Mojo Helpdesk Customer Success Story: Jim Hayes and 24 Hour Flex

Jim Hayes is the Operations Manager at 24 Hour Flex.

Jim Hayes is the Operations Manager at 24 Hour Flex where they manage employee benefit programs for organizations across the United States.

In the summer of 2011, Jim signed up for Mojo Helpdesk to help his organization track customer requests. Little did he know that, about a year and a half later, we would be sending a photographer to his office in Greenwood Village, Colorado (just south of Denver)...and our photographer wasn't just packing a camera. He came with signs, lots of goofy, press board signs. 

Luckily, Jim was a good sport and held up our signs while flashing his best smile. He was also kind enough to answer some questions about his experience with Mojo Helpdesk.

Enter Jim

Jim, please tell our readers more about 24 Hour Flex.
We provide employee benefits (FSA, HRA, HSA and COBRA administration) to clients across the United States. Our goal is to make your day better by doing our jobs really well and hopefully making you smile or laugh from time to time. We want to free up Human Resource teams and employees time by running your benefits plans well. 

What sort of challenges was 24 Hour Flex facing?
We needed a way to track issues that could not be resolved immediately in order to provide the best customer service possible to our clients. 

Which Mojo Helpdesk solution did you choose?

We chose the Enterprise solution because it gave us all of the features we needed. We use Mojo to track outstanding issues and give visibility to problems across the organization that we used to lose because only one or two people knew about the problem. Mojo also provides a great way to see issues that have not been resolved and bring more firepower to the table to solve them. 

Describe the results you experienced with Mojo Heldpesk?

We are much more proactive in solving client problems and issues, and they don't get lost in people's email. 

What is your favorite thing about Mojo Helpdesk?

Direct integration with Google Apps. Not having another login to deal with for users is huge. The ease of setup and simplicity of the design are also awesome.

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[Note from Ryan at Mojo Helpdesk: We loved hearing Jim's story. Now we want to know yours. Share your Mojo Helpdesk success story here and we'll feature your organization in an upcoming customer spotlight.]

[PS. Here's one more photo of Jim that we love!]

[Thanks again, Jim!]

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How to Transform Your Customer Service Problems Into Solutions

In Spring of 2008, a musician was shocked when he saw United Airlines’ baggage handlers carelessly throw his guitar around on the tarmac, destroying it completely. After several months and many unsuccessful attempts to convince United to pay for the guitar, Dave Carrol took matters into his own hands and wrote a song about his experience, “United Breaks Guitars.” Much to United Airlines dismay, the song was catchy and discussed an experience familiar enough to other fliers that the music video went viral.

United Airlines let bad customer service become a public relations disaster. To help businesses avoid this fate, we’ve put together a list of customer service trends that consumers despise and tips on how to avoid them.

Problem: Phone call menus and unnecessary hold times that cause a simple phone call to take up a large portion of a customer’s day.

Solution: Make sure every phone call gets directly to a representative and hold times (when required at all) are kept short. Mojo Helpdesk can help your employees organize all this information in one place.

Problem: Transferring customers from one department to another, rather than working to resolve the problem right away.

Solution: Make sure all customer service representatives are trainedwell enough in the company’s products to help with all basic issues. Utilize a helpdesk, such as Mojo Helpdesk, to assign customer service requests quickly and easily to the appropriate party from the start.

Problem: Refusing to acknowledge an error, or trying to shift the blame onto the customer.

Solution: Be willing to apologize when there’s a mistake. Focus on trying to solve the problem, and ensure that the customer is feeling heard and satisfied – especially when there is an honest mistake.

Problem: Customer is denied a refund request.

Solution: In cases like Dave Carrol’s where the company is responsible for the damages (and monetary reimbursement isn’t an option), consider offering customers other services, goods or credit to turn their bad experience into a good one.

Problem: Responding to a complaint slowly or not at all.

Solution: Set the goal that all customer service inquiries should receive a response within 24 hours.

Impersonal and frustrating customer service can drive customers to a level of anger that could inspire an angry tweet, a bad online review, a blog post rant, or even a viral video. Good customer service has always been important, but only recently has bad customer service become such a public liability.

All businesses should strive to provide exceptional customer service, but at the very least, no business should fall prey to failures and catastrophes that can be easily avoided. Treat customers with respect and keep customer service interactions personal. Mistakes happen, but businesses should fix and recognize them before the customer feels driven to public condemnation. A business can save time and effort in damage control by never allowing a customer service problem to reach a critical point to begin with.

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Mojo Helpdesk Has a New Look

We are proud to announce the release of our new streamlined Mojo Helpdesk website and logo. Our updated branding reflects our intuitive, efficient and user-friendly design. We have consolidated our pricing plans by removing our Free and Basic plans, and have packed more features into our Enterprise plans. Now customers can choose monthly invoicing as well as secure their subscription with a Purchase Order. Along with our new site, we have updated the Mojo Helpdesk UI by improving accessibility to account information in the Owner/Admin menu. The new Account Information section allows users to easily update their billing information, view or change plans, and view their billing statement. It also provides an easier way for customers to subscribe to a plan when their free trial period ends. 

There are other ways to stay in-touch and informed about Mojo Helpdesk news. Check out our Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

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Why Social Media Can’t Replace a Help Desk

With the endless proclamations of how crucial social media is to business, a discussion of its difficulties and limitations often gets lost in the hype. Use of socialmedia in customer service certainly has value and shouldn’t be neglected, but there’s a clear limit to what can be accomplished with it. Communication through social media is no substitute for the features and functionality available through a good help desk. To get the most out of both a social media presence and a help desk, it’s important to have a sense of the best uses for each and how to most effectively integrate them.

The way different people use their social media accounts varies considerably. Some spend large amounts of time each day checking in on Twitter and Facebook feeds to contribute their thoughts and ideas, while others let days or more pass in between visits. If the primary form of communication a business has with a customer is through social media, there’s the risk of long lags between each reply. This can extend the time it takes to resolve an issue that could have been handled quickly through a help desk. While it is possible to miss important feedback and questions through social media due to timing, all issues can be tracked with a Help desk to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.

Even for users who are likely to check their social media accounts frequently, using social media for extended communication has the clear downside of restrictive character limits. Most problems a customer’s likely to experience will require more explanation than can be expressed on Twitter in 140 characters or less. Understanding the particulars of a customer problem and its desired solution requires a back and forth likely to be slow and drawn out over social media, to the frustration of all involved. In contrast, a Help Desk makes it easy for customers and customer service representatives to provide as much information as needed at each step in the process and enables faster response times.

While the public nature of social media can certainly be a benefit, sometimes providing customer service requires the exchange of sensitive information. In most cases, a customer will be less likely to offer up personal details over social media and a customer service representative should never ask for anything sensitive over a public forum. Further, often the nitty gritty details of a customer service complaint aren’t something a company wants broadcast to a wide audience. It’s good to be able to publicly show a quick response to any complaints a customer makes, but there’s a point where the discussion about a customer issue on social media becomes more of a liability than an opportunity to publicly demonstrate great customer service.

A company should make a point to be aware of and quickly respond to any complaints that appear on social media, but a presence on social media doesn’t mean a full customer service correspondence should play out within that space. When a customer with a complaint is identified, respond quickly and with a suggestion to move the correspondence off the social media channel, including an e- mail address, phone number or link to fill out a ticket request on your help desk. A quick response shows you’re attentive and proactive about solving the problem, without restricting both parties to an awkward, drawn out conversation over a medium not designed to host one. View social media as just one aspect of customer service, it can be the first step in a longer conversation that occurs primarily through tools better designed for that purpose.

Would you like to try our free, hosted ticket tracking/helpdesk application? No long-term contracts, signup fees, or termination fees. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime. We offer a wide variety of plans to fit any budget.

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Top 10 Go To Words for Customer Service

As previously discussed, striking the right tone during customer service correspondence is a crucial component of ensuring a positive customer experience. Customer service professionals learn certain words over time that, when used regularly, create the right tone to present the company in the best light.

When speaking with a customer, language should always be chosen carefully with an aim to convey positivity, empathy, concern and an eagerness to solve the issue at hand to make the customer feel satisfied and keep them happy. We’ve identified the top 10 words and phrases a customer service representative should use often in communication with customers.

Yes - This is the most important word on the list, as customer affirmation is a regular must in customer service. Alternative options include: "absolutely", "definitely", "certainly" and "of course."  As much as possible, try to say these as though they’re followed by an exclamation point. Be careful, though, not to make false promises.

Thank You - Customers are the heartbeat of the company, and ultimately provide the company the ability to maintain a workforce.. Express gratitude to them for choosing the company, providing feedback, showing patience when they experience an issue and at any other opportunity that presents itself.

Sorry - Honest humility is almost always appreciated when genuinely expressed. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge and offer regret when a problem occurs, but be sure to follow every apology with an explanation of what will be done to correct the issue.

Pleasure - Part of the job as a customer service representative is regularly expressing positivity. Be quick to let customers know that helping them is a pleasure.

Please - One of the first words parents teach their children to keep communication polite, “please” should be employed regularly with customers to set tone properly for all requests you may have for the customers. (i.e. "please follow these instructions," "please contact," "please explain in detail," etc.)

Solution - Regularly talking about a problem’s solution deflects attention from the problem itself and focuses instead on the successful resolution you’re working towards.

Happy - Along the lines of #4, expressing positivity goes a long way towards setting a pleasant tone with customers. (i.e. "I'm happy to help.")

Right Now - As in, “I’ll get to that right now.” Showing urgency in reaching a resolution assures customers that they are a priority.

Appreciate - Find a way to express customer appreciation in every interaction. When they place an order, you appreciate their business. When they complain, you appreciate their feedback. Etc.

May I - Asking permission is a subtle way to let the customer know that he or she is in charge and confirms that all actions to be performed are being executed for the customer's benefit.

Setting the right tone is beneficial in most aspects of life, but in customer service it’s a daily necessity. When working with a customer expressing negativity, the ability to employ just the right words to steer the conversation in a positive direction plays a huge role in making sure the customer service interaction is resolved in a way that leaves everyone happy.

Would you like to try our free, hosted ticket tracking/helpdesk application? No long-term contracts, signup fees, or termination fees. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime. We offer a wide variety of plans to fit any budget.

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How to Pick the Right Help Desk Software

The business landscape is overrun with products promising solutions for a better-run business. A good sales pitch or impressive idea might tempt a company to purchase a product that fails to satisfy their needs. A help desk is supposed to bring greater organization to business operations, improve communication with customers and within the department, and aid in collecting feedback and rewarding good work. Once a business has identified their needs, the first step is taken care of; the next step is figuring out which help desk best fits those needs.

Chances are, any business dependent on internet, e-mail and other computer-based tools, has a technical support department that is swamped. Every time the company decides to implement new software or purchase a new program, those in nearby departments are likely to hear audible groans from the IT staff. Opting for a cloud based help desk is likely to solicit gratitude from the IT department. Cloud based products save IT time, take up zero additional space on the company server and don’t require internal backup.

The more complicated a help desk is, the more likely the company is to devote excessive time and energy to teaching employees to use it—possibly to little effect.  People are more likely to embrace something they can understand in less than 15 minutes. Sometimes features that look exciting during the sales process are largely unnecessary in practice. Don’t just go for the help desk with the most bells and whistles, keep in mind ease of use and focus on identifying the features most  useful to the customer service staff.

A business looking to reduce repetitive tasks like assigning every customer inquiry to a representative should look for a help desk that automates those practices. If employees use different types of computers, it's important to find one that works on multiple platforms. Want to set up a system to encourage and track progress? Find a help desk that lets users rate their customer service experience and tracks how long it takes to resolve an inquiry. For a business that values corporate branding on everything it does, be sure to find one that allows for customization. These are just a few ways help desk features can aid a business. Think about your company’s needs and preferences and how a help desk can be applied to them before looking for the best solution.

Many companies will want a product that allows them to organize and view data in reports or programs they already utilize. Pay attention to what formats a help desk supports for reporting. If a company prefers its own proprietary methods and software, a help desk that supports a Developer API can help with ensuring greater integration.

Getting a better sense of what to look for in a help desk? There’s no reason to make a final decision until confident you’ve found the right fit. Take advantage of a free trial to make sure the help desk you choose satisfies your company’s needs. Putting the help desk to the test should be enough to make sure the business finds the right help desk software.

Would you like to try our free, hosted ticket tracking/helpdesk application? No long-term contracts, signup fees, or termination fees. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime. We offer a wide variety of plans to fit any budget.

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How to Make Sure Employees Use a New Helpdesk

To get the best possible return on investment with a new helpdesk, it’s important to be proactive in encouraging employees to use it. A little effort in the early days of implementation can make all the difference in whether employees reap the benefits of the helpdesk or fail to embrace it. It’s human nature to resist change. People develop their own methods of doing things and often prefer sticking with what’s comfortable. If a new helpdesk goes unused, it can result in wasted money, squandered good intentions, and most importantly, a lack of progress. To encourage use and avoid wasted potential, consider these 5 tips for getting the most out of a new helpdesk:

1. Emphasize the Benefits
Mojo Helpdesk is designed to make work easier and more rewarding for representatives. Showcase how a simplified process for documenting each customer correspondence helps to track individual responsibilities, identify and handle issues as they occur. Mojo Helpdesk encourages customers to rate their experiences, so great work is noticed and rewarded. Managers don't always know when customers are receiving exceptional service; Mojo Helpdesk makes sure they hear about it.

2. Give Tutorials
Learning a daunting new software is the last thing most employees want to add to their lengthy to do list. A simple 15-25 minute tutorial both makes what was daunting seem simple and makes employees aware of time-saving, helpful features they might have missed otherwise. As an extra touch, include refreshments. People are more eager to participate in training if pizza, sodas, or cookies are provided.

3. Discuss Possible Concerns 
Talk to employees about any doubts they have and point out specific features to alleviate concerns. If they’re worried using the helpdesk will make interactions less personal, show how it allows for direct communication between customers and representatives and makes sure customers work with the same contact until their issue is resolved. If they’re worried it will slow them down, demonstrate how automations and ticket centralization can save time. Allot time after training to allow for a Q&A session. This encourages employees to better understand the software and lose their hesitations.

4. Find Ways to Incorporate Familiar Methods
People will more readily accept a productive shift in the way things are done than a complete transformation. Find out the practices employees have found the most beneficial and determine how best to incorporate those into use of the helpdesk. The helpdesk doesn’t require you to reinvent the wheel, it merely provides the tools to make a better version of it.

5. Track and Publicize Success Stories
After efforts focused on the above points, there may still be some resistant employees unwilling to switch to a new help desk system. Track the progress of those using it and share their success stories with the company. A monthly e-mail that highlights some of the successful experiences with the helpdesk can help illustrate the many benefits

Just as resistance to change is predictable, so is the likelihood that in time people become used to new methods and begin to prefer them to the old. Once employees begin using Mojo Helpdesk, they’ll quickly become comfortable in the newer, better work processes it enables.

Would you like to try our free, hosted ticket tracking/helpdesk application? No long-term contracts, signup fees, or termination fees. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime. We offer a wide variety of plans to fit any budget.

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Help Desks: Not Just for IT Anymore

New businesses are emerging all the time and struggling to stay ahead in competitive industries. It will come as no surprise to regular readers that it’s our conviction that one of the primary components in determining which of those businesses will succeed is the quality of customer service they provide. Regardless of the industry, organized and personal customer service is the key to getting and keeping customers.

Imagine a young professional, straight out of school, starting a new graphic design business. Employing the winning combination of talent, hard work and attention to friendly, personal customer service has helped the business to grow, in spite of these hard times. With the excitement of watching business take off, the graphic designer has come to the difficult realization that it’s becoming harder and harder to maintain the level of attentive, organized customer support that helped the company find success to begin with. In order to preserve their business’s hard earned reputation, the graphic designer must figure out a way to continue providing quality service to a higher volume of customers.

The above hypothetical could apply to businesses in any number of industries. With greater success comes greater difficulty in keeping up with the expectations of a growing customer base without letting any of the customer service touches that set a company apart begin to slip. How does a busy company maintain its positive relationships and keep up its brand? Whether offering goods and services in graphic design, accounting, marketing, retail or any other industry that involves customers, the same answer applies: Mojo Helpdesk.

Until recently, online help desks were largely associated with providing IT support. Increasingly, other industries are realizing how useful of a tool an online help desk can be for customer support in any number of industries. The hypothetical graphic designer can use the tickets in Mojo Helpdesk to track a multitude of design requests without losing sight of the needs of any one customer, stay in frequent communication with each client and solicit feedback once a project is complete. The whole process is documented and can be easily consulted when relevant to future customer interactions, saving time and improving service in the long term.

A marketing firm can use it to document the history of ideas and conversations that have transpired with each customer, making it easy to return to old ideas for inspiration, revisit client responses and track the general success of each campaign. A payroll department can utilize it to handle all payroll queries and help keep careful records of all issues that arise and the solutions used to resolve them within a secure environment. A retail business can keep up with a high volume of customer requests and easily pull up the history of repeat customers to check on their personal preferences and past experiences.

It would be impossible to cover the many, myriad ways Mojo Helpdesk could be put to use here; the possibilities are endless. Any business that works with customers, feels a need for greater organization or desires a better way to document interactions can quickly see an improvement in business operations with the use of a help desk. While IT businesses were the first to embrace the increased simplicity and efficiency of implementing help desks into their operations, other companies and departments would be remiss not to consider how they can contribute to making the lives of employees easier, while improving the relationships the company has with its customers.

Would you like to try our free, hosted ticket tracking/helpdesk application? No long-term contracts, signup fees, or termination fees. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime. We offer a wide variety of plans to fit any budget.

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Tip of the Week: Auto-Assigning Tickets

This week we want to show you how to create an automation that will automatically route new tickets to specific agents. This is perfect if you have specific customer service representatives that handle tickets submitted by particular companies.  It takes a step out of manually assigning tickets to the correct person, resulting in a faster response from the right person, something everyone appreciates.

You can find the Automations link in the drop-down manage menu at the top of the helpdesk.

Click the ‘new’ button next to the Automations header to begin creating your custom automation.

You’ll need to title the automation and add a description. This will be useful if you ever need to return to the automation to make changes.

In the Filters section, choose the ‘selected companies’ button next to the ‘Company’ filter.  Then select the company who’s tickets you want to auto-assign. To select multiple companies, hold ctrl or command and select each company with your mouse.

In the Actions section, choose the representative all tickets will be auto-assigned to. One of the nice benefits of creating this automation is if you ever need to change who the tickets are routed to, you just make the change here and it is done.

Make sure to check the box to run the automation only once per ticket and if you want it to only apply to new tickets, check the box below.

Click Create and Activate and your automation is done. In less than 5 minutes you’ve created an automation that will save time and ensure your customers are being helped by the appropriate staff.

Would you like to try our free, hosted ticket tracking/helpdesk application? No long-term contracts, signup fees, or termination fees. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime. We offer a wide variety of plans to fit any budget.

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How To Provide Excellent Holiday Customer Service

The holidays can be a trying time for customer service representatives. People often feel rushed and overwhelmed in their efforts to complete their holiday shopping in time for celebrations with family and friends. The need to maintain excellent customer service throughout this period cannot be underestimated. When tensions are high, it becomes ever more important to handle customer concerns and inquiries pleasantly and effectively.
Businesses should make efforts to ensure the customer service staff is well prepared for any issues likely to arise in the holiday season. These seven suggestions can help make sure your company maintains the superior level of service your customers deserve and expect.

Hire Extra Seasonal Staff
The boon to business that comes with increased consumer spending during the holiday season means a greater burden on customer support staff. Bringing on temporary staff helps keep employees from becoming overwhelmed and ensures service doesn’t slow during the busy period.  

Utilize Mojo Helpdesk to Keep Up with the High Volume of Requests
Your staff is only human and when an individual’s responsibilities increase, making sure nothing slips through the cracks is especially challenging. Mojo Helpdesk makes sure every customer request is neatly organized, through custom filters and automations, as well as being able to assign to a particular representative and stays on the radar until it’s resolved.

Be Prepared for High Stress and Emotional Customers
The holidays are an especially stressful time for many and this can serve to make customer service interactions more difficult. When faced with an angry or emotional customer, keep in mind those feelings aren’t personal. Always remain calm when working through the customer’s issue and keep a levelheaded tone.

Use Mojo Helpdesk to Set Goals and Incentives for Staff Members
People work better when given a clear incentive. With Mojo Helpdesk’s ratings system and SLA targets,  it is easy to implement an incentives program to reward the representatives that receive the highest Mojo scores from customers or achieve the quickest resolution times. This can help raise spirits and encourage harder work, without making staff feel overburdened.

Keep Customers Well Informed
Make sure customers know upfront the estimated shipping times for each order, if your company ships/sells goods, and post clearly on your website and in all e-mail and helpdesk correspondence any days staff won’t be available.  If possible, direct tickets to an available staff member during days someone is out.

Be Prepared for Post-Holiday Returns
While the holiday gift giving tradition usually means an increase in sales, it also comes coupled with a period of high volume returns and follow-up calls for support. Have a system in place to handle returns that makes the experience simple for the consumer. Use Mojo Helpdesk to organize return requests.  Adding custom fields to the ticket form, and requiring customers to enter all necessary information can help ensure returns are more easily handled by staff.  For frequent requests, automations may be set up to respond more quickly to several customers/tickets at once. 

Reward your Staff
As the holidays mean harder work and higher stress for staff, it’s important to make them feel valued. Whether bringing sweets into the office for everyone, throwing a holiday party, or implementing a gift exchange program, bringing some levity and fun into the office setting will help keep spirits up. The holiday season is such an important period for businesses; some basic preparation is well worth the positive results it yields for customers and staff. Encourage staff to take note of any unforeseen issues they encounter so the team can take stock at the end of the season and better prepare for next year.  Ensuring you have a stream-lined, friendly, fast and efficient customer service system in place, even during the busiest time of the year can lead to happier holidays for everyone.

Would you like to try our free, hosted ticket tracking/helpdesk application? No long-term contracts, signup fees, or termination fees. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime. We offer a wide variety of plans to fit any budget.

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The Trials of Providing International Customer Service

The rise of the internet has created an international marketplace unlike anything the world has experienced before. As technology progresses, geography is an increasingly minor concern in how companies do business and professional communities interact. There are many benefits to this: an expanded marketplace for products, greater opportunities for innovative collaboration between different countries and the rise of the virtual business model, just to name a few. With the territory many businesses serve expanding globally, the ability to effectively provide international customer service is a growing concern.

Positive word of mouth is one of the best marketing tools available to any company and repeat business is a crucial component to staying competitive. Social networks and online review sites have further heightened the power that a customer service experience has on future sales and branding efforts. Having a committed staff, well trained in the techniques of keeping customers happy is one of the most crucial resources any business can have.

How does a company equip staff with the proper knowledge to handle the distinct set of issues that arise with international customers? There are several primary challenges one is likely to encounter; listed below are some suggestions to improve customer service and avoid many common issues.

Language Barriers and Cultural Differences
This is probably the most conspicuous of the distinct issues a customer service representative will have to address with international customers. While it’s surprisingly common for individuals in much of the world to have some grasp of English, a company can’t depend on this and even many who have a conversational ability may have a hard time successfully communicating the problems they experience.

Utilize Bilingual Employees
Assign international customers to the appropriate bilingual employee and seek out people with a grasp of the most common languages you encounter in future hiring efforts. With Mojo Helpdesk it is possible to filter all tickets from international customers into specific queues prepared to handle the language barrier or directly to support staff that speak the language.

Use E-mail Correspondence and Mojo Helpdesk
Phone conversations are especially difficult when a language barrier is in play, but utilizing written options such as e-mail and Mojo Helpdesk affords both parties the opportunity to consult dictionaries and translating services to improve clarity.

Be Aware of Different Customs

Amongst other differences, international employees will have different holidays, different ways of addressing one another and different topics that are considered appropriate for discussion. Make sure customer service representatives are trained in the basics of the cultures of customers they’ll be working with.


Different Time Zones
International time differences are often considerable. Most customers will recognize a company’s inability to provide an immediate response to inquiries that arise, but it’s possible to take steps to ensure quick response times.

Use E-mail or Mojo Helpdesk to Communicate
Both options allow the customer and representative to send and receive messages during their respective business hours. It is important to try to respond to these customers within 24 hours to ensure their issues are handled in a timely manner.

Set Up Phone Calls in Advance
When a phone call does become necessary to work out a customer service issue, both parties can ensure availability by setting up a time in advance.

Expand Business Hours
It can be beneficial to employ a customer service representative to be available during the hours the business is traditionally closed. If the need for this is relatively light, assigning representatives particular days to be on call to respond to customer service inquiries that come in during off hours, whether from home or in the office, is an option.

Additional Costs of Doing Business
Most companies are aware that providing international customer service is going to increase their support budget. However, with technology and good planning, it is possible to lessen these costs while still providing quality customer service.

Long Distance Calling
If the company’s phone plan doesn’t allow for affordable long distance calls, Skype, or other online calling services, can offer a more cost conscious alternative and even make it easier to determine the correct country calling code.

After Hours Customer Support
Having employees work longer will increase labor costs, but it is possible to implement a system in which employees can trade out the extra hours worked for time off at another period to save the company money.  Also, hiring a night shift may be the best solution to ensure you have staff on hand for international customers.

Additional Offices
If you have enough international business to merit it, you may find it necessary to open up new offices in the countries you work with the most, requiring additional costs such as new staff, equipment, real estate costs, maintenance and office supplies. Depending on the company's needs, it may be possible to avoid many of these costs by hiring contractors who work from home.

The greater accessibility to global communication in today’s age of technology offers countless benefits in commerce, but it can also complicate the process of providing consistently exceptional customer service. A devoted team can offer positive international customer service experiences with just a little bit of extra effort and awareness of the unique trials involved in working well with customers across the globe.

Would you like to try our free, hosted ticket tracking/helpdesk application? No long-term contracts, signup fees, or termination fees. You can upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime. We offer a wide variety of plans to fit any budget.

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