Help desk people tend to fall into two distinct groups - those that follow procedures and protocols and those that don't.
For those that do then an easy to use, intuitive and comprehensive help software package is critical - it will ensure that all the details about a call, including attachments if necessary, are recorded to enable resolution within the clients SLA (Service Level Agreement).
For those help desk people that don't like to follow procedure then exactly the same applies.
The excuse that latter group of help desk operators use for not keeping a database up to date is that they say that solving the customers issues as rapidly as possible is their aim. They say it leads to a happy user who feels that they are getting special service.
However, if procedures aren't followed and appropriate records are not made then the disadvantages will rapidly outweigh the speed of delivery.
How? Well not writing down and recording the issue properly, or committing it to a post-it note, means that the best person to resolve the issue may not get sight of it. A good helpdesk software package will ensure that every call has a clear owner and that resources can be allocated that are best suited to their resolution.
Secondly, if a problem reoccurs then there is no history of it. Not having the history means that a problem could be an indicator of a systemic issue or potentially the harbinger of a catastrophe. For instance, seeing a number of calls in a help desk system noting that there appears to be erroneous emails being sent out may indicate that a virus or Trojan is loose in your system.
It may be that the users' experience is excellent on the first occasion is great and they then insist on talking only to that help desk operator in future. It's potentially a great personal relationship but it doesn't necessarily lead to better overall service. The chances are that one day the user will phone and the help desk operator won't be available - or that someone else's service will be cut short because the operator has to terminate a call to take the 'priority' call.
The chances of the operator always having the answers to every issue the user has is also slim - so there is a danger that they do receive poor service sometime in the future.
Finally, a critical part of delivering a good overall user experience is that all their problems and issues are resolved within the agreed service level agreement. A good help desk software package will manage priorities within multiple SLA's for multiple clients so that calls are dealt with, not necessarily in order, but related to importance.
Therefore, it is vitally important that the helpdesk software you choose and deploy suits all types of operative. It should be able to allow rapid recording of calls, clear ownership and SLA management. Clear processes and high levels of communication keeping all informed of call progress is vital too.
Any help desk operative that wants to deliver excellent service will use this type of tool.
Bernard works for Neustro the authors of NeuQs Help Desk Software.
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