case management software

What is Case Management Software?

The Changing Role of the Modern Sales Team

Customer service has gone digital. While many customers still prefer to resolve customer service issues either over the phone or in person, an increasing number are looking for a company who will meet them across every avenue, including online. In fact, an estimated 67 percent of consumers now use social media networks like Twitter and Facebook to seek resolution for issues.; In the early days of social media, this was a tough challenge for many brands. This was the first time that companies were being called out — both positively and negatively — on public platforms for all to see. And in addition to general comments and reviews, more and more customers were reaching out on these public networks to get answers to questions and resolution for issues.; In response to this, many companies started directing customer service efforts to online channels. As the statistic above shows, we have now come to a time when the majority of consumers are now actively seeking customer service on social media. This means that there are a lot of potential customer service interactions in any given day, and it can be difficult for customer service representatives to keep on top of each social network and respond in a timely, but also satisfactory, manner.; This is where case management software comes in.

What is Case Management Software?

Electronic case management software refers to applications that help businesses and nonprofits with managing their customer interactions across social media and other digital channels such as email and contact forms. Using case management software, businesses can automatically collect and organise customer interactions into one easy place, allowing for convenient access and a comprehensive view of each customer.

Most of these kinds of customer support platforms are cloud based, allowing for instant, out-of-the-box use. This means that agents can log into their accounts, and immediately view their cases at a glance, sorted by priority, and manage everything from one place. They can also categorise cases and send them to the best department or person to resolve them. This makes the agent’s job easier, and ensures that each customer gets a quicker resolution to their issue.

This kind of quick resolution is essential, and could give a real boost to any business. According to one group of consumers, customer service agents fail to answer their questions at least 50 percent of the time. This kind of statistic is important — when adequate customer service is not found at one business, customers will choose one of the other 50 percent the next time around.

customer service agents fail to answer their questions at least 50 percent of the time

Features Needed for the Best Case Management Software.

The best customer support software goes beyond simple case management. This is obviously an essential aspect of choosing a cloud platform, but it should be viewed as a minimum requirement, rather than the main feature. Here are some of the things that you should look for when choosing a cloud-based customer service platform.

Case management.

As mentioned, case management software is very important, and the best case management software has the following capabilities:

Automatically track and categorise customer interactions, from every channel.
Ability to add filters for identifying high priority cases.
Features for adding notes to cases for easy communication within teams, and assigning to other teams or experts where necessary.
Customer fields for your business to create unique labels, such as purchases or customer ID.

Integration.

The solution should have the ability to interface with external systems, using flexible APIs that will allow users to create real-time, bidirectional communication between the platform and relevant applications and networks.

Self service and information relevance.

When asked, 91 percent of customers said that they would use an online knowledge base, if it were available and tailored to their needs. Clearly there is a large demand from customers for companies that provide self service portals for customers, enabling them to answer questions without extra help from a company representative.

91 percent of customers said that they would use an online knowledge base, if it were available and tailored to their needs

Advanced Analytics.

The solution should provide comprehensive reporting and analysis. Unlike traditional one-dimensional reports, predictive intelligence analytics empower you to turn your insight into action faster. You should be able to connect and query multiple data sources with a robust analytics engine, which gives you new ways to visualise your data and KPIs. This all means that you are able to anticipate needs and make adjustments accordingly.

A “future proof” platform.

The ideal platform needs to ensure that outdated technology is never a problem. Regularly upgraded servers, new features and functionality should all be taken care of by the host, benefitting their customers. Furthermore, the system should be adaptable enough to allow for future growth and add-ons, as well as enabling businesses to estimate and predict future costs.

Productivity tools.

A customer service platform should also aid productivity through automation, categorisation, and the ability to bulk update and close multiple cases at once.

Mobile support.

Support for a wide range of devices is essential, both for employees and customers. This allows for 24-hour mobile management of customer support, and more convenient self service options for on-the-go customers.

Salesforce is the Number One Solution for Complete Customer Service.

Each of these features is offered by Salesforce Desk. Desk is an out-of-the-box, all in one support application that provides mobile support, case management, multi-channel support, and productivity tools. Through syncing with other Salesforce solutions, Desk is able to provide companies with a complete 360 degree view of each customer. Through connecting sales, marketing, analytics, customer service, and more, companies are able to create unique, 1-to-1 journeys for each customer from the moment they first visit the site (or step in the door of the store), to purchase, and beyond.

There are a multitude of benefits that come from using Salesforce Desk to manage your customer support. You can learn more about it here, by contacting Salesforce, or even schedule a free, 14-day trial to see for yourself how Desk can transform your customer service for the better.