Unleashing the Power of Marketplace Apps in Discussion with Kristi Dennis from Our Daily Bread Ministries
In the latest edition of the ‘Unleashing the Power of Marketplace Apps’ blog series, we are thrilled to share some excerpts from our recent discussion with Kristi Dennis, Digital Support Team Lead at Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODBM) on their usage of Freshworks Marketplace apps. If you missed our previous blogs, catch up here.
Our Daily Bread Ministries
ODBM, founded by Dr. Mart DeHaan in 1938, is a Christian organization based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The non-profit organization is widely recognized for its production of various devotional publications, with Our Daily Bread being a flagship offering.
Optimizing Customer Service Operations
To optimize its customer service operations, ODBM relies on Freshdesk as its preferred platform. Additionally, they leverage several marketplace apps to complement Freshdesk’s offerings and suit their unique needs. Let’s delve into the apps that have proven instrumental in shaping their day-to-day activities.
Enhancing Productivity and Efficiency
ODBM has always prioritized creating a personalized experience over sheer efficiency. To achieve this, teams actively seek ways to automate tasks while empowering agents to engage in personalized email communications. Over the years, they have identified that one of the best ways to accomplish this goal is to leverage marketplace apps. To minimize distractions on tickets and optimize agent efficiency, the team heavily relies on the Hide Fields and the Set Ticket Field Options for efficient daily operations.
The Hide Fields app plays a crucial role in maintaining clarity within teams by reducing digital clutter for agents, enhancing overall productivity, and enabling them to create a customized customer experience. Operating on preset conditions, the app conceals information irrelevant to agents processing a specific ticket. Admins have the flexibility to determine which fields to hide based on dropdown fields, dependent fields, or user roles.
“Hide Fields, along with Pro-level Sections in Freshdesk, enables us to seamlessly tailor information, ensuring teams only see what’s relevant to them. The Hide Fields App allows us to implement a system that essentially says: if a ticket field is visible, it must be filled out. This simplifies the process for our agents, reducing the likelihood of them overlooking fields due to information overload,” says Kristi.
The Set Ticket Field Options app complements this effort by allowing customization of options displayed in dependent or dropdown ticket fields, allowing agents access only to the specific values needed. “Set Ticket Field Options is excellent because it allows us to display specific options tailored to the respective teams. For example when we have fields that show up for all groups we can show the respective team, the options that are relevant just to them. This is quite useful when we have such different options for our Digital Team and Print Teams. Even in cases of overlap, like with ‘General Emails,’ both groups can use the same option without confusion” says Kristi.
In addition to these, Our Daily Bread Ministries (ODBM) relies on the Auto Ticket Merger app and the Customize From Email Address app to streamline email communications efficiently. They have over 15 support email addresses connected to Freshdesk. When a customer sends an email, the emails are sorted through automation from the Auto Ticket Merge app to catch and merge duplicate requests. The agents then leverage the Customize From Email Address app to ensure that the reply comes from an email address matching the group answering the request, not just any email address. Without this app, agents would have to select what ‘From address’ to use each time they respond to an email.
“The Customize From Email Address app has proven to be a game-changer for our customers, quietly enhancing their experience without them even realizing it! Its subtle efficiency works like magic, ensuring our customer interactions remain seamless and efficient,” says Kristi.
Quality Control and Feedback
ODBM is committed to continuous improvement, evident in its approach to quality control. In their Freshdesk setup, apart from the usual ticket fields, they have added ticket fields covering various quality check criteria such as Spelling/Grammar, Order Processing, etc., with corresponding scoring options. In addition, they have also incorporated multi-line text fields for praising well-done tickets, highlighting errors, or seeking clarification on decisions.
To maintain visibility while restricting editing access, they utilize the Disable Fields app to create a dynamic feedback system. The app allows admins to disable ticket fields in a ticket based on preset conditions.
“Leveraging the Disable Fields app, we’ve struck a balance—ensuring visibility of quality fields to all agents on the ticket, while restricting editing access to supervisors only,” emphasizes Kristi.
Kristi attests to the significance of the marketplace, stating “The Marketplace serves as my go-to resource when tackling queries like ‘I wonder if we can…’ or addressing my team’s and SVP’s specific needs. Efficient operation is not just about having the tools; it’s about knowing how to leverage them effectively. Marketplace apps have proven to be a game-changer for Customer Service, empowering us with innovative solutions and functionalities.”
Explore the 1300+ apps on Freshworks Marketplace, to enhance the capabilities of your Freshworks products.