|
Software That Helps You Help
Your Customers |
|
August 07, 2005 By: Liz Peters Web-based issue tracking and help desk program interfaces to customer data
Built on Microsoft's SQL Server Platform, the new version easily accepts data from other applications, and exports information to Excel for reporting and analysis. The new method to store customer information has worked out especially well for Ann Comey, of RE InfoLink, one of the nation's largest Multiple Listing Services, with over 14,000 subscribers in the Silicon Valley area. "Our database of customers is kept in a different software application. Because the IssueTrak customer data is so easy to interface to, we are able to update the 14,000-row subscriber list four times a day. Our support people entering issues into IssueTrak can quickly search for an existing customer, click on a hyperlink to see the history of past issues, and click another link to see full information about their membership status, phone numbers, etc." Another IssueTrak customer loads 41,000 customer records every night into IssueTrak so that support staff can work with up-to-date information. Other new features in version 3.0 include expanded flexibility for email notification and automatic issue assignment. Now it is possible to fine-tune distribution lists so that a particular manager can get escalation notices for the customers for whom he is responsible, or a hardware manager can get notified when any hardware issues are submitted. Technicians can be automatically assigned to issues based on a variety of factors such as issue type, priority, department, etc. In addition the ability to send notices to digital pagers has been added. Although this release has over 50 enhancements, one thing Ann Comey likes best is that if you don't need all the features, you just turn them off and you don't see them. For example, IssueTrak has good Project support, allowing projects to be set up with project members. Lists of outstanding issues by project are displayed by clicking a hyperlink. However, if project support is not needed, it can be turned off by simply unchecking a box in the Administration section. Project functionality then disappears throughout the program. According to Director of Business Development Steve Anderson, "We try to keep the interface as clean as possible. The feature-bloat that so much software has today often detracts from its usability. By keeping our screens free of fields and functions that are not needed, we provide our customers with a very easy-to-use program. We use IssueTrak ourselves to provide support for our software, so we see first-hand what works and what doesn't."
About
The Author:
Liz Peters is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.help-desk-software-n-application.com.
Help desk software - Learn everything you need to know about helpdesk from your own computer! |
  | |||||||||
