
  7. Decision — B "Ridge" adopted, 6 seats
  8. Losers thanked, trials cancelled — DONE

Story — the show file

Show file · bake-off.showpage 1 / 2 · notes

We ran the same 40 real tickets through each tool for a week. Tool A had the best reports and the worst everything else. Tool C was cheapest and fastest to set up but showed half an order. Tool B showed the whole order next to the message, which is the one thing a support person actually needs.

The decision was made on round 2 and confirmed by rounds 3 and 4. Reporting we can do ourselves from the export.

Steps — adopt

Show file · bake-off.showpage 2 / 2 · cues to adopt

  1. Cancel trials A and C; export nothing, they hold no real data.
  2. Import the 40 test tickets into B as closed.
  3. Create the 6 seats; two are warehouse mobile-only.
  4. Move the 12 saved replies; delete the 30 nobody used.
  5. Point support@ at B on Monday 07:00.

Table — the cue sheet

Cue sheet · criterion by tool40 tickets · one week

CriterionTool ATool B "Ridge"Tool C
Setup6 h2 h1.5 h
Order in ticketnofullpartial
Reply time7 min3 min4 min
Monthly$890$570$430

Code — the patch list

Patch list · basecamp cliA 1 · B 4 · C 0

basecamp bakeoff score --rounds 5     # A 1 · B 4 · C 0
basecamp bakeoff export B --tickets 40
basecamp mail route support@ --to ridge
"Decided on round two. Confirmed by three and four."
exit