Avoid Inbox Overload With A Salesforce Help Desk System

Blog:

Salesforce system administrators and developers (admins) are always looking for ways to keep their requests organized. However, we all know maintaining tasks in order is easier said than done. Admins can quickly get flooded with requests or issues from their users weekly, daily, or even hourly. These requests often come through via multiple routes…especially email, and this inbox inundation makes it easy for admins to lose track of any task.

To help alleviate the stress of email overload, implementing a help desk system within Salesforce can help keep all your incoming requests organized and trackable.

Gather your data points

When implementing a help desk system, it’s important to gather the right data points. Plan to collect at least the following:

• Type of ticket
• Priority
• Description (of the request or issue)
• Stage (of the request or issue)
• Assignment (who will address the ticket)
• Submission and completion dates
• Comments (ongoing and closing)

Communication with your team is vital during this stage. Salesforce Chatter opens the door for ongoing collaboration and is a great way to communicate back and forth during work on the ticket.

Options for help desk implementation

You have multiple options for implementing a help desk system in Salesforce.

• Option 1 – Salesforce Service Cloud: The standard case object, along with Service Cloud and Knowledge, can help your admins handle cases submitted, all while taking advantage of the standard Salesforce case settings, assignment rules, and escalation functionality. The Service Console and Knowledge give admins the tools to view multiple pieces of data on one screen and access data to help solve issues quickly.
• Option 2 – The Salesforce AppExchange: The AppExchange has several apps available to help with managing and tracking issues. One of these could be a good fit for your company.
• Option 3 – Custom Help Desk: My favorite option for admins is this. You can create a custom object within your instance. If going this route, create the fields above to gather the minimum information needed. A few things to consider when creating your custom help desk are:
  1. Potential approval processes
  2. Notes & Attachments/Files utilization so users can add necessary documents or images to their requests
  3. Chatter for important communication

It’s essential to track your issues and requests, so admins don’t get overwhelmed. Users need to know where their requests stand, and management needs to identify trends with their system issues and user requests. What better way to do this than with a help desk?