Help Desk Software Must Have Features

Help desk software, in most cases, comes with all the standard features: ticket logging, reminders and auto-notification. But what else does your help desk software need to do? Here?s a checklist of some features you need which you may not have considered already.

Help Desk Software Needs a Web Interface

While windows-based help desk software may make you feel nostalgic, most modern help desk software has a web interface. Gone are the days where you?d be tied to your desk: even in-house installations offer web access, giving the freedom for technicians to move around the site (or several sites). A web interface also means that your team will be able to access most functions on their smartphone or tablet PC, even if an app isn?t available. It also means cloud provision is less of a concern, since your in-house install is available from any web browser.

Help Desk Software Needs a Knowledge Base

A solid Knowledge Base can cut down on your support calls. Why? For one thing, people are used to searching for information, and anyone with an IT problem will want it to be resolved quickly. A Knowledge Base included in your help desk software serves both these purposes well. An integrated Knowledge Base solution allows you to funnel users through it before they can lodge a request, cutting down the time you spend on calls. Remember: a Knowledge Base is only as useful as its content, and at least one of your team will need to spend time keeping it up to date. Otherwise people won?t use it, and that?s even worse than not having one at all.

Help Desk Software Should have Complete Lifecycle Coverage

Even if you haven?t yet adopted ITIL (or have no immediate plans to), it?s still a good idea to ensure your software supports your workflow by providing end-to-end coverage of each ticket. It?s not just about solving problems and resolving requests: what happens if you get a Change Request, or someone posts a Request for Information? Even outside of ITIL, these terms and processes are becoming commonplace, and staff are starting to ask for them. If you couldn?t track a Change in your help desk software, that could be a serious problem for another team in your department.

Help Desk Software must be ?Self-Service? Software

Users really like to be updated, even if their problem hasn’t been resolved yet. If your help desk software fires out emails, they will hopefully know how their issue is progressing. But emails get deleted and lost in a sea of admin; they get caught in spam filters too. If you give each customer a logon, they?ll be able to track progress without calling you or showing up at your desk – and that can be a huge boost to team productivity.

Help Desk Software Features Conclusion

There are a lot of choices in today’s Help Desk Software market. ?They range from very basic and affordable to very expensive and complex. ?But there are certain core features that all help desk software must have in order to be effective. ?Without allowing self-service or managing your complete ticket lifecycle, you are likely going to be unhappy with the support you provide, as will your customers.