How do I review the help desk call logs of a payroll company I might buy?

Begin with access. Ask for the call or ticket log with dates, topics, handling staff and resolution notes, with client names masked at first if that helps confidentiality. Ask your lawyer how to handle client data in the review.

Sort the entries. Which topics repeat? Frequent questions about the same feature point to a training or setup gap. Look at how long tickets stay open and how often they are reopened. Notice whether certain clients dominate the log, and whether the notes show patient service or frustration.

Then compare the logs with what you were told. If the seller says service is excellent, do response times and resolutions agree? Check whether the logs depend on one or two staff, and whether the process is written down. Finally, ask if complaints go elsewhere, such as email to the owner, and request those too. Review the service agreements to see what the company promised clients about response. Finally, ask what the company does with the logs. Are patterns reviewed regularly? Do fixes get passed to the product or training side? A help desk that learns from its own records tends to improve, while one that only answers calls tends to repeat itself.

Key takeaways

• Obtain raw logs from a busy period and sort them by topic, client and outcome.
• Look for repeated issues, reopened tickets and long gaps in response.
• Check whether complaints also arrive outside the help desk.