Strategies for a Successful Help Desk

Posted: October 17th, 2013

Strategies for a Successful Help Desk

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Strategies for a Successful Help Desk

Having a successful help desk begins by knowing what someone’s goals are. A person has to identify goals that he or she wants to realize while at the help desk. Some of these goals include receiving and taking care of more customers and providing expertise when dealing with the customers (Bayan, 2004). Once the organization can determine what it wants to achieve through its help desk, then it can determine other areas, such as the physical lay out around the help desk, and the person to put in charge of the help desk. A successful help desk is one that delivers the results it is intended to deliver. Many customers do not care about the help desk used if their problems are not solved. Knowing the goals of the help desk also determines the level of investment and support that the organization is willing to place on it. The management needs to communicate the goals of the help desk to the staff. Some organizations are interested in serving as many customers as they can manage in a day, and they might not place much emphasis on the expertise provided. Others are more interested in presenting their organizations as areas of expertise, and they are content with serving fewer clients and customers. These goals determine the support that the management will give the help desk staff.

Having the right people at the help desk determines the success of the help desk in the organization. The organization needs to determine the people it wants to handle its customers. Help desk personnel need to be efficient and knowledgeable. This includes having the right technical knowledge. Many organizations are up to date, and they use modern equipment. The personnel at the help desk should have the right IT skills. They should be able to respond to the customers’ questions, and should not show any inexperience. The help desk staff should know how to address the customers at their level. However, knowledgeable the help desk personnel are, they should not use their knowledge to intimidate customers by talking to them in technical language. They should have the right attitude, as this will determine how they deal with the customers (Bayan, 2004). Help desk personnel deal with people, and they should have proper interpersonal skills. They have to be able to handle a lot of stress and pressure. They need to be patients and have the right temperament, as they will be dealing with unsatisfied and unhappy customers most of the time. Having the right staff assures the customers. The customers know that they will be treated in the right way.

The support that the management provides determines whether the help desk will be successful. This support includes providing essential training for employees. This is important, especially for organizations that value change, and are continuously changing. The help desk personnel need to be aware of any emerging trends and the management assists them by providing training. The management can ensure that the employees work in an environment conducive for work. This includes providing the right equipment and having the right ergonomics. The personnel need an environment that is suitable for them to work. The physical layout can determine how the help desk personnel will achieve their goals. Having a crowded environment will not help the workers, and this might cause customer dissatisfaction. The personnel need an environment where they can be able to hear, and solve the customers’ problems and questions. Management support includes providing staff with the best equipment for the job. This includes the right chairs, headphones, and enough workspaces. The workers are able to handle the customers better when they are in comfortable positions (Bayan, 2009).

References:

Bayan, R. (2009). Setting up a successful help desk—physical considerations. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/article/setting-up-a-successful-help-desk-physical-considerations/5112459

Bayan, R. (2004). Try these efficiency strategies when setting up a successful help desk. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/article/try-these-efficiency-strategies-when-setting-up-a-successful-help-desk/5112468