Software Advice’s customer service investigator blog recently published the results of an in-depth survey targeting hundreds of customer support managers, IT directors and other customer service software buyers to find out what they’re looking for in a software solution.
The results are clear; a majority of businesses want web based solutions that increase the efficiency of their customer service operations without adding complexity to existing processes. Here are the specific results that I found the most telling (All images courtesy of csi.softwareadvice.com):
89% of buyers with a preference were looking for cloud-based solutions.
This comes as no surprise. Cloud based solutions require little to no maintenance because vendors host the software themselves. The number of SMBs using cloud computing is on the rise, and this represents a clear and growing market trend.
70% of companies asked specifically for trouble ticketing capabilities.
Trouble tickets are alot like email 2.0. Instead of scattering customer inquiries between multiple inboxes, they are managed in one company inbox. Other top requests included flexible reporting, interaction history, and escalation management.
30% of buyers wanted to replace their system because it lacked functionality.
If you’re looking for ways to go beyond using a pencil & paper with spreadsheets to track customer issues then you’ll find solutions a dime a dozen. While there are many alternatives, few of them offer the capabilities needed to automate & organize a wide range of customer service processes.
Is it possible to have 100% of the pie?
Yes it is, and there are 2 ways to go about getting it.
- You can stitch together a tangled web of software and online services and hope they all work together in perfect harmony. If you go this route, the support you receive from vendors will be limited at best and your IT department will be anything but serene.
- You can choose one cloud based solution that’s built from the bottom up for customer service. LiveHelpNow offers email-ticket management with robust reporting, escalation workflows, action logs and a full plate of complementary services including live chat, call management, and a knowledge base to support all of your customer service channels seamlessly.
