If your organisation is yet to fully embrace the benefits of a helpdesk, let’s help you out from the outset: embrace it! Your operations will work more efficiently, problems will be solved faster, problems are organised, centralised and prioritised, solutions are customised – and everyone is happier!
That is, of course, if your helpdesk solution is working well to track, handle and solve problems. And if yours isn’t, it’s likely one of the following things is going wrong:
1. Don’t implement and walk away
An IT helpdesk may seem like an entity, but it’s also one that is constantly evolving. Those that quickly stop working well are the ones that abandon the idea of constant improvement and adaptation, failing to respond to feedback and educate users about new developments, tools and features.
2 Don’t run on autopilot
Automation is revolutionising the world of industry and commerce, but a helpdesk on autopilot should be regarded as a lazy one. Yes, autopilot tools are useful to do things like check, re-assign and close tickets, but it should never fully replace those who are charged to give it what users want – the human touch.
3. Don’t be impatient
When it comes to that human touch, never forget: above all else, it’s customer service. So while it’s true that the customer is not always right, a constant reminder of what you’re doing – helping those who need it – is a must. It’s not all about solving problems, it’s about effective listening and communication – and rising above both yours and the users’ frustrations.
4. Don’t ignore the bigger problems
When you take a single IT helpdesk in isolation, the same old tickets and problems will keep popping up over and over again. And while the system and team need to be great at quickly solving those glitches, too many ignore the real problem – the root cause of the glitch itself! So while the immediate action is the Band Aid, the effective helpdesk will need to find the medicine, too.
Implementing the perfect helpdesk may be challenging, but that’s no excuse for not working constantly to make it a more potent, responsive and friendly phenomenon within your organisation. Remember: if the helpdesk isn’t working well, operations across the board can be slowed, paused or terminally disrupted, so always be on the lookout not only for what’s not working well, but how the improvement you implement may need improving before long, too.
