An online helpdesk is vital in the process of providing support for many different types of companies. Web hosting companies use online helpdesks to field issues from clients by priority. With the right online helpdesk, you can provide better customer support.
With the right online helpdesk, it’s easier to manage conversations with your clients. You have many different choices when it comes to your helpdesk needs. From keeping it in-house to outsourcing your entire support operation, the right decision will make a difference for your customers and your business.
What will you Use it For?
The use of an online helpdesk is the first decision you need to make. If you are a hosting company, it’s pretty obvious, you will use an online helpdesk to provide support to your hosting clients. However, if you don’t run a hosting company, you may have another reason for the helpdesk.
Some companies use a helpdesk as a part of their internal operation. Instead of fielding issues from customers, they field issues from employees. This may help with internal managing of IT operations.
Web Hosting Helpdesks
A helpdesk for a web hosting company can range all the way from a simple ticketing system to a full-fledged helpdesk. It all depends on the type of service you want to provide and how large your company is and plans to be. If it’s just you running the support, you may not need much sophistication. However, if you have hundreds of customers, a full system may be the best choice.
Hosted vs. On-Premise Helpdesk
After making the decision to use your helpdesk to support your hosting customers, you will need to decide if you will keep it on premise or choose the hosted option. With an on premise system, you will be responsible for all the maintenance, security and customizations. Choosing the hosted option will make the maintenance somebody else’s issue and you can access it from anywhere. You will also have the latest updates with a hosted system.
Outsourcing your Helpdesk Operations
The helpdesk decision isn’t an easy one. If you plan to use it to help provide support for your web hosting business, you may be better of outsourcing the entire support operation.
Many hosting providers outsource their technical support simply because it allows for experts to handle their support requests. When you outsource your hosting helpdesk, you won’t have to worry about buying or renting the software. You will also gain access to a team of experts ready to handle all support issues for you.
Maybe you don’t have the man power to provide full 24/7 customer support. This could be killing your business and making it very hard for you to compete. With outsourced hosting support, you will be able to provide 24/7 expert customer support without the need to buy your own online helpdesk.
Deciding which helpdesk option is right for you isn’t always easy. There are several options to choose from and many decisions to make along the way. For many hosting companies, the best option will be to outsource your online helpdesk and the rest of your hosting support. Not only will this make things easier or you, but your customers will also gain access to expert support.