Double Duty: Using Help Desk Software as a CRM Tool

Help desk software typically serves as a sort of automated traffic cop for managing in-house computer emergencies, but companies are increasingly discovering that it can do double duty by policing external customer service and quality control efforts as well. The same point-and-click problem tracking capabilities that make help desk applications so valuable for internal troubleshooting can be used to ensure that outside inquiries, requests and complaints are handled expeditiously — even if the business’s products or services are not technical in nature.

When used in this way, help desk software becomes an extension of an organization’s customer retention efforts, essentially acting as a CRM enforcer. It unleashes the power of automated call logging, tracking and analysis to help speed problem resolution, identify chronic problems for possible corrective action, and create satisfied customers.

One advantage is that the same software can be used for both internal support and external quality assurance, eliminating the need to purchase and maintain two different programs. This is particularly useful for smaller organizations, or departments within larger organizations, that lack a full-scale customer relationship management system incorporating help desk functionality.

Alternatively, help desk software can be deployed as a standalone solution for external customer support, providing important automated call logging, knowledge management and reporting tools that can help keep the customer service operation running smoothly.

A look at three companies that use Help Desk Technology Corporation’s HelpSTAR software for external problem management illustrates a few of the many ways that help desk systems can be adapted to assist customers outside a firm’s own walls. These examples will be followed by a brief discussion of key features that should be considered when selecting a help desk program for external customer support.

Case 1: Supporting Yamaha MotorSports Dealers

Yamaha’s MotorSports Division uses HelpSTAR’s help desk software to provide sales support to the 1,500 authorized dealerships that sell its motorcycles, ATVs, snowmobiles and other sports vehicles. Dealers call a special 800 number when they have questions about their orders or would like to make a change. The sales assistants who answer the 800 line use the software to log and track the calls.

Yamaha uses the software’s reports to alert management to dealers’ concerns, flag recurring problems that may need to be addressed, and identify strategies for improving service to its dealers. In addition, the company uses a special “Best Solutions” database in the help desk system to record stock responses for dealers calling with the same complaint, speeding problem resolution as well as providing consistency in dealer communication.

Case 2: Servicing Copy Center Customers

Indox Services, a print services company that operates walk-in storefronts as well as on-site copy centers in major organizations like MasterCard, uses HelpSTAR both to track internal copier service requests from its employees and to capture and investigate external customer complaints. If a customer has a grievance concerning a print job, an invoice or even an Indox employee’s performance, the problem is recorded in the help desk system for resolution as well as overall quality control.

With the software’s reports making it possible to identify and remediate chronic irritants, Indox has significantly reduced customer production problems as well as billing errors. The number of inaccurate invoices has dropped from 10% to just 2% in six months’ time, greatly improving customer relationships.

The software has also enabled Indox to win major new contracts from companies that require documentation for quality assurance. Before adding help desk software to their arsenal of support services, Indox was not able to bid on those jobs.

Case 3: Assisting Book Publishers

BookMaster, a provider of software that enables book publishers to manage all phases of book production and distribution, uses HelpSTAR to log, assign and track the time spent answering customers’ technical questions. Customers can submit inquiries either by logging onto a special password-protected website or by submitting an email that is automatically converted into a service request, significantly reducing manual data entry by technicians. Customers can also attach documents, spreadsheets or screenshots to their requests to aid in problem diagnosis.

This strategy ensures that all technical support requests are maintained in a central database for efficient handling, accessible by either the customer or the support rep at any time, and archived for future reference. It also provides the documentation required to bill back support charges based on the number of hours spent per customer every month.

What To Look For

For the most part, customer-facing help desk software requires the same basic functionality as that intended to keep one’s own internal house in order. This includes easy call logging, intelligent queuing to assign jobs by workgroup, easy customization of problem types to expedite job assignment and trend analysis, instant access to the full call history, multiple search options for record retrieval, and a user-friendly interface that minimizes the need for staff training.

Other important features include the ability to accept service requests submitted by email or through a Web interface, a knowledge base to aid problem diagnosis, both standard and custom reporting capabilities to provide insight into complaint patterns, and fast implementation — preferably out of the box — with the flexibility to tailor the program to individual needs simply by customizing fields.

In addition, help desk applications used to support external customers should have rules-based workflow automation to speed problem handling and ensure compliance with service level agreements such as a promise of around-the-clock availability. With a rules designer, administrators can configure the software to assign service requests to the appropriate personnel electronically rather than manually, issue alerts when new calls are received , escalate requests that sit in the support queue for too long, and so on.

With these tools, companies can put help desk software to work patrolling external customer service requests with the assurance that all customer interactions will be documented and closely monitored from the initial contact to the closed ticket. It’s an efficient and affordable way to fulfill what is arguably the main mission of any business: keeping customers happy.