Many Organizations implement Dynamics CRM to address a specific business need such as Sales & Business Development, Relationship Management, or Marketing. Too often, we ignore other facets of this truly robust business management platform and how it can be used to address other needs within our organizations. This series of postings will address additional business solutions that are provided “out of the box” with Dynamics CRM 4.0 and the forthcoming 2011 that your organization should consider before spending additional funds on other solutions or upgrades to existing packages.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Customer Service module includes a robust set of features geared towards customer service and support. With only a minimal level of effort, this module can easily be configured to address the needs of your organization:s internal IT team. MS Dynamics CRM’s easy personalization even allows for the use of your own terminology for trouble tickets, cases, incidents, or what ever you may call requests for IT assistance.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Customer Service features for an Internal IT Help Desk.
- Consistent classification, escalation, routing, and follow through on incidents. IT Staff can quickly assign, manage and resolve incidents with automated routing, queuing, and service request escalation. Additional features include related case management, communications tracking and auto-response email.
- Analysis and Intelligence on Help Desk data allows for a better understanding of your IT investments.
- Valuable reports that help identify common support issues, evaluate employee needs, track processes and measure service performance.
- Build a shared Knowledge Base for Support Intelligence. Service and support personnel can resolve issues accurately and efficiently using a searchable, shared set of articles. Resolve common support issues quickly using a searchable knowledge base containing relevant articles. Built in review process helps ensure published information is complete and correct.
- Queuing: Send support requests to a waiting area or queue - for easy access by individuals and teams allowing them to accept responsibility for the resolution of the request.
Microsoft Dynamics eService Accelerator, a free enhancement for Dynamics CRM, extends the Customer Service modules functionality by providing a web based support portal allowing users to interact with the IT Support team in real time.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM eService Accelerator features for an Internal IT Help Desk.
- Help Desk User Creation: The eService Portal allows a new employee or external resource to create themselves as a user with in the Dynamics CRM Service module and as a Help Desk Portal self-service customer.
- Customer Support Request Management: The Help Desk Portal allows a registered user to view, create, edit, and close service cases that may have been previously created via an email, phone, or Instant Messenger request.
- Online Service Scheduling: Using the Help Desk Portal, an employee requesting support can search for convenient times and then book service appointments with the IT support staff as defined by the organization.
- Self Help: Search the Microsoft Dynamics CRM knowledge base (KB) using keywords. Once the appropriate KB article has been located, the employee can then email that article to themselves or others. This allows for simple configuration and “How To” articles to be published for employee use.
Using Dynamics CRM as your help desk solution can easily save your organization a significant amount of money when compared to the cost of products such as Front Range Heat, Numura Foot Prints, Magic Software’s, and even Spiceworks free product. This is due to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 Customer Service modules inherent functionality, and the available personalization and extensibility that you have already invested in. So, if you are looking for a robust, yet simplistic Help Desk application to handle knowledge base management, support ticket management, service scheduling, support contract management, and more- search no further, but look at your current Dynamics CRM server.
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Article written by Henry E McCallum Jr | Senior Functional Consutant – ERT Group
