Help Desk Documentation Platform Recommendations?

HelpScout, ZenDesk or Desk.com. HelpScout (help desk software) would be a great start – less options but even when I ran a 6 person customer support team (with over 500 emails a day), we never needed the complex features of Desk.com. Have one person create 'saved replies' to quickly answer your customers in a cohesive voice and with consistent responses. (However, encourage your entire team to inject some of their personality!) This seems like a huge task, but if they dig through their sent emails, it can be done pretty quickly. Good luck!

Studying customer experience is fascinating, and one of my favorite parts of my work as a customer service strategist. Zappos is one of my favorite examples of incredible customer service. They regularly upgrade orders to overnight shipping and they allow you to return shoes even after you've worn them. Recently, I had a massage at a nice local spa. I was quite surprised to find a hand written card in my mailbox just two days later from the massage therapist. She thanked me for my business and let me know she looked forward to my next visit. I will only book with her from now on! It's the little things, truly, that can make you stand out. The upgraded shipping and free returns (of worn shoes, even!) costs Zappos, sure. And the card from the spa took time and thought. But those things stand out in my mind and the minds of other customers. If you'd like to dive deeper on this, I'd love to schedule a call. Thanks for the question!

With more than a decade of experience in top services firms (Technology products and financial products), being an ex-VP in Client servicing area, and realizing the impact good client servicing can have in keeping and growing your brand- I do know what you are talking about! The sectors which I feel need the most are- new/few years old startups (specifically service startups), they are so busy managing acquisitions, that they are forgetting servicing and retaining their already existing customers despite knowing that switching costs for these customers are ZERO and their competitors- many! Also, telecom & product support companies are lagging in this area. Hope this helps. I will be happy to have you arrive at a personal business plan for you to start building your training business in this area. Pls feel free to schedule a call or email me at ceo@flatheels.co

If you are talking about online feedback through a website, I'd suggest Feefo or Hotjar. There are plenty of other solutions, but those are really easy to set up. You could also factor in customer feedback requests into any email marketing you are doing and this kind of thing can be automated through all the major email service providers.

In my opinion, phone support is frequently requested but hardly ever needed. I worked at Twilio and as part of my role as a Developer Evangelist I responded to help desk tickets part of the week. We didn't do any phone support and we were able to help people effectively. The key is to be very detailed, thorough and courteous in all your correspondence and also to ask for clarification if you don't understand their questions. You should also have a library of online resources like documentation, frequently asked questions and forums that you can refer people to so they can easily find answers for themselves once you point them in the right direction. One caveat to all that though: I worked at another company that provided phone support but it was something you had to schedule and pay for in advance. At first, I thought it was crazy but our phone support people were busy all day helping customers. It wasn't a lot and it didn't even cover our costs but it prevented your phone from ringing off the hook and people calling to ask really stupid questions. Hope that helps! Also, if you're looking for technical advice on setting up phone support options I'd be glad to help you... over the phone! :)