The help desk plays a crucial role in any business of size and shape. Not only does it serve as the main immediate point of contact for customers, but it is also responsible for performing a variety of critical functions. This includes adding efficiency to all business processes, ensuring customer communications, and reducing complications in every interaction, among others.
However, great customer service is not just about offering efficiency in resolutions. It is not even about guaranteeing the first-contact solution. The same thing can be said for deploying the smartest and most sophisticated IT help desk. At the end of the day, what matters is your perspective towards customer-centricity. You want all customers’ needs to be attended without delay, as this will encourage them to stay loyal and committed.
Considering how vital the role of a help desk is in customer service and other business functions, it is imperative to take a look at the following pointers. They are designed to help you take advantage of the potential that this function brings.
#1. Answering Calls
This one right here is where all help desks are required to display efficient performance and expertise. In fact, the first few words can be a make or break, as they are responsible for setting the tone of the entire call. As such, there is a need for help desk people to pursue a conversation that is pleasant and sensitive to the tone of the customer.
For instance, the customer is calling for a bad delivery. Obviously, there is a need to apologize for the inconvenience. However, the customer is more interested in finding a solution – not just your “Sorry.” This is where help desk personnel must be quick in resolving the issue right at the very moment the customer is still in the line.
#2. Listen Is Significant
This cannot be stressed enough. A lot of help desk people nowadays are so focused in their scripts and/or lines that they forget the value of listening. Even when they write emails or responses, the tone of the replies is too formal. Sometimes, you just have to listen to what your customers are saying and respond accordingly. That is why taking the end user’s words will not be enough – you should also note his/her tone. And the only way you can cope up with this is through listening.
For you, the issue might be easy to resolve. But for the customer, it is almost as if his/her world is going to explode. In other words, help desk personnel should learn to understand how their customers or end users feel about a certain situation. Otherwise, they will be unsuccessful in speaking to these people in the most appropriate manner.
#3. Implement Effective Ticket Notes
One of the many functions that help desk does is generating and organizing ticket notes. These, in particular, correspond for each request and/or complaint received from customers. Only by implementing effective ticket notes can prevent customer concerns from becoming a critical issue. If your tickets are poorly created or organized, this can very well lead to poor quality customer service. And regardless of how good your help desk system is, its potential will not be highlighted if you ignore the importance of having effective ticket notes.
With that said, it is imperative that each ticket note must be unambiguous, clear, and straightforward. Even more so, it should contain all necessary information relating to a request, call, or complain. An effective ticket note can entail different details depending on a business, but below are the common ones:
- Unique number of the ticket
- Person who spoke or interacted with the customer
- Time of interaction with the customer
- Details of procedures performed, such as errors, results, and resolutions
- List of actions that help desk personnel should take, as well as those that have already been accomplished
- The time when a help desk agent contacts the customer for a follow-up
#4. Avoiding Software Issues
Sure, your help desk personnel are well-equipped with knowledge on how to handle customer requests and/or complaints. They might even have undergone training, so as to ensure the quality of customer service they provide. However, their efficiency at performing their role can be compromised if the very software or system they are using has issues. That is why it is important for your software to have no glitches or errors when handling help desk tasks. Do not just settle as well in checking the system’s functionalities. Make sure that it is updated to the latest version. Basically, you want to make sure that your software is able to work in tip-top condition.
#5. Channeling Tasks
If you want to achieve the best results, you must learn to channel efforts and tasks. This is where the help desk can easily distinguish which tickets need immediate assistance or which ones require a follow-up call. It does no matter what the task is; what is important is channeling these tickets or concerns accordingly. In most cases, performing this area in a DIY manner can be helpful, but automating the process should be a more efficient way.
#6. Set Goals
A help desk without set goals can never effectively perform responsibilities. Why? That is because the personnel has no idea about their purpose in the first place. Only by setting goals will you be able to review your processes and determine which area needs improvement. This can be done in the form of ticket times, call metric, closed tickets, and response times, just to name a few. For instance, you want to measure how responsive your help desk personnel are in their response time. You can set up a metric for this area, so you can easily review the process and see what improvements must be performed.
Keep in mind, however, that the success of setting goals completely relies on your staff. If they do not adhere to these targets, it will be a lost cause. But if they acknowledge the existence of these goals and actually try to achieve them, your help desk department can perform efficiently.
