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I will also value customer service skills over technical knowledge (I agree with Jerry you can teach the technical side of things), I look for proven customer service skills, not even necessarily in IT, indeed some of the best people we have had onour team have come from non-IT/IT Helpdesk backgrounds.
Instructors should always emphasise the importance of speaking to users in layman's terms. That would prepare students for the professional world. I have seen some pitiful help desk people that treated customers badly.
I also think when you are in a large organization with diverse technical talent, you need to speak to other techies like user's. Such as showing a mainframe programmer how to check e-mail from home...
I also think when you are in a large organization with diverse technical talent, you need to speak to other techies like user's. Such as showing a mainframe programmer how to check e-mail from home...
I currently work in a small CPA firm doing various jobs including network management and consulting. I am getting ready to move to a large company to provide software support for a product we currently use in my firm. I have answered many questions from various clients in my current job and have found that different occupations determine how you have to deal with people. Accounts, doctors, architects, and other professionals all speak different languages for the same idea. It is a good ideato have people on your help desk that are experienced in dealing with those type of people. I am a computer guy that does accounting stuff. I have had an architect client call me to ask questions instead of my CPA because my CPA couldn't explain things in a way the client could understand easily. The type of callers will also determine the level of techincal knowledge needed. One thing to also keep in mind too, is that while you don't want to talk over callers' heads, you also don't want totalk down to them. As a computer tech, I call our software help desk very little. When I do call I have already run though most options, and have to remind the analyst who they are dealing with to get to the details of what I need and not waste time on what I have already done.
I like the idea of putting someone on the phone with an irate, unreasonable customer as part of the interview. That's a great way to filter out those who aren't suited for this kind of work.
As far as retention goes, I believe that if you createa good working environment which considers the difficulties of such a job, you will retain people.
Three suggestions:
1. Soundproof booth for the helpdesk analyst, with a speaker phone. (I can last a long time if I can use a speaker phone.)
2. Cordless headset for each helpdesk analyst, so that they can go get a cup of coffee at any time if they want to.
3. Letting the helpdesk analyst spend part of his time as a hands-on technician, so that he is actually out there getting hands-on experience. One of the main frustrations of being a helpdesk analyst is that you are supposed to be an expert on the subject matter, but you never get the chance to learn it by hands-on experience.
As far as retention goes, I believe that if you createa good working environment which considers the difficulties of such a job, you will retain people.
Three suggestions:
1. Soundproof booth for the helpdesk analyst, with a speaker phone. (I can last a long time if I can use a speaker phone.)
2. Cordless headset for each helpdesk analyst, so that they can go get a cup of coffee at any time if they want to.
3. Letting the helpdesk analyst spend part of his time as a hands-on technician, so that he is actually out there getting hands-on experience. One of the main frustrations of being a helpdesk analyst is that you are supposed to be an expert on the subject matter, but you never get the chance to learn it by hands-on experience.
Okay, I really hate that "we can teach tecnical skills, but not interpersonal skills" approach, it's utter garbage.
I worked for a large business for four years before they centralised and I was made redundent... that was 3 months ago... I am 22 years old.
Part of my job description was to handle ALL of the call centre... I was the only one there other than the IT Manager, so all client, customer, advertiser, reseller, supplier, creditor and end-user support came my way.... and I was verysuccessful and developped a few good freinds in remote branches. HOWEVER, my main role was a computer system/network technician and administrator.
I have now been actively looking for work for 4 months (before being made redundent) and have no success, ESPECIALLY in call-centres. Where they don't even get me in for an interview... they take a look at my amount of qualifications and discard me.
I am truly sick of this way of thinking... more so that calling up a help-desk and getting an absolutely stoopid non-technical idiot on the other end of the line.
My $0.02 worth
I worked for a large business for four years before they centralised and I was made redundent... that was 3 months ago... I am 22 years old.
Part of my job description was to handle ALL of the call centre... I was the only one there other than the IT Manager, so all client, customer, advertiser, reseller, supplier, creditor and end-user support came my way.... and I was verysuccessful and developped a few good freinds in remote branches. HOWEVER, my main role was a computer system/network technician and administrator.
I have now been actively looking for work for 4 months (before being made redundent) and have no success, ESPECIALLY in call-centres. Where they don't even get me in for an interview... they take a look at my amount of qualifications and discard me.
I am truly sick of this way of thinking... more so that calling up a help-desk and getting an absolutely stoopid non-technical idiot on the other end of the line.
My $0.02 worth
can't say enough about knowning your **** at the other end of the line.. nuff said.
I know what you are saying when it comes to being discredited for your skills and experience just because someone is looking for a blanket key word like "Bachelor's Degree" on your resume. It's not fair and totally discouraging. Not to sound too cheeky but would it have anything to do with your spelling? Take a look at your post 
The first thing you need to do and base your total hiring process on just one thing, how does he handle himself on the phone? Have a phone interview, and see how the candidate asks to different situations. By doing this you will see how he or she is on the phone. Once the interview is done, wait about an hour and call the interview back, this time to tell him or her who you are right away, and see how he really acts. If he is still the positive person you just talked to before, then that is your man or woman. Meeting someone in person can be important, but if you could find that person on the phone, that will not only save you time, but also it will save the time of the interviewee.
Many call center managers are so busy looking at the numbers =90% plus taht they for get ablout the reason they have jobs. Alot of call centers have done away with the levels of support for the customer to have access too. When someone calls in with a serious problem the first tech they speak to may not have the expertise to quickly help them resolve the issue. But they have too, do to the way that call center is being run. The tech will have to find his/her way throught it not have any Level 2 or higher support to either ask for help from or transfer them too.
I don't understand why this article is needed. Just who is it out there is hiring help desk people?
Yes, Thank you! I've been trying unsuccessfully to find a HD job for a couple of years, and I have 20 years of customer service experience, which I excel at, plus over a year's worth of technical training. It's a shame I am only able to use my tech skills for personal use, because there seem to be no HD jobs available.
While Almost Everyone can use a Telephone, Not Everyone is Cut Out to Work Successfully in a Call Center as a Technical Support Agent.
Hiring the Wrong Technical Support Agent can be a Significant Drain on your Bottom Line, on Customer Satisfaction, and on your Support Agent Team Morale.
Every Failed Hire Causes You to Throw Precious Dollars Down the Drain Hiring & Retraining Recruits for the Same Position. Not to mention the Lowered Productivity and Higher Absences associated with a Poor Job Fit.
Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Testing is Easy to Deploy, Very Cost-Effective and Highly Predictive of an Individual's Suitability for a particular Call Center Agent Position.
There are Versions of Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Testing available to Test for:
Tier 1 Technical Support
InBound Customer Service
OutBound Telephone Sales
Inside Sales Agent
Telephone Collections
Telephone Answering Service
Reservations/Guest Service Agent
211 Information & Referral Operator
Central Station Monitoring Operator
Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Testing also meets and exceeds all Employment Standards Requirements as a Hiring Tool.
Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Testing Weeds Out Job Candidates Who Burn Out Fast Because They Aren't Suited For The Work, and Identifies The People With The Skills, Motivation, and Work Ethic to be Your Top Agents.
Your Support Agent Productivity & Customer Satisfaction Levels Will Go Up - and Your Turnover Costs Will Go Down.
Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Testing allows you to Select New Tier 1 Technical Support Agents who fit your Employment Needs Better and Stay On The Job Longer - leading to a Support Agent Workgroup that has More Experience and is More Productive.
I would be Happy to Prove to you ? in Advance and at No Charge ? that Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Testing Will Work for your Technical Support Call Center as well.
Please Don't Hesitate to Call/eMail me, or to Find Out More Click Here:
http://www.telesoftsystems.ca/64201.html
Regards.
David Filwood
Principal
TeleSoft Systems
604-986-4116
david_filwood@telesoftsystems.ca
www.telesoftsystems.ca
Hiring the Wrong Technical Support Agent can be a Significant Drain on your Bottom Line, on Customer Satisfaction, and on your Support Agent Team Morale.
Every Failed Hire Causes You to Throw Precious Dollars Down the Drain Hiring & Retraining Recruits for the Same Position. Not to mention the Lowered Productivity and Higher Absences associated with a Poor Job Fit.
Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Testing is Easy to Deploy, Very Cost-Effective and Highly Predictive of an Individual's Suitability for a particular Call Center Agent Position.
There are Versions of Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Testing available to Test for:
Tier 1 Technical Support
InBound Customer Service
OutBound Telephone Sales
Inside Sales Agent
Telephone Collections
Telephone Answering Service
Reservations/Guest Service Agent
211 Information & Referral Operator
Central Station Monitoring Operator
Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Testing also meets and exceeds all Employment Standards Requirements as a Hiring Tool.
Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Testing Weeds Out Job Candidates Who Burn Out Fast Because They Aren't Suited For The Work, and Identifies The People With The Skills, Motivation, and Work Ethic to be Your Top Agents.
Your Support Agent Productivity & Customer Satisfaction Levels Will Go Up - and Your Turnover Costs Will Go Down.
Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Testing allows you to Select New Tier 1 Technical Support Agents who fit your Employment Needs Better and Stay On The Job Longer - leading to a Support Agent Workgroup that has More Experience and is More Productive.
I would be Happy to Prove to you ? in Advance and at No Charge ? that Call Center Agent Pre-Employment Testing Will Work for your Technical Support Call Center as well.
Please Don't Hesitate to Call/eMail me, or to Find Out More Click Here:
http://www.telesoftsystems.ca/64201.html
Regards.
David Filwood
Principal
TeleSoft Systems
604-986-4116
david_filwood@telesoftsystems.ca
www.telesoftsystems.ca
These days, Customer Service is something of the past. Both Jerry and Terry had good techniques, but I especially liked Terry's method of the test. Put the candidate on the spot from the start. Grace under pressure is a good indicator of a help desk tech. Hanging up or cursing out the caller certainly is a reflection of their Customer Service attitude. The customer may not always be right, but it's important to make them THINK they are. But my rule of thumb is empathy. They are frustrated,which is why they call normally. While upset or downright angry, it's not personal! Having been there, I try to express to the tech that my anger is not directed to them personally. Unfortunately, it's difficult to discern that, but it's always best to ASSUME (at least in this case) that the customer is not out to get you. I also feel that the "quota" puts too much pressure on support agents. Putting quantity over quality is the first violation of Customer Service Ethic and it DOES roll down hill.
As a Helpdesk analyst in a large company I have seen several types of people come through our helpdesk. One point I would like to add as important is the simple ability to write a coherent e-mail. I have worked with several people now who simply cannot excel because they can't effectively communicate via e-mail. I have seen this seemingly mundane task cause more problems than I would want to remember.
I think that one aspect of good customer service skills is the desire and ability to creatively solve the customer's problem. I look for people who sincerely want to help the customer and will go out of their way to use previous knowledge and tricks that they have learned to solve the problem. Experience is needed to be able to do this, so I look for people who have worked in another problem-solving job before.
So you want to have your help desk technician's phone time at 90 percent?
Easy. Remove all temptations, make 'em robots.
It has been my experience (over 20 years) in the tech support industry that you cannot expect a help desk technician to beon the phone and on the job for more than 80 percent of the time.
Now if you have a great backend system, that keeps them available simply because cases are easy to enter, easy to work thorugh and easy to finish up, then maybe 85% uptime is achievable.
90%? Who really wants to work in a sweatshop, and be fired because you simply cannot provide the best customer service to your customers.
Better to higher one more tech, spread the load and make sure that you can get the job done. Maintenance and service is what keeps customers coming back to you. It is the after the sale item that garners customer loyalty.
Why waste your money by cutting back on it.
AM
Easy. Remove all temptations, make 'em robots.
It has been my experience (over 20 years) in the tech support industry that you cannot expect a help desk technician to beon the phone and on the job for more than 80 percent of the time.
Now if you have a great backend system, that keeps them available simply because cases are easy to enter, easy to work thorugh and easy to finish up, then maybe 85% uptime is achievable.
90%? Who really wants to work in a sweatshop, and be fired because you simply cannot provide the best customer service to your customers.
Better to higher one more tech, spread the load and make sure that you can get the job done. Maintenance and service is what keeps customers coming back to you. It is the after the sale item that garners customer loyalty.
Why waste your money by cutting back on it.
AM
I work at a helpdesk now and I would be alot happier if I was on the phone closer to 90%. If you don't want to be on the phone all day then this isn't the job for you.
I also agree that you have to talk to your clients on their level. But alot of people talk down to the client, I used to teach customer service and the complaints that I got about IS people is that they made the client feel stupid. Our job is to help people do what they need to do.
Alot of HD people explain how a watch is built not what time it is. You need to judge what the client needs and gear your answers to that. Each call is different and needs to be treated as such. You may say the same things over and over but the person on the line doesn't care that this is your 10th call for the same problem, this is their 1st(or 2nd).
I like both of these ways of interviewing people and I think that either one of them would be a good boss.
I also agree that you have to talk to your clients on their level. But alot of people talk down to the client, I used to teach customer service and the complaints that I got about IS people is that they made the client feel stupid. Our job is to help people do what they need to do.
Alot of HD people explain how a watch is built not what time it is. You need to judge what the client needs and gear your answers to that. Each call is different and needs to be treated as such. You may say the same things over and over but the person on the line doesn't care that this is your 10th call for the same problem, this is their 1st(or 2nd).
I like both of these ways of interviewing people and I think that either one of them would be a good boss.
The position I was just in we were encouraged to take calls within 20 seconds of each other. I was worked there eighteen months prior without an issue. Under new management, new metrics, disgruntled employees. If you have a few bad calls per day anda constant queue it is impossible to ask some one to be on that line 90% of the time. This amounts to lower levels of customer service, technicians to burn out, and job frustration. I know was frustrated to say the least. If they want a robot; program the phone answering system to field a call. If you want a human with empathy, knowledge, and a personality, then treat them like a human. We know our jobs are 100% phone support in many cases that's fine. To field calls like a robotic arm. ummhh, I don't think so.
To expect a HD to be on the phone for 90% of the time would create a burnout for that employee after a year or so. If you want a high turnover rate, then go for it. It also depends on what type of calls they're taking if its just simple password resetting then, sure answering calls after calls can be handled, but still they would probably get burned out. I think 50% is a good number, with emails, meetings, and other small tasks that should be sufficient.
Bottom line 50% is way too low. 80% is a good number to shoot for. If you call tracking system screams for you, you can achieve better. Most times your agents can resolve the issue before they can close the ticket. Improperly documenting a ticket in order to get to the next call can really screw up your metrics. i personnaly do not concern myself with the metrics, I try my best to treat the customer as I would like to be treated. Never had a problem yet...
I think for a call center/hd to be successful, they first have to know what the purpose for having it is going to be; and then hire to that end.
If you want high customer satisfaction and high staff morale, make sure you get technically proficient people that have personalities, and give them alternating tasks in addition to the phone support.
If you are more concerned with call stats, get extremely technically proficient people, hope they have good personalities, and make them go at it on the phone non-stop...just be ready to replace them on a continual basis.
I personally don't think that running a 'qualitative' helpdesk is necessarily exclussive to running one I'd call 'quantitative'. However, it would seem to me that post-dot-bomb call centers believe this to be the case, and opt to go 'quantitative'. I suppose it is easier to justify your career existence by serving up "10000 calls, 9057 ROFC, 500 escalated' on a presentation as opposed to saying, "Larry over in accounting says we're 'kick ass'" come review time as the center manager.
If you want high customer satisfaction and high staff morale, make sure you get technically proficient people that have personalities, and give them alternating tasks in addition to the phone support.
If you are more concerned with call stats, get extremely technically proficient people, hope they have good personalities, and make them go at it on the phone non-stop...just be ready to replace them on a continual basis.
I personally don't think that running a 'qualitative' helpdesk is necessarily exclussive to running one I'd call 'quantitative'. However, it would seem to me that post-dot-bomb call centers believe this to be the case, and opt to go 'quantitative'. I suppose it is easier to justify your career existence by serving up "10000 calls, 9057 ROFC, 500 escalated' on a presentation as opposed to saying, "Larry over in accounting says we're 'kick ass'" come review time as the center manager.
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