The search term "help desk software" is a generic name for a wide variety of software applications associated with product support and customer relationship management (CRM), and the help desk function is known by many names, including call center, service center, customer support, and/or technical support. In its most general sense, a help desk is a clearinghouse for inquiries about a particular product or collection of products that a business enterprise manufactures, sells, or services, and help desk software is any piece of software that can be used by a business enterprise to expedite such inquiries. However, some people use the term help desk to refer more specifically to an organization's internal clearinghouse for internal technical support inquiries. A help desk is typically a virtual location that fields live help inquiries over the telephone, but it can also be a physical location, and help inquiries can be handled as e-mail or database transactions, or even with live online chat. Help desk inquiries can also be directed to online self-help facilities, such as downloadable product manuals, Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), or "information by FAX" systems.