Take the helm.

HelmDesk

Run the inside of your organisation from one place.

Requests, people, workplace and operations — where people ask for help, where approvals happen, and where the records of your organisation live, from a person’s first day to their last.

HelmDesk home screen with the Get help assistant

About

HelmDesk, part of the Sails Software product suite, brings requests, people, workplace and operations into one place.

It is where people ask for help, where approvals happen, and where the records of your organisation live — from a person’s first day to their last.

  • ServiceHelp in plain language, tickets, requests and approvals.
  • PeopleRecords, attendance, talent, hiring and learning.
  • WorkplaceRooms, transport, meals and every asset.
  • OperationsTimesheets, compliance and integrations.

How the Product Works

Every request follows the same simple path, and everyone can see where it stands.

  1. 01AskIn plain language, or on a form.
  2. 02RouteTo the right team or approver.
  3. 03ActOne deck, one inbox.
  4. 04RecordEvery step is kept.

Service Desk

Help in plain language, handled by the right team.

Helmsman, the AI assistant, asks one question at a time, fixes what it can, and raises the rest as a ticket with an owner.

  • 1
    One deck for every teamIT, HR, Finance and Operations work their queues in one place.
  • 2
    Service clocks by priorityResponse and resolution times run on their own and escalate when missed.
  • 3
    Outages reported onceDuplicate reports join the first, and the team that owns the fix is told.

ALSO HERENotifications in email and Microsoft Teams · Policy answers from your own handbook · Tickets handed over with their history

HelmDesk agent deck with every team's queue and service clocks
HelmDesk approvals inbox and a workflow in the no-code builder

Workflows and approvals

Approvals that run themselves.

Build a process once, with no code. Every request then follows the same steps, and everyone can see where it stands.

  • 1
    One inbox for every approvalApprove, decline or ask for details, from any workflow.
  • 2
    Delegate while awayHand approvals to a colleague for a set period. Overdue items nudge the right people.
  • 3
    Every step on showRequesters and approvers see the same chain, from raised to done.

ALSO HEREEight step types, from approval to payment · Recurring requests that raise themselves · Flares: early notice between teams

HelmDesk person record and a manager's team view

People Ops

Every person, one record.

One record for everyone who works with you, with documents, letters and the history of every move. Every module reads the same record.

  • 1
    Moves and exits in one stepA transfer or exit is applied with an effective date. Access, meals, transport and kit follow.
  • 2
    Documents and lettersA vault with expiry warnings, and letters issued from templates as numbered PDFs.
  • 3
    Attendance, judged fairlyDays measured against each person’s shift. Work from home is declared, and absences are checked against leave.

ALSO HEREOrganisation tree, accounts and cost centres · Data-health checks with one-click fixes · A people directory where each person chooses what colleagues see

HelmDesk hiring pipeline for a requisition and a learning course

Talent, hiring and learning

The right people, in the right place.

See who is available and where everyone is allocated. Run hiring from requisition to joining day, and keep skills current.

  • 1
    Resume AICV match scores and a job description helper. Only details the CV supports are kept.
  • 2
    A pipeline with a memoryEvery move is logged, duplicates are flagged, and interviews are scheduled from free and busy times.
  • 3
    The bench, worked outWho is free comes from allocations, with a radar for roles ending within 30 days.

ALSO HEREProbation cycles with manager feedback · Courses, paths and certificates that expire · Grievances raised anonymously and handled confidentially

HelmDesk room bookings, assets, transport and meal plan

Workplace, assets and operations

The everyday, without paperwork.

Rooms, transport and meals run themselves. Every asset has an owner, a history and a next step.

  • 1
    Book a room in secondsA week view for every office. Rooms that need audio-visual set-up tell IT.
  • 2
    Kit people acceptAssets are assigned with an acknowledgement. Employees report damage or return items themselves.
  • 3
    Obligations and time on recordCompliance tasks that need evidence, and weekly timesheets approved by the manager and Finance.

ALSO HERELicences, repairs, audits and depreciation · Kit reservations that show shortfalls early · Emergency contacts and an on-call roster

Administration, AI and security

In control, by design.

You decide what is switched on, who can see what, and how long records are kept. Helmsman answers from your own documents.

  • 1
    Modules, switched by youTurn on what you need. Nothing is deleted, and every change is recorded.
  • 2
    Connected, not duplicatedSingle sign-on with Microsoft or Google. Your HR system stays the source for what it owns.
  • 3
    Private by defaultRole-based access, sensitive details encrypted and masked, and every opening logged. Totals are never shown for fewer than three people.
  • Microsoft Entra ID
  • Google
  • greytHR
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Email
AI THAT ASSISTSHelmsman answers from your handbook and policies, drafts and routes. Use a hosted model or one on your own servers. Decisions stay with people.
HelmDesk Bridge screen with modules and connections

Product Capabilities

Fifteen modules. Switch on what you need. Add more when you are ready.

  • COREService DeskAI help, tickets and service levels
  • COREFlaresEarly notice between teams
  • COREWorkplaceRooms, transport, meals, emergency
  • Knowledge & AIYour policies, answered
  • COREComplianceObligations, evidence, reminders
  • People OpsRecords, joining, exits, letters
  • People DirectoryFind colleagues, choose what they see
  • TalentBench, allocations, probation
  • Talent AcquisitionRequisitions, pipeline, resume AI
  • LearningCourses, paths, certificates
  • GrievancesAnonymous, confidential, handled
  • TriviaA daily dilemma, no score
  • Assets & MaintenanceRegister, kit, repairs, reservations
  • TimesheetsWeekly time, cost centres, approval
  • IntegrationsSingle sign-on and your HR system

Core modules are always on. Other modules are switched on by your administrator, with nothing lost when a module is off.

Up and running in four steps.

  1. 01ConnectSign in with Microsoft or Google, and link your HR system.
  2. 02ChooseSwitch on the modules you need today.
  3. 03LoadBring in people, departments and assets from your sheets.
  4. 04Go liveSet your forms and approval routes, and open the door.

Take the helm.

Ask us for a walkthrough with your own processes.

Book a Walkthrough

HelmDesk is a product of Sails Software. Features as of October 2026. Optional modules are switched on by your administrator; integrations need set-up in the connected systems. Screens are illustrations with fictional data.