We’ve
all heard the jokes about the “helpless desk.” Employees complain about
the lack of service. Help desk staff lament the lack of respect. The
fact is the help desk represents a huge opportunity. It occupies
critical real estate in the enterprise. It’s where IT meets the business,
and ultimately, cements the impression that many employees have of the
IT department as a whole. Keeping your help desk customers happy fuels
business productivity and ensures the IT department is viewed as a
valuable asset.
Boosting
your help desk customers’ happiness quotient (HQ) is no small task as
customer expectations of service and of receiving service are at an
all-time high. Outside of their day jobs, a new generation of customers
relies on emerging technologies for unlimited connectivity, mobility and
access to unprecedented volumes of information, uninterrupted
communication and 24/7 service. They anticipate the same conditions in
the workplace. It’s this expectation that has helped spawn a
much-talked-about trend: the consumerization of IT.
In a recent InformationWeek piece, columnist Jonathan Feldman wrote,
“Consumerization is banging down the door of IT.”He continued, “…the
CIOs I talk with do get it, but they're vastly outnumbered by their
staff, and staffers don't necessarily get it yet. CIOs are going to have
to take the time to educate their staff in what consumerization is, why
it's not going away, and how it may even make their lives easier or
better."
IT
organizations that are serious about improving help desk service—and
reputations—will embrace this new reality. The good news is that they
don’t have to break new ground to get started. Companies in the
business-to-consumer space are already blazing those trails, adapting to
the ever-changing expectationsof their always-on, always-connected
customers. Their best practices translate well to IT help desk
principles.
How? Here are four steps to help you get started:
1] Help customers help themselves Today’s
help desk customers are technically savvy. They have come to expect
service that’s timely—often, instant—effective and on their terms. If it
doesn’t meet their expectations, they will seek resolutions on their
own.
This
does not bode well for the help desk’s reputation and can result in
ineffective,even destructive, work-arounds that end up haunting IT
staff.
Enter
self-sufficiency. A self-service infrastructure allows customers to
create and resolve their own incidents, freeing help desk staff from
tending to the most repetitive, time-consuming incidents. This means,
for example, allowing your customers to reset their own passwords and
update tickets.
Asyou
learn how your customers are using self-service, you will gain greater
insight into their needs. You will also feel more comfortable about
accommodating them, in a consistent, highly controlled manner. Then you
can expand your service offering, allowing customers to submit hardware
and software requests or providing systems access, for example. The
result: Your customers enjoy greater flexibility and responsiveness,
while your IT staff improves efficiency and control.
2] Promote transparency Self-serviceworks
when there is transparency. In other words, customers must have access
to useful information that helps them resolve their problems (preferably
delivered in compliance with ITILbest practices).
For
example, how many tickets are opened when there’s a system-wide outage
in your organization? Why not give your customers a way to find out if
their problems spring from a universal issue before logging a ticket?
Broadcast the details associated with IT issues that are currently
impacting the organization and let your customers see what other
employees are searching for. Give them access to a shared knowledge base
to troubleshoot their own issues, while ensuring helpdesk staff can tap
a broader knowledge base that archives past responses to customer
questions and requests.
Transparency
can have a halo effect, too. As customers have more access to and
visibility ofthe information they need to resolve their issues, their
level of trust in theIT organization grows. This can help break down the
barriers between IT and thebusiness.
3] Make them feel at home Today’s
help desk customer represents a younger generation used to live chat,
instant messaging, online discussion forums, tweets and status updates.
By providing them with the tools and channels that resemble those they
rely on every day,they can engage with IT on their own terms. They may
even come to regard IT as a partner, invested in their success.
For
example, with real-time collaboration tools, they can see where their
peers are having trouble and how they’re resolving issues. When they’re
operating in their own comfort zone, they’ll reach positive outcomes
more quickly—and without the angst associated with processes that have
been thrust upon them.
4] Hold yourself accountable Thanks
to the Internet, mobile devices and social media, word of mouth plays a
greater role than ever in influencing reputation. The help desk is not
immune. Your customers can quickly share their satisfaction—and
disappointment—with your service. All it takes is a text here or an
instant message there to compromise your reputation. By establishing a
few accountability controls upfront, you can stave off the need for
damage control later.
Startout
by setting realistic service levels and soliciting buy-in from the
business. Next, ensure your help desk is adequately staffed and skilled
to deliver. Keep your customers in the loop by publishing the details of
those service levels and clarifying expectations at every interaction.
Maintain
open communication with your customers. Survey them on a regular basis
to find out what’s working and what could be improved. Act on their
recommendations and close the loop by reiterating their recommendations
and sharing your resolutions.
Historically,the
help desk has been home to a cultural divide. Those who staff it own
the knowledge crucial to keeping the business moving forward. Their
customers, increasing technically adept, are beholden to them.
Sometimes, it seems like never the twain shall meet. To ensure they do,
however, communication is key. That means embracing a new market
reality and aligning help desk infrastructure and processes with
evolving customer behaviors and expectations. Done right, it can boost
everyone’s HQ.
