At this point, you’re interested in trying a helpdesk software. The question becomes, how can you tell which is the best helpdesk system?
Well, it depends on the type of business you run, for starters. Let’s talk about that first. Then we’ll delve into some factors to keep in mind as you select which helpdesk system suits your company.
What kind of business do you run? How many employees do you have? A helpdesk for small business will look different than one for a mid-sized and even a large company.
For smaller businesses and even some mid-sized ones, automation will make a big difference. You and your employees will have more time to dedicate to furthering your business objectives. Keeping your employees working on different tasks via the ticketing system we’ve discussed will also save time and money.
Enterprise or larger businesses will of course have different needs with their software. They must choose a tool that matches the standards of their industry and remain in compliance. Also, the help desk should harness the power of the support, marketing, and sales team rather than divide them. You want a software that works with package trackers, billing systems, and CRM for best results as well.
A helpdesk system can accommodate both business-to-business or B2B and business-to-consumer or B2C industries. Let’s begin with B2C, as most of the examples and purposes we’ve covered thus far would work best for industries within this sphere.
B2C businesses cater towards customers. Their users or customers perhaps don’t pay as much for products or services as a B2B customer would, but they still have a lot of customers in which to deal with. B2C industries need to market towards customers, so overpricing won’t help. Since B2C companies tend to get more emails on a regular basis, they can do well with a help desk.
Moving on to B2B, these companies tend to price their products or services higher, as we just said. They don’t get as many emails or other communications, but the ones that do come in are very important. For that reason, they may want a helpdesk tool to improve their quality control. These B2B companies could, for example, record phone calls and then review them later. A piece of software that offers support on several levels or channels would suit B2B companies best.
Differentiating your company as a small, mid-sized, or large business and then a B2B or B2C company will give you a general idea of your help desk needs. As you move forward in choosing your helpdesk system, make sure you carefully weigh each of these factors and considerations as well.
We discussed integrations before, but we want to mention them again now. No matter the size of your business, you likely rely on a handful of tools, apps, or programs to keep your company afloat. Does the software you’re thinking of adding on integrate with them? If not, then you’ll have to bounce from one program to another all day. This sucks up valuable time and slows down your progress on any task. Ideally, you want software that integrates with the favorites you already use.
Sometimes those who offer support need some support themselves. That especially becomes true when you take on a new program or software. Since you have vast experience in support, you know what to look for when choosing a company with a high level of support services.
Said company should have multiple points of contact. They should respond to queries as soon as possible, with the sooner, the better. You should have access to an information database you can read through for information after hours. This might answer your questions when no one is available to do so.
Another point we touched on is how easy it should be to use the software. The best way to figure out how simple of a time you’ll have is through a free trial. If you’re struggling through the trial, then it’s better to look for a software that fits your needs better. Sure, almost every new program has a slight learning curve, but the keyword there is slight, not steep.
Once you pay for a help desk, you should get access to many features, if not every single one of them. Make sure you’re not getting overcharged for only a handful of features. Do your due diligence.
One of the most important features is the price of the software. Depending on the size of your business, your type of industry, and the number of features you need, prices can vary. We recommend comparing several tools and seeing which one costs the most and which one the least.
Keep scalability in mind, especially if the software charges per user. Your company may be small or mid-sized now, but how many employees will you have in a year? Two years? Five years? Make sure you can afford to add several, even dozens of new users to the program without putting yourself in the red.
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