Help Desk Software...and More!

A. Dear Frustrated Agent: What a waste of everyone’s time and energy! Shame on the agency help desk agents who do not listen to the user’s issue and help.  They are falling down on the job! I recently worked with a state IT helpdesk which had centralized IT support for all agencies. For all the headaches the centralization produced, at least state employees/users are provided support in a setting which promotes FCR (first call resolution)...

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About Donna Earl & The Help Desk Coach

Donna Earl (aka the Help Desk Coach ) specializes in assisting help desks and tech support deliver world class customer service. Since 1990 Ms. Earl's international consultancy has helped organizations strengthen leadership effectiveness, customer loyalty, customer retention, and employee productivity. She is an internationally recognized speaker, business educator and consultant, executive coach and author.

Donna is a published expert on Customer Service and quoted in publications including Investor's Business Daily and The Wall Street Journal , both US and European editions. Her articles and column are also published on Helpdesk.com. The fresh insight, emotional intelligence and proven strategies she brings to seminars on Customer Service transform help desk and employee performance. She has presented to over 200,000 people worldwide.

Free White Paper: How Offering a Self-Service Portal Benefits the Service Desk

In today’s support environment, end-users and customers continue to demand answers - faster, better and cheaper. Online knowledge-enabled self-service is a proven way to help manage these demands. With a self-service enabled help desk, you can increase your service levels, improve customer satisfaction, and quickly begin recognizing a compelling return on investment.

IT service desks are just now discovering the benefits of web self-service. Escalating employee expectations have resulted in increasing demands on the help desk. Plus, companies have more complex IT infrastructures than ever before - complex networks, multiple integrations, a plethora of applications running in global environments - creating more opportunities for end-users to contact support.

>> Click Here to Download "Self-Service Benefits Revealed" Now!

It's a Social - Join The Social Help Desk Revolution!

It’s impossible for an IT professional to go anywhere without hearing about the social media paradigm transforming the help desk function. Help desk software providers are rushing to augment their platforms with tools and technologies integrating social features and functions. The more advanced solutions not only embed Facebook/Twitter integration, but actually make these social platforms the center point of the solution (or in some cases at least provide the option for this). One could argue that social integration, like Facebook and Twitter, are probably more ideal for external customer (CRM) support.

>> See infographic
>> Read It's a Social - How to Get Your Help Desk Into the Party! (Helpdesk.com blog)

>> Read more: Help Desk Software TO THE CLOUD! (Helpdesk.com blog)

Infographic: Understanding the Help Desk Software & Support Workflow Process

It goes without the saying the help desk and support process can vary significantly from organization to organization. This informative infographic does a great job illustrating and identifying all the various moving parts of the service and support function. From initial problem/issue/service request entry point -- be it social, phone, email or other -- to the support software, platforms and applications working to automate the service desk function -- this infographic provides a relevant and useful flowchart representation of the support process from beginning to end.

>> See help desk workflow infographic

See Gartner's Latest Service & Help Desk Software Magic Quadrant!

Gartner's recent Magic Quadrant for IT Service & Support Management Tools (ITSSM) provides an insightful comparison of top service and support software vendors in the space. Functionality reviewed - pertinent to the help and service desk - includes problem/incident managment, change management, knowledge management, request management, and more. If you're presently evaluating help desk service and support software, be sure to review Gartner's assessment of vendors, including strengths and watch points. Also be sure to read it if you're interested in learning more about the state of the industry in terms of technology and trend.

For further information on service and help desk management, visit these other valuable resources:

• Gartner's Latest Magic Quandrant
• HDI's Service Management Buyer's Guide