While the internet is full of glib, millennial declarations like “email is dead” or “voicemail is dead,” in the B2B world it’s patently not true. Voicemail and email do have their place in corporate communications – and it’s important to understand where that is. Just as important is understanding that, in some applications, using voicemail and email is a disservice to your efficiency, profitability, and the satisfaction of your tech teams. For MSP helpdesks, a major area where voicemail and email are killing your profitability is scheduling. Here’s why we find ourselves relying on outdated, inefficient modes of communication and how automated scheduling can set you free by giving you complete control over your calendar.
Why Are We Still Using Voicemail
In our personal lives, voicemail has lost its luster. Thanks to visual voicemail, it’s easier than ever to quickly scan a message and then reply in the mode of communication you prefer. Even though some major organizations are choosing to get rid of voicemail, the reality is that there are legitimate reasons to use phone and voicemail, particularly in consumer-to-business and service-based industries like MSP helpdesks. One industry study found that the phone is still the preferred communication channel for customers who have purchased something from a company; 36% of respondents over the age of 56 rank phone calls as their top preferred communication channel, followed by 30% for 40-55 and 22% for 18-39.
The reason is that, while voicemail is a pain for the recipient, it gives the consumer a touchpoint that feels personal and human – which can’t be replicated by email or chat (that’s why 69% of consumers prefer phone calls to chat channels). Determining when and where is best to use phone support, chat, or email is a critical piece of your MSP helpdesks’ communications strategy.
How About Email?
While there are pros to email – it can be hard to remember what they are. They are largely misused and there are scientific reasons why it is the worst. While there are ways to make email work for you, it’s largely a disruptive, hard to control, time-suck to the tune of 13 hours a week and over 28% of your workday. Yikes. While convenient and instantaneous, email is difficult to use to convey tone, is impersonal, and can lead to misunderstandings and a reduction in collaboration.
Email is probably here to stay – and there are ways to use email strategically for things like formally communicating decisions, documenting important conversations, and company-wide announcements – but it should never have become our default.
How Using Automated Scheduling Instead Can Be A Key Differentiator For Your MSP
We get it – you want to be there for your customers, and the temptation to pick up the phone or dash off an informative email to get a support appointment set up is huge. Don’t do it. Here’s why.
1. Phone and Email Scheduling is Inefficient and Costly
While people want a human connection or a quick response in urgent situations, that can be preserved for the support appointment itself. Scheduling through email and phone is highly inefficient and can cost you over 2 weeks a year in valuable tech time. These methods lead to scheduling ping-pong, dispatcher and tech burnout, and a perception of an overtaxed helpdesk.
TimeZest integrates into your PSA, scheduling the support appointment as the ticket is generated for the optimal time for everyone involved: you, your client, and the right tech for the job.
2. There’s No Need To Be On The Same Platform
Your tech team may be in a PSA, while your clients prefer Microsoft 365 (or maybe you and other leadership team members do). TimeZest is designed to seamlessly integrate with your PSA and communicate with Microsoft 365, Zoom, Teams, and more. This way, everyone gets to use their preferred calendar platform and communications apps, and scheduling becomes an integrated, and automated, piece of support scheduling.
3. No Need For Updates or “Checking In”
When clients don’t know where things stand, and they’re facing a frustrating tech issue, they can reach for the phone or email to get a bead on the current status. Because TimeZest’s revolutionary automated scheduling is embedded into the support ticket lifecycle, clients, dispatchers, and techs always know the current status of their support issue, and – because the appointment is scheduled – clients can set the issue aside, knowing they’re on the path to resolution.
4. Eliminate Client No Shows
Part of the brilliance of automated scheduling is the simple ability to reschedule for a new optimized time slot if needed. Because clients are placed in control of their calendar, they’re less likely to “no show,” a huge inefficiency and time-waster that saps satisfaction from your valuable tech team.
5. Improve Client Perception Of Helpdesk Volume
When you add the burden of inefficient scheduling through phone and email to your already busy tech team, it can lead to poor client perception of your MSP helpdesk’s ability to manage your volume. A piece of client feedback that we often hear is that TimeZest’s automated scheduling solution improves client perception of their MSP helpdesk team’s availability.
Interestingly, their helpdesks are working with the same volume they were before, but, after implementing TimeZest, they’re enjoying increased efficiency and clients feel they’re more available and attentive.
Let’s Move Into The Future Together
Automated scheduling is the future and can be a true key differentiator for your MSP helpdesk. By eliminating the inefficiencies caused by scheduling through outdated communication methods like voicemail and email, MSP helpdesks can better preserve their time for their high-value work. Your dispatcher is happy, your tech team is happy, and your clients are happy – and that’s what we’re all about. To learn more about our seamless PSA integration and how you can harness the power of TimeZest to optimize your MSP helpdesk, start your 14-day free trial today.
Guest blog courtesy of TimeZest. Read more TimeZest guest blogs here. Regularly contributed guest blogs are part of ChannelE2E’s sponsorship program.
