When it comes to supporting your customers, the traditional method has been to use email. Back in the day, this was sufficient. However, today, email support isn’t ideal. Although you can certainly resolve some issues through email, people have nuanced needs that aren’t easy to manage through email. Instead, you need IT help desk software. A help desk will empower your customer service reps to provide a high level of customer support by streamlining communications and tracking requests from the time they’re opened until completion.
Why email support is a thing of the past
Before software developers began creating comprehensive solutions for customer support, email was the main method for getting support online. Customers would either fill out a contact form on a company’s website or email them directly. This made sense when it was the only form of online support. However, there are several issues with using email exclusively for support:
Support agents have to use a separate task management system to track email support requests that haven’t been resolved. It’s not easy keeping track of support requests in an email account. Even when you apply labels and tags to know if they’re resolved or need to be escalated, it’s still messy. Only one agent can work on support requests. If you have multiple people using the same account, it gets confusing.
Using email for support is outdated, and a help desk is the better option. You can, however, use an IT help desk solution that also works via email. For example, when a ticket is opened, replies are sent to the recipient’s email, and they can reply directly to the email to reply to the ticket. In this case, the support request is being handled through the IT help desk software, and it’s simply being copied to the customer’s email for their convenience.
Why an IT help desk solution is ideal
Email falls short of providing the type of support today’s customers want, need, and expect. For instance, 90% of customers expect an immediate response from a business when submitting a support request. A whopping 60% of customers report being unhappy with a business that doesn’t respond within a minute. According to a Harvard study reported by Inc.com, you’re likely to lose the sale if a customer has to wait more than fifteen minutes for a response. It’s just not possible to meet today’s customer expectations by providing support through email. You can, however, meet these expectations through a help desk.
A help desk provides immediate solutions
Using a help desk also makes it easier for your support reps to manage and track customer service requests. This, in turn, provides a higher level of support to your customers. For instance, all requests can be prioritized so that urgent issues are handled swiftly. You can also assign tickets to departments automatically, so customers don’t have to go through multiple agents to find the right person. More complicated and nuanced support requests are a great resource for determining what you can change in your business to make it better.
Move away from email and implement a help desk application
If you’re still relying on email to support your customers, it’s time to make the shift to an IT help desk solution. Your customer service reps will be better equipped to provide the outstanding service your customers want and deserve.
