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How much is your help desk worth? It’s a difficult question to answer. Much of the value within this type of IT service is hidden, not expressing itself in straight revenue but opportunity costs that occur once it shuts down.

You know what we mean anytime the service goes down and your customers can’t get what they want. Suddenly, small problems become larger, complaints become public, and you have a potentially serious marketing issue on your hands.

Bad software can have similar effects. On the other hand, you might not realize just how much value choosing the right software can actually provide for your business. Join us for an exploration of the hidden value you can experience through top help desk software.

The Immense Value of Customer Service

Your help desk is first and foremost a customer service tool. You might look to serve internal customers like your employees, or external customers who bring in revenue. The core concept remains the same: it exists to solve technical issues your customers have with your software or hardware.

That in turn, prompts us to take a close look at just how much good customer service is actually worth. It affects your bottom line in multiple ways, energizing your customers and employees alike. On the flipside, failing to help customers with a need can have potentially devastating consequences.

That’s the first area where good help desk software can help you thrive. Through the right platform, you can streamline your customer service efforts in the crucial arena of technology. By improving your customer service, you are almost necessarily improving your bottom line and revenue as well.

Building Efficiencies in Your IT System

Next, let’s take a closer look at the time you need to spend actually servicing your customers with an IT help need. A completely manual system will require cumbersome record keeping, and will never be able to determine trends or larger issues. Bad help desk software doesn’t do much to improve that.

Compare that with a platform designed for efficiency. Tickets can be streamlined, categorized, and tracked. As a result, you can build a number of efficiencies into your system that help you save time and valuable resources. Your team members can focus on larger issues, rather than having to maximize their efforts on routine fixes.

Building these efficiencies can take time at first, as you move to a new system. Once the move is complete, the benefits become more obvious. Your help desk team can truly streamline your efforts to build on your value proposition.

Reporting as a Continuous Improvement Mechanism

The value of a great help desk platform goes beyond the obvious features or time saving mechanisms. Reporting, often overlooked, can play an immense rule in making sure you return positive ROI, not just for the investment in the software itself but your entire help desk operation.

Imagine being able to determine exactly how long it takes to close a ticket. Tracking your most successful ticket trails, and learning from them. Determining common threads and trends of previous tickets to find larger issues. Understanding sources to place more emphasis on the right media.

All of these (and more) are made possible through the right, comprehensive reporting structure and features. Leveraged correctly, you can turn that reporting ability into a continuous improvement mechanism. Regularly run reports to understand where you’re going right, where improvements need made, and how you can build on your operations to provide better customer service in the future.

Saving Time Through Multiple Channel Intake

Just as your IT team’s time matters, so does the time your customers have to submit their ticket. Imagine being given the choice between being able to log a problem quickly and easily, or having to wait on hold forever. For the latter option, it’s easy to get frustrated, vent your frustration on social media, and create serious problems for the business.

That’s why, for any modern help desk software, you have to make sure that you can create intake through multiple channels. Allow your customers to submit their issues and concerns on the channels they spend most time on. Whether that’s through a web page, email, or social media, your help desk has to be prepared.

That’s sometimes easier said than done. Again, finding the right software is absolute key. But once you do, you can create significant customer goodwill (and the resulting value for your business).

Effective Collaboration Tools as a Key to Success

Finally, don’t underestimate the improvements you can make in your internal operations by implementing help desk software that allows and embraces collaboration. While some tickets will be routine and easy to solve, others will not be. You might have to work with other technicians, escalate a ticket, or take further action that require the input of others on your team.

That collaboration doesn’t always come natural. When your platform doesn’t allow for it, you invite potentially significant trouble. External communication that’s not tracked to a ticket can build confusion and wastes time. Fortunately, there’s a better way.

Find a help desk software that helps you maximize your collaboration opportunities. Look specifically for features that allow you to leave internal notes, loop in other team members, and escalate when needed. That way, you can maximize the value of the platform in more ways than one.

How do You Find Top Help Desk Software?

It might not be obvious at first, but the right software provides significant value for your business. Of course, you have to know how to find it first.

That means doing your research, and finding alternatives within your price range. It means understanding your exact business needs, and matching software features to these needs. The more thorough you are, the better off you’ll be in finding the hidden value.

It’s a strategic process, but it’s well worth the effort. When you get it right, top help desk software can benefit your entire business, from financial benefits to customer service. That’s the true hidden value of the right platform for your business needs.