As your business grows, so does your customer base. Their needs should be factored into your business which means comprehensive customer support.
Without it, concerns can manifest into problems and problems can soon become serious issues.
Customers can get exhausted if they continue to encounter the same issues over and over again. Without a fix in place, when they do decide to ask for support, that query remains unanswered.
To them, it seems as if your business is not listening. Ignorance is certainly not bliss when it comes to not responding to a customer.
With the right ticketing system, you can ensure that your customers feel appreciated. That they are listened to, even if it is by an automated system that does the hard work.
The best ticketing systems automatically resolve issues and direct the complex ones to the best-placed agents.
If you can ensure that your customer service agents are dealing with the most crucial of issues then your business can grow.
HappyFox – Best For Usability
Fewer customers prefer to speak to a customer service agent. That is perhaps understandable when so many people live their lives through multiple platforms.
With HappyFox, you can serve all those channels as individual tickets for easy tracking, which we liked in our testing.
There are few more usable systems than HappyFox as you can customize the interface to certain views or workflows.
Being able to focus on specific issues that you can predict is one thing, directing them is quite another.
With their Round Robin algorithm, you can direct queries to available agents to best manage expectations.
Even with the algorithm at work, you can escalate tickets if SLA limits are close to being breached.
Pros
- Comprehensive Multi-Channel Ticketing – Handles all your inbound requests then converts them into tickets
- Customizable – Adjust the interface to specific workflows or views when you need to focus on specific issues
- Round Robin Algorithm – Let the system find out which agents are free so you can manage expectations and possible escalations
Cons
- No Free Trial – A lot of ticketing systems allow you to test their software out first before purchasing
JitBit – Best Email Support
If you want a comprehensive email support system then there is no better option than Jitbit.
The system is ideal for businesses that tend to rely on email support rather than via phone or social media.
To aid your problem-solving, and the resolutions of your customers, you can save email responses to ensure the issue is addressed promptly every time.
Jitbit is comprehensive across various email protocols which we liked in our testing. If the right automated responses fail to hit the spot then their Help Desk Automation should.
You can ensure that customer service queries with specific keywords are answered by the agents that know best.
The system even features an “Ideas Forum” so your customers can suggest improvements to better improve your service.
Pros
- Versatile Email Ticketing System – The system support POP3, SMTP, IMAP as well as native MS Exchange protocols
- Help Desk Automation – Ensure that specific customer service queries are directed to the right agents or receive the right automated responses
- “Ideas Forum” – Allow your customers to suggest and even vote for new features to provide a better experience
Cons
- Email-Centric – The system forwards support email yet you may prefer a system that has a consistent approach across multiple channels
Kayako – Best For Value And Multi-Language Support
Having your ticketing system provide solutions 24/7 can be crucial to your business. While your customer service team may be away, you can ensure Kayako takes care of certain problems.
That includes a Knowledge Base so customers can find their answers whenever they want to.
You can deliver your customer service support in a variety of languages across multiple channels. That includes Live Chat Software, email as well as social media on Facebook and Twitter.
One key feature which we liked in our testing was the context-driven customer service where you can see their journey and numerous interactions in Kayako SingleView.
Ensuring a personal interaction with your customers is an ideal way to resolve their issues.
Pros
- Live Chat Software – Ensure comprehensive support so you can help customers whatever time it is
- Kayako SingleView – See the problem in the customer’s eyes by knowing how and why they have come to ask for support before
- Knowledge Base – Keep your customers happy even when your support team is away with instant solutions
Cons
- Messenger Issues – The system was known to have problems with its Messenger service
Zendesk – Best For Marketing
Ticketing systems are great for resolving a customer’s specific issues. However, Zendesk goes further to actively help generate more sales for your business.
Their help-desk approach is geared towards marketing.
For instance, if a support ticket can be resolved by a particular product then the system can hand off the ticket to the sales team, which we enjoyed in our experience of this product.
You can even set Zendesk to give your customers that extra push to turn their browsing into a sale.
This is by using live chat modules when a customer remains looking at a specific product or is stuck on the checkout page which can trigger that crucial sale.
As you may expect, there is also a shared inbox to help collaborate on your queries, no matter which channel they have originated from.
Pros
- Sales Generating – Gathers customer data to direct queries to specific products and crucially close sales
- Shared Inbox – Ideal for collaborative resolutions from queries that come in via multiple channels
- Answer Bot – Benefit from a bot that can direct queries to articles that can resolve a specific issue
Cons
- Sandbox Test Environment – This excellent feature is only available in the most expensive plans
Freshdesk – Best For Big And Small Businesses
For a comprehensive ticketing system, look no further than Freshdesk. Part of the appeal is in their affordable pricing and a range of plans to suit several businesses.
Automations and intuitive tickets can ensure that repetitive tasks are dealt with so your agents can deal with the more important tickets.
One of the system’s features is a shared inbox so teams can collaborate on tickets and assign them amongst themselves.
Limiting duplication and promoting prioritization, which we liked in our testing. Automatic email notifications for specific ticket statuses and triggered escalation points can help customers.
With handy and accessible analytics at the click of a button, you can spot problems before they become major issues.
This is an ideal ticketing system that provides tailored solutions for your business and your customers.
Pros
- Intuitive Ticketing – Automation rules help solve customer problems quicker leaving your agents dealing with the appropriate queries
- Omnichannel Support – Use the ticketing system across queries received over the phone, via email, chat, or even social media
- Analytics – Track your customer service performance and resolve problems before they escalate
Cons
- Phone Support – Only paid users to receive 24-hour a day phone support during the week
Buyers’ Guide
There are various factors that you need to consider before shelling out on a ticketing system for your business.
This can include which channels of communication you want to prioritize as well as the size of your business.
If you only have a small customer service team then finding an available one may not be so useful.
You may also want to consider international customers or those who send queries during the night.
Having automated chatbots or automated replies can help make a customer feel appreciated.
SLA Management and analytics should also be crucial elements that go into ensuring that you can perform root cause analysis.
You can also look to enhance your business by ensuring that the system can help close sales and provide answers with a knowledge base.
Response Customization
Your customer service agents can get bored, really quickly if they continue to answer the same questions repeatedly.
Find a ticketing system that is programmed to automatically respond with the correct answers to specific questions.
This can be managed via macros, automation rules, or even chatbots for the most menial of tasks to quickly resolve queries.
With that system in place, you can free up your agents to answer more tailored, difficult questions.
If certain agents are better equipped to deal with queries and issues regarding specific products or features then better customization can help.
By taking care of straightforward issues, you are ensuring that more time is spent on more difficult queries by the most appropriate customer service agents.
That personable approach can help win customers over and save time.
Ticket Assigning
If you can let your ticketing system deal with more basic customer issues, assigning tickets to the right people can make a huge difference.
That should mean a ticketing system where you can categorize certain queries, prioritize more urgent ones then assign specific tickets to the agents that can deal with them.
Automation rules can come in really handy for tagging specific keywords in a query then assigning the ticket to a specific agent.
Your customer service team will benefit from advanced case distribution and management while service requests will have more appropriate handling.
If certain agents can declare themselves as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) on particular subjects then the ticketing system should take this into account.
In turn, this will boost case resolution rates as a customer’s query will be assigned to the agent best equipped to resolve it.
SLA Management
SLA’s can make or break a customer service experience. Once you set certain expectations about how long it should take to resolve certain issues, the ticketing system can help.
If it can flag when an issue is about to breach an SLA or escalate the query in good time then this problem can be dealt with.
While you may not be able to resolve every issue in the correct SLA, the least you can do is ensure that the customer knows that their query has been received.
That means automated responses that are triggered at certain times to maintain their expectations.
Keeping your customers happy is one thing, preventing a breach of SLAs is one vital way of ensuring that expectations are met.
Analytics
When used correctly, analytics can reduce major issues to mere concerns and identify potential escalation points before they manifest.
By producing reports and providing useful data that can predict problems you can be better equipped to deal with issues as early as possible.
This can keep your daily business operations running smoothly as the analytics will identify those crucial issues.
The best ticketing system has advanced analytics to produce reports that show how various tickets are progressing.
Analytics can also review how a particular team is performing and show what their top queries are.
Root cause analysis is vital to reduce the number of incoming tickets by solving the issues in the first place.
Individual Customer Pages
To ensure that your customers feel like their queries are being handled properly, find a ticketing system with personalized customer pages.
That way an agent can see a customer’s ticket history and see the issues they have already faced. There may even be a specific pattern that can highlight a bigger problem.
The page should also display who has dealt with and resolved particular issues, which can increase shared knowledge.
If the issue is a repeat occurrence then your customer likely does not want to go through the same process and the same questions again.
Having their prior customer journey on one page can let the agent view the problem as the customer sees it and provide a better experience.
Knowledge Base
Why not let your customer solve their issue themselves?
You may be surprised to learn that customers can get more from a knowledge base if it means the answer to their issue is only a few clicks away.
Not only will this save your customer from having to generate a ticket but it will also save your customer service team from having to resolve another ticket too.
This can be a really efficient way to deal with customer issues and it takes care of itself.
As long as the answers and instructions are clear enough then a knowledge base can become really useful.
Preventing tickets from occurring in the first place is an ideal solution, especially if your business is growing as you can concentrate on other aspects.
Sale Closing
Not only can a ticketing system resolve issues but it can help your business close more sales too.
Several software integrations can spot when a customer is spending time looking at a specific product.
They can also tell if a customer has left a product in their basket before finishing the checkout process.
The best ticketing system will offer an opportunity to interact with the customer and let them know that the sale is not yet complete.
That extra push or acknowledgment of their actions so far can help you close a sale.
Omnichannel Support
It should not be difficult for customers to submit a ticket and they should be able to do it on a platform of their choice.
Your business should have multiple points of contact including the basics such as email and over the phone.
Having the ability to enhance your customer support experience through social media, live chat or the help desk itself should be expected.
The best ticketing systems find a simple and effective way of assigning these tickets so that your agents can manage them properly.
The tickets themselves should not be vastly different, no matter which channel they have come from.
Keeping your customer service team organized should come from a ticketing system that works consistently across all channels.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are Ticketing Systems?
Ticketing systems can be better known as helpdesks. The systems are essentially pieces of software to help a business with its customer support issues.
They can support several channels of communication, including issues received over the phone, via email, social media, or live chat widgets.
Why Are Ticketing Systems Important?
Without a ticketing system, you can be accused of neglecting your customers and their problems.
Without the software, you can really struggle to not only receive and manage requests for assistance from customers but also resolve them.
The best ticketing systems will include automation to instantly tag then direct tickets to the right customer services departments and particular agents.
This will significantly reduce the time taken to do this manually and ensure that queries are received and resolved promptly.
Agents get the tickets they expect and are best placed to manage while customers benefit from better response times.
The best ticketing system can make a significant difference to your business. By resolving issues faster, your customers will feel that they have been taken care of.
The agents that work in your business will also find that their incoming work is managed easier without duplication or confusion.
