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Successful IT departments ensure not only that they are good at solving problems, but that they provide great customer service to their clients. Skilful customer service is essential to maintain a good impression of your helpdesk, and hence your IT department in general. So, the role of the IT Helpdesk is twofold:
- A means to report, manage and resolve problems and issues identified by customers and
- A marketing tool for your IT department or business.
How do you get both these roles right in order to provide complete or near complete customer satisfaction?
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You need to provide excellent problem management by providing your IT Helpdesk with the tools and training required to do their job effectively and efficiently. You also need to equip the helpdesk technicians/analysts with the correct technical training and customer service training to carry out their roles to the best of their ability.
Problem Management – You will need to provide the appropriate tools and procedures for your Helpdesk personnel: Telephony and ACD (Automatic Call Distributor), CTI (Computer Telephony Integration), Helpdesk Software (for problem and change management) and documented policies and procedures are just some of the most important areas that need to be implemented and adhered to.
Customer Service – Ensure all Helpdesk personnel have good customer service skills and have appropriate training in how to manage their customer: from efficient call handling, through escalation procedures to dealing with irate customers.
Helpdesk Training
Use a combination of in-house training, computer based training and classroom training for both new members of your Helpdesk team, and also for ongoing training requirements identified from particular circumstances or as a result of a performance appraisals or service level reviews.
Specific self study courses available for the Helpdesk include the following:
- Customer Service Training – Includes training in the following areas: Calming Upset Customers, Customer Satisfaction and Quality Customer Service.
- CRM Training – Customer Relationship Management Training covering Fundamentals of CRM, Implementing CRM and eCRM.
- Call Centre Training – Covers Managing an Inbound Call Centre, Measuring Quality and Performance and Managing and Motivating Your Staff.
For the Helpdesk Manager the following computer based training is available:
- Team Leadership Training – covering Working Together, manage Your Mind, Manage Your Words, Manage the Unspoken and Putting Diversity to Work.
- Team Development Training – includes Effective Meeting Skills, Increasing Employee Productivity, Mentoring, Team Leadership, Team Problem Solving and Working Together.
- Successful Management Training – includes Excellence in Supervision, Project Management, Giving & Receiving Feedback, Managing Disagreement and Supreme Teams.
So, with the right tools and training, your Helpdesk staff will be able to provide a consistent and efficient service to their customers.
Resources:
Service Level Agreements: Information on SLA’s plus the training required by personnel operating in the service management field.
ITIL Training: The ITIL (the IT Infrastructure Library) v3 Foundations certification training course prepares students for the ITIL v3 Foundations exams. It covers the core fundamentals of ITIL practices: service management as a practice, the service lifecycle, key principles and models, selected roles, processes and functions, technology and architecture and the ITIL Qualification scheme.
Helpdesk Careers: Article to find out if an IT Helpdesk career is the right one for you.
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