Customer support software allows you to take control of your customer service activities from start to finish, assigning tracking numbers, sharing data between team members, tracking support requests and resolutions and following up with customers through emails and surveys. You can even generate reports, from the highest-level summaries to the most granular detail.

In larger organizations, customer support solutions may be rolled into a full-blown customer relationship system (CRM). But for smaller businesses, a standalone system should work just fine, automating customer support activities while feeding you critical data about your service and support levels so you can improve customer loyalty, reduce service times, generate additional revenue streams and maximize productivity.

To assist you in making an informed decision, we’ve put together this guide to take you step-by-step through the process of researching and selecting an effective customer support system for your company.