Category Archives: Customer Support Software

Nothing compares to a strong, web-based, customer support tracking tool to streamline and manage customer support requests, but today more and more customers are taking their requests and complaints into social media.  Savvy customers know that organizations do not want negative comments on their facebook pages and can get fast resolution going that route, but did you know that social media can also be a great way to proactively manage your customer support?  From company announcements to customer support monitoring, social tools like Facebook are becoming more commonplace as a customer support tool.

Here is a great little article speaking to ways to use social media with your current customer support:

http://goshennews.com/breakingnews/x964872964/TECH-TALK-Use-social-media-as-a-customer-service-tech-tool

As always, please let us know if we can be of assistance building your customer support solution.

http://www.novosolutions.com/customer-support-software

It’s a given, if you have customers you have support issues.  Whether you serve retail customers or other businesses, support issues occur and must be resolved.  Today, more than ever, providing first-rate customer service is necessary to earn and keep your customers.

Some contributing factors to increased expectations are:

• We have become used to getting information quickly.  When we have to wait a few seconds can seem like an eternity.
• Many businesses are running on fewer staff.  The result may be customers having to wait longer for an agent to handle their call.
• Many businesses are maintaining smaller inventories.  Order fulfillment may take longer, resulting in customers inquiring on the status of their orders.
• Support reviews are easily found online.  A few bad online references can harm your business.  This is especially true when frustrated customers cannot get their issues quickly resolved.
• Competition is fiercer than ever.  Staying ahead of your competition in customer support is as essential to build and keep customers

The customer support aspect of your business is as important as the products that you sell.  More and more businesses are realizing this and ensuring support agents have the training and tools needed to bring fast resolutions.

A strong customer support software application empowers staff to effectively manage support issues.  The inclusion of a knowledge base tool allows agents or customers the ability to find answers quickly, shortening call times, or eliminating them all together.

So as you are looking for ways to improve your business, be attentive to the importance of customer service as a key element of retaining and gaining customers.

http://www.novosolutions.com/customer-support-software

With today’s workforce becoming more mobile than ever, supporting workers in a mobile environment is essential to ensuring employees can access the information they need to do their jobs, as well as easily comply with company documentation.  The added acceptance of Bring Your Own Devices (BYOD) to the workplace is allowing workers to do more of their work on their own personal Smart Phones and tablets.

A web based platform allows workers to access their company’s software from any location where they have Internet access.  This allows workers to get the important information they need on-demand and make updates at any time.  No more calling into the office for current information or waiting to go back to your desk to make updates.  Even technical reporting can be done en route!

Perhaps you have employees that work across multiple locations.  A web based platform allows them to access their software and make updates at one location, and view/edit them at any location.  Even multiple employees can access and update along the way, with the benefit of having everyone’s data in a single, mobile access repository.

All of the Novo Software, whether deployed in-house or Cloud hosted, is web based and can be accessed anywhere there is a web browser.  Give us a call if you would like a free trial of one of our customer support solutions.

http://www.novosolutions.com/help-desk-software/

It can be difficult to wrap your mind around how quickly technology changes.  The MS Office 2007 software that seems like it was just installed yesterday is now over  five years old.  Lucky for me it is still doing the job, but in many cases using old, outdated software can cause you to lose a lot of money.

If you are like most people you are trying to cut costs by lowering spending.  While it is wise to ‘prove’ the need for a new purchase, one must look at the efficiency costs of using an outdated application.

It is a good idea to frequently evaluate your software and ask:  Is this software meeting my needs?  Does it accomplish the things I need it to do?  Is it streamlining processes to decrease manpower time on everyday jobs?  Are details falling between the cracks because of lack of workflow?

Payroll is typically the largest expenses an organization has.  Using the right tools to organize tasks can result in huge reductions in workforce expenses.

Common mindsets to updating software:

1. Expense- Software can be very expensive.  As in other technologies, you possibly will find that prices have gone done since your last purchase.  Cloud computing is becoming very popular with affordable monthly renewals taking the place of huge up-front investments.  Also, if you are paying for a support contract for your existing application you might find that a cloud based solution may cost you even less.  With Cloud hosting you will also have the benefit of using the most current version, without the need for internal IT support.
2. Employee Learning Curve- This is one we all can relate to.  Our jobs are busy.  Who has the time to learn a new program?  While learning a new tool can be a deterrent, in the long run using program that does not do what you need it to do is more frustrating. Many business productivity applications have user interfaces and built in helps systems to get you up going as quickly as possible.
3. Lack of time needed to Research- There are some great companies on the Internet that will help you with research – for free!  Online sites, such as Capterra are a great place to look at several vendors from one site.  In search engines, typing ‘review’ after a product keyword will give you helpful  information to help in your research.

So as with everything, be sure to ‘count the costs’.  Upgrading an outdated solution can bring big savings and what may seem a cost can save you money in the long term

http://www.novosolutions.com/help-desk-software/

Customer support is a key focus here at Novo.  Because of the nature of our business, we practice this on two levels. 

Firstly, we are in business.  We have customers.  Therefore we must ensure that we are supporting our customers.  Not only is excellent customer service a key part of our business model, but businesses that don’t support their customers don’t stay in business very long.

Secondly, our business software revolves around helping others provide first quality customer support.  We are constantly making feature enhancements to our software to improve processes, helping companies work more efficiently so that they can provide the best support possible.

Providing stellar customer support is becoming increasingly more challenging.  In an age when people are used to instant gratification, having to wait on the telephone for support, not to mention all of the automated ‘help loops’ gets people frustrated very quickly.  In addition businesses need to run leaner and may have fewer agents than they used to for taking calls.

Still, good customer support is essential to any business and needs to be watched closely.  And in this age of social media, a bad review can be viewed around the globe.

Here is a great short read about the importance of customer service and social media.  http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/business-brains/how-to-avoid-the-customer-service-8216fiasco-formula/25497 .  Wishing you all the best as you serve your customers!

For more information on Novo customer support software see: http://www.novosolutions.com/customer-support-software/

The Cloud continues to be a topic of conversation these days with more and more organizations realizing the benefits of Cloud technology for all kinds of business functions. 

For IT, “Gartner has predicted that the percentage of companies having the majority of their IT infrastructure in the cloud will increase from just 3 percent to 47 percent in the next four years (*KM World, “Flexibility flourishes in the cloud”, May 28, 2012).”

After all it is easy to see why this shift is taking place.  Cloud services have a much lower cost entry point than typical in-house license deployments.  The software and data is housed on the vendor’s servers and updates are made by the vendor, so IT staff is not necessary.  And with improvements in security, worries about keeping data in-house have been minimized.  For many the cloud is an all round better solution!

Here at Novo we offer our support software as in-house licensed and Cloud hosted, but we are seeing more and more interest in our Cloud solutions.  If you have been putting off a software purchase because of the initial investment needed check out a Cloud platform.  It may be just what you need!

*Referenced article – http://www.kmworld.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=82712

For more information on the Novo Private Cloud see – http://www.novosolutions.com/solutions/cloud-computing/

Last month Novo celebrated thirteen years in business!  It has been a path of many turns with many more to come.  Needless to say technology has brought about a lot of changes – the workforce has also drastically changed with the need to be more efficient than ever.  We are grateful for our customers who with their feedback have helped shape the way for us to deliver outstanding support solutions.

At Novo we are working hard to take our software to the next level.  One of the more visible changes is our logo and website (www.novosolutions.com).  In latin Novo means “to make anew”.  In every department we are making things new, improving, and where needed starting fresh.  Our new logo and website reflects the changes that are coming!

We are deep in development of our new app which will take us (and you) to the next level of support management.  We are excited for the days to come and will keep you advised of Beta testing opportunities.  In the meantime we welcome your ideas and suggestions for ‘next level’ success!

For more information on the Novo Help Desk Software or other Customer Support Software Solutions see: http://www.novosolutions.com/help-desk-software/ 

Searching for software online can be an unpleasant task.  Whether for a work application or personal use, success in getting the right software can be key to saving time and money.

I straddle both sides of this fence.  As marketing manager for Novo Solutions I want to provide our visitors with the information they need to evaluate our software in ways that make it easy for them.  My job also involves utilizing software to aid in my daily tasks, so I am also in the seat of a researcher.  Here are some tips I have learned for getting the most from your research.

1. Determine what you are looking for.  Work with your coworkers to compose a features list of critical and optional features.  Determine the number of users and set a general budget.
2. Research keywords.  There are keywords that relate specifically to what you are searching for.  Begin your research with words that explain what you are looking for. Wikipedia can be a good source for finding industry “names” and “acronyms”
3. Start your research.  In addition to vendor pages you may also find websites that provide reviews for the software you are looking for.  Keep in mind many of these sites are not unbiased – some are vendor managed or vendors are paying to appear there.
4. Evaluate vendor’s websites.  Many vendors give you multiple ways to collect information.  Resources such as white papers, data sheets, feature lists and videos will allow you to “see” into their software.  Gather information so that you can compare features & pricing among vendors.
5. Create a long list of best fit vendors (5-10).  Create a comparison list of features compared to needs.   This is a good time to start contacting vendors for more information.  Organize your notes to keep information sorted.
6. Consolidate a short list.  Hopefully at this point you are down to 3-5 that are a good fit.  This is the time to see the app first hand.  Companies typically offer a free trial or demo where you can experiment with the app yourself.  Many will also offer a demo with a salesperson.
7. Select your software!  In addition to features & pricing, be mindful of post sale needs.  What is the term commitment?   Is support included?  What about implementation & training?  Will this app meet current & future needs?  There are numerous factors besides features & pricing to consider.

A good salesperson will help you through the process. They should listen to your needs and tell you honestly if they are a good fit for you.  So as they say, do your “homework.”  Having the right software to streamline your work can save you time – having the wrong software… well I think we have all experienced that…frustration!

For a free demo or trial of the nov software contact us – http://www.novosolutions.com

Last week we talked about the benefit of providing self support to customers with a self help knowledge base.  This week we will talk more about how a knowledge base is an essential tool for supporting agents with the information they need to quickly answer questions and resolve issues.

Most of us have had the unpleasant experience of having to make multiple telephone calls to a call center.  It is frustrating to be on hold and repeat your story, but what is worse is when you get a different answer from different representatives.  This often happens because the agents are not all gathering information from the same source.

If you are using shared folders, emails, or a home grown data base solution for storing company knowledge there is a better solution!  A central knowledge base repository is perfect for storing information that agents need when speaking to customers. This ensures that everyone is referencing the same information, and because it is simple to update, information is easily kept current.  Best practices and approved answers can be at agent’s fingertips so customers are told the right answer every time.

A cloud hosted knowledge base solution allows companies to step into a robust solution at an affordable price, and when priced per user, you only pay for what you need on a monthly basis.

Predictable answers.  Predictable fees.  The Novo Knowledge Base.

Contact us for a free trial of the Novo Knowledge base.
http://www.novosolutions.com/knowledge-base-software/

Well we polled our customers and the results are in.  95.3% of respondents rated Novo Support as “Very Satisfied’ or ‘Satisfied’.

A core mission of Novo Solutions is to serve our customers.  That means at the ‘point of sale’ the relationship is just beginning.  Unlike some companies who give a lot of attention to ‘make the sale’ then disappear, at Novo our customers get the same attention throughout  implementation and support  as when they are first speaking with a sales person.

Providing top-notch support is challenging for any organization, including technology providers.  Technology is ever changing and that brings challenges.  Our customers run our app in a wide variety of environments bringing added challenges.  In fact many of our support calls end up being the result of personalized environmental conditions. We will do what it takes to help diagnose and resolve issues because we want the Novo software to ‘sing’ when you get it home.

So Kudos to our support team!  If you would like to learn more about the suite of Novo products contact us at www.novosolutions.com.