How Helpdesk Software Can Help an Online Business

For someone running an online business, being able to quickly and efficiently help customers can be just as important as what is being sold. If patrons do not receive an immediate response from a question, or are shuffled from person to person, they likely will find somewhere else to spend their money. Providing better customer service online can be vastly improved through the addition of helpdesk software.

What helpdesk does

Helpdesk software aids online companies in developing better customer relations by providing support for patrons when they encounter problems or have questions. The programs are often highly adaptable so they can be applied to any businesses’ particular situation. Some common features of helpdesk software include:

*Creates a large database to allow employees to easily access needed information, which cuts down on the amount of time searching for an answer to help customers
*Generates automated responses to e-mail inquiries, letting customers know their question or order has been received
*Provides avenues for team members to communicate about ongoing issues
*Provides a way to measure the effectiveness of responses to customer contacts

How helpdesk can improve business

There are a number of things that can go wrong when a customer calls or e-mails an online business. Calls can often be a long, drawn out process that tends to frustrate patrons, especially if they have to be passed from one employee to another while the right information is found. E-mail requests may never reach the business if they are seen as spam. If it is received, employees may fail to respond in an adequate amount of time. Helpdesk software can improve customer service in a variety of ways.

*A central data base is created from which all employees who deal with customers have access, decreasing the amount of time needed to search for information to help clients
*The data base can be searched using keywords or phrases
*Customers can also access the data base in order to search for answers on their own
*E-mails are routed through the helpdesk first, eliminating the chance of being marked as spam
*Automatic e-mail responses can be generated to let customers know their inquiry has been received and has been put into the system
*Customer service personnel have access to all current and past support tickets generated
*Provides performance ratings for customer service personnel
*Support tickets can be generated automatically from e-mail

Customers expect online businesses to be more tech savvy than traditional brick and mortar shops. Investing in helpdesk software to improve customer relations may be expensive in the short-term, but it can be a small price to pay to keep clients happy and coming back for more business. The programs are highly adaptable to meet any company’s needs and can improve the efficiency of customer support agents.

Sarah Peterson writes for a website that offers free helpdesk software advice to business owners, as well as reviews of the different products currently available.

How Helpdesk Software Can Transform a Small Business

Small business owners who feel their company is stagnating because of the slow economy may be looking for ways to increase their customer base and keep their current customers coming back. A good way to improve customer service is through utilizing effective helpdesk software. Helpdesk software is an investment that gives continual returns through increased customer satisfaction but also can provide the following benefits for a small business owner:

Greater Efficiency

The most valuable commodity of any small business is time, and time management is an important key to financial success. Helpdesk software can help support staff make the most of their interactions with customers and speed problem resolution in the following ways:

• By automating the entire process surrounding a customer’s problem
• By automatically tracking issues that may need to be revisited again
• By improving the flow of information for support agents and clients
• By providing a database of facts that customers and agents can access quickly
• By providing IT solutions within the organization so that employee downtime is reduced
• By identifying recurring problems so that a solution can be adapted

More Dependability

Customers and employees desire a quick fix to their problems, and helpdesk software is the easiest way to provide them with immediate support. Helpdesk software provides problem resolution with the following benefits:

• Solutions within a short time period, almost always within 24 hours
• Fewer dropped calls or unresolved issues
• Greater quality assurance
• Reduction in errors that result in an onsite visit or a second problem-solving visit
• Rule based call management for fair treatment of all customers
• Proven resolution tools with logical progression to reach problem resolution

Whether a company chooses to use live chat with support agents, email, co-browsing, or other helpdesk software, it can be confident that these methods will result in the need for fewer employees and eliminate communication problems. Helpdesk software can prevent a backlog of troubleshooting issues which invariably results in greater customer approval ratings.

Helpdesk agents also win when a small business employs effective helpdesk software. They are given the necessary tools for managing each client’s problem and can respond in a structured procedure. They have the history of the problem at their fingertips for instant access and can use automated tools to solve the issue without delay. Most helpdesk software also provides statistical reports that can be used by management to improve a system that has weaknesses.

If problem solving has become a big time vampire in your small business, stealing valuable employee hours, it may be time to consider the purchase of helpdesk software. It can take your business to a whole new level of customer service that just might result in a growing number of new clients.

Guest author Sarah Peterson writes for a website that compares open source helpdesk software and offers advice to business owners on which product is most suitable for their needs.

Could Help Desk Software Help Your Business?

Do you want to help your business in every way possible? Of course you do, and help desk software is one way you can attain more productivity when selling your products or services. With help desk software, you have access to many features that can increase your client base by providing customers with the best support and information. Read on to learn of just some of the features that can be found through help desk software.

Knowledge Base

• Help desk software allows you to maintain a central base that will have all of the information your employees need to work more efficiently. Support can be given to your clients much more quickly, providing them with technical information, answers to questions and solutions to problems either through a representative or through finding information on their own. This feature can save a good deal of your employees' time as clients may locate the answers they seek without the need for contacting a representative of your company. If a representative is required, faster support can be provided by using this software.

Customization

• The software is customizable so that you will be able to fine-tune it to meet your specific business needs. There will be no worry about having features that will be of no use to you or doing without features that your particular business could definitely use.

Availability of Languages

• Help desk software can display multiple languages, ensuring that you can increase the efficiency of your business by catering to the needs of clients in different parts of the world.

Web-Based Interface

• A web-based interface will create a user-friendly environment that will make it easy for clients to get information on products or services and find support. Your employees will also have an easier time finding the information that they need in order to satisfactorily help your clients.

Ability to Vote

• Clients will have the opportunity to vote on various aspects of your website, such as support help. This feature gives you a chance to gain valuable feedback on how your business is faring on the Internet and where some upgrades or improvements might be needed.

Sign On Authorization

• Individuals logging onto the website of your business will also be automatically logged onto the help desk software. This feature will help to avoid confusion when a certain area of the site needs to be accessed, as the help desk will be readily available.

Useful Search Tools

• When trying to find an answer to a question, search tools will allow multiple areas on your site to be accessed, providing an easier and quicker way to find the appropriate information. Your clients will not become impatient with long waits and much searching in order to acquire the data that they need.

If you deal with customer queries on a daily basis, the productivity of your company will increase through the use of help desk software. Your clients will have a much better experience when they have questions or need support of some type. Your employees will also have an easier time providing clients with the information that is needed to keep them well informed and satisfied.

This is a guest post from Sarah Peterson, writer for a help desk software review website that aims to help small business owners find the right solution for their business needs.

Internet marketing strategies that can ensure maximum returns

With the widespread use of the internet as a communication medium, most large and small business firms have started working online in order to capture a mass audience. As a large number of people work online and socialize through the social networking websites, it is best when you boost your internet marketing efforts so as to make sure that you can target the highest audience in the market. Exploring some strategies and techniques that can be used in the internet will support your overall business efforts and assist you in getting maximum returns.

• Develop your product: You should develop your product after determining the needs of the audience. Unless you know what the audience needs, you can never design a product that is tailored to meet their needs. You have to make a comprehensive market research so that you can easily know what the people need from you and what kind of a product can satisfy them the most.
• Check your competitors: The next thing that you need to do is to check your competitors so that you may be able to know their strength and weakness and then develop yourself in order to be the best among them. You should also make sure that you have all the strengths that can make you the best company and attract the highest number of audience.
• Develop the marketing strategies: The marketing strategies of a company are the most important thing that’s usually tested by the people who are there into the internet marketing industry. There are various methods of testing your marketing efforts, through e-mail and through social media marketing. You should try out every single option to promote your product and boost the visibility of the website.
• Leverage the social media: You can certainly leverage the social media so as to grab the highest number of audience who are always online. A large number of online audience are always online and therefore you should track them and target them while you’re using the social networking websites like the Facebook and Twitter.

If you’re in the market to promote your company or product, make sure you know all the internet marketing techniques that can assist you in earning maximum returns.

Do You Know How to Invest in Stocks?

Author: Jeen van der Meer

Stocks are a big part of our society today. If you are new and do not know how to invest in stocks, this article will give you the gist of it. You will be amazed at how much money you can potentially earn just by trading stocks. The key is research and understanding what you are doing.

Before getting into further details, it is important you understand what a stock is. A stock is a paper asset that various companies use to raise money. By purchasing a stock you are becoming a part owner of the business depending on how much you purchase. So how do you know how well you and your company are doing?

Each company that has stocks is given a ticker symbol to be used as an identification tag. You can then follow your company by looking for the symbol and reading up on how they are doing. When it comes to companies selling stocks, there are a couple of different stocks including blue chip and penny stocks.

If you are going to invest in stocks, typically blue stocks are the ones you want to go with. They are the best stocks and are considered the safest for you. What makes a stock a blue chip stock is that the companies stocks are financially secure. This way you know the company is not going to go bankrupt, allowing you to safely invest a little more money than usual.

When investing in stocks you have a few options. One method is to go through the company's direct stock purchase plan. Not every company has a direct stock purchase plan, but many do. Do your research to see which companies offer one.

A second method is using a DRIP program. Many companies that do not have a direct stock purchase plan have a dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP) you can get into. This is a great tool to allow you to grow your portfolio.

A third method is purchasing a stock through a specialized service. There are a number of companies that sell individual stocks if you want to just get your feet wet first. After purchasing a few stocks, you can then buy more later.

Everything mentioned thus far does not have to do with a broker, but getting a broker is another option. Using a broker is great if you do not want to deal with stocks directly yourself. But you do have to realize that using a broker calls for you paying a commission to pay for their fees.

If you are looking to start investing in stocks, it is important you take the time to learn about trading stocks and purchasing them. There are several different methods you can use to invest in stocks whether it is through a broker or not.

Jeen van der Meer
www.howtoinvest.nethomeshop.com


Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/investing-articles/do-you-know-how-to-invest-in-stocks-381427.html

About the Author
I have been an internet marketer for 4 years.After having tried a lot of different programs and working on dozens of ebooks on the subject, I decided to promote only those programs that give people a chance to actually learn how to do the job step by step.

8 Good Things About the Credit Crunch

Author: imad sedki

It is very hard these days to watch the news or read your daily newspaper without being constantly bombarded by predictions of doom and gloom and worse days to come due to the current credit crunch. Large banks are falling like flies after a lengthy fanatical high fuelled by a long greedy lending binge. With an increasing number of large businesses collapsing and the promise of many more to come, people find themselves constantly battling with feelings of uncertainty about the future were catastrophe seems to be looming just around the corner. However, we conveniently forget about the many perks that might result out of all this misery and we seem to have a strong tendency to push aside any optimistic ideas in keeping with the general doomsday mood that the media keeps inflicting upon us. The following points might help add a pinch of salt to our general perception of life and project a flicker of light towards the end of the tunnel.

1 High Inflation


With inflation edging just below 5 points, things are getting more expensive every day. Yes, we are coughing up increasing amounts of money for the daily essentials and most of our salaries will not keep up with the increase. But for those of us who have debts and mortgages -which is probably a large majority as a result of the government's last ten years economic policy- things are not as bad as it seems. With inflation figures very close to the Bank of England interest rates, we are paying our mortgage lenders a smaller margin of profit in real money value. For a typical £100000 mortgage, inflation alone is reducing just under £5000/year of the real value of the money owed. In a few years when we eventually emerge from the other end, many people will realise that this credit crunch has reduced the required time for paying their mortgages compared to average years.

2 Lower Interest Rates


No bonus points for guessing that sooner or later, the Bank of England will have to reduce interest rates to stimulate the economy. In our modern volatile economic environment, we are in a rare situation where we can be that certain about the coming year's interest rate predictions. This is obviously good news for those of us with debts and mortgages but it is also fantastic news for business that know  -providing they can stay afloat- a significant highly predictable boost is already in the mail.

3 Lower Immigration

Remember how hard it was last year to go through a day without reading a story about the considerable influx of immigrants into an already saturated island with infrastructure struggling to cope with the numbers? There has been a long debate about the effects of immigration and about weighting its benefits against its social and economical impacts. This has prompted the government to introduce major reforms to the immigration rules which came just in time for the credit crunch to score a double whammy in the same direction. A weak pound combined with an unsecure, over-saturated job market is making the UK less attractive for new immigrants and even forcing some of those already here to think about leaving. The correction of course does not happen over night, but it seems that the system has its own way of brining back harmony and balance equalising immigration volumes with the country's capacity to welcome new comers.

4 Positive Environmental Impact

With greedy big oil inflating prices and a weak US dollar, highly oil-dependent businesses in general are becoming less competitive compared with less oil-dependent ones. There is a growing incentive for both governments and businesses to switch to greener options in addition to making research in order to find alternative energy sources more economically viable.

5 Increased Exports


It is a no brainer that the current weak pound will increase the competitiveness of our business abroad. This will play a significant role in getting us out of the crunch and will help create new jobs on the long run.

6 Collapse of Under Performing Businesses

They say in an up moving market, only fools manage to loose money, while in a crashing one only the best are able to survive. The credit crunch is tourching through financial markets like a forest fire. It is weeding away old infrastructures with weaker less cost effective businesses leaving behind only the solid foundations. Once the fire is out, we will have a market with only the best performing useful businesses and lots of space for expansion.

7 Improved Tourism Revenue

A weak sterling and high air fares have already forced many of us to consider exploring the great destinations that good old GB has on offer for our next holiday. It is also cheaper now for foreign tourists to visit the UK which promises a nice timely boost to the tourism industry that in turn will generate extra real revenue contributing to end the crunch.

8 Lower House Prices

We all have been complaining about over-inflated house prices during the last 5 years, but when house prices come crashing down like a wall of bricks, we complain even more. The reality is, as we all knew and conveniently ignored, we all had it coming, and a seemingly endless inflation in house prices is obviously unsustainable on the long run. Although this crash might be bad news for those of us who need to sell and down-grade during the crunch, the majority of home owners who borrowed sensibly will not be affected even if they wanted to sell and buy a similarly priced or more expensive property. As for first time buyers, yes they will struggle during the crunch to get a mortgage, but once this is over, they will be able to buy the same houses with smaller mortgages, and with inflation wiping even more of their mortgage costs and interest rates expectedly coming down, this might compensate them for the rent money they had to pay during the crunch years.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/investing-articles/8-good-things-about-the-credit-crunch-601334.html

About the Author
I am an NHS doctor living in the UK with an interest in economy. I tend to move in the opposite direction from where the herd is heading and in these difficult days this probably means to be full of optimism, happy and appreciate life as it is.

5 Important Tips Before Investing Online

Author: Ceasar Gustav

Whenever you are planning to make money in a currency markets you need to know some recommendations and stay with the proper way. Everyone wants to invest in the stock market and dream of growing prosperous, nonetheless they never figure out how to get that done. Below are some effective investment hints that will help you to gain money in the time of trading inside the stock online.
Before we begin you have to know exactly what are going to be required so that you can trade stock. First of all you need a personal computer as well as an internet. Dealing stock can be accomplished over the telephone but probably using the internet helps you to trade stock the best possible means. One other thing you will probably need to have is a very good dealer for whom you are going to be trading through.
Now that you figure out what you will require let us look into some online investing ideas:

1. Figure out how to analyze charts. Checking stock chart is an important section of trading stock on the internet given that stock chart will aid you to choose the stocks which are rising and also the stocks which are falling.
2. Never chose the stock that may drop in cost because you eventually believe it is going go up. You might think as a good option however it barely functions. Go for the company that's regularly rising. Which means you shouldn't try and invest in small stock and then sell top, it does not work well. Begin to purchase a low stock that is expensive, yet you are aware do not lower in cost anytime soon.
3. Try to look for a broker who has a pretty less commission payment. For those who have a agent who is charging a really expensive degree of commission rate it is best to quit him/her since the majority of the funds you make from buying and selling stock would probably get directly to there commission payment.
4. Learn when you sell and get. This is usually a challenging option to take in most cases comes equipped with working experience however, if you already know when you should sell off your own stocks, earlier than they will decrease in price, and you purchase stocks, before they boost in value, it will be easy to gradually obtain low and sell maximum in a since.
5. Never pay attention to the media in regards to managing stock. Whenever investing stock the marketplace comes up and low to immediately that the time the press informs you of which stock to dispose of or pick the time you will have passed on. Get the job done for yourself whenever you are dealing with stock and you ought to be able to grow in income.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/investing-articles/5-important-tips-before-investing-online-4877931.html
About the Author

Ceasar Gustav specializes in forex trading and worked in ForexManaged.co.uk offering online investing, managed forex account, and forex management to traders and investors.

Protect Yourself from Credit Repair Scams

With many still struggling in today’s economy, consumers are often looking for a way to repair their credit score quickly as more businesses are turning to such reports for everything from employment to apartment rentals. For this reason, many companies have cropped up that offer credit repair for a fee. The companies claim they can “remove negative items from your credit report” or that you can “create a new credit identity.” These claims are not only false, but may actually be illegal. For some, debt consolidation plans are the best option for helping to rebuild credit as these types of plans assist consumers in sticking to a repayment plan. For others, being patient and diligent regarding information that is on their credit report can improve credit.

Removing Negative Items

Any company that claims they can remove legitimate negative items from a credit report is making a false statement. The fact is that credit reporting agencies report negative information for seven years from the date of the delinquency. In most cases, court judgments and bankruptcies can be reported for up to 10 years. However, if a negative item has been placed on a credit report in error, the consumer has rights regarding the removal of the item. To dispute a negative item on a credit report, consumers should contact the credit bureau, in writing, to dispute the item. The letter should include the name of the company that reported the negative information, the reason the consumer feels the information is inaccurate and copies of any documents supporting the belief that this is an error. The letter should be sent certified mail; return receipt requested so that the consumer has a record that the reporting agency received the correspondence.

Contact the Creditor

In addition to contacting the credit reporting agency, consumers should file a dispute with the creditor who reported the negative information as well. Send the dispute certified mail, return receipt requested to the address listed in the credit report with the same documentation sent to the credit reporting agency. Request that the creditor provide proof that the debt is accurate in the form of signed agreements or other documentation verifying that the debt is valid. The law requires that creditors provide consumers with validation of any debt that is reported to a credit reporting agency within 30 days of receiving such a request.

Credit Bureau Responsibilities

Once the credit reporting agency receives the correspondence, they must investigate the items in dispute within 30 days. Once the investigation is complete, the credit bureau must provide the consumer with the results as well as a copy of an updated credit report if the information has changed. It may take several dispute letters to have a negative item removed from a credit report. If the reporting creditor provides validation for the debt that the consumer still feels is inaccurate, a statement regarding the dispute may be provided to the credit bureau for inclusion in any future reports.

Debt consolidation companies can help consumers stick to a debt repayment plan, but they cannot repair credit. If a credit report contains inaccurate information, the consumer can request correction without assistance from a credit repair company at no cost.