A large number of companies have progressed from being open during only certain hours of the day to being open 24/7. The introduction of the internet has played a substantial contributing effect in causing the need for companies to always be open. Companies are also expect to always be able to provide top level customer service. As a result, many companies have decided to implement help desk ticketing software for some of the reasons that are highlighted in the graph below.
Many companies are confused about the exact impact that these benefits will have on how the business responds to consumer issues. This article will explain exactly why ticketing systems can have a substantial effect on improving customer service. This article will also explain how companies are able to handle the most serious consumer issues in a much more expedient problems.
Tackling the various problems that arise with a help desk, however, are not without their challenges. These challenges are often capable of being overcome by a properly managed company. The graphic below highlights just some of the largest challenges faced by companies that operate help desks.
Each of these problems, however, can often be solved through the use of a small amount of energy by companies. Lack of customization can often be avoided if a company spends enough finances on a ticketing software program. Monitoring users who use the program and insufficient reporting is also another feature made easier with the appropriate type of ticketing system. While upkeep fees serve to deter a large number of companies, these costs are often offset by the opportunity that companies are afforded to work in a more efficient manner.
This ticketing software helps companies to simply interactions that employees at the company have with consumers who are experiencing difficulties. When a consumer makes a request to fix a problem, the company forwards the issue to the appropriate staff member with a designated tracking number. Additionally, consumers are able to initiate tickets on a variety of social media platforms. Some companies have also begun to realize distinct ways to use ticket desks to obtain the best results possible. This article will review 10 ways in which companies are able to use help desk ticketing software to achieve various goals.
Way # 1 – Group Requests
Ticketing systems are particularly helpful to companies who want to sort customer requests into different categories based on the staff to which these problems should be directed. Problems can also be categorized based on how long the issue will take to resolve. For example, a payment error might be immediately fixable while an incorrect shipment might take much longer to send. Companies that receive a large number of consumer requests find these filtering options extremely beneficial in saving time. The chart below just one of the ways in which companies group various help ticket requests.
This example is based on the idea that a company offers technical services. Companies that offer a less digital source often create groups that take the product’s various features into consideration. Once these groups are established, companies assign the tickets in question to the appropriate professional staff.
Way # 2 – Prioritize Requests
Companies receive a large number of requests each day. While some of these requests do not require immediate resolution, other requests do warrant an expedient resolution.
Designating issues as high priority alerts professionals in various departments throughout the company of the issue that must be resolved quickly.
Based on what type of prioritization help desk ticketing software a company obtains, a company will be provided with different ways to prioritize tasks. Some software programs even allow companies to create their own structure for ticketing issues. Determining how to prioritize issues can create significant challenges for companies and often requires companies to evaluate their own customer resolution services so that the urgency of various challenges can be ranked. The chart below highlights just one of the scales that a company might use for assessing problem response time.
Designating issues as high priority alerts professionals in various departments throughout the company of the issue that must be resolved quickly. Low priority tickets, however, can be handled by a company as resources and time permit the company to handle these problems. As a result, the company can avoid wasting the same amount of time on each problem. Instead, a company’s resources can be focused on resolving the highest priority issues the quickest.
Way # 3 – Assign Tickets to Staff
After labeling and prioritizing tickets, companies are then able to use ticketing software to assess the problem to the staff member that will be to most quickly resolve the issue. In addition to reducing the time, it will take for a problem to be solved, assigning tickets also lets companies avoid uncertainties about when the problem will be solved.
Way # 4 – Keep Consumers Updated
Ticketing software expedites the process by which companies are able to update consumers about the resolution of their problems. Because these responses can often be sent soon after the ticket is made, companies are often able to same the resolution in the same thread as the email listing the ticket number which helps to establish a professional tone of communication with the consumer. The reason why companies should seek to constantly improve their relationship with consumers is myriad. For one example, a report conducted by American Express even reported that companies are able to charge more if consumers are happy with the customer service they receive.
Way # 5 – The Same Service With Better Efficiency
Customer service programs let companies better monitor transactions with consumers and more efficiently respond to problems. By spending less time on consumer problems, companies are able to more quickly respond to customer problems. The graph below illustrates how companies commonly resolve help desk ticketing software issues and create a more efficient process through which companies can handle consumer problems.
While this process might seem to lack the same personal experience that other methods of problem resolution might have, consumers will not experience these aspects of problem resolution. Instead, these less personal elements will be disguised from consumers as part of a company’s internal operations.
Resolving customer problems is an important part of strong customer service and Harris Interactive reports that failure to promptly handle these issues is one of the two main reasons why companies lose customers. It should be noted that speed is not the only thing that consumers want from a company. A Gallup poll revealed that consumers also highly value a professional tone and dedicated staff while resolving consumer issues. Ticketing systems help to achieve both of these goals and as a result, are frequently responsible for growth inside of companies.
In addition to saving time with consumer difficulties, ticketing systems also frequently let companies reduce operating costs for several reasons including that companies are able to achieve the same results with fewer resources. This is shocking to many companies who often believe that ticketing software will result in increased costs.
Tickets are just as easy for companies to handle as customer emails. In many cases, companies even let consumers write messages that can result in tickets being created.
Way # 6 – Avoid Filtering Out Messages
Companies use SPAM filters to block out emails to prevent staff from having to read through a large number of junk mail and other messages that are not related to the company’s operations. Many reports have been written describing the challenges that users face as the result of SPAM filters.
Ticketing software, however, avoids both the use of SPAM filters and unwanted messages because every interaction with a customer comes in the form of a ticket or one consistent communication channel.
Way # 7 – As A Knowledge Base
Ticketing software helps companies to establish an integrated knowledge base, which provides information about common problems faced by consumers and helps to better resolve issues. As a result, employees are able to spend more time focusing on how to solve more challenging problems and add this information as knowledge that can be accessed by other employees.
Information that is gleaned from ticketing software can then be turned by management into talking points to raise with employees. After learning these details, employees can make sure that they instruct consumers on how to best use a product to avoid difficulties.
To understand how valuable a knowledge base can be, it is helpful to look at an example. The Dropbox company has a knowledge base that is broken into various important categories including account, payment, and other relevant sections. This knowledge base is user friendly and easy to navigate for users who experience problems. Many companies choose to set up their knowledge base in a similar way as opposed to more complicated methods.
Increasing the Quality of Customer Service
Customer service ticketing software has let companies improve operations by offering customer service in ways that were previously not thought possible. Consumers benefit through ticketing software by having their problems resolved in a much more efficient manner. Companies in turn prosper from this software because there is a greater chance that consumer relationships will be maintained, new customers will be attracted to the company, and resultantly the amount of profits seen by the company will increase.
