The concept of a Help Desk is no secret. Companies that understand how to build their team, execute regular training, and support their employees with career development will see a significant increase in the number of requests they receive from staff members looking to assist customers with technical problems. A Help Desk is a central point of contact for customers who have issues with their software or hardware. It’s also a way for company staff to help other staff members solve problems and troubleshoot software and hardware issues on their own behalf. Building your Help Desk department isn’t simply about hiring more people or installing more computers. Instead, it involves factors like the size of your company, the scope of your services, and the type of support you provide. Consider the following tips before deciding whether to start an assistive technology (AT) help desk service for your business:
Hire a Professional Help Desk Team
Professional help desk teams are well-rounded, multi-lingual, and experienced in problem solving and delivering personalized support. They enlist the services of specialists to assist with device issues, software issues, and training issues. Successful teams include both techs and support staff members who work well together and have the skills required for the job. Experts can be hired to work on a contractual basis or on a full-time basis as needed. It’s a good idea to hire a professional team from the start to avoid having to deal with issues later on on account of a less-than-capable team. Regularly evaluating your existing team to make sure they’re up to speed with the latest tech trends and best practices will help avoid hiring a team that is overworked and understaffed. Avoid hiring on a fixed-term contract or hiring employees who may require more time to warm up to new practices and tools.
Create An Environment That Encourages Helping
Help desks are meant to be collaborative spaces where employees can freely exchange ideas, offer help, and receive support. You’ll want to create an atmosphere where employees feel comfortable turning to colleagues for help without feeling shy or Lukas. Good places to start are by making sure your team members are having fun while working together and by creating a harassment-free space. There are a number of ways to encourage employees to offer help. Ask them to suggest tasks that they would like to see done and post common problems and solutions to help other team members work more effectively. If you have recurring events or training sessions that your team members can use as opportunities to practice giving and receiving support, consider them a free practice environment where they can learn new skills. Ask employees to give you feedback on these opportunities before they use them again. This feedback will help you improve your offerings and make your support more personalized.
Find Your Core competencies
One of the most important aspects of building a Help Desk department is identifying your core competencies. These are the core skills and abilities each team member should possess to be successful. These skills and abilities will allow your employees to find and solve problems faster, better understand the cause and effect of issues, and offer better support to customers. Many companies have a culture where employees prefer to “shop around” for help. This happens when a team member is having a problem with a product or service but does not know who to contact for support. This could be a problem with the product itself, a lack of information to help with problems, or a team member feeling too shy to ask for help.
Determine The Support Level You Need Fromough Each Employee
When it comes to building your Help Desk department, it’s important to find employees who are ready to help. Some employees will be great help desk assistants right out of the gate. Others may need more time to warm up to the idea. As a company grows, it’s important to find employees who are ready to help. Sometimes, that means asking members of the support staff who have little to no experience to provide support in a more personalized fashion. Other times, it means hiring non-technical employees who can supplement a technology team on a freelance or contract basis.
Make A Difference With Each Help Desk Call
A great way to help employees feel confident and empowered to help customers is by providing hands-on support to real-world problems. This may be as simple as sending an email with a solution or helping a customer with a technical issue from start to finish. By taking a personal interest in your employees and working at their own pace, you can help them grow as problem solvers and technicians. Getting them involved in a meaningful way will give your team members more reason to stick around and offer help regularly.
Bottom Line
As a small business, you may not have the luxury of a large Help Desk department to employ Help Desk specialists. That’s why it’s important to understand your company’s core competencies and what level of support you need from each employee. By identifying and recruiting specialists who have the skills and knowledge required for the job, you’ll be better able to support customers with technical problems and avoid having to hire new employees every time there’s a change in service requirements. For more help resources, check out these articles: How to Choose the Right Help Desk Solution, Best Practices for Establishing a Help Desk, and Using a Help Desk as a Learning Tool. In addition, download our E-book: Best Practices for Helpdesk Success.