Help desk description
“Help desk is a service that provides information and helps people, especially those using a computer network.” – Cambridge dictionary
Help desk job description
A primary purpose of a help desk job is to assist customers with technical issues by running diagnostics tests and troubleshooting problems remotely. Moreover, agents should be able to provide technical advice for almost any type of computer system.
Requirements
- Great communication skills
- Computer skills
- Higher education in Computer Science
- Proficiency in modern technology
- Optimal: Experiences as a help desk technician
- Optimal: Customer service experience
Responsibilities
- Answering customers inquiries
- Running diagnostic on errors/problems that occur
- Solving technical issues for customers
- Training other staff members
- Making sure the computer systems run smoothly daily
What is help desk software?
Help desk software is part of a broader category called the service desk. These two terms are often used interchangeably. However, the help desk description specifically refers to the system that addresses customer queries.
To be more specific, help desk software is a computer system that automates, reports, and keeps track of customer requests and service issues. It catches all incoming customer communication and stores it in a single place. Moreover, it can link similar customer issues from multiple platforms into one ticket, creating quick and efficient management.
If you would like to learn more, read our comprehensive Help desk software article.
History of help desk software
The history of help desk software dates back to the 20th century when businesses started using equipment like; typewriters, dictation machines, telephones, and dumb terminals with access to a mainframe computer to address customer issues. Mainframe help desk software relied on physical issue submission. So, the customer issues were submitted either by paper forms or by phone to help desk agents, who would type those issues into a terminal. The tech staff would then provide a solution, and the agents would communicate it to customers via phone or paper. Notes and paper forms used to be the only way customers could submit their issues to the help desk agents, but with the advent of email and live chat, help desk software has become more interactive and participatory, enabling customers to communicate their issues efficiently.
However, the actual introduction of the first help desk software began in the 1990s when the internet became publicly available. Desktop computers, email, and live chat brought significant improvements and advancements to help desk software tools. Customers could communicate their issues by email, bypassing paper forms that save customers and companies a lot of time previously wasted on phone calls.
In the 2000s, companies started to use help desk software widely. The internet and networked systems made help desk software more interactive and participatory for customers. IT help desk ticketing became a crucial component of many businesses, streamlining the process of issue submission and resolution. Thus, enabling them to submit and track their issues more efficiently. Lotus Notes was one of the first help desk systems that allowed end-users to follow their support tickets, add information, and search for resolutions independently.
Why should you use help desk software?
Nowadays, consumers use a variety of channels to connect with brands. Moreover, they increasingly demand a seamless omnichannel experience across all of these channels. For example, if they start a conversation through email but then decide to switch to live chat, they expect you to connect the conversations and continue the interaction without repetition.
Microsoft’s survey revealed that 59% of consumers had used three or more channels to get their questions answered. However, many businesses can’t transform those multiple touchpoints into a consistent, frictionless, and unified service experience. That is where help desk software, such as LiveAgent, comes in place. It helps your customers experience a smooth and effortless transition between support channels and interactions.
What are the benefits of help desk software?
With the right help desk software training and proper management, the tool can help you enhance your overall customer service strategy and deliver the level of service your customers expect. Take a look at other significant help desk software benefits below.
Faster and more personalized responses
As customers use all kinds of channels to reach out to companies, keeping all customer communication in one place helps your support agents understand the issues better and handle tickets faster.
With help desk software, agents can reply to;
Agents can answer all of these channels from a single interface so, they don’t have to switch between various tools. Moreover, LiveAgent provides easy access to the history of past customer interactions so your agents can deliver faster and more personalized responses.
Self-service options
Self-service is becoming a preferred support channel for a growing number of consumers. Research shows that 90% of global consumers expect brands and organizations to offer an online portal for self-service. A solid help desk software provides integrated self-service options, such as a knowledge base, FAQs, and customer community forum. Businesses can leverage self-service to empower their customers to find answers and resolve issues independently without requiring any interaction with a company representative.
Increased customer satisfaction
A study by SuperOffice found that 62% of companies do not respond to customer service emails. With help desk software, all customer issues are transformed into tickets. As a result, no tickets are left unattended, forgotten, or lost. Agents can also categorize tickets by priority or escalate them to higher-level team members to ensure urgent issues are resolved immediately. That results in shorter wait times, precise answers, better first contact resolution, and ultimately, increased customer satisfaction.
Improved support agent efficiency
Help desk software can automate multiple tasks, processes, and workflows. For instance, when you automate help desk software features, you can effortlessly categorize tickets, set up prioritization, email notifications, etc. With well-defined processes and workflows, the help desk tool can eliminate redundant tasks and boost the efficiency and productivity of customer support reps. Moreover, the agents can quickly and easily access a repository of information and resolve issues more effectively by using the knowledge base as an internal resource.
Discover on your own
LiveAgent is a feature-rich help desk software that enhances your customer service right away. The system has more than 180 features that track, automate, and report. Take a look at the video below to learn more.
Try out LiveAgent for FREE
Handle all customer inquiries from one interface. Start improving your customer service with a 14-day free trial right away!
Frequently asked questions
Why use help desk software?
Today’s consumers typically use a variety of channels to connect with brands. Moreover, they increasingly demand a seamless omnichannel experience across all of these channels. That is where help desk software comes in place. Regardless of the resolution path, it helps customers to experience a smooth and effortless transition between support channels and interactions.
How do you improve support agent efficiency?
Help desk software allows automating many tasks, processes, and workflows. For example, ticket categorization and prioritization, ticket distribution, ticket status management, alerts, and notifications. With well-defined processes and workflows, the help desk tool helps to eliminate redundant tasks and boost the efficiency and productivity of customer support reps.
What does a help desk agent job require?
It requires great communication skills, computer skills, proficiency in modern technology. Moreover, it is optimal to have some experience as a help desk technician or in the general customer service experience.
Companies that prioritize customer service should have helpdesk support to easily communicate with customers about technical problems and questions. However, if a company does not engage in activities that require help desk support, there is no need to introduce it. LiveAgent offers helpdesk software for businesses of all sizes.
Desk support is a process of providing customer care service that helps customers before, during, and after purchase. A quality service desk software is necessary to manage tickets and handle various forms of communication. Desk support is a resource that provides technical support to customers through a website, instant messaging, e-mail, or hotline. LiveAgent offers desk support as an option in the system. Basic features of desk support should include contact points, a well-developed knowledge base, and possibilities to automate work. Helpdesk support, service desk, effective customer service, and IT service desk are related resources. LiveAgent provides the best service desk software and help desk software for 2023.
Help desk software is an effective management tool that focuses on serving customers and end-users by providing information, support, and assistance. With the right software, faster and more personalized responses can be delivered, while self-service options empower customers to resolve issues independently. Help desks can eliminate problems such as lost or unanswered tickets, delayed responses, and lack of responsibility. The use of help desk support can improve customer satisfaction, engagement, retention, and sales, as well as improve agent productivity and reduce stress and burnout. LiveAgent offers a free and easy-to-use helpdesk portal that can be customized to fit a company's needs.
Help desk departments are specialized teams within an organization dedicated to solving specific problems. They are designed to keep help desks organized and improve workflows for different sets of agents, as well as to improve customer experience by ensuring that agents with relevant knowledge handle each inquiry. Departments can be used to customize email templates, specify workflows, and configure support processes. Organizing incoming tickets by assigning them to specific departments improves response time and overall efficiency, leading to greater customer satisfaction and loyalty. Creating departments is particularly relevant for larger organizations with multiple departments and a higher volume of inquiries. LiveAgent offers robust reporting and analytics features to monitor each department's performance.
