Business

Individually attending to each customer’s questions and concerns is an impossible task for many businesses, but you don’t have to handle all of that on your own. There are many solutions that can help filter and troubleshoot customer issues so that you only hear from those that truly need personal attention. But with all of those options out there, choose the best help desk software may seem daunting. Here are some things to consider when making that decision:

Budget

As with any major purchase for your business, it’s essential to figure out your budget before you get too far into the process of shopping for help desk software. There are a wide variety of options for companies of every size. Consider the size of your team and how much you expect it to grow in the coming years, as costs tend to be calculated per person. Think about what it will cost to make sure that the software will integrate and communicate with your other technology. Look into what it will cost to get the features most important to your business.

Must-Haves

Make a list of what you need this software to manage for you. What features are necessary to keep your business running smoothly? Your customer service team will appreciate a program that’s easy to use so that they can more efficiently serve your customers. Think about how much they’ll need to collaborate on and track issues. You’ll also need to consider your customers’ needs. What features will connect them to the help and service they need? They’ll likely expect quick responses that feel personal and solve their problem with as little back-and-forth as possible.

Scalability

It’s important to go with an option that can meet your company’s needs both now and in the future, so look for software that offers room to grow. Make sure that the software is set up to also serve larger businesses with a heavier support volume so that you don’t have to find new software a year or two down the road. Make sure to account for this in your budget as well.

Knowledge Base

Another thing to look for while comparing help desk software options is their knowledge base. How many stored resources will you need to create to suit your customers’ needs and to streamline the customer service process for your team? What form will you need that to take–simple spreadsheets documents or complex, robust databases? How will your customers access it—an app, your website, an email? All of this will depend on the scale and mission of your business. Ease of use will be key to both your team and your customers.

Trial Run

Try a few software options out before committing to one. Do a free trial and submit the kind of tickets you expect to receive from your customers. Pay attention to the responses you get: Did you get a quick response? Was it relevant and helpful? What was the tone? Make sure you feel comfortable with the responses that your customers will get when they have problems because they could mean the difference between retaining and losing a customer. It’s also important to make sure that the system is easy to use—both for your customers and for your customer service team.

If the expanse of options seems overwhelming to you, try not to worry. While there are a lot of things to consider, taking them one step at a time and carefully narrowing down your list will make the task much easier. Once you’re able to prioritize what you absolutely need and what you can afford, the choice should become much clearer.