Help Desk White Papers

Series 200: Help Desk Tools

• Integrating Web-based Support within Your Helpdesk

  Excerpt: Increase efficiency and productivity among your support center by allowing IT technicians, customers, or other desktop support members connectivity from any network location.

• How Can an Information Resource Management (PC Inventory / Auditing) Software Solution Benefit the Help Desk?

  Excerpt: An Information Resource Management (IRM) or PC Audit/Inventory solution not only inventories IT assets but also measures help desk performance, troubleshoots computer problems, and can help justify costs associated with technology improvements.

• Using Your Help Desk Software's Bells and Whistles

  Excerpt: These features, known as the "bells and whistles" of your help desk software may not be required for tracking purposes, but offer important benefits to your help desk. Although additional configuration time may be necessary, don't overlook these key features that may help you greatly improve customer service, significantly decrease call resolution time, and free help desk agents from performing routine tasks.

• Knowledge Management and Help Desk Software

  Excerpt: Those call centers with knowledge management resources have learned that KM is faster and less expensive than conventional helpdesk support. According to Frost & Sullivan, a New York research firm, help desks pay less than 11¢ every time a customer uses the help desk's knowledge base.

• Knowledge Management: What's available?

  Excerpt: Many help desk software applications come with a Knowledge Management (KM) module. These modules, like the helpdesk software itself, can vary widely in construction and content. Despite this variation, the Knowledge Management modules can be divided into three types: pre-populated, home grown, and structural.

• Advantages of Web-Based Help Desk Software

  Excerpt: Web-based help desk software is simply call tracking software that people use over the Internet or through an intranet. For most web-based help desk software, customers use an Internet browser to logon to a web site, work through the trouble ticket software's forms, and log off when they are finished. Web-based help desk software is located on a web server and can be accessed in any place with an Internet or intranet connection. Because of this configuration, this type of trouble ticket software has several advantages over PC- and server-based help desk software.

• Work Load Predictions

  Excerpt: Accurate work load predictions have a major impact on a call center. These predictions inform managers how many calls to expect and when to expect them. Based on these numbers, managers can then schedule, hire or even dismiss call center agents as needed. To get accurate predictions, some manager might think that they need performance management software or to initiate large work tracking programs. Neither is true. In fact, many call center managers already have the data they need and they don't even realize it.

• Expansion Tools for Help Desk Software

  Excerpt: There can more to help desk software than just a central product for trouble ticket tracking. Often customer support software companies create several add-ons or expansion modules to augment their main call center software applications. This can keep the base price of the core help desk software down.