Why do you need it? Is it for an Internet or an intranet application? These are two rather important questions you need to ask yourself before you select the right helpdesk software for your business. The internet is a public domain. If your helpdesk software is geared more towards the internet and the communities within it, you have to consider more customers and more issues that must be solved. If it is an intranet application then it is mainly geared towards a company. The general public and your potential customers will not be allowed to access an intranet application due to the firewall security system in place.

How many people will use it? – You need to figure out exactly what your customer base is. You need to also figure out how many customers your helpdesk software needs to acknowledge. This is a very important question to ask yourself. You can’t obtain software that only handles 20 customers, when you have over 50 requiring your assistance. It needs to be customizable to your business’ needs and that of your customers.

Who are your customers? Are they internal or external? You might want to find out the answers to these questions before obtaining the right helpdesk software for your business. If your customers are internal, then you have to modify the software to meet their personal needs. If they are within your company they must be addressed as such. If they are external, or outside of the company you need to consider that aspect as well.

What are good ways to respond to customer enquiries? – Examples might include: phone live chat, self service through KB, and desktop sharing etc. Your company should come up with more than one way for the customers to get a hold of you, and for you to respond to them. With phone live chat, the customer can use the internet as a source of optimal communication. All they have to do is select the ‘live chat’ area on the website and either IM or personally call a customer service representative. It is an efficient and reliable way to keep an open line of communication available. Another method is self service through the KB section. This allows the customer’s a chance to post answers to questions either they have, or another customer had previously. Basically, with certain instances they can answer each other’s questions and you never have to become directly involved. And finally, desktop sharing allows you to view exactly what your customer is having problems with. It is a perfect software decision that gives you eyes into the problem and a quicker way towards a solution. Both of you can see what the other is talking about. Instead of trying to rely an issue over the phone, or through IM, you can talk to one another and see the issue directly on your computer screen. That, is undoubtedly a win-win scenario.

Who will respond to tickets – just you, others in organization, and/or outsourced staff? Your business needs to decide who and/or what will reply to the customers in an efficient and timely basis. If you are responding to the help tickets, make sure you maintain organization. You don’t want to forget an enquiry, or go too long without answering one. The online helpdesk software will help you keep track of that. If you want to allow others in your organization to respond to the help tickets, just make sure they know how first. Consider an automated email system to help all parties respond right away. That will definitely make it easier on you. If you decide to use outsourced staff outside of your company, an automated email system might be exactly what they need to perform at their very best. Customers are so very important to all business, if you want them to keep coming back, you have to build their trust. Helpdesk software can do just that.