The first one is to assemble a sample group of the users affected by the change. This team of users should work with help desk technicians to brainstorm and create a sizable list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). The questions and the answers compiled by help desk staff should be posted on the help desk website as part of the product launch. The company should also strongly encourage the use of online knowledge bases and self-service ticket management systems. Many tech-savvy customers will take advantage of this self-help tool because it's a time-saver for them and prevents them from having to call somebody.

The decision of whether to build or buy a Help Desk software system is a very important one. In particular, small to medium sized businesses often face the tough decision of whether it is better to purchase help desk software or develop it in-house. Advantages of building can include lower cost, a thorough understanding of how the system works, and the lack of a training requirement for IT support, since the system was built in-house.

All of this sounds good, but it comes with costs. Many service organizations report seven or more customer contacts per issue. For complex issues, the customer usually checks back frequently, which takes Help Desk time and resources. In a nutshell, every customer contact costs money and multiple customer contacts can often be prevented by good software and systems.

These organizations often have a complex network of internal customer support processes that include multi-tier support systems spanning departments and groups, multiple customer interaction channels, multiple authorizations and approvals required, multiple warranties and entitlements with overrides of restrictions for some customers, and multiple interactions required to resolve one customer issue.

It is the type of client that essentially determines whether offshoring will be a successful venture or not. If a company clients are high-end customers who require confidentiality, offshoring may not be the best solution for the company outsourcing needs. On the other hand, lower level functions that do not require oral interactions or only some basic oral interactions, still may realize cost benefits through offshoring.

The traditional way of thinking about service centers is that if agents have to do too much multi-tasking, their attention is too widely dispersed to be effective. Neither companies, nor service agents themselves, have been quick to accept the notion that sales and service can work well together, if promoted correctly. Service-oriented workers generally consider sales calls a negative customer interaction. However, some companies, faced with declining revenues and increased costs, have chosen to combine targeted sales techniques with service oriented call functions. The sales promotions are customer-directed. In other words, the agent only interjects a sales pitch into the conversation when customers are seeking particular solutions to particular problems and a product is available that might assist them.

This gradual bleeding-away of dissatisfied customers has been an area that experts have studied, but now there's a new name for it: silent attrition. The banking industry has coined this term. For every customer who asks critical questions or complains, there are many others who choose to bottle up their discontent and gradually distance themselves from the company. Most dissatisfied customers who do not complain will eventually take their business elsewhere, whereas only about one in five who are vocal about their dissatisfaction will eventually do so.

Other critical features are out-of-the-box results--the software should be plug-and-play. Another thing to look for is online self-service capabilities, such as a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) section. Help Desk software should also support the full integration of e-mail between users and Help Desk workers. Software should also be able to leverage existing investments, have extensive reporting capabilities, and feature the flexibility to support other business areas.

Before submitting a request, check the knowledge base to see if you can find your answer. If it's not an emergency, consider submitting a written request using the form on the support site. In case of emergency, if you need to talk to someone about your problem, call the help desk at 312-341-4357 (HELP). Agents are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To track the progress of your request, watch your email for updates or log into the support site to view all your tickets.

If you're away from your office most of the time, you might want to consider a product that offers a Web interface. A Web interface to the Help desk application makes updating job-status listings easier. In addition, a Web-based solution with multilevel access lets end users check the status of their requests without involving a support person. Some applications that this Buyer's Guide lists even let end users employ a Web interface to resolve problems.