Table of Contents
Help desk and customer service are often used interchangeably all around the world. However, contrary to popular belief, both are not the same. The help desk and customer service tools are designed to meet distinct requirements and achieve different goals. There is a stark difference in their purpose, usage, and outcomes. What are those? We’ll explore in detail through this blog, wherein we will identify what each service does, the similarities between the two, as well as the characteristics that make them unique.
» What is Help Desk?
A help desk is a function that offers assistance to users in order to resolve their issues. It typically involves providing support for IT or technical problems encountered by individual users or organizations or both. Think of it as a digital or physical desk where a support person helps you through chat communication, an email response, or a phone call. More often than not, a help desk is a centralized help or a support desk or department established within an organization. The aim is to provide in-house users, as well as external clients, with solutions to their software, hardware, or network-related problems. In simple words, a help desk department of an organization would cater to both - its fellow colleagues, partners, & other stakeholders of the organization and the customers of the organization.Other popular terms used for the help desk is IT help desk, IT response center, computer support center, technical support desk, tech support center, and information & resource center.» What is Customer Service?
As the term suggests, customer service refers to the support any business offers to its current and potential customers. Customer services include support before the purchase of a product or service, as well as after the actual sales. While most people think of customer service as merely solving consumers’ problems or answering their queries, it is much more than that. In today’s world of advent technology, customer service has evolved into a strategic process to ensure your customers have the best experience at every step of your sales funnel. That is possible by being available 24/7 on multiple channels of communication, including chat, phone, text, email, as well as social media. And deliver proactive, prompt support on their preferred platforms. Customer service is for external support to a company’s list of clientele.» What Does Help Desk Do?
As the first contact point for a business, a help desk connects users to the technical help and support professionals of the enterprise. Think of it as a connecting link between an organization’s IT department and the end-users. The role of a help desk includes being the first contact point for users, handling client queries, and troubleshooting common technical issues. Help desk staff is also responsible for managing the users’ service requests, such as equipment or permissions. The issues that a help desk staff cannot resolve, they escalate to the relevant senior professionals in the company for further assistance in the process.» What Does Customer Service Do?
Customer service functions involve providing support services to present and potential consumers of the company. The customer service department of a business handles expansive tasks, from gathering & processing the customers’ complaints to answering their queries regarding the company’s products/services. The services are offered through multiple channels, including chat, email, social media, phone, and in-person visits.A customer service department is the first communication point between a business and its current & potential customers.» Help Desk vs Customer Service: Similarities & Differences
After understanding the meaning of help desk and customer service, along with their functions, we can say that both - help desk and customer service - are an integral part of a business. Let’s uncover the differences and similarities between these two functions.› Key similarities between customer service and help desk
Customer service and the help desk enjoy a lot of common aspects. The top similarities are as follows:-
- Both are dedicated to helping users (internal & external users for the help desk & external users for customer service)
- Both are concerned with user interactions
- Both provide solutions for users’ queries, issues and service requests
- Both can be termed the organization’s representatives
- Both aim to offer the best user experience
› Key differences between customer service and help desk
The primary difference between customer service and help desk is the type of users they interact with. Customer service typically involves providing support to external end-users, namely consumers of the company. The help desk refers to resolving issues faced by internal and external end-users of a technical product/service. Another crucial difference between the two is the kind of problems they deal with. Customer service is greatly involved with processing non-technical issues experienced by customers, from product enquiries to personalized assistance during the buying phase. The help desk, on the other hand, is largely responsible for solving technical and process glitches, such as workflows, troubleshooting, databases, and integrations.» Customer Service Software vs Help Desk Software
Now that we know that customer service and help desk are not one and the same, it’s time to understand the distinct systems we have available for both. Customer service software is a system to organize and manage your customer service operations. Similarly, a help desk system is a tool that streamlines the technical support processes of an organization. Let’s dig deeper by comparing the two systems based on some important components:-
-
Workflow:
-
-
-
Integration:
-
-
-
Database:
-
-
-
Communication:
-
