Helpdesk software solutions have come as bliss for the businesses that strive to cater to growing customer needs. These specialised software applications are designed to let the users address diverse customer needs through integration of latest technologies. Usage of such tools let the companies cut down operation expenses, obtain enhanced customer satisfaction, boost productivity and revenue and achieve customer retention.
However, not all businesses can benefit from the same helpdesk tool. You should pick the helpdesk app based on your business type and needs. The companies in retail sector need to look for helpdesk solutions that offer integration with diverse web services and software.
Listed below are the major integrations helpdesk software should have for use by retail businesses:
- Accounting app/software
Any company belonging to retail sector needs to deal with several transactions a day and they need to use feature rich accounting software. For operational ease, the accounting software has to be integrated with the helpdesk solution used by the company. There are a few helpdesk apps that come with embedded accounting widget or plug-in. There are a few tools that support integration with third party accounting apps too.
Happyfox is a leading helpdesk tool used by retail businesses. It integrates with Quickbook-a popular accounting software. The integration enables the users to sync order details, invoices between QuickBooks and the help desk solution. The sync eliminates any scope for delay and confusion regarding billing.
Freshdesk, which is another popular helpdesk solution, integrates with some third party accounting apps including Xero. Integrating the app will enable Freshdesk users to handle auto-invoicing troubles. They can create invoices right from the Freshdesk UI.
- Social media
For any company, having profiles in social media sites is important these days and retail brands are no exceptions. Most of the present generation customer support software offer good social media integration capabilities.
Zoho Desk, offers solid integration with social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The UI is intuitive and from it you can revert to the social media posts and feeds. The tool has a social tab under which all social media posts appear. The app also lets users convert Facebook conversations and tweets into tickets that can be handled by the support agents. In fact, the agents can turn entire conversations into tickets.
Freshdesk also offers very good social media integration features and it can also be used to turn social media posts into tickets.
- Database
Nearly all businesses need to maintain and update customer records in a database which is referred as CRM database. The CRM database needs to be linked with the helpdesk software for ease of support operations. When these tools are linked, the agents can figure out the profiles of the customers when they call, e mail or use the chat service for queries or problems. Most new helpdesk applications offer support for database integration. Some of them offer support for third party database tools while a few have own database.
Deskpro is a tool that offers Database Authentication integration. It supports all top databases like Oracle, MySQL and MsSQL. Tools like Zoho Desk have options to integrate with Zoho CRM. The tools are made by the same company and so the sync is seamless. In fact, the CRM and helpdesk accounts can be connected in 3 ways. By enabling sync, the Accounts details and Contacts modules will become directly accessible from each tool. You can opt for ether 1 way or 2 way syncing.
Retail brands need to use email frequently for their operations. So, the helpdesk used by the brands should have good email integrations. Happyfox, which is a commercial helpdesk tool, offers robust email ticketing system. With this, bulk emails can be converted into tickets without much human intervention. The status of such tickets can be chosen and they can be assigned to specific agents based on parameters.
Help Scout which is another popular help desk tool, offer integration with the major email clients. It can be used to forward emails to the app’s support inbox. Some tools offer support for integration of email clients like Outlook.
- GSuite
Gsuite, from Google is the Swiss army knife of online productivity apps and that is why a majority of businesses, including those in retail sector prefer it a lot. GSuite brings a lot of online tools including backup, office suites, translator and many more under one umbrella. All these tools can be accessed from the Gmail UI and these come for free.
Most of the modern helpdesk apps support Gsuite integration. Mojo Helpdesk has good integration. Same is true about Freshdesk. Freshdesk syncs seamlessly with Hangout and Translate. It also syncs with Google Calendar. The handy thing is you can use a single sign on through Google to access helpdesk features.
- Shopify
Shopify is among the most popular ecommerce website solutions used by the companies, including retail brands. More than 150000 online retailers use it globally. So, it is better to invest in customer support software for retail that supports this service.
Fresh desk offer very good integration with Shopify. This aids in coping with customer grievances. Tracking the purchase history of the customers also becomes simpler. Your Fresh desk account can be synced to several Shopify stores.
HappyFox also integrates with Shopify. This integration results in good order details sync between two services. The support agents can stay updated with customer information for enhanced issue resolution.
- Live chat
Live chat has become the most popular form of customer-company interaction, nowadays. Some helpdesk tools come with their own live chat section while others support third party chat software. HappyFox is the former type and it lets you convert live chat conversations into tickets. HappyFox Chat is also simple to use. Zendesk chat is another good contender. The chat should be compatible with mobile devices.
- VOiP
Voice over IP (VoIP) is very popular in business setups nowadays and it has made the traditional hardware telephony service near obsolete. It is also logical for deployment in corporate setups as most companies are switching to cloud based services, worldwide. As a result, a number of modern helpdesk apps are now offering support for VoIP. It is much more flexible and can be used on mobile devices too.
There are many helpdesk tools that offer good support for cloud based VoIP services. Skype used to be the de factor VoiP client for desktop and mobile platforms but more contenders have appeared on the horizon. The much hyped Amazon Connect platform offers a good soft phone client featuring 16 kHz audio support. Zendesk which is a popular Cloud SaaS based help desk offers Zendesk Talk, a VoiP client embedded. A few helpdesk tools come with extensive application programming interface for integrating third party apps including VOiP services. With time, more helpdesk makers will offer native VoiP client or tie up with third party VoiP vendors.
Summing it all up
A helpdesk tool for retail business needs to have solid integration with database, email clients, chat, VoiP and social media channels. You should compare the integration options and analyse existing software of the company before picking the apt helpdesk for your retail business.
