“How may I Help You Today?” How Voice-as-a-Service is Changing the Way Help Desks Help You

Customer Service is a critical component for any business. And one of the most important qualities is maintaining a personal touch so your customers feel valued and stay with you. We’ve all been there before, when we’re dealing with an issue and after already dealing with the problem, we become even more frustrated with the live chat (that’s not currently live), lengthy unclear emails or having to fill out endless online forms. All any of us want at this point is simply to talk to a real human.

Help desk software-as-a-service (SaaS) platforms are the first line of defense – or rather, support. So we need a smooth and effective experience for both the representative and the customers. This can take a lot of work behind the scenes, with real-time chat capabilities, deep data integration or intuitive dashboards.

Phone calls have always been an important part of customer service but, as more businesses move onto SaaS, the way voice components factor into the customer service equation is changing. That’s where business voice-over-IP (VoIP) comes in.

VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) is the technology that drives services like Skype. It’s how many businesses are now handling call routing and recording, phone support, conference calls etc.

The direction we’re now heading is called Voice-as-a-Service (VaaS) and it’s the meeting point between VoIP and customer service platforms and connecting the dots between where a VoIP service stops and a help desk begins. Higher speed and more reliable connections, along with newer VoIP technology, has made it easier to integrate voice communication features across platforms.

The value of Vaas is that the voice capabilities just another part of the platform. This ultimately creates a smoother experience for the customer and an easier more effective process for the customer service representative.

Many established help desk providers, keenly aware of the importance of built-in voice capabilities, are using Vaas to “help” the help desk in keeping up with customer demand. The capabilities are improving constantly, pointing towards a bright future for both the systems and the customers being assisted.