When we look at helpdesks today we expect quick and effective relief from our problems. Many helpdesks now use call centres and the internet, which means dependance on high quality and proven helpdesk software. When looking for helpdesk software what do you expect to see as a helpdesk but more importantly what do you want your customer to see from your helpdesk.
The advent of the email culture has opened up new methods of support, with the internet providing media for potential customers and existing customers to communicate directly with the supplier. This gives more advantages over call centers as it makes it available 24 hours a day, and gives more comprehensive self help facilities i.e. Online KnowledgeBases.
Usually in large help desks it is often found that they offer different levels of support. For instance a certain type of problem my be given a higher priority and thus a faster resolve time. Example if a server is to go down, it would be resolved within 4 working hours, as appose to a printer which could be anything over 12 hours. Using systems such as Service Level Management (SLAs) it can become easier to prioritise incidents and problems and get the most effective use of first line and second line agents time.
Though helpdesk services are often provided completely via telephone or Internet, some may use on-site assistance. This may mean physical assets are used for example a Network LAN cable, which needs to be logged on an asset management tool.
Some helpdesk software incorporate time and asset tools, allowing you to see how much time has been spent and what asset were used.
Information like this allows improvement within the organisation of a helpdesk but also gives reports that reflect true usage and costs of your helpdesk.
Most helpdesk software provide a means of a formal logging system, with reference numbers relating to the tickets, audit trails to track usage, or recurring problems. Access to a knowledgebase to get answers quick and effective, a way of prioritising calls and also a way of escalating calls. Without these core things in helpdesk software support requests take longer, are in effective and cannot be re-used, calls are forgotten or lost and it becomes harder to manage or justify costs or requests for additional resources.
|
