For managing the customer support effectively, it is important to search for the right help desk software. The tips available in this article will help you understand the attributes of help desk software that further assists you in fulfilling your business goals and marketing objectives.

Before getting started with the task to select an effective help desk app for your business, it is vital to understand that the aim of the application is to provide fast, reliable and accurate information and answers to user queries and questions. The following criteria and tips must be considered while selecting the help desk application for your business.

1. Support & Assistance Channels

The Help desk Support app must incorporate common customer support channels such as email, social media support, live chat, call center as well as offline support channels such as knowledge based sections. The application must be selected keeping in mind the support features that your business needs the most. Help Desk Software (f.e. LiveAgent) is perfect if you want to make customer support a priority. It’ll help you integrate email, live chat, voice, social and offline support into one application.

2. Feature & Attribute Set

Not all businesses are the same, neither are their requirements. Based on the nature, volume, size, type and other attributes of the business, help desk softwares offer features which must be selected before finalizing the setup. It is not always the case that the app only offers online supports, applications that provide offline support can also be considered, but you must have enough resources to handle selected offline support channels.

There is also an open source help desk software – Hesk – (available for free trial for limited time only) with easy interface and it requires minimal efforts to setup. It gives you complete control over asset management, analytics & help desk in one single package. However, to unlock most of the advanced features, you will have to upgrade to a paid version.

ZenDesk is another premium help desk software that covers all your support requirements and makes sure everything goes smoothly. You can have a free 30 Days trial to explore around and then take it as an arsenal of your company.

3. Customer Support

Improvement is the key to success and when it is about a help desk support, constant improvement making use of the latest techniques is required. There are questions that have vibrant answers. Some answers are not constant and alter with time. You must check if the solution offers an answer which is appropriate and time steady. Also, you have to decide if customer support is available round the clock or is during business hours only.

4. Integration & Plugins

Your use of integration methods and plugins depends on the Content Management System (CMS) as well the type of shopping cart you use. You have to cross check if the help desk software is ready with appropriate plugins and integration methods. It is important that the application must be easy to customize to fulfil the intended requirements. Check if the application possesses the ability to connect with third party apps such as CRM software, email marketing tools and payment gateways.

5. Pricing

This is in fact the most considerable feature while selecting a helpdesk application. The pricing must be appropriate for the size and budget of your business. The pricing criteria for a number of help desk softwares is based on a ‘per agent seat’ model. It is important to consider the future features and updates that the app offers before opting for one.

As a whole, it can be concluded that SaaS (Software as a service) solutions are the best options when it is about implementing help desk software. Subscription based applications with zero license fees are an add-on. Due to the fact that the SaaS provider will manage all the upgrades and updates, there is no scope to worry about. The administrators do not have to manage the bandwidth, hardware or the software with the increasing customer base.

Cloud computing and storage environment makes the SaaS apps more scalable as they offer all time and anywhere access. Above all, the backup services are also offered by the SaaS service provider and that without interfering the user processes, so there is no problem of unavailability of the application or data loss.