How to Find a Help Desk Software Solution

Hosted Call Center and Free Customer Support Solutions

Sep 28, 2009

What computer programs are available to manage a call center and why should a company invest in such a program?

If a company has an IT department, then it should have an IT Help Desk. Any sizable IT company should also have a call center or help desk for customer support. To that end, finding a good help desk software program is important.

Value of Call Center or Help Desk Software

Help desk or call center software allows the call center or help desk run itself to a large extent. Many customer support software programs allow customers to log calls without human contact. Managers can draw statistics, set SLA parameters and receive alerts for calls that need to be escalated.

Decision makers who search the internet will be able to find call center management software that will suit the company budget. Some customer support software is free, while other programs are very expensive. There are many offerings in between. A manager should not think free software is no good, many free call center software programs offered are excellent and are well supported on internet forums and wikis.

An example of free help desk management software is Mantis, which is very well known and supported amongst the Open Source community. Mantis requires a Linux based Web Server with PHP and MYSQL installed. Mantis is customizable to suit the needs of most companies. It is also a web-based solution which is an advantage since there is no need for any special client side software installation.

The fact that Mantis is free means that the company can save on expensive licensing. The program can be installed on a remote server and accessed from anywhere in the world, meaning that a company can be totally virtual. It can also be used as a Project Management tool, allowing team members to collaborate on projects together.

At the other extreme, call center management software “HEAT” from Frontrange Solutions is very expensive, but worth the investment for a company that has the budget to invest in it. HEAT is considered by many to be the “Rolls Royce” of call center management software.

Hosted Call Center Management

A new trend emerging in call center management is the phenomenon called “hosted call center.” A hosted call center allows a company to have agents anywhere in the world. According to Touchstar,the hosted call center eliminates the need to invest in hardware and maintenance and gives the company access to a secure data center that is proactively managed twenty four hours a day, seven days a week to ensure the company call center is always operational. All an agent needs is a PC, headset, and broadband connection.

Some companies outsource their entire call center to a third party who handle both “inbound” and “outbound” calls on their behalf, allowing the company to focus on what it is they do best.

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