Customer management is an essential aspect of any business, especially pertaining to customer service. You can manually handle customer management when a company is small, but you will need a digital system when it grows to a particular size. Help desk software is the solution that will help you better manage your customers.
A help desk is a system that enables you to convert customer queries into tickets for resolution. The right help desk could be the difference between happy and unhappy customers, which will subsequently affect your profits or lead to losses.
Types of Help Desk Software
Before choosing help desk software, you should know which types exist.
Cloud-Based Software
A cloud or web-based help desk software is an application hosted on a vendor’s website. Cloud-based software is typically a SaaS (software as a service). When using a web-based help desk software, you make monthly or annual payments instead of a one-time lump sum payment.
The software company handles maintenance, security, and data backup. You can access the help desk as long as you have an internet connection.
Self Hosted Software
Self-hosted or on-premise help desk software involves you making a one-time purchase for a proprietary software license. The company then owns and runs the software themselves.
With self-hosted help desk software, you install the system on your own server and ensure its maintenance, data backup, and security, which might require an IT department. The software is often expensive but offers you total control over the software.
Enterprise Help Desk Software
Enterprise help desk software is for large enterprises requiring advanced features and an IT team to manage the software. With enterprise help desk software, you get features like asset management, multi-brand support, advanced encryption, enterprise security, e.t.c.
Enterprise help desk software is also highly customizable to allow companies to automate advanced functions for their IT team. Enterprise help desk software is the most expensive type.
Open Source Help Desk Software
Open-source software means that you get access to the source code. You can then use and customize the code to suit your purposes.
Therefore, your IT team can change or improve the software depending on your business needs. Developers can build open-source help desk software over time, add features, fix bugs, manage updates, and enhance security.
How To Choose The Right Software
The following are tips for choosing the right help desk software:
Determine What Kind Of Customer Service You Want To Offer
Your customers are the first and foremost factor to consider when choosing help desk software. Your business should have a customer service strategy and select the software that best helps you execute your strategy. Once you clearly understand what excellent customer service in your business looks like, choosing help desk software becomes much easier.
Knowing what customers expect from your brand and the main ways they want to interact with your business is vital. Also, consider how your employees would best deliver outstanding customer service. Choose software that makes it as straightforward as possible for them to provide customer service.
Decide On Essential Features
When choosing a help desk software, you will also have to decide which essential features you want it to have. There are many help desk software with plenty of fancy features. However, you know the features your software should have to adequately provide the kind of customer service you want to offer.
Once you know the fundamental elements that your help desk software needs, you can leave room for other features that improve the customer experience. Ensure the features enhance the productivity and efficiency of your customer service department. Accepting feedback from your customer service team will give you the best chance of getting the best features for your software.
Know Your Budget
Help desk software can be expensive, so you must have a budget outlining how much you are willing to spend on the software. Even if your business is relatively small, you should spend enough money to get the best help desk software you can afford.
The good news is that there are many SaaS help desk solutions that, despite being rich with valuable features, are affordable for small businesses. A dedicated help desk solution will require a significant investment, whether you will pay an IT team to develop open-source software or pay the subscription for a cloud-based help desk solution.
Scalability
Scalability is critical when choosing help desk software as it is a factor that will ensure the software can handle the growth of your business. Consult your customer service team and find out the number of customers the solution you want can handle. Moreover, you do not want to pay more for a help desk solution as your business grows, so a scalable solution is vital.
Conclusion
A help desk software is a solution that can benefit many businesses. You should first consider the type of solution you need, which could be a cloud-based, on-premises, enterprise, or open-source software.
You will then have to consider factors like scalability, essential features, budget, and customer service provision. Choose the right solution for your business, and the effect will be apparent.
The cost of doing business every owner wished they knew earlier
January 02, 2025
Starting a business is not a piece of cake, and we know it, but it doesn’t have to be total chaos as well. Being realistic and aware of as many insights as possible will definitely be a big push when entering the business world.
You think you have done your research about the cost of doing business and you calculated the rent costs, buying equipment, paying salary, etc, but there are costs of doing business that don’t go by the book. That’s when asking business owners to share their experience comes in.
9 most (un)expected costs of doing business
In order to avoid any financial surprise, we’ve asked business owners who already went down that road to share the cost of doing business they wish they knew earlier.
Inefficient employees
Running a business is challenging in so many ways and a successful business will adapt to needs and the changing landscape of the world. The biggest cost that a new business owner needs to be aware of is that of inefficient employees. Not only do they have economic impacts but they can be cancerous within the culture of a business. Not only would you waste money on paying that employee, but they can also contribute to poor morale that ultimately can be a detriment to the entire business and drive away from a great talent.
As a small business owner, I used an online resource to map out the cost of all of my expenses so that I knew what to budget for and how to plan overall. New business owners should be aware of the cost of having a website. In order to have your own domain and use important features that your service has, it is going to cost you monthly payments. If you’re not good with computers or technology, you might also have to hire someone to create your website for you.
The one cost that I would recommend any new business owner lookout for is taxes. If someone has never owned a company before, they might not be aware of all the different taxes and how much they can end up costing them from year to year. That being said, you should check with your respective state or country’s department of labor about all the tax matters related to your specific location and situation.
They will be able to provide detailed information about what kind of income tax concerns are relevant to your business situation. Entrepreneurs should also have an accountant that specializes in their field of business so that they know all of the rules to keep you legal and to save you the most money.
The simplest thing that new business owners can do to accurately calculate their cost of doing business is to create separate financial accounts for your business (checking account, credit card, etc.) and use them exclusively for all of their business expenses. This will take the essential first step of keeping all business expenses in one place.
My next piece of advice is to be aware of regulatory and insurance costs related to starting a new business. It can be easy to overlook these expenses in favor of focusing on supplies, rent, labor, and other more concrete costs, but these things are essential to starting a business and can be quite costly depending on your industry and regulatory environment.
Devon Fata, CEO at Pixoul
Small business loans
As an expert in debt consolidation, I can confidently say that the long-term costs of small business loans are an important expense for entrepreneurs to consider. Often, people have a vision for a business and will focus on making that vision a reality at the expense of doing it in a
financially sound way. It’s best to avoid small business loans as much as possible in favor of scaling up slowly, seeking investors, and keeping costs down until revenue starts coming in.
Carter Seuthe, CEO at Credit Summit
Marketing
I calculated my cost of doing business by determining what I would be willing to spend out of pocket before establishing a steady revenue stream. I would advise new business owners to be aware of marketing expenses.
Marketing can include social media advertising, website creation, graphic design platforms, and even apparel. Individually, each is not very expensive. However, when you use multiple advertising sources, the costs can add up and not provide the desired results, income generation. Therefore calculating these costs upfront and making sure you get the most out of the advertising budget is imperative.
I started by plotting out a hypothetical full month of operations. This made it easier to visualize all aspects of the business and helped me identify some costs of doing business I’d been ignoring in my initial operating budgets.
Hiring employees and training. That’s an easy one to ignore because it’s not a regular expense and it’s difficult to plan for, but it’s also one of the most significant employee-related expenses for a business. You should know what it will cost to replace each position in your company, even if you think your employees are committed for the long term. Even the best-run business has some amount of turnover so it’s unrealistic to expect you won’t need to hire.
Michael Moran, Owner of Green Lion Search Group
Equipment failure
I actually hired professionals to help me calculate the cost of doing business since I was still new in the process and unfamiliar with all of the expenses. The process took a while but I ended up with a rather realistic estimate. One of the most unexpected costs was equipment failure. So, when in doubt whether you should buy or lease equipment, I say you focus on being prepared for equipment failure.
I calculated how much it would cost me to initially purchase tech equipment but a lot of it needed repairs or replacements after a short period of time and this cost quite a bit of money. I would suggest to business owners to always set aside a small budget for these unexpected technical costs since they happen more often than not.
Navarre Trousselot, CEO at Navexa
License costs
I compartmentalize these as government or industry costs like business licenses, tax, or fixed operating costs such as working space lease. Businesses should especially be aware of their license costs. Some licenses are subjected to annual reviews to ensure businesses are still adhering to standards and best practices, which can sometimes mean incurring renewal and training expenses as part of the renewal process.
Don’t start your business before you make sure you analyzed all your costs. Determine what costs are possible to minimize, which costs are a must and which are potential costs that can harm your workflow. Being a good boss means being prepared to respond accordingly to every scenario. Therefore, the priceless but biggest cost of doing business is taking risks and always being awake to predict potential problems before they lead to a disaster.
So you can get your LMS running smoothly without pulling your hair out, let’s break down the common problems you might run into and how to tackle them.
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There you are, the head of a fresh startup, managing a small group of employees with a product roadmap plastered on the wall. Your partner secures some additional funding and tells you the team is about to double – if not triple – in size.
How are you going to keep track of all this, let alone make sure everyone is pushing in the same direction?
That’s where goal-management software comes in, changing that product roadmap from a dozen sticky notes on the wall to a living virtual document that everyone in the company can see and contribute to.
Goals by KeepSolid is one such software solution, and it’s built to help you manage an ever-growing team while keeping track of your progress and getting you closer to those long-term strategic objectives.
Here, we’ll take a look at:
The biggest challenges for startup owners
The benefits of goal-management software
How Goals by KeepSolid can help
Challenges for startup owners
It can be an overwhelming experience, trying to lead a group of fresh-faced employees at the very beginning of a company’s life cycle. There are so many things to think about: the product, the team, the clients, the investors. Not to mention, you’re also trying to stay afloat in an industry that’s constantly changing and growing.
It’s difficult to keep track of everything, and even more difficult to make sure everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goal. Some of the biggest challenges managers can face are:
Defining long-term goals and objectives
Creating a product roadmap
Managing team performance
Monitoring progress
If any of these sound familiar, then learning to leverage a software solution might be just what you need to help get your startup on track.
Benefits of goal-management software
One of the best things about using a software solution like Goals by KeepSolid is that it can be helpful to any kind of business, of any size, at any point in its development.
If you have three remote workers that are in different time zones–software can help. If you have 100 employees crammed into one floor of an office building–software can help.
Some of the key benefits that your workers will experience are:
Increased clarity and transparency around objectives
A better understanding of how their work contributes to the company’s success
The ability to track their progress and performance
A way to give and receive feedback in a constructive manner
And for you, as the manager, you’ll get:
More visibility into what everyone is working on
Easier progress tracking towards long-term goals
The ability to quickly adapt as the market changes
Ultimately, using software to manage your team will help increase efficiency and clarity, while giving you the peace of mind that comes with knowing everyone is working towards the same goal.
Goals by KeepSolid can help
How will you know that everyone is working toward those goals? That’s where we come in. KeepSolid Goals has a long list of features, including:
But the most important one for new startup owners is the one that gets the most press: the product roadmap.
What is a product roadmap?
An essential piece of any project management process, a product roadmap is a high-level overview of the development cycle for a product or service. It includes important milestones, features, and delivery dates, and is meant to be a flexible document that can be updated as the market changes.
And while it’s possible to create a product roadmap without software, using a tool like KeepSolid Goals can help you manage and update your roadmap as the market changes, while also giving you real-time visibility into what everyone is working on.
How to create a product roadmap in Goals
It’s incredibly easy to get started. Not only is it free to try, but the intuitive interface will have you throwing up objectives in minutes, and assigning team members the same day.
Here is a step-by-step guide to creating your first product roadmap (once you’ve signed up, of course):
Create your first objective – this could be something like ‘Increase website traffic by 10%’ or ‘Launch a new product line’
Create tasks under this objective that need to be completed in order to achieve it
Assign these tasks to members of your team
Make sure you’ve included Key Success Factors (KSF) in order to know exactly what is required for the task to be completed.
Set Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to make sure everyone is moving in the right direction, and that things will be completed on time.
Create deadlines for each task, and reminders for your team members when something is approaching it.
Watch your team smoothly speed toward your goal (while monitoring the process to determine if any changes are necessary).
That’s it! Just by creating a product roadmap, you’re already well on your way to leveraging the power of software to help your startup get to the next level.
Delegation should not be confused with work allocation. Delegation is you transferring some of your workload which probably means it comes with additional responsibilities and accountability, whereas work allocation is just handing out tasks. That’s why it is crucial to understand how to delegate work efficiently.
As it is your own workload you are delegating out you are obviously going to want to make sure it gets done and it is done right. That’s why it is crucial to understand how to delegate work efficiently. There are various factors to consider when delegating your work.
How to delegate work so it actually gets done
There are various factors to consider when delegating work.
Know when to delegate work
For me, I think this is the crucial one as there are some things that you shouldn’t delegate. Not because they wouldn’t get done but wouldn’t be done right. Depending on your company structure this would vary but things such as disciplinaries, recruitment decisions, difficult conversations, marketing KPIs, or anything that may affect the business (if you are the business owner).
Don’t delegate things that you feel uncomfortable doing because chances are who you delegate to will also feel this way and have no one to ask for support. You also don’t want to be known for delegating rubbish because eventually, you will end up doing it all yourself.
Know your team
You need to make sure the work is delegated to the right person and this is where knowing your team or colleagues comes in. It’s not just about whether they can do it which we cover next. Firstly, it’s understanding if they have the capacity to complete the work. For the eager beavers who are willing to take on any additional responsibility, can they really manage the extra workload or is something going to be sacrificed? For the skilled person to do it, does it motivate them and make them want to do a good job or will it just be another mediocre job? Or even a job completed at all.
Play to strengths
This again comes down to knowing your team, but this is knowing their skills and strengths and maybe more importantly what fires them up. From their daily tasks or work, they have done for you in the past what puts the fire in their belly, and the type of work they love to do? It’s human nature that if you enjoy doing something you will put more effort in and make sure it is done to a high level/of quality and within the deadline. Delegation can be seen as an opportunity if they are taking on additional responsibilities so make sure this is what they want.
Clear information
When delegating work, you need to make sure that all of the relevant information is provided including the problem, any expectations or specific criteria, any budget implications, and the deadline. Checking that your colleague understands is always good to do by asking if they have any questions or how they are going to resolve/complete the work. Be careful when doing this though as you may come across as controlling and micromanaging.
Recognition
When delegating, don’t pass over the information and hope that it gets completed or even micromanage. Make it clear that you are available to provide any support and guidance and available as a sounding board. You will be appreciated more for this and more likely to delegate work again confidently and quickly. Others will also see that if they take some work from you that the support is there.
Provide support
Everyone loves praise even if they don’t admit it, deep down they are smiling which is why thanking people or recognizing the work carried out is such a great motivator for people to do a great job again and on time. It also shows what a great leader you are, and that people will be happy to take work from you.
Conclusion
It is important to delegate if you want to take your business/team forward as always being a doer will not give you that time to focus on goals and objectives. Learning how to delegate work the right way will help you avoid delegating to the same people every time especially if it is project work or something that comes with high kudos. This may start to cause negativity within the workplace and not the workplace culture you want to achieve, be sure to take into account the points above.
The world is changing. The days of “security through obscurity” are long gone, and the need to protect your company against cyber threats has never been greater.
If you’re a small business, it’s easy to overlook the importance of security. You may think that your company has nothing worth stealing or that hackers are only an issue for larger businesses. But the truth is that even small companies are at risk for data breaches, and hacks can cost you big time.
Security compliance plans can help you get started on the right foot. It’s a document that outlines your security policies, procedures, and controls and maps them to your business needs. A good plan is flexible and adapts as your organization’s needs change.
What is security compliance management?
Security compliance management is the process of ensuring that policies and procedures are followed. It ensures that your company takes the correct steps, that employees know what is expected of them, and that they take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of your business and its data. Without security compliance, you might be unable to keep up with industry standards or legal requirements.
It reduces costs associated with dealing with data breaches or damages from malware attacks.
It provides peace of mind for employees who have confidence in their employer’s ability to protect confidential information.
It’s also vital for businesses because it helps them comply with laws and regulations like GDPR and HIPAA. This means that they won’t be fined by regulators or forced to pay damages if they breach these regulations accidentally or through negligence.
Security compliance can also help protect your brand from negative press coverage if there are any data breaches or other incidents related to privacy issues.
Elements of a security compliance plan
Your organization’s security compliance plan is a living document. You should review it regularly to stay current, accurate, and relevant. The following are steps to creating a security compliance plan:
Identify regulatory requirements– Review existing regulations and laws for your organization. Determine which are relevant to your business processes and operations and their impact on security in those areas.
Review internal policies– Review existing internal policies related to information security, including those based on international standards such as ISO 27000, COBIT 5, and NIST 800-53. Identify gaps between these documents and regulatory requirements, update them accordingly or create new ones based on new regulations or industry best practices.
Review risk assessment results– If you’ve already completed an audit or risk assessment for your organization, use that data as the basis for your security compliance plan rather than starting from scratch (or at least supplement it with additional testing). Evaluate findings from previous audits or assessments and determine if there are any gaps between current practices and regulatory requirements that need addressing before you can conduct more testing.
Review your incident response plan– Your security compliance plan should include an incident response plan that describes how you’ll respond to security breaches or other serious incidents that could affect data integrity or systems. A solid incident response plan will help your organization address any issues promptly, mitigate the damage from a breach and prevent similar incidents in the future.
Review your third-party service provider contracts, and agreements– Organizations often use third parties to host websites or applications, provide cloud services, manage IT infrastructure or perform other functions related to information security. Your security compliance plan should include procedures for reviewing these third-party providers’ contracts, terms of service, and privacy policies so that you can identify any issues that could impact the security of your data or systems before signing on.
Develop a process for handling security incidents– When an incident occurs, you need to have a plan that focuses on identifying the scope and impact of the incident. The plan should communicate with affected individuals, notify appropriate parties within your organization and outside partners, customers, or other stakeholders, and restore normal operations.
Conduct regular security awareness training for all employees– Regularly remind employees about the importance of maintaining strong passwords, keeping their devices secure, and reporting any suspicious activity or incidents to your organization’s IT department or other designated parties.
Conduct regular security awareness training for all employees– Regularly remind employees about the importance of maintaining strong passwords, keeping their devices secure, and reporting any suspicious activity or incidents to your organization’s IT department or other designated parties.
Ensure that a third party regularly audits the security of your organization’s networks and systems. This will help you identify potential weaknesses in your security infrastructure and make necessary changes.
Hire a dedicated security team or hire outside experts to manage your organization’s IT infrastructure and applications.
Conclusion
Regardless of who you are, no one can give your business complete security; that is why you need to take the initiative for yourself. Always protect your business data, whether on your home computer or your company computer.
