Cynergy Help Desk Software

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Archive for July 2009

Cynergy Software web site gets a new look

By Steve · Comments (0)
Friday, July 31st, 2009
CynergySoftware.com's new look

CynergySoftware.com's new look

As you may of already noticed, we recently updated the look of our site as well as added a couple of new features.

Perhaps our best new feature is the automated Free Trial for our help desk software. You don’t have to wait for technicians to get a demo set up. It’s now 100% automated. It’s a great way to get an intimate look at Cynergy and see how it can help your business. The trial is completely free, and lasts for 30 days. If you decide you’d like to keep your site, we can easily migrate any data you have entered in the course of the trial over to your permanent install. And as always, you can have us host Cynergy or you can host it on your own server. It’s an ASP.NET based software so all you need is a single Windows server.

We love feedback! Please leave your feedback in the comments area of this post.

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Categories : Announcements
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Save the Hassles

By Steve · Comments (0)
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
Avoid traffic hassles by using web based help desk software

Avoid traffic hassles by using web based help desk software

“By the time the engineers fought the morning rush hour traffic, arrived at the office, obtained their customary doughnuts and coffee, greeted one another, and then got down to business, it would be 8:30 or 9:00 am. Then they had to attend a meeting for discussion and assignments of who was going where and when. Another hour was gone before they even got back on the road, headed for the customers’ sites.” Does this sound familiar to you? Are you seeing overhead dollars go out the door?

What can you do? Maybe one person could log on and see all the help desk ticketing and then call all the engineers and tell them which direction to go for their first site. But then that person would also have to map out the whole day for each engineer and try to do it in such a way that engineers would not be criss-crossing each others’ paths throughout the day. What a headache!

Instead, why not simply have engineers log onto the company’s web based help desk software from home? Let the software tell them where to go all day long. Using a laptop computer or Blackberry(r) each engineer can quickly see the help desk ticket along with driving instructions and can respond online to state how he fixed the problem. The ticket can be printed for the customer to sign off.

And, if someone in the office needs to know where an engineer is or has been, all he or she has to do is log onto the web based help desk software to find out.

Your customers will be happier too. They can generate those help tickets from their phone or computer and later log on to a web site to see when to expect the engineer to arrive. It’s quick. It’s simple. And it’s always available.

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The Tangled Web

By Steve · Comments (0)
Monday, July 27th, 2009
Is your CRM software tangled?

I always thought that the tangle of cords and wires under and behind my desk was a mess. If I had to unplug one part of my computer (say my printer) to be repaired, I had to crawl under the desk and then reach up to the printer and find the cord and start following it to where it plugged in. In the process, it usually went under a cord and over a cord and through a loop in another cord and about that time, I lost it and had to start over.

I have tried to keep these cords organized. At one point my desk was in front of a large window at street level and I was always afraid that potential customers would see the mess of cords as they drove up and just leave. I’ve bought those things called “cord tamers” and I’ve saved paper towel rolls to put my cords through. I’ve put little things along the floor to guide the cords. But has that helped? The next time I had to unplug something, guess what!

Yep, there I go through the maze again. Worse yet, I have even unplugged the wrong thing. And I have unplugged something and then not been able to untangle its cord to get the gadget loose — even though technically it is loose!

Hopefully, your CRM is not this tangled. However, if you are using a premise based CRM software, it could be this tangled and you would not even know it! Maybe it has been a little slow recently. Maybe you could not access part of it. Do you suppose . . . now I’m not accusing you of tangling it. I’m just saying that wires can get crossed or too much can be going through one wire and suddenly, poof! your customer management is up in smoke.

Don’t let this happen to you! Web based CRM software will not leave you stranded. Web based CRM software will not leave you with a tangle of wires to be unwound. With web based CRM software, you will be able to communicate with your customers and potential customers any time you need or want to . . . and from wherever you happen to be. You will no longer be tied to your desk by all those cords. Cords are not the lifeline to your customers. The internet — wirelessly — is the lifeline to your customers!

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Categories : Web Based CRM Software
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Here’s Help to Keep Your Sanity

By Steve · Comments (0)
Tuesday, July 21st, 2009
Help Desk assistance for mouse problem

Help Desk assistance for mouse problem

A phone call to a Help Desk

Caller: “Can you tell me how to control my mouse?”

Agent: “Place your hand over the mouse and put your thumb on one side with your index finger on the left button, your middle finger on the right button. Then move the mouse around.”
Caller: “It keeps slipping and the pointer on my screen just flies around.

Computer looking for printer call to help desk

Computer looking for printer call to help desk

Agent: Do you have it on a slick surface?”

Caller: “No, but I have its dust cover on. Should I take that off?”

Agent: “Yes, I believe the ‘dust cover’ is the plastic bag it was shipped in.”

Finding the printer

Another help desk rep at a computer manufacturer received a call. His computer had said it “couldn’t find the printer.”

The user had tried turning the computer screen to face the printer but his computer still “couldn’t see the printer.”

Cup Holder call to Help Desk

Cup Holder call to Help Desk

A phone call to a Help Desk

Caller: “Hello, is this Tech Support?”

Tech: “Yes, it is. How may I help you?”

Caller: “The cup holder on my PC is broken and I am within my warranty period. How do I go about getting that fixed?”

Tech: “I’m sorry, but did you say cup holder?”

Caller: “Yes, the one attached to the front of my computer.”

Tech: “Please excuse me if I seem a bit stumped, it’s because I am. Did you receive this as part of a promotional or at a trade show?”

Caller: “It came with my computer. I don’t know anything about a promotional. It is automated. It comes out when you push the button.”

The Tech suddenly understood and had to put the caller on mute because he was laughing so hard. The caller had been using the CD-ROM drive as a cup holder and it had snapped off!

A phone call to a Help Desk

Caller: “Hi. I’m having trouble installing my software.”

Help Desk Call about Getting CDs into Computer

Help Desk Call about Getting CDs into Computer

Tech: “What seems to be the problem?”

Caller: “I put in the first CD and that was okay. Then it said to put in the second CD. I had some problems.  But when it said to put in the third CD, I could not get it in and get the drawer closed.”

Fortunately, when the tech explained, the caller was able to remove the first two CDs to put the third one in!

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Categories : Help Desk, help desk troubles, IT Help Desk
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Improved Business During a Tough Economy Part 3: Wise Investments Give Better ROI

By Steve · Comments (0)
Friday, July 17th, 2009
Mired in data with outdated processes and no CRM software

Mired in data with outdated processes and no CRM software

Managers know that their workers deal with multiple layers of data every time they look for information. It is estimated that so much time is spent by sales people looking for qualified leads that only a fifth of their time is spent actually selling. Businesses have such a wealth of information that most workers are mired down in the effort to find and make sense of it all. Meanwhile, the world is becoming more automated and the workers are falling farther behind.

Business strategies and processes may need an overhaul to identify the important information and streamline its access. Agility in using the information takes “real-time” solutions that work intuitively for the worker and seamlessly with other applications the company uses in the course of the workday.

If you were to have your company’s workers track how they spend their days, you might be surprised to realize that many spend up to 30% of each day simply looking for information they need – information that should be at their fingertips. This is almost one third of their time spent on non-productive activities. Just imagine what you could do to make your company more productive and quit wasting one third of your workers’ time and pay.

The best thing you could do for your company to give a good return on the time and money spent would be to start using the best Customer Relationship Management software for your company. In some cases, this would be premise-based software, but in many cases it is much more cost-efficient to use web based crm software which can easily be configured to fit your company’s needs.

By switching to a web base crm software, you can greatly increase the efficiency of your workers. And make their lives easier in the process. Your workers need to access information in a myriad of software packages and on an array of servers. Each package has its own formatting. Yet a person such as a help desk representative may need to access information about an order or create an order (as for cross-selling or up-selling) while talking with a customer about a problem. Another person may need to access financial data for a customer to understand their bill. Their manager must access information about the length of time each worker took to solve the customer’s problem. All of these can be accessed through a web based crm software.

Each of these workers would also like the interface he sees to be customized for him – with his e-mail, his to-do list for the day, and other pieces of information he needs ready to be accessed with a single click. To be useful, the information needs to be centralized, integrated and easily accessible. Workers need to spend less time looking and use their time effectively in responding with the right information within seconds.

Your company’s CRM solution needs to connect all your company’s date, people and processes. Web based  crm fully supports workers in sales, marketing, services, and support roles. By using CRM software effectively, your company reduces its monthly costs which, in turn, increases its revenues.

When the economic times get tough, companies are often forced to realize that the very thing they have resisted may be their savior—their means of getting through the tough times and coming out ahead of the competition. For some companies, web based crm may seem like an unnecessary expense or too much technology for their business. However, workers throughout the company will be empowered to work faster, more efficiently, and more effectively. Customers will be impressed with the improved and more personal service. Prospects will be followed more easily from the point of first contact through the purchase decision and beyond. And the performance of all of your company and its actions can be tracked and analyzed to make sure that peak performance is being achieved each day.

Don’t get stuck in the processes and software you have always used when there are better ways to do things. Right now, during the economic downturn, is the best time in your company’s life to take a hard look at and question every process and every move to become more efficient and more effective in the next few months. Help your workers find their way through the layers of information. Pull them out of the mud by using the appropriate web based crm application. By doing so, your company will survive the tough times and come out a leader when the economy picks up again.

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Categories : CRM, Customer Support Software, Web Based CRM Software
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Improved Business During a Tough Economy Part 2: Track Your Future Customers

By Steve · Comments (0)
Thursday, July 16th, 2009
Track your prospects with web based CRM software

Track your prospects with web based CRM software

If you desire to find an animal, you must look for it. Let’s say you want to find a deer. First you have to dress for a time period outdoors (usually in cold weather).  Then you have to use your eyes to look for the deer. Not only do you look for the deer itself, but you look for signs of the deer such as its tracks. Once you find its tracks, you begin to follow them.

To find prospective customers, you have to do some preparation. Just like dressing appropriately for a period of time in the cold, you will have to plan ahead. Use referrals, testimonials, and case studies to get your message out to more potential customers. During an economic downturn is not the time to cut the advertising budget! In fact, it is the time to increase that particular budget and work especially hard to understand where potential customers will be. For example, if you are selling a product to farmers, you should realize that nearly all of them listen to the radio in their tractors and trucks. Use a testimonial in a radio advertisement. Or, if you are selling to women, you need to figure out what television shows the women will watch or what magazine they will still pick up when money is tight. If you sell to other businesses, take advantage of trade shows and trade magazines. Use the information your satisfied customers have given you as ammunition and show their faces or their companies as proof of what they’ve said about your company.

Marketing is not the deep, dark secret that many companies think it is. You do have to spend time and effort tracking down a deer by following its footprints. In prospecting for new customers, sophisticated analytics are useful in tracking responses to marketing campaigns. Some tracking tools even capture every “touch” with the prospective customer.

Track what you have done and track your inquiries (leads) using customer relationship management software. You will have a built-in method for know what works and what doesn’t. You will also be able to carry on conversations by e-mail and phone that leave a trail so that you know what is talked about and what interests they have.

Use the internet to attract new customers. Build a better web site. During an economic downturn you can use your extra time to evaluate what is working and what is not working with your web site. Have it professionally evaluated. Spend the time and money to improve it and get it search engine optimized so prospective customers can find you. Tie your web site to the analytics of your customer relationship software so that you know how effective it is.

Consider social media. Start a blog. Your blog can be about your products or services or it can be things of interest to you. Have two or three people in the company participate in writing blog entries two to four times a month to keep it fresh and interesting. Start a business page for Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Get and keep people interested in your company by using short sentences about your products or services.  Set up your customer service software to connect with people through these channels.

Follow up each touch with a phone call or e-mail contact to assure that each prospect has all the answers necessary or can get an online or personal demonstration when necessary. Use your CRM software to route leads to the representative who is most qualified to help that prospect according to the availability or qualifications of the rep or the particular marketing effort that brought in the lead.

Lead-qualification scripts can be embedded into CRM systems and pop up when keywords are said or typed to help understand and sell to each prospect. Your sales process should be able to build a 360-degree view of the customer to whom you are selling. Using your web based crm, you should be able to match campaigns and messages to individual prospects or prospect-types. Become very focused. Customize your messages and offers to address specific issues within an industry or for a specific customer-type based on a specific customer.

Integration of sales software and service software through web based customer relationship software keeps the contacts with a prospect seamless as he moves through the process from prospect to customer to high-priority customer or customer-with-a-problem. Each person who deals with that person can see his entire history with the company or product line and understand exactly what his experience has been thus far.

Marketers, sales managers, and help desk managers should have current statistics and analytical tools at their fingertips. These should not bring up overwhelming amounts of data with no meaning, but should analyze the data and give meaning to it. They should be able to use web based crm software to know if an ad campaign is generating a good percentage of qualified leads and how many of those are being turned into customers through purchases they are making.

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Categories : Customer Support Software, Web Based CRM Software
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Improved Business During a Tough Economy Part 1: Take Care of Customers

By Steve · Comments (0)
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
Explosion of data needs help desk software to track

Explosion of data needs help desk software to track

There’s an explosion happening. If you hadn’t noticed, it’s a data explosion. Not only is the data multiplying at a high rate, but the means of disseminating and keeping and using data are increasing exponentially. Everyone, even those we once considered too old to learn the new technology, is using computers and phones and wireless devices to obtain and convey every type of information imaginable.  Each one of these businesses  requires some type of helpdesk software in order to run effectively.   At the same time, our economy is experiencing a meltdown of massive proportions. U.S. Labor statistics show that about 14.7 million people have lost jobs in the past year and a half.  Another 4.4 million are not considered unemployed, but are now only working part-time for their employer as opposed to the full-time job they did have. Almost 12% of the U.S. workforce has been forced to retire early.

What will business look like after this recession? And how will businesses get to the other side of the recession? What steps should a solidly run business be taking NOW to get to the other side – and get there ready to take off? Are there prescribed steps to take during a recession to build your business? Are there best practices everyone should know and automatically do during a tough economy?

There are three areas that every business should re-examine during an economic slowdown to see if changes will solidify their business and give them an advantage. The goal is to come out of the slowdown quickly with a growing business.  In order to do that businesses must examine their current customer relationships, their means of obtaining customers, and the overall methods they use for doing business.

TAKE CARE OF CUSTOMERS

A business’ customers are its lifeblood—no matter what the economic climate is. Your current customers and your future customers link your business to the present and the future. It is imperative to treat them well—to listen to their concerns and complaints and to work to solve those issues for that customer and to learn how to keep those issues from occurring for other customers. Listen to what products or services they desire. During an economic downturn, a business needs to take the chance to offer those products or services. This is a great time to communicate and listen carefully to each thing customers say.

Your business needs to track the issues your customers have and how your business solves those issues. It is important to know who worked on an issue and what they said and did. It is even important to understand how long it took to solve each issue. All those things can be evaluated to see how the issue could have been avoided, or how it could have been solved in fewer steps or with a better outcome.

Help desk software fulfills the need to track issues. It fills in the details of who did what and when it was done. Some help desk software even evaluates the process for you and gives you the metrics of how long, how many people, and how many times the same issue has been solved.

Staying in communication with your current and past clients helps them feel important and allows your business to tap their insights into how your business can be better. Personal calls, e-mails, and surveys are helpful in assessing what your business is doing right and what it could do better. Using customer relationship management software, a company can track all of its customers and keep in contact with them on a regular basis.

Once a customer is satisfied, that customer can be tapped for more business—either their own or a referral. Satisfied customers are the best source of new business and continuing business. Never be afraid nor forget to ask for more business and to ask for referrals. Think about ways to expand what you do for a customer—more products, expanded services, fulfilling other needs. Sometimes a longer term deal with a small discount helps both businesses as they plan for the months involved in pulling through the recession.

When finishing a conversation with a present company, ask what other company the representative can think of that might need your products or services. Ask him to give you the name of a contact or to call that contact and recommend your business. Ask all satisfied customers to write out a testimonial or agree to a taping of some answers to questions about how your company solved their problems. Such a testimonial or case study can serve a number of purposes for your company now and in the future.

Parts 2 and 3 coming soon!

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Categories : Help Desk, help desk software
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Have You Got a Real ID?

By Steve · Comments (0)
Friday, July 10th, 2009

I don’t know about your driver’s license bureau or department of motor vehicles, but the one in our state is becoming fully compliant with Real ID. It is my understanding that all states must be compliant soon. The Real ID Act became effective nationwide on May 11, 2008. Many states have already met the requirements, with the rest needing to update by January 1, 2010.

It is a great idea to PROTECT my identity. The concept is truly noble and appreciated. I understand that its purpose is to fight terrorism and reduce fraud. And my state has certainly seen its share of fraud in this area! However, in order to PROVE my identity and receive either an ID card or a driver’s license I need:

  • For identity and lawful status: an original or certified copy of my U.S. birth certificate or a U.S. passport
  • For Social Security number: an original Social Security card, a W-2, tax form or an SSA-1099 form (or a pay stub that shows my name and Social Security number)
  • For residency: 2 recent statements from a utility company, bank, credit card company, doctor or hospital showing my name and address

And did I mention the requirements for your picture?? No smiling! That should make some people happy. Hair must be pulled back from the face. No hats and no sunglasses are permitted. This is all to make sure the face recognition software recognizes the right person!

So now I have to remember all these documents and rules to renew my license. The local license branch has a customer service desk and that is where you go first.

I hand all this stuff to the straight-faced person sitting there who takes her time looking through them and then asks, “what are you here for?” I feel like telling her I’m there to order a hamburger, but I refrain. I am wondering, though, if she thought I just collected the required documents for a driver’s license on a whim. She is supposed to be the customer service person. Oh well.

I tell her, as pleasantly as possible, that I’m there to renew my driver’s license. What does she say? “Oh. Have a seat.” In a monotone.

She keeps my papers. And she puts the biggest paperclip I’ve ever seen on them before putting them in an “IN” box with about 10 other peoples’ papers – each with a giant paperclip! So this is supposed to be customer service.

I have now spent two hours collecting all the correct paperwork, taken a shower and made sure my hair is away from my face and rushed to the license branch to sit and wait.

Meanwhile, a nice looking young lady breezes in and takes her papers to the same customer service desk and gets told cheerily (I said CHEERILY), “Just have a seat right over here so I can take your picture and they’ll have your license in a couple of minutes.”

I march right over to find out what she did differently from me. I am indignant.

This time the customer service person is patient as she explains to me (and about 10 other people who also marched over indignantly), “This lady got an appointment online and she is keeping her appointment. Our customer service software is available to all of you to make appointments. We service those customers at their appointment times regardless of how many people are waiting without appointments.”

Customer service software?? Nobody told me about that! They put out plenty of publicity about all the documentation to bring and how to prepare for the picture.

Customer Service Aids Drivers License Process

Customer Service Aids Drivers License Process

Don’t they think my time is valuable?

Guess what I’m doing next time! I’m checking the web site to see what new innovations there are with the customer service software. You should do the same before you go to renew your license. Good luck.

Oh, yes, it only took 45 minutes for me to get my license while it took the lady with the appointment less than 15 minutes. At least I didn’t get sent home for more documentation. Or worse yet, I guess they could have told me I wasn’t myself. Then I would have had a problem!  By the way, this isn’t my license; it’s only an example!

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Categories : Customer Support Software
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The Dependable Sheltie

By Steve · Comments (0)
Thursday, July 9th, 2009
Sheltie is like web based crm software

Sheltie is like web based crm software

Have you ever seen a herding dog at work? There are many areas of the world where dogs do much of the guarding of the herd while it grazes many miles from home. Then several times a year the dogs work to keep the herd together and bring it safely to the rancher.

Herding dogs are always on duty. They sleep with their eyes “almost closed” and they are constantly alert to movement and sound that is unusual. They never completely shut down because they know it is their responsibility to keep the flock safe.

My favorite dog breed is the Shetland Sheepdog, a dog that looks like a small version of the rough collie (think “Lassie”). The Sheltie was used to work a variety of livestock in the rugged, rocky landscape of the Shetland Islands. They were often left alone for days at a time to guard sheep, goats, or cattle and gather in any strays. They are well-adapted to working any livestock from ducks and chickens to sheep and cattle in any terrain and any weather.

Their herding is instinctual. If you get a puppy, by the time it is 8-10 weeks it will be nipping your heels to get you to go where it wants you to go. Soon it will try to keep your family in one tight group when you are in the yard or going for a walk. It will be worried if the children go outside to play and the parents stay in the house and will keep running back and forth to keep watch over everyone. If you have other pets in the house, it will try to keep them in the same room as the people. Even if you break it of the nipping, it will still be on duty, trying to take care of the family. The Sheltie quickly learns the family schedule and then becomes upset if anyone does anything off-schedule. This dog is a “keeper” in more ways than one!

The Sheltie is a bit like a web based CRM software package. It is always on duty doing its job. Whether that job is helping you sell products or services or making sure everyone is happy, you can count on the Sheltie – er, I mean the web based CRM software – to be there doing its job.

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Categories : Web Based CRM Software
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Take a Break!

By Steve · Comments (0)
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009
Business Intelligence or Common Sense?

Business Intelligence or Common Sense?

Wow! We all took a week off from blogging – and celebrated Independence Day! I don’t know about you, but I really feel the need to remember that it is a celebration of our Independence rather than the Fourth of July. It is important that we remember that our forefathers fought for our independence from taxation without representation and from tyrannical rule. If we don’t understand that, then we are likely to become another “Great Britain of the 18th Century.”

We all need breaks. After we take a break, we come back to our tasks fresher, with a new perspective, enthusiasm and renewed energy.

In this economy, those with jobs are working harder and working longer hours than ever before. If you are in the category (like working with help desk software)

 make sure you are taking refreshing breaks during the day. To take a refreshing break, take a walk outside, talk to someone you would not normally talk to, sit under a tree and watch the antics of squirrels playing, or do some exercises that get the blood flowing to your large muscle groups. Research shows that three periods of 10-15 minute exercise is nearly as good as a longer (30-45 minute) period of sustained exercise. So not only will you be refreshed, you will be better toned and your cardiovascular system will be improved.

Then there are vacations . . .a-a-ah . . . vacations! Did you know that an annual vacation can cut heart attack risk by 50% (statistics from the Travel Industry Association)? That’s enough reason to get a week’s worth of different scenery. However, the TIA also found that employers rack up $150 billion a year in stress-related absences when employees are overworked. Okay, we all need to go somewhere.
I am thinking that a staycation (the stay-at-home vacation) is not what they are talking about here. The mind and body actually re-set themselves when we travel and have new and different inputs and stimulation. People who travel away from home actually sleep better and longer during and after their vacation. Their life satisfaction increases during vacation adn those effects continue after the vacation. The ill effects of not traveling away from home keep us locked in our fight-or-flight response to life which leads to anxiety, irritability, insomnia, and depression. Eventually our body responds with increased cortisol which leads to chronic illnesses like arthritis and obesity and diabetes.

If you work a help desk, that can be a stressful job. Even though you have really good help desk software, you still have a lot to do and much of it centers on your relationship with people. Do yourself a favor and don’t skip your away-from-home vacation this year!

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Categories : Customer Support Software, help desk software, Web Based CRM Software
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