You might think that your organization does not need help desk software. If you have a CRM solution, you would likely see it as all you need to manage everything related to customers. But building relationships with members of your audience is more than just knowing the last details of their purchases and their personal preferences.
You also need to address issues and concerns that they will likely shoot your way. If this is so, a CRM platform may not be enough to address these concerns with a streamlined approach. Moreso if there are repetitive questions—it could be redundant to answer them over and over again.
That is where good help desk software solutions can come in handy. They serve as a single point of contact for customers and internal issues, too. With these, you can manage queries or problems quickly and ensure that the best person possible is assigned to them.
If you do not know where to start looking, do not fret. We have listed down some of the best help desk software out there to help you choose.
Zendesk
Zendesk is an award-winning platform that will always appear in any help desk software list. The full suite of customer service solutions can help you elevate the customer experience you provide. This software will enable you to connect with customers in whichever channel they prefer at any time.
That is a boon for you since consumers nowadays are becoming more demanding. One survey shows that 42% of consumers expect businesses to reply within the hour to their queries. If you are focused on a single channel of communication, it would be easy to miss messages on other platforms.
It connects all your support channels and makes it easier for you to meet customers where they are. No matter if they send a message on WhatsApp, Messenger, or Instagram, your agents can reply to them with ease from a single window.
Freshdesk
Did you know that in 2020, Coupang, Inc. had the highest-rated customer service in the world? Such a thing is only possible when you truly care about your audience. And to achieve that, one of the tools you need is a reliable help desk platform.
One of the leading help desk software examples is Freshdesk. It is an intuitive solution that scales with you as you grow. This means that even if you start using it as a small business, there is no need to change platforms when you grow and your needs change. The solution can work for you regardless of the industry you are in.
In Freshdesk, you can find standard help desk features and more such as social media integration and self-service. The latter is beneficial especially when it comes to common problems that customers can just fix by themselves.
SysAid
COVID-19 has significantly changed the behavior of consumers in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. One study showed that 58% of consumers will focus more on value for money in the future when making purchase decisions. That is why it is important to offer value to customers when it comes to products and services and, of course, customer experience.
Help desk systems like SysAid are a great tool for that. While it is principally known as an ITSM product, it does have a smart help desk solution. It automates many processes like sorting tickets or searching for assets. This way, you can resolve issues at a faster rate. That can contribute to a better experience for your customers.
Moreover, SysAid comes with a prioritization function. This lets you work on tickets that are more urgent to prevent issues from escalating.
Salesforce Service Cloud
A leading cloud-based customer service solution is Salesforce Service Cloud. This software makes it possible for organizations to provide personalized service at every touchpoint. On top of that, it comes with intelligent workflows that promote faster and better customer service.
This is complemented by the unification of client data. This means that information regarding clients from different departments is centralized. Because of that, service agents have a 360-degree view of customers. Customer service professionals can get the context they need when responding to queries so they do not have to ask clients to repeatedly talk about their issues.
After all, one of the major pet peeves of customers when it comes to service is being asked for the same information time and again.
Freshservice
Freshservice is a modern ITIL-aligned service desk solution. It comes with incident management and SLA management modules, as well as a self-service portal. The platform features automation capabilities and powerful AI and ML.
This software provides great reporting as well. With it, you can afford visibility into all tickets. Tracking them is easy, too, since you can do so from a dashboard. The entire team has access to the same information, so collaboration is streamlined.
Because of that, ticket resolution can be more rapid. Aside from customer-agent interactions, Freshservice also makes it possible for tickets to close faster with its knowledge base feature. Take advantage of this to create articles of common or frequent problems that end-users can check anytime.
That way, when their query is one of the most frequent ones, agents can simply link them to the right article. And of course, self-service enhances customer experience.
Zoho Desk
Powerful does not need to be awfully expensive. That is something that Zoho Desk proves. This economical yet feature-rich solution has everything you need to provide timely and accurate support.
It has an omnichannel feature that enables you to carry out conversations with customers across multiple channels. Agents can perform this from the platform itself so there is no need to open many tabs and apps. One thing that makes Zoho Desk stand out is its social media keyword alert setting. In case customers use a certain keyword, the help desk application will send a notification. This way, you can address customer concerns on social media right away.
This is advantageous to you, as 1 in 3 social media users prefer SNS for customer service.
Customer Loyalty Begins with the Best Customer Service
It is difficult to find loyal customers nowadays. With so many brands in a single niche, consumers have plenty of choices. What would make them stick with one business is not just excellent products but great customer service.
Personalization alone cannot cut it anymore, though. Sure, it is useful in CRM and in marketing. It can be a tool when building relationships. And it would delight customers during a customer service encounter.
But good customer service goes beyond that. You need to be responsive since customers are not too patient nowadays. If it is not possible for you to have live agents around the clock, an AI assistant for your chat function can be helpful. A help desk ticketing system can assist you in addressing this.
Plus, you need to be efficient, too. This is something you need to pair with your speed. You can be speedy all you want but still get bad reviews about your customer service if issues are not resolved well.
Of course, courtesy towards customers is essential as well. Agent etiquette is important to consumers, and their interactions with customer service professionals can affect how they view your brand.
There may be other things to consider, too, that are specific to your industry or to your audience. But those are factors that are common across the board that you need to embody to keep customers engaged.
