Recently, I was tasked with the job of getting a Helpdesk system setup and integrated for an existing client. Although the Salesforce Service Cloud always comes to mind as customizability and feature set is second to none, it was complete overkill for my client. However, their requirements were not simple by any means. Here’s a quick summary of my client’s requirements:
- A ticketing system. This system needed to aggregate all support requests that were generated through phone calls and emails. The system also needed to support more modern channels like Facebook and Twitter for future growth.
- An online knowledgebase. This knowledgebase had to fed through Screensteps help articles automatically (screensteps is a powerful article authoring tool). These articles must be easy to create and push to the knowledgebase to help deflect calls and email support. These articles also needed to be updated regularly.
- Multi-branding. Several different brands were required to be handled by the same system
- Integration with existing systems. Most cases are anonymous however the system needed to integrate with Salesforce should the data already exist in Salesforce or they wanted to push it to Salesforce. Salesforce service cloud was overkill for their needs however. Screensteps was used for authoring all their help articles and it was critical that those articles get pushed across easily.
- Mobile and cloud availability. The helpdesk needed to be available anywhere on any device. The customer facing knowledgebase also needed to be available in a mobile format.
- Affordable pricing structure. They are an small business with limited resources trying to grow their business. Pricing would be a key factor.
After much review, Desk.com was chosen as the solution for this client. Here are 5 reasons why I choose this solution:
- A universal inbox. Although other competitive systems had this feature also, Desk had all the channels covered. Phone, email, chat, Twitter, Facebook and discussion. They may only be using a subset of these channels now but it’s nice to know that they’re available when needed.
- A power self service case deflecting knowledgebase. If a customer can get a detailed solution to their problem or question, it’s a win-win to both parties. This knowledgebase is also easily accessible via a mobile device for those looking for solutions on the go.
- Multi-branding and custom branding. Again, other competitive solutions had this feature however not for the same price point. Setting up multi-branded support sites with varying look and content were done fairly easily on Desk once we understood how process worked.
- Integrations. Salesforce owns Desk.com (they were originally calles Assistly before being bought be Salesforce) so good integration was expected and they delivered. Desk.com cases are now visible in Salesforce for sales people, reporting purposes and association to Salesforce contacts or leads. Leads or contacts can also be created from Desk.com contacts. Screensteps manuals were linked with Desk.com topics so now all Screensteps articles push across to Desk.com when authored and published. With the integrations, now each cloud solution is able to be used for its strengths (Salesforce – sales/marketing, Desk.com – Service, Screensteps – Documentation) while preventing data silos within the company.
- Pricing is simple. Full time agents are just $29/month. Flex agents are billed out at $1.00/hour. In this client’s situation, some staff covered service sporadically to the cost of a full time agent was not warranted and the flex agent structure was ideal. As the company adds other full time or flex agents they will be able to scale knowing the feature set accommodates their needs and their added staff .
Although not specifically sought after, the business rules, macros, filters and all of the other productivity tools were a nice surprise and are now being taken advantage of.
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Are you looking for help with your Desk.com setup? Need help with Salesforce and Desk.com integration for your small business? We are Salesforce experts and as a result of this project, very familiar with Desk.com. For more information contact Perpetual West at 1 (877) 388-6400.