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.

Joushua James - Help Desk Software Solutions

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

Help desk software solutions - An introduction

If you have purchased a product or taken service offered by a company and you have trouble in using the product, the first place where you will call is the company's help-desk. The help-desk is also the point of contact for calls on product information. The aim of setting up a help-desk service is to support customers and product end-users. By calling up the help-desk, a customer can get information and help on how to solve technical issues related to product usage.

A help-desk is a separate entity in a company with a phone number that can be used by the customer to make calls whenever required. It can also be part of a company's website. Product users and customers can go to the company's website to get information on the company's product or find answers to their problem.

Help-desk activities are supported by help-desk software solutions. A help-desk software solution will ensure that all help-desk activities are managed and carried out efficiently. It's now a very important tool for both small and large organizations.

Help-desk software solutions automate certain help desk functions and also track requests or calls received, thereby enable efficient management and response to calls. This boosts the company image to the customer and the company can also get required feedback on their products from customer calls.

When a help-desk solution is implemented for internal purposes, the company employees can route all queries on office equipment usage or problems encountered with devices like printers, computers and other IT products to the IT department through the solution. The solution enables the IT departments to track, manage and sort all internal requests efficiently. Problems encountered by employees will be recorded and assigned to the concerned staff for further action. The employee can log into the system to view the status of their call. This will in turn help to lower overhead costs and ensures employee satisfaction and productivity

When you want to purchase a help-desk solution, it is advisable to do some research on the products available. Find out information on how long a particular help-desk product has been on the market and how many people are using a particular version of a help-desk solution. Matching the features of the help-desk solution with your work requirements is essential before a purchase so that you can have a solution that matches your work demands.

Joushua James - Help Desk Software Solutions

Pointers on what to look for before selecting a help-desk software solution

A help-desk software solution automates your help-desk activities so that you can carry out your customer support services efficiently. This means happier customers which will in turn have a positive effect on organizational growth and profits.

The first aspect to decide upon is whether you are going to implement a help-desk software solution to service help requests arising from within the organization or to handle customer calls. This is because you need to select a help-desk software system that has features to support your choice in implementation. For example, help-desk software that is going to handle customer calls must include features specifically catering to such requirements.

Look for software that can record questions received from customers and store them in a database. It is important for a knowledgebase to be incorporated with the software. You can refer to the knowledge base to solve future problems. It's important to select software that will grow with the company. If you purchase software that can work only with certain specifications, you may have to buy another one in the future as your business expands. This will prove to be expensive and time consuming because you will have to migrate data form the existing help system to a new one. Better to look in for a system that can work with multiple databases as this kind of a system will be more scalable.

You need to look into the operating system and hardware requirements need by the help-desk software solution for instillation. See if the requirements match with the existing operating system and hardware you use in your organization. If not better find one that can be customized to your needs, rather than purchase one off-the-shelf and pay a heavy price to get equipment to support it's functioning.

The help-desk software solution you intend to purchase must be able to integrate with your existing system. This factor is important because you would have already spent a lot of money in purchasing and implementing an email system. So look towards a software solution that is compatible with the e-mail system.

Finally and one of the most important factors influencing your decision to purchase a particular software is the price. Does the cost of the solution fit within your budget? If not can you get a customized solution developed at a price lesser that what's available in the market? You need to find answers to all these questions so that you can purchase quality software that is cost effective and can help you to tackle your help-desk issues.

Joushua James - Help Desk Software Solutions

The Dark Side of Help Desk SLAs

The Dark Side of Help Desk SLAs

You just signed a Help Desk Service Level Agreement (SLA) and now think things will get easier. However, you may soon be falling into one of these traps:

1) COVERING THE TRUTH WITH METRICS

In some companies, those under the radar of SLA compliance may resort to doing the minimum instead of really solving the problem. This includes closing or reassigning customer tickets just to meet the ticket queue deadline. While a review of SLA monthly metrics may look like the help desk is meeting or exceeding metrics, in reality the quality of support had started a downward death spiral.

2) DOING ACTIVITIES JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE SLA

When creating the SLA, the customer/management may ask for services and reports because "they are nice to have" and they perceive them as free. However, once the SLA is in force, the help desk staff discover that the customer/management rarely read the reports or utilize these services. But the staff is forced to keep doing them because they are in the SLA.

3) IGNORING ACTIVITIES NOT IN THE SLA

Changes in current products, organizations, management, vendors, and users may require currently unsupported services to receive some level of support. Helpdesk staff are now faced trying to make both the SLA and non-SLA users happy. But picking the wrong choice may mean that you may be trading a happy today for a thousand unhappy tomorrows.

In conclusion, take the time to create a realistic SLA that both and your management/customer can live with -- today and tomorrow. Schedule monthly reviews to see if the real needs are being met.

Periodically sanity check the SLA and see which activities/reports should be dropped and which should in the short-term and mid-term. Good luck in your efforts!

Hallett German (hallett.german@alessea.com) is President of Alessea Consulting. is president of Alessea Consulting http://www.alessea.com specializing in Identity Management, Project Management, and Business Development

Technical Support Online

Online Technical Support Schools, colleges, and universities offer courses of study through online sources that allow students to earn their degree at home, studying on their own time at their own pace. Support and interaction between student and professor can be managed completely through online sources. Online Technical Support university and college courses are available twenty-four hours a day. Some Online Technical Support Schools also provide for student interaction with one another through online sources as well, which enhances the learning process.

Students in Online technical support School programs are required to have appropriate software and browsers on their personal computers for receiving courses and submitting assignments. Successful Online Technical Support degree students will have an reasonable level of computer literacy and be able to pace themselves through courses of study. Skills necessary to begin the Online Technical Support degree program will encompass general applications, file management, text processing, data and spreadsheet management, electronic mail system management, graphics, and knowledge of browsers.

Along with other subjects, students in Technical Support universities and colleges should expect to study programming, software applications, networking technologies, operating systems, technical writing, design and management, database management, and information systems design. Technical Support technician study requires some hands-on experience in computer applications.

Well-trained and experienced Technical Support personnel are essential to keeping computer systems running smoothly. Technical Support technicians solve software and hardware problems; set up and maintain websites, networks, and personal computers; write technological and educational materials; and see to keeping the Internet functions running properly.

Technical Support career professionals in call centers and help desks troubleshoot for customers with software and operating system problems. Further studies in Technical Support can provide additional technical and engineering skills that allow success in positions as online bulletin board operators and call center management. These positions generally require a bachelor degree in Information Technology, as well as continually educating oneself to keep abreast of evolving Technical Support issues and developing technologies.

Technical Support jobs are among the fastest growing positions in the field of technology. Appropriate skills almost guarantee a position, and the pay is good.

If you are interested in learning more about Online Technical Support Schools, search our site for more in-depth information and resources.

M. Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. in association with SchoolsGalore.com. Find Technical Support Online at SchoolsGalore.com; meeting your needs as your educational resource to locate schools

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