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

A Review of Popular Help Desk Software Programs

Variations between help desk software programs include pricing, the numbers users accepted and ticket management options. As a result, determining the needs of your company is critical.

One popular program is Support Wizard. In consumer reviews, this product received ten out of ten stars. Support Wizard offers everything your business needs to provide world-class customer and technical support. Customer self-service, live help and outstanding ticket management tools can streamline your business’ management and help you to maintain a loyal customer base.

Another help desk software program, Parature, offers many of the same benefits. Consumer reviews are outstanding for this program and many business owners recommend it to their associates. Parature is a comprehensive program that is fully customizable and user-friendly. Live assistance and award winning ticket management are a couple of the most praised features of this system.

FootPrints is also an award winning help desk software program. FootPrints is 100% web-based, meaning that your technical and customer support teams can access the database from anywhere on Earth. It is completely customizable and the company offers outstanding support. FootPrints offers an excellent ticket management tool and is one of the more affordable options in help desk software programs.

Researching and deciding on a help desk software program can be a daunting task. You should first decide what specific issues your company needs help with and then consider what will best support your customers accordingly. If you own a small business, a free help desk software package might be a good option. Make sure you understand the limitations on users and on the number of trouble tickets available with free programs. If you have a large or expanding business, take a look at the many online help desk software reviews that are available. Reading consumer reviews of the various products can give you a better idea of whether the particular program will be a good fit with your company’s and your customers’ needs.

Help Desk Software Info provides detailed information on help desk software solutions, including IT help desk software, web-based help desk software, free help desk software, help desk tracking, help desk support software, and reviews of help desk software programs. Help Desk Software Info is the sister site of Recruiting Software Web

Does your Organization Ensure Linkage Between Marketing And Customer Support?

Do you know whether your organization ensures linkage between Marketing and Customer Support? Your customers do. Here's how.

Your customer responds to a banner/email/chat/phone call advertisement. The person they interact with has no idea of the product or service, so the customer does one of the following.

a) Hangs up/disconnects/closes browser
b) Waits patiently
c) Waits impatiently while the customer support agent finds someone who might help
d) Uses Google to find another source for the product or service

If your customer's solution is either "a." or "d." you have missed your window of opportunity to acquire or retain that customer. This results in wasted marketing budget and lower customer satisfaction.

This scenario takes place when Service Centers and the Marketing department don't work together to jointly plan marketing programs. Some companies think they can get an edge on the competition by moving the Service Center to the Marking department, but just making this move doesn't ensure that the customer service team will be ready when the marketing for the latest product or service generates the first customer response.

Each customer marketing initiative requires a significant investment of resources to generate the desired customer response, and each customer touch point is a moment of truth for that initiative. Your company has only a small window of opportunity to successfully deliver the message and convey why it matters to the customer.

Here are some Best Practices Strategies to consider to prevent situations like the one above as well as to integrate your Service and Support Organization to deliver value for your Marketing spend.

1) Design success metrics, measures and customer satisfaction surveys based on methodology, i.e. response rates, conversions, sales and customer acquisition.
2) Jointly plan for the important dates: mail drops, banner ads, TV, print and email blasts to plan staffing and training needs. Include outbound contacts if needed.
3) Plan agent training to include scripting, scenarios, FAQ's, and tools required to successfully complete the transaction.
4) Ensure IVR/VRU has correct messaging and routing set up prior to first call. Test.
5) Include customer service agents in the process for Voice of Customer insight.
6) Establish formal cross-organizational feedback processes between all key stakeholders. Agenda items include performance, recommendations and action items to make the necessary adjustments to ensure program success.
7) Ensure the end-to-end initial marketing through completed transaction process drives brand awareness, recognition and linkage to products and services.
8) Determine whether you will survey customers, and if yes, that you measure overall program success and opportunities for improvement.

Your Service and Support Organization and Marketing departments can deliver your desired program results when they jointly plan programs. These programs are even stronger when they include success measures and intentional plans for service delivery.

Les Hyde has an extensive leadership background in customer service and IT operations with two Fortune 500 companies and the United States Air Force. He holds a B.S. in Information Systems from Park University, an MBA from University of Phoenix, and numerous technical certifications. He is an active board member of the Kansas City Association of Customer Contact Professionals (http://www.associationccp.com/) and also serves as the Vice President of Marketing.

Outsourcing Your Customer Support? Points to Consider

Okay, so you’ve made the controversial and often contentious decision to outsource your customer support operations to an external call center. Before closing this all-important deal, there are a few steps you should take to ensure that your business is getting the quality and flexibility it deserves.

First of all, it’s important to ask where your support calls will be handled. Just because a call center has offices in your area doesn’t necessarily mean that calls will be sent there; in fact, many customer support firms outsource their business to other countries or even continents. Before signing a contract, its best to be clear on this issue, and ask yourself whether you (and more importantly your customers) are happy with support calls being dealt with from half a world away.

Secondly, you should ask exactly how much of the vendor’s business your company will account for. Ideally, its best that your business account for at least 5% of the call volume at your call center of choice, so as to allow agents to become familiar with your products and services. This isn’t always possible for very small businesses, but it’s still a good thing to look in to.

Another thing to remember is that most call centers will try to set up their own in-house phone number(s) specifically for your business. This is an offer your should flatly refused, as the vendor can later use it to their unfair advantage in keeping your business. It’s much better to own your own 1-800 number so you can switch providers at any time without changing your marketing material.

Finally, it’s always a good idea to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement with any vendor that you use for call center services. This will prevent the company from learning about how your business works, then taking that information to one of your competitors. This step is especially important if your call center of choice specializes in your industry.

Jeremy Maddock is a successful web-based freelance writer, who covers customer relations and other business-related issues

Customer Support Software

The way that customer support is handled is changing rapidly, thanks to emergence of customer support software that make life easier for companies of any size. Now, a single system can offer multiple customer care solutions for a fraction of the cost of more complex systems.

Features of a customer support software

Most customer support software feature both internal help desks and project collaboration portals that are both customizable to correspond with the requirements of individual businesses. The aim of customer support software is not only to provide immediate assistance to clients, but also to build long-term customer and partner relationships.

Customer support software enables business to generate, administer and settle service requests. Such software can maintain an accurate database of questions and answers for both internal and external clients in a cost effective manner. You never have to pay for costly infrastructure expenses and extra manpower required by more complex systems.

At the end of the day, you improve customer satisfaction and lower your operating costs. More efficient resolutions of problems and complaints also increase re-orders and promotes your products and services. And, because customer support software also provides your customer care team with accurate, real-time information, you improve their effectiveness and job satisfaction.

Other benefits

Customer support software will also significantly decrease the volume of incoming service requests because it provides a ‘self-service’ Internet portal for your three most important publics –customers, partners and employees. It also organizes your customer contact details and request information, making data more accessible and making communication across your entire organization more effective.

Most customer support software is typically upgradeable to include functionalities for managing project deadlines, too. This lets your employees know of their responsibilities and solve late-service complaints before they even happen. Choose customer support software that is expandable, so that you can easily and cost-effectively improve its system as your company grows.

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