What is a Cloud-Based Help Desk System?
As companies grow, so do their IT support needs. With the increasing number of devices used by employees and customers, it's becoming more challenging to manage IT support internally. Fortunately, cloud-based help desk systems offer an effective solution that has overtaken on-premise solutions in terms of flexibility, cost, maintenance, features, and extensibility.
A cloud-based help desk system is a platform that resides on third-party servers, making it easily accessible for agents from anywhere using an ordinary web browser. These systems are fully featured and regularly updated, allowing businesses to enjoy the benefits of powerful help desk solutions that can be accessed without bothering IT teams.
How does a Cloud-Based Help Desk System work?
Cloud service desks provide the same tools as traditional service desks, but they operate on a cloud-based platform. This is typically achieved through the use of Software as a Service (SaaS) help desk applications, which allow users to easily access cloud-based tools through an app or user-friendly interface.
With cloud-based help desks, service desk agents and managers only require an internet connection to access their ticketing system, as the servers and software are maintained and updated by the vendor's IT infrastructure. Cloud help desk services are intended to help companies scale up their help desk teams without the added burden and cost of managing their software and hardware needs.
Cloud-based help desk software offers more functionality than one might expect and has surpassed on-premises solutions due to the advantages it offers in terms of cost, maintenance, features, and extensibility.The future of streamlined business operations lies in cost-effective, cloud-based help desk systems. By leveraging the benefits of these systems, businesses can organize and simplify their processes, ultimately maximizing customer retention and customer care.
Advantages of Cloud-Based Help Desk Systems
1) Helps expand your talent board and diversify your team
Cloud-based help desk solutions that offer remote access have multiple advantages. They enable companies to hire help desk agents from anywhere in the world, allowing them to recruit highly skilled agents while significantly reducing costs. Additionally, companies can have multiple help desk teams located in different time zones, ensuring that customer support agents are available at all times in different geographical areas.
Furthermore, many cloud-based help desk solutions offer support for different languages, ensuring that end-users have a natural experience regardless of their location and language.
2) Yes, to an available anywhere model with immense accessibility
Although on-premises service desks provide the advantage of having all employees nearby, the service desk IT industry is increasingly shifting towards an IoT-compatible and "available anywhere" model. Therefore, as long as agents have an internet connection, cloud-based help desks make accessibility issues almost non-existent. Additionally, since the cloud serves as a central point of contact for all customer data, consolidating this data becomes a more streamlined process for support teams.
3) Enhanced, rooted security
Cloud-based service desk solutions are not only equivalent in quality to on-site solutions, but they are also fundamentally safer. This is because the cloud hosts the helpdesk rather than the help desk itself, making it possible to prevent cyber-attacks on hosted help desks from a remote location without the need for dedicated monitoring teams. Cloud service desks also employ advanced security measures that are often beyond the budgetary limits of many businesses.
4) Lends a continual momentum of scalability
Cloud-based service desks offer a significant benefit to businesses by enabling them to closely monitor their expenses when expanding their workforce and support capabilities. With a cloud help desk, businesses can move from an office-hours-only support system to a 24/7 system, which is just one of the many ways that a cloud help desk can assist with scaling.
5) Seamless collaboration across numerous social media channels
Cloud-based service desks integrate seamlessly with enterprise social media platforms, which can transform how service desk agents communicate with customers by providing a fluid and familiar mode of interaction similar to widespread social media sites.
Likewise, enterprise social media can promote collaboration within helpdesk teams and improve communication between managers and agents.
Cloud-based solutions commonly have much lower upfront costs compared to their on-premises counterparts due to their subscription-based pricing models. Once you adapt them to your business, heightened efficiency is likely to take on the core of your operations!
6) Better time management and enhanced productivity
Cloud-based help desk systems enable help-desk agents to manage the systems efficiently. They have full access to everything including their emails, live chats and social media at one place. With this kind of access, the agents can focus more on work. Cloud-based help desk solutions also offer many automated tools that allow agents to manage requests easily.
7) Lower cost and a better return on investment (ROI)
Cost is a crucial factor when considering cloud-based software, as it typically operates on a subscription-based model. This means the company can opt for flexible pay-per-user plans and choose features that specifically suit their needs. In contrast, on-premise versions require a hefty one-time payment, making them less affordable for startups and small businesses with limited budgets. Cloud-based help desk solutions offer additional advantages, such as free trials lasting from 7 to 30 days. This allows you to assess the tool's features and suitability before making a commitment. Furthermore, these solutions deliver faster return on investment (ROI) by reducing hardware and software requirements and effectively minimizing company’s costs.
8) Smooth deployment
Cloud-based help desk solutions are easier to deploy than on-premise solutions. There's no need to make changes to individual users' PCs, purchase additional hardware, or worry about storage, network capacity, and software licenses when demand increases. Additionally, deployment is, and the obstacle of having service/server downtime during deployment is completely avoided.
9) Availability of Multiple Customization Options
Cloud-based help desk solutions excel in providing customization options compared to on-premise alternatives. These tools allow tailor company’s help desk according to their specific requirements, giving them control over various aspects. Cloud environments allows them to modify the intranet launchpad by adding, removing, or rearranging links. Additionally, they can personalize elements of the live chat window, such as its placement, colors, icon size, text, and even the chat greeting message, enhancing the visitor experience.
10) 24/7 Customer Support
Customer support is a crucial consideration when opting for an on-site help desk solution. It often entails hiring additional IT support staff or relying on expensive vendor assistance. In contrast, cloud-based ticketing systems offer excellent 24x7 customer support. These companies have dedicated support teams trained to assist with various needs, including software deployment and plan upgrades. With reliable customer support, cloud-based help desk solutions offer comprehensive assistance throughout your usage journey.
Cloud-based solutions commonly have much lower upfront costs compared to their on-premises counterparts due to their subscription-based pricing models. Once you adapt them to your business, heightened efficiency is likely to take on the core of your operations!