7 reasons to choose a cloud help desk

Customer service is vital to every business. But growing customer expectations are leaving many companies wondering how to keep up. Zendesk’s CX Trends 2023 Report revealed that 72 per cent of customers want immediate service and 70 per cent expect anyone they interact with to have full context.

Fortunately, help desks are on hand to help you live up to these lofty expectations. And the right software can even boost customer retention, strengthen brand loyalty, and maximise customer service productivity.

But there are several different types of help desks and choosing the right one for your business can be tricky. So, let’s look at the advantages offered by cloud help desks and find out how they can help your customer service shine.

Before we answer that question, let’s first explain exactly what a help desk is. In simple terms, customer service teams use help desk software to provide support for customers and/or employees—internal help desks. They act as a single point of contact and information, and typically include features like a ticketing system for support requests, self-service options, and performance tracking.

At this point, it’s important to highlight the difference between help desks and tech support because they can seem interchangeable. However, help desks provide support for any issue and can usually troubleshoot common problems. Tech support only enters the fray for more complex technical issues that require specific expertise.

But let’s get back to help desks. Companies have traditionally used their own on-site servers to run help desk software—known as on-premise help desks. Cloud help desks, on the other hand, run on servers owned by the software vendor or a third party. In short, data is stored on remote servers in the cloud instead of on-site company servers.

Statista reports that a staggering 60 per cent of global corporate data is now stored in the cloud. And the rise of cloud-based solutions also brings a myriad of benefits for help desks. Let’s cover 7 of the main reasons to favour cloud help desks.

1. Deployment

   Cloud-hosted applications are quick and easy to deploy. This means you can have your help desk up and running in no time, but most importantly without any service interruption or server downtime.

   With your data stored in the cloud, you don’t need to make any changes to individual computers, purchase new hardware, or worry about storage capacity and software licences—simply select what you need and get going. Nor do you need any in-house programming or IT expertise. What a relief.

2. Scalability

   Traditional on-premise solutions lack scalability, which is why many businesses end up purchasing more servers, new hardware, etc. every few months. And as more customers send in more queries, making sure that your help desk software keeps up can be hard work.

   Not so with a cloud help desk because it can scale up and down based on demand. This makes it the perfect option for growing businesses—say goodbye to the chaos of constant updates, never-ending licences, and outdated software.

3. Costs

   On-premise help desks typically require significant investment to set up, e.g. for servers, infrastructure, security measures, etc. These costs are often simply too high for many companies, and they’re forced to find alternatives or shortcuts—running unnecessary risks.

   When it comes to cloud help desks, however, there are no up-front costs, e.g. for hardware or software licences. What’s more, you can usually look forward to a pay-as-you-go model, where you only pay for what you use. Plus, they’re typically sold as monthly or annual subscriptions, which also means you can stop or change at any time—without the hassle of having to sell hardware, etc. It’s a real game-changer for cost efficiency.

4. Maintenance

   Like all software, help desks need maintaining. And if you opt for an on-premise solution, you’ll be doing this yourself which can be a real burden for your IT teams. Indeed, FinanceOnline reports that modernising service systems is the biggest obstacle to delivering high-quality help desk services.

   On the flip side, cloud help desks have their own support teams. Your SaaS provider handles everything, including maintenance, security, and updates. This means you can focus on what matters—providing world-class customer service.

5. Accessibility

   As businesses have switched to remote work, cloud-hosted applications have become increasingly popular—and for good reason. Cloud help desks are easy to access from anywhere and you can often even log in from a browser.

   This not only makes life a whole lot easier for your teams, but also brings benefits for your customers. For example, a single source of customer data gives agents all the information they need to provide amazing customer service. What’s more, cloud help desks are also easy to integrate with social media services, so you can interact with customers wherever they prefer.

6. Productivity

   Cloud solutions have the same interfaces and tools across different devices, ensuring a consistent experience for your teams. This empowers your agents to deliver great experiences, time after time.

   Cloud help desks also help consolidate your data in a single place, breaking down harmful data silos. Plus, they’re typically easier to integrate with other tools, which not only improves communication and teamwork but also makes it easier to share information across your company.

7. Security

   Although on-premise help desks are still suitable for businesses with strict data security requirements, they usually end up costing a lot more than cloud alternatives. This is mostly down to the necessary investment in IT security, e.g. data encryption and backup.

   Put simply, cloud help desks boast security measures that would usually be beyond the budget of most small and medium-sized businesses. This allows many companies to keep their customer service competitive with much larger enterprises. David can suddenly compete with Goliath again.

There’s no doubt that cloud help desk software can help you take your customer service to the next level. Whether it’s productivity gains or never having to worry about server shutdowns again, cloud-based solutions offer a myriad of benefits for companies of all sizes.

Except Zendesk is no ordinary help desk software. From omnichannel support and self-service options to analytics, collaboration tools, and automated routing—Zendesk gives you everything you need to create the best customer experience possible.

Our cloud-based solution saves your agents time, boosts your productivity, and helps you wow your customers. Intuitive, flexible, and quick, Zendesk makes help desking easy. But nobody bangs this drum better than our amazing customers…

NHS

Serving around 1.2 million people each year, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is Scotland’s largest NHS Board. With 10,000 suppliers, the organisation processes more than 500,000 invoices every year. That’s no mean feat when teams need to match every invoice to an order, track anomalies, and collaborate to solve problems.

They previously used spreadsheets to organise everything, however, this soon turned into a nightmare. Fortunately, Zendesk Support came to the rescue and was up and running in minutes thanks to its cloud-based design. What’s more, the teams integrated it with their financial system, saving everyone the hassle of re-entering invoice information manually.

Support is now a key part of the invoice payment process because finance staff can send requests directly to the procurement department. Business rules also ensure that every query is sent to the right place and that high-value invoices are given priority. All of this has freed up teams and reduced payment delays—a clear win-win.

“The software is clean and uncluttered, it is straightforward to use, and people actually enjoy using it! ...You get started straight away. If it had needed a big install, it would have taken some time to deliver, but you can literally be up and running in minutes. That’s the fabulous thing with this cloud-based software.” - Graeme Carmichael, Financial Accountant at NHSGGC at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Read the full customer story

VanMeijel

VanMeijel specialises in IT solutions for clients in the civil engineering, construction, and industrial services sectors. The company provides various logistics and project management solutions to around 450 customers, with a customer service team of 110 people.

Struggling with outdated software and growing ticket numbers, the customer service team knew it was time for a change. On top of this, the company was keen to merge its internal and external help desks. VanMeijel was immediately attracted to Zendesk Support because of its cloud-based design, quick implementation, and low maintenance.

Support has ultimately allowed the company to automate its customer service and integrate critical business apps. Response times have gone down to just 2 hours and performance stats now help motivate teams. But the real kicker is the incredible accessibility Support provides…

“Having a cloud-based system that is accessible anytime, anywhere, on any device is a massive plus point for us… Many of our consultants are on the move every day, and mobile access means they can input to queries that require their expertise from anywhere and still provide excellent and speedy support.” - Jan Uffels, Service Manager at VanMeijel

Read the full customer story