Customer support service is one of the most crucial parts in building the reputation of a business. That is why many businesses are also competing in this area. It is much like an advertisement which comes later after the purchase. When a customer buys something but later on, something happens to the product or it’s too complicated to assemble. So, the customer would call the help desk for assistance. Now, if the customer service is excellent, the client would later mention that that manufacturer or business has an excellent customer service. On the other hand, if a certain organization, business, or company is not quick to answer the inquiries of the customers, then the word of mouth is faster to spread than the news.
So, just like any other departments in an organization, the customer service department also needs their tools to help them boost their productivity. This is where the ticketing software comes in. It is the type that provides the user the list of issues or problems usually encountered by the clients. It usually falls under the call center department where they provide answers or solutions to the problems of the customers regarding the product, website, software, etc. The software usually contains basic information about the account (customer), issue or problem encountered, and other relevant data involved.
Choosing the right ticketing software is indeed a tough job to accomplish. Ticketing software or issue tracking software is responsible for the customer service in many organizations. Therefore, if you don’t take the selection process very seriously, you might end up ruining the reputation of your organization. There are a lot of available help desk solutions out there but picking a random software solution is not an option. Every single one of them is different from the other. If you don’t know what you are looking for and if you don’t know what exactly you need, you might end up picking the wrong one. If you are not careful enough, you might later find that you have picked a pebble beside a diamond.
Now, what can you do in order to see those gems? What can you do to pick the right kind of software? First thing’s first. You have to make your research. Read a lot. There is an abundant source of information in the internet. You just need to commit some of your time and effort. You should be resourceful and willing to learn because everything you’ll do will soon pay off.
You might want to start your research by reading some blogs about ticketing software. Of course, you have to learn the basics first, so you have to study the language. So, you might want to stick with the articles that speak the common language. You must not engage in article that has confusing jargons because if you are a beginner, it would just be a waste of time. Another thing that you can do is to read the reviews about ticketing software providers. If you do this, you can gain some insight about the capabilities of the leading software providers. You can also learn the latest feature that they can offer.
Also, never forget this one – evaluate your needs. This is because of the different functionalities of ticketing software. You don’t want to purchase a ticketing system which has many features that you cannot use. That would mean a total waste of money. But if you know your specific needs in the help desk department, you will be able to pick the right set of features and in turn, the best issue tracking software for your organization.
Now, if you are not too familiar with the features of ticketing software, it would still be hard to evaluate your needs. You will not know what to look for in a certain ticketing system. You will also be lost on what problems can the software help you with. But don’t worry about it. There are still specific features that ticketing software must have and you should look for. These features should be in your list so that you can narrow down your choices and come up with the best result. Here is that list:
1. Self-Service Feature
The hallmark of a great ticketing system is the ability respond to the inquiries or issues as quickly as possible. This means answering questions 24/7. Whenever a customer needs help from customer support department, the ticketing system should be able to respond as quickly as possible.
The problem about the ticketing services is that the actual persons responsible for the job are not always around. So, if a certain customer cannot have his problems solved immediately, it would be a big problem for your organization. The longer time that they have to wait for a response, the angrier they will be. Then, there is a chance that they will mention that to their friends.
On the other hand, a ticketing system that has a self-service portal can immediately respond to the regular issues or inquiries from the customers. This feature can give the customers some answers about their inquiry. It can be in the blog section, forums, FAQs, anything, as long as it satisfies the customer. This means that the customer support will be in a constant availability even without the actual person making giving the answers. Also, if simple questions can be answered immediately without answering a call or writing an email, it gives the customer support department more time to focus on more serious problems.
2. Collaborative Features
There will be a time when some customers will ask about serious problems. When that happens, a simple self-service feature will not be enough to answer inquiries. Actual people will really have to attend to those kinds of problems. But there are also some cases where a single person cannot solve a very serious or bizarre customer problem. In this case, the team will have to collaborate to have a collective idea about the problem and multiple answers to solve it. Therefore, a collaborative function would be very helpful in this kind of situations.
This should allow the customer, the agents, and other personnel to collaborate easily. It can be an online chat or a network of video calls. There should be a way to connect all the necessary people so that the problem could be easily solved. This will ensure that all of them are in the same page of the issue and updated with the status of the problem.
3. Customer Access and Status Report
Have you ever encountered a situation where your inquiry never gets a response? Or when you do, the problem has already become more serious? This is very infuriating for customers and in your part, it is very unhealthy. It gives a message to the customers that they are not taken seriously. They’ll assume your management doesn’t care about their customers.
There comes a time when a certain problem cannot be attended because the help desk is busy answering the first tickets that came. This is when this feature can be very useful. In submitting an issue or ticket, the customer usually waits until the email response or a phone call comes. But this is where the problem comes for most customers. They don’t know what’s happening to their ticket, if they right actions are being done or not. On the other hand, if the customer can follow the actions of the help desk, then, they can somewhat feel that they are being taken care off. There should be a status report on every step that the help desk are doing to solve a certain ticket.
4. Powerful Search Feature and Knowledge Base
The ticketing system should be able to store previous interactions between customers and help desk agents. Other information that is regularly being asked for must also be recorded. If the help desk involves a lot of products, there should be a list of information that the agents can access. All of these should be in the knowledge base of the ticketing software. Plus, the software should also allow the agents to search the database for those relevant information so that they can easily answer the inquiries with ease and confidence.
In addition to that, the product information list provides the help desk team prior knowledge about the product rather than asking the customers to describe it. This is very helpful for the team especially to those who are just beginning with their jobs. Instead of memorizing all the info about the products, the software can just provide a catalog of products including their info.
As for the records or history of previous customer transactions, it would be helpful if the helpdesk can just post them to the self-service portal. So, when the customer encounters the same problem as the past customers, they can see the answers immediately in the web portal.
These are just few features that ticketing software can offer. In making your research, you should be able to discover other features that can help you in the customer support department. You must also look for the comparison of ticketing software. Knowing your needs means narrowing your options. If you are able to compare those options, then, there is a better chance that you can finally pick the gem.
Remember to include CrowdRevies.com in your research. Here, you can read the reviews and rankings of the best ticketing software in the market today. May this article guide you and good luck in your quest.
John Tovar
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