Importance of a knowledge base in a help-desk software solution

Knowledge management is a concept, whereby, companies organize and present information to their customers regarding product usage. Knowledge management involves the use of a knowledge base to store solutions on problem issues, which can be referred to at times when the problem re-occurs. Customers can read up such information and use the knowledge to clarify their issues. This way only issues not addressed by the knowledge base or issues which are very complex and therefore require attention from the help-desk staff need to routed to the help-desk by the customer.

Having a help-desk software solution with a knowledge base will save an organization time and money. It will also simplify the task of providing help-desk support services to customers. You will find that about eighty percent of calls to the help-desk are questions which are repeated. Installing a help-desk system with a knowledge base will reduce the operating costs and the cost of employing staff in handling repeat questions. Customers simply have to log into the help-desk system and read information pertaining to their enquiry or problem.

You will find that a good help-desk software solution to be one which includes a knowledge management component called a knowledge base. Look for a solution that has a knowledge base with multiple layers. This way you can store information in the hierarchical form. It should include search mechanism and you should b able to carry out searches in the knowledge base using keywords or Boolean expression.

Some knowledge base allows users to provide feedback on whether the information provided was useful or not. See if your help-desk solution's knowledge base asks you to rate it's answers.

As your business grows, your knowledge base will also grow as new information will be constantly added to it. Your software solution must be able capable of handle the increasing demands of your business as well as handle the growth of your knowledge base. Thus, it is important to select a help-desk software solution which can handle a growing a knowledge base.

Help-desk solutions may come with different types of knowledge modules. The three important knowledge modules are pre-populated, home grown, and structural. Look into the advantages of each type before selecting a help-desk software solution.

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Typical features of a help desk software solution

Help-desk software solutions are solutions that help you to manage your help-desk activities more easily. A company's help-desk is the point where customers reach out to, in case, they need clarifications on the usage of a product or if they experience any trouble with a product's functionality. Customers take to the help line when they want to understand more about the features of a product they are considering to purchase. Managing such customer calls can be done efficiently using a help-desk software solution.

A typical help-desk software solution will record and track every call received at the help-desk. A trouble-ticket generate screen is used to record customer details such as the customer's name, phone number, the type of trouble encountered by the customer and the priority to be assigned to the trouble-ticket.

The software will record details such as the staff to whom the trouble-ticket is assigned and who will be responsible for resolving the issue. It will also track the status of each trouble-ticket, for example, it will display that a trouble ticket is in-progress status, when its issues are being tackled. Every entry made against the trouble-ticket, whatever be the status of the trouble ticket, is date and time stamped. For example a trouble ticket could be in the assigned status and you can see the time and date in which it was assigned to a particular staff.

The software usually includes features by which the administrator can view a list of new and open trouble-tickets according to a sorting functionality. For example, the list could be viewed date-wise or according to the type of trouble ticket. This way the administrator is aware of tickets that are resolved and those which are pending and have to be attended to by concerned staff.

One of the most important features provided by a help-desk software solution is the report functionality, by which reports can be generated for record purposes. Sometimes, the report can also be exported to Microsoft excel.

Some solutions can be configured according to a client needs to send specific notifications to mangers or key personnel. For example, the system could be set-up to have different types of alerts such as a level one alert, level two alert and so on. A level two alert could be one which sends an e-mail informing the number of trouble-tickets having a high priority and which is still pending to the designated staff every two days.

Looking into the features of a help-desk software solution will help you to understand how the product will automate the work you carry on at your help-desk and aid you in selecting the product most suiting to your requirements.

Joushua James - Help Desk Software Solutions

The Importance Of Customer Support In Hosting

So why is customer support all that important in a hosting service? Simple! Imagine your self working hard on a site and you finally get a quite popular one with an impressive amount of daily visitors. Let's say it's a very popular forum. And all of a sudden system gets crash. So you have to come up with silly reasons to tell to the visitors, why is the site down and why can't they access their accounts. Most importantly you don't know if it's permanent or is it just some temporary down time. And believe me, by the experience that I have, when that happens you are in quite a pickle. All of that can be avoided if you have customer service. They will tell you what is wrong, when will the server be up again etc.

So how do I find a hosting service with customer service?

Well just search the web for a bit. Now a day almost every hosting website has that already in the cheapest hosting package. After all you wouldn't want to be stranded all alone in a situation like that. Because of such technological advancement and lots of researches, there are many sites and companies, which promise you everything. The customer service can even serve you like a critic. If the company doesn't provide it to all of the packages, than that means it's not a too good company, now is it? How can they host servers for people and sites if they can't even manage some customer service and support?

Usually sites with a lot of money and a big capital have such things installed because the consulting staff is not cheap at all, as a result to that we can conclude that companies with customer support care about their clients. The consulting staff is paid like normal workers, even more if they have good knowledge and that's how you know that you won't be left down. So what does it cost you to search the web for a new and better service with some consulting involved in it, having help when you need it and finding a good hosting company just for you?

But don't be fooled. All customer services aren't all that good. A quick response and resolution time of the crew is a must when talking about quality. When you talk to the staff they have to make you feel good, and can communicate fast, clear and without complications.

Still don't understand the benefits of the whole thing?

Think of it in this way. The Customer service is actually like a hand that guides you, so you can't actually make mistakes. The only mistake that you can do is at the very beginning. That is choosing a wrong hosting service or a free package, that doesn't include the support. So just don't be lazy and search for a better company, a company with pizzazz, a company WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE that won't let you down.

Abdul Vasi is a Marketing Expert specialized in Internet Marketing, His Bangalore Windows Hosting Company Web Hosting Bangalore provides you with reliable but affordable web hosting solution for your online business