Reviewing the Right Help Desk Software for Your Business

When faced with a long list of help desk software solutions, it can be hard to narrow down your options to just one. The good news is that you have many great solutions to choose from that will support your help desk and help in customer retention. Here, we help you sort through the functionality of help desk software and how to compare different brands.

Help desk software is a suite of software programs that help your customer support desk quickly receive, process and respond to customers across a variety of touchpoints. These touch points include phone, email, live chat, and social media. Help desk software lets you centralize all customer information and communications so that your support team and other employees can see up-to-date information in real time.

Help desk software can be configured for use in almost any industry, whether you’re in product sales, consulting, or customer service. Help desk software is for any company that wants to improve their customer support.

Before you can use help desk software, you need to pick the product that best suits your business’ needs. You have plenty of great help desk systems options to choose from, and it’s important to narrow down your options to the one that’s right for you. Here are a few things to consider when choosing your software:

• Cost: This can be a deciding factor when it comes to choosing help desk software. Luckily, thanks to cloud computing, there are a lot of excellent options out there that don’t cost a lot. Today, it’s not necessarily true that the higher you pay for software the better it will be. Although, you probably shouldn’t expect to get something for nothing, either.
• Popularity: As you compare help desk software, look at the well-known vendors that use the different programs you’re interested in. Pay attention to the types of companies that use the software. For example, some may be more appealing to companies in the foodservice industry, while others could work well for financial companies. The type of business you run will play a large role in the software you need.
• Vendor Credibility: Search for information regarding the contract or agreement you’ll need to sign, if there is one. Find out what type of insurances they offer customers. For example, is there a period of time where you can get a full refund if you’re not happy with the software? Credible businesses will go that extra mile to keep their customers happy.

Know what you need from help desk software before you start comparing products. First, analyze your current customer support system and processes. Then, list the areas that could be improved or automated. Maybe you want to increase agent productivity or add customer touch points, like social media. Big businesses may need many user accounts, while smaller businesses may need fewer accounts but more customized features. Knowing your requirements before you commit to a single solution will help you pick the right software.

A large component of help desk software is security. Your system is going to contain personal information about your customers, including their names, addresses, passwords, billing information, and more. The software you choose must be secure and reliable, and should be Swiss Safe Harbor and United States-European Union certified.

Given the value that help desk software provides, there are a number of providers that have developed their own software to fill this particular niche.

Although Service Cloud is fairly new to the help desk software world, it has made quite an impact. That’s thanks to its multi-channel compatibility, predictive support and fast resolution times. This customer service solution optimizes the support agent experience and process, making it easy to quickly handle cases. The main goal of Service Cloud is to let customer support members handle issues from any device. The Service Cloud Console lets agents manage any active case. The Communities tool lets customers provide self-service. It also offers a free trial, so clients can get to know the system before they commit to it. For an all around useful, intuitive, and effective help desk solution, Service Cloud may be the best choice.

Help desk software helps business’ streaming their customer support. The more of a handle you have on your customer service processes, the higher customer satisfaction rates will be, which means better ROI. After all, happy customers often become loyal customers, so give them the tools to get the assistance they need, with help desk software.