Customers expect fast solutions. With rising service expectations, businesses should step up their support. Sometimes, it can be as simple as using the resources you already have more effectively.

The right tool, like the HubSpot Help Desk, can make a big difference. You can collect all your important data into a knowledge base and create clear, step-by-step processes through playbooks. These two simple steps can help you provide quicker and more efficient support.

This blog will show how to access and use your resources efficiently with the HubSpot Help Desk. We’ll break down the steps to get you set up and show you how to streamline your support processes so you can meet and exceed customer expectations.

The Rising Customer Expectations

Customer support expectations are rapidly evolving, demanding businesses to adapt quickly. Here's why focusing on improving support is more urgent than ever:

• Today's consumers increasingly feel the emotional toll of subpar support experiences, with 52% reporting exhaustion after support interactions and 55% experiencing increased stress levels.
• Many customers now demand near-instantaneous resolutions, with 21% expecting their issues to be resolved immediately. Another 23% are willing to wait up to an hour, while 23% expect resolution within one to three hours.
• A staggering 56% of customers report having to repeat or re-explain information to different representatives during their support journey. 

These statistics highlight consumers' growing impatience and the pressure on businesses to provide swift, efficient support. The lack of seamless communication frustrates customers and erodes their trust in a company's ability to handle their concerns effectively.

Companies that excel in support meet these high expectations and turn them into an opportunity to shine. Offering quick resolutions and consistent, clear communication can enhance customer satisfaction, foster loyalty, and set your business apart in a crowded market.

Integrated Knowledge Base

Customers want answers to their questions now, not tomorrow. One powerful way to meet this expectation is by creating a knowledge base for your team to access quickly. HubSpot has just the tool for this: the integrated Knowledge Base.

A knowledge base is a centralized place to store useful information and resources. Think of it as a digital library where you keep all your answers to frequently asked questions, troubleshooting guides, and helpful articles. 

It helps your team and your customers find the information they need without contacting support directly:

Ease of Access

HubSpot's Knowledge Base isn't just another separate tool—it's built into the Help Desk. Your support team doesn't need to switch between systems or remember multiple logins. It's all at their fingertips, ready when they need it.

Think of it as having a super-smart assistant right next to you, always ready with the needed information. This integration brings some great benefits:

1. Lightning-fast responses: Your team can find answers in seconds, not minutes.
2. Consistency: Everyone on the team has access to the same up-to-date information.
3. Reduced stress: No more scrambling to remember details or policies—it's all in the Knowledge Base. 

You can find answers quickly without keeping your customers waiting. It's a win-win: you save time, and your customers get faster, more accurate responses.

Using the Knowledge Base

A customer asks, "How do I reset my password?" Instead of typing out the steps from memory (and possibly missing something), you can quickly search for "password reset" in the Knowledge Base. 

You'll get a list of relevant articles, which you can use to guide your response or even send directly to the customer.

This approach ensures you always provide the most up-to-date and accurate information and prevents you from memorizing every little detail about your product or service.

So, how do you tap into this wealth of knowledge? It's easier than you might think:

1. Limiting Access: Tailoring Knowledge for Specific Lists

One of the features of HubSpot’s Knowledge Base is the ability to create private articles. This means you can control who sees which information, making it perfect for internal use. You can make articles visible only to specific groups, such as employees, departments, or teams.

For example:

• HR policies are visible to all employees.
• Sales playbooks are accessible only to the sales team.
• Technical documentation for the IT department.

2. How to Customize Knowledge Base Access

Customizing access ensures that sensitive or role-specific information is only available to the right people while making general information easily accessible to your team.

To customize access to your Knowledge Base, follow these steps:

1. Ensure your Knowledge Base is connected to a custom domain before customizing.
2. Access your HubSpot account by logging in.
3. Click the settings icon in the top navigation bar.
4. Access Knowledge Base settings. Go to Content > Knowledge Base in the left sidebar menu.
5. Set Visitor Access:
   • Public and Private: Choose this option to set visibility for each article individually.
   • Private-Only: Makes all articles visible only to registered users.
6. Configure Search Engine Access:
   • Block Search Engines: Add a no-index tag to prevent your Knowledge Base from appearing in Google and other search engines. This is the default and recommended option to ensure security and improve user experience.
   • Allow Search Engines: Remove the no-index tag to let search engines crawl your Knowledge Base.

3. Searching for Information

Using the Knowledge Base efficiently helps streamline internal operations and customer support, making information retrieval quick and effective.

To find the right content in your Knowledge Base:

• Log in to HubSpot and enter the Knowledge Base section.
• Use the search bar to enter keywords related to your query. This will help you quickly locate relevant articles.
• For frequently asked questions or common issues like resetting passwords or updating billing information, search for relevant articles and follow the step-by-step solutions provided.

Utilizing Playbooks

Imagine having a detailed guide or coach that helps your team navigate every customer interaction smoothly. That’s what HubSpot’s Playbooks do. They are step-by-step guides designed to help your team handle various scenarios consistently and effectively:

Playbooks for Consistent Support

Playbooks offer a structured approach to managing support interactions. They provide clear guidance on what steps to follow and what questions to ask, helping your team deliver consistent and accurate responses. 

Using Playbooks ensures that every customer receives the same high-quality support, no matter who they talk to.

Benefits of using playbooks:

• All team members follow the same process, reducing variation in support quality.
• Streamlined guidance helps resolve issues faster and with fewer mistakes.
• Clear instructions boost team members' confidence, leading to better interactions.

Here’s how it works: 

Playbooks outline questions to ask on qualification calls. This feature ensures reps gather all the necessary information to see if a lead is a good fit. Think of it like a script with prompts to uncover a prospect's budget, needs, and decision-making process. 

Reps can capture notes and update deal properties directly within the playbook. You no longer need to switch between screens or forget details. You have a checklist that automatically updates the deal record as reps fill it out during the call. 

Playbooks keep track of all activities related to a deal. This creates a clear picture of the sales journey and helps managers understand progress. It's like having a play-by-play log of every interaction with the lead, making it easy to identify roadblocks and opportunities.

Quick Access to Playbooks

Let's say you're dealing with a customer who wants to cancel their subscription. Instead of panicking or improvising, you can pull up the "Subscription Cancellation" Playbook.

It might guide you through steps like asking why the customer wants to cancel, offering alternatives or solutions to their problem, explaining the cancellation process, and providing information about reactivating in the future.

To make the most of HubSpot’s Playbooks, follow these steps:

1. Create Playbooks

Log in to HubSpot and go to the HelpDesk section. Go to Library > Playbooks.

Click Create playbook in the upper right corner. Choose to start from scratch or select a template. You can preview templates by clicking the Preview tab in the right panel. To proceed, select a playbook type from the left panel.

Click the edit pencil icon at the top of the page and enter a title for your playbook. Click Create playbook to start building.

2. Crafting Playbooks

In the playbook text editor, you can:

• Write content directly or use HubSpot’s AI content writer by typing / and choosing from available options.
• Edit existing content by highlighting it and clicking the lightning bolt icon.
• Format text, insert links, images, Knowledge Base articles, snippets, and questions using the toolbar at the top.
• Connect questions to pre-built answers or update properties in CRM records for efficiency.

3. Utilize Playbooks in Scenarios

Once created, playbooks can be used within contact, company, deal, ticket, or custom CRM records.

Playbooks are automatically provided for common scenarios like Discovery Calls or Qualification Calls, but you can modify these as needed. If you’ve set up deal stage recommendations, the playbook will appear at the top of the list as Recommended.

For instance, if a customer has a question about billing, find the Playbook related to billing inquiries. Follow the script to ensure all relevant information is covered and the issue is resolved efficiently.

Use Playbooks to guide new customers through onboarding, ensuring they receive consistent and complete instructions.

Right Information at the Right Time

In customer support, having the right information at the right moment can make all the difference. It’s like having a personal assistant who knows exactly where to find what you need, exactly when you need it. 

HubSpot Help Desk’s tools, like Playbooks and the Knowledge Base, are designed to give you that edge. Here’s how these features help improve support in two ways:

1. Efficiency in Support

Picture this: A customer reaches out with a problem, and within seconds, you have all the information you need to help them. 

That's the power of having quick access to resources in HubSpot HelpDesk. It's like having a superpower that lets you zip through tickets faster than ever before.

Here's how this efficiency plays out in real life:

1. Faster response times: Instead of spending minutes (or even hours) searching for information, you can find answers in seconds. This means customers get solutions quicker, leading to happier customers and more resolved tickets per day.
2. More accurate solutions: With the right information at your fingertips, you're less likely to make mistakes or give outdated information. This means fewer follow-up tickets and more problems solved on the first try.
3. Consistent customer experience: Whether it's a Monday morning or Friday night, customers get the same high-quality, accurate responses. This consistency builds trust and improves overall customer satisfaction.

2. Real-Time Problem Solving

In customer support, solving problems in real-time is like having a superpower. With HubSpot HelpDesk's integrated resources, you're not just reacting to issues—you're addressing them on the spot.

This real-time problem-solving capability is a game-changer for both newbies and veterans on your support team:

Harnessing the Power of HubSpot HelpDesk

With Knowledge Base and Playbooks, you gain lightning-fast access to the information you need, dramatically reducing the time spent searching for answers. You can provide consistent and accurate responses to customer queries, no matter when or who handles the ticket.

Efficiency improves as response times drop, allowing you to handle more tickets effectively. Real-time problem-solving becomes a reality, enabling you to address issues immediately with the right tools and knowledge. 

New and experienced team members benefit from this support, as they’re equipped with the resources to excel. You’re not just managing support tickets but delivering exceptional customer service that sets your business apart.

Ready to Transform Your Support Experience?

If you’re already using HubSpot HelpDesk, dive into the Knowledge Base and Playbooks features and incorporate them into your customer interactions. You’ll quickly notice the difference in efficiency and quality.

For those new to HubSpot Help Desk, consider trying it. The efficiency and consistency it can bring to your support process might be exactly what your business needs to stand out.

Want to maximize the HubSpot Help Desk? Partner with Origin 63 to seamlessly implement and optimize HubSpot Help Desk for your team.

We'd love to hear from you! Have you used HubSpot HelpDesk's integrated resources? Do you have any tips or experiences to share? Drop a comment below or reach out to us directly.