Service Management Software for the 21st Century

If you are constantly facing challenges in how best to address your next purchase of service management software, it may be time to take a closer look at how you are meeting needs now and what will be necessary to meet those needs in the future. A number of companies today no longer deliver support through the standard brick-and-mortar service building and instead focus on delivering what the customer needs, where the customer needs it.

As a result, a number of services are delivered in the field, meaning individuals working to support the customer for the company are actually mobile. They are working from remote locations, yet still relying on the parent company to provide the tools they need to get the job done. Service management software that is designed for the 21st century can address these needs today with tools, such as leveraging the best mobile helpdesk, to be sure the company can address the challenges of the future.

With support personnel out in the field, you likely have complex needs in order to serve the client base according to your high standards. Therefore, you have a service desk that not only serves customers, but also your field technicians. As a result, you need a robust solution that fulfills your service management software needs. These needs may include a set standard of response time for your technicians or a set response time for customers or both.

Such challenges in place for your organization mean that your service management software must be able to manage calls regardless of where they are originating and ensure they get to the correct end party. In other words, if you have a technician calling in to speak with a supervisor or knowledge leader, he or she should not be going through the same process as your customer base. Likewise, you don’t want a customer waiting in the queue because you have your experts tied up on the phone with your technicians.

One resolution is to invest in service management software that allows you to integrate with a web interface that allows your technicians in the field to have the same access to solutions your knowledge leaders have in-house. By the same logic, your service management software can also support self-service portals your customers use through your website to find their own answers to problems that are hindering their ability to get something done or use a product.

A robust service management solution will take into account all of the challenges and needs within your environment and produce the functions needed without obstacle. Keep in mind as well that the most powerful service management software on the market won’t deliver the anticipated value if it won’t integrate well with your system.

Be sure to know what you expect out of your service management software solution before you make the investment. Once you do make your selection, learn how to measure its value and how it is impacting your company. If the service management software solution you select provides more than you need to accomplish your goals, you may have overbought. Look for customization and don’t forget to examine hosted options–you never know what kind of value you might find.