Benefits of Having a Web Based Support Suite

By Adam Hobach

Addressing customer support issues and service inquires can be an absolute nightmare without the right tools. It doesn't matter what the size of the company is; learning how to balance these issues and manage customer relationships is the key to providing great support and the longevity of your business. For every problem, there is a solution, which brings us to a popular software concept termed as the support suite.

Web-Based Software Solutions

Choosing a program to track and handle your organization's customer relations and technical support details is an important step, one that will undoubtedly affect the business for years to come. When investing in reliable support software, your company can save hundreds to thousands of dollars in regards to the expenses required to maintain a high level of service. Best of all, such solutions give you an edge and the ability to retain what is most important to the business - your customers.

The growing number of online businesses has made support suite applications extremely popular. These solutions are trusted and preferred by Fortune 500 companies, yet often fit into the price range of smaller organizations as well. Aside from receiving a powerful product to effectively manage your customer relations, you also get support of your own in the form of consulting experts.

While there are many different vendors and products to choose from, the primary benefits of support suite software include the following:

Support Issue Tracking

Projects can be easily set up and specified by assigned project managers

Tracks projects along with the status of current issues

Security mechanisms ensure that only authorized persons have access to support data

Backing of a powerful database ensures stability

Flexibility

Web-based environment eliminates the need for desktop installations

Seamless integration with remote offices

Provides staff with easy access to assigned support issues

Fast and easy to deploy, comprehensive and requires minimal training

Customer Interaction

Able to request assistance in various ways (email, support ticket, live chat)

Able to submit, search and view outstanding issues at the user level

Receive automated email notifications

Access to news regarding the organization

Access to self-help resources (FAQ, knowledge base sections)

Able to download essential documentation and updates

Web-based Environment

The core of a support suite is built entirely on a web-based platform, giving you the ability to administer, assign, submit, search and report issues from virtually any web browser. Customers have the luxury of submitting issues themselves or allowing them to be completed by the support staff. Support software enables technicians to be assigned issues from supervisors or higher ranked staff members. Important documentation can be entered into the database and saved for similar instances in the future. Once an issue is completely resolved, it can be closed with ease.

The structure of this web-based platform also reduces the number of phone calls coming into the office, sparing the organization of charges for support calls every day.

Flexible Tracking System

Support suite software is designed with your IT staff in mind. Any issues submitted can be directly tied to configuration components, such as computer software and hardware. They can also be assigned to various categories and subcategories with levels of priority being determined by your company.

Instant Email Notification

Email notification and hyperlink functions ensure that technicians receive messages, directing them to the exact location of the most recently assigned issue. The customer is kept informed as well in regards to the progress of the issue. Whenever a staff member adds to an issue or closes it, the customer is notified instantly.

Flexible Deadlines

Support software offers the easy customization of your entire system. If submitted issues are not completed and closed in a certain amount of time, simple configurations allow them to be automatically extended. Furthermore, one of your staff members can be sent an email as a reminder that the issue is still current and needs to be addressed.

Powerful Search Capability

Having the ability to search the system for issues is a great benefit for technicians and especially the customers. Support suites allow technicians to access this function to quickly resolve issues that are similar to those that have occurred before. The customer can spare themselves of placing a phone call, as the issue could be solvable via the online search. With support software, issues can be retrieved based on various characteristics, including the status, who submitted it, who it was assigned to, and more.

Robust Knowledge Base

One of the greatest benefits of support suites is the integration of other software components, such as the knowledge base. This offers numerous opportunities, as articles can be posted and assigned relative keywords to increase exposure via the search engines. Support software will provide your organization with a knowledge base that is fully customizable, enabling staff and customers to access information by category or particular keyword.

Conclusion

The features offered by a support suite will contribute significantly to the strength of your customer relations and ultimately, the entire organization. Such a powerful solution results in faster response times and reduced costs, along with a happier staff and higher level of productivity.

Adam Hobach is a Network Engineer with "Doreo.com". You can learn more about "Web Hosting" services online at http://www.Doreo.com © 2008 Doreo http://www.Doreo.com You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "Author Biography").