Would you clip your lawn with a pair of nail clippers? We’ve set this outlandish question to illustrate our point. Without the correct tools, you cannot perform optimally.
Not providing your technical support team with essential software is like asking them to mow the lawn with nail clippers. It’s technically possible, but it will take forever and won’t look pretty.
What is the essential software that your technical customer support team needs?
In this article, we’ll look at support software and what types you should provide your team.
What is Service Software?
Support software is multi-functional. It’s a critical management tool that helps the leading service teams deliver a stellar customer experience.
In this sense, it directly relates to customer queries. It:
- Collates queries
- Organizes and assigns them
- Provides automatic responses
- Gives agents the tools to respond
- Provides analytics regarding support request volumes and other useful metrics.
The Categories of Technical Support Software
In the digital age, data management is vital. The value of the CRM support software market was a staggering $42,707 million, almost double what it was in 2015. The term, however, encompasses many categories of software.
Technical Service Desk Applications
These programs manage incoming service queries, assigning tickets, prioritizing urgent requests, and managing open questions. It supports both the standard and technical support teams. The systems typically allow consultants to see and deal with IT requests and access the relevant company databases.
Knowledge Base Applications
At the core of your firm’s self-help options, proper maintenance of the knowledge base is essential. Software facilitating the capturing, creation, and publishing of content falls under this category. Programs here typically link through to editing programs to ensure that the content is of top quality.
Help Desk
Traditionally, shared inboxes allowed multiple users to log into one service email account. Today we’ve moved beyond a simple email system. These programs assist by collating information from several communication channels and placing it in one queue. Help desk software is similar to technical desk applications in that it organizes queries.
Live Chat and Messenger Systems
Clients may prefer to communicate via text or instant message. Having these tools in place allows companies to interact with clients in real-time as necessary. The client receives the instant results that they require, and perceptions of service efficiency increase.
Such systems today may also include chatbots to acknowledge queries, answer simple questions, and keep the conversation going with the client.
Phone Support
The old-fashioned switchboard is fast becoming outdated. Voice over internet protocols allow call centers to operate more cost-effectively and efficiently. By incorporating digital calling, companies may also introduce software to queue or route queries.
Voice chatbots may also provide fundamental support to reduce the firm’s workload.
CRM Software
Everything we’ve discussed so far falls under this umbrella term. The phrase itself, however, refers more specifically to systems that assist companies in managing and using their databases. So, while CRM software often includes communication tools, its purpose is more on business building and marketing.
You might, for example, use it to identify clients that fall into a specific demographic when creating a marketing campaign. The system often blends seemingly disparate elements, such as sales and the knowledge base, giving consultants a 360-degree view of the client.
They may easily draw up a list of past purchases, queries, customer details, and account payments, for example.
Final Notes
These six types of software all support better efficiency and productivity. Many tools available today combine several of the categories into one product for your convenience. By leveraging the power of digital, they enable you to build client relationships and scale up your business quickly.