In a cloud-based world, it’s essential to communicate at both a multi-channel and multi-individual level. In the outsourced accounting world, providing answers to important questions in an efficient and timely manner is a key ingredient to a great client experience, and while emails and phone calls can still be good modes of conversation, they aren’t always best suited in accounting for those employees always on the go, or out of the office altogether. Since cloud-based accounting solutions are available on-demand, communication doesn’t miss a beat if someone is out of the office. For this reason, along with the goal of ensuring that all requests are appropriately routed to the correct person, Zendesk is a go-to platform for fostering a reliable support system.
When implementing Zendesk, there are several key areas to focus on:
- Stay current on all incoming messages: Once a request is emailed into Zendesk it is automatically generated into a ticket. The ticket will then be classified as new and flagged as open, pending, or solved as it goes through the process of being solved. This shows the client what stage of the solution process the request is in at any given moment. The ticket then can be assigned to a specific person or group of people. If someone is on vacation, sick, etc., and has limited access to responding to emails, the inquiry can be assigned to someone else, without having to contact the person out of the office. This can cut down on hours, if not days, which is essential when providing premier service to clients.
- Make it what you want: Having customer support is only helpful if it works for you and the end users you are looking to support. The messages sent to Zendesk can be modified to express the priority level. This can range from low to urgent, the type of post (question, problem, task etc.), and labeled into a general category (billing, software, payroll etc.). Other fields can be added to the ticket such as additional drop menus, check boxes, chats, and dates. This is ideal for efficiency purposes to classify the request and assign the most knowledgeable person to assist.
- Communication is limitless: The streams of communication make this support system beneficial to partners and their clients. Delivering real-time assistance is a key customer service component and with the diverse channels of communication, that can be achieved. This platform has access to email, chat, talk, and text. An email can be forwarded or directly sent into Zendesk to generate a ticket, thus starting the solution process immediately. Instant chat is a quick prompt way to reply or comment on a message. The talk feature is great for on-the-go service with the ability to record conversations and download for your own record. With text, messages can be timely sent relaying alerts or notes to your device.
In the Accounting Solutions practice at SC&H, we rely heavily on communication to produce prompt solutions for our clients, which is one of the major benefits of the cloud-based options we offer. With a solution like Zendesk, offering an exceptional level of service is made even easier.
Please reach out to us for more information on what outsourcing looks like for your company and how we can provide the excellent service and communication that makes a cloud-based outsourcing model work.
