What Should Good IT Helpdesk Support Look Like? (5 Qualities)
Consulting Services | Help Desk | Helpdesk Support | IT Professional Services | Managed IT
We have all, at some point or another, dealt with a less than pleasurable Helpdesk Support experience. It is impossible to avoid speaking with an IT Support Specialist when you require assistance from dealing with a frozen computer screen or sticky computer keys.
Once you contact Helpdesk Support, it can be difficult dealing with an automated messaging system that does not understand what you’re saying or a Helpdesk Support Specialist that isn’t experienced enough to resolve your issue. It can be hard to tell what “good” even in reference to IT Support when the bar has been set pretty low from the onset.
LDI has provided Helpdesk Support in the areas of IT and Systems Engineering for over ten years. LDI has helped customers and clients solve various IT-related problems or printer copier-related issues. Knowing how different every business is, LDI knows how to spot good from not-so-good IT because our customers have dealt with a wide array of issues while working closely with their previous Managed IT Providers.
This article will break down what good IT Helpdesk Support is. By the end of this article, you will have a better idea of what IT Helpdesk Support should look like and what kind of Helpdesk Support your company deserves.
What is IT Helpdesk Support?
IT Helpdesk Support administers guided support and information to an end-user or customer regarding any IT-related concerns or problems a customer is facing. This support often relates to company information or specific company products and services offered to the customer or end-user.
Helpdesk support is the first level of support offered by a company to an external client and can be outsourced to external service providers. Helpdesk support specialists or agents are known as the allotted people who provide technical support pertaining to computer software, hardware, and systems.
Now that we have gone over what helpdesk support is, let’s dive into what makes for a good IT helpdesk support department.
What Are the Top 5 Qualities Of Good IT Helpdesk Support
Whether your company provides helpdesk support to an end-user or requires helpdesk support from an organization, it can be challenging to pinpoint what makes a helpdesk good or bad.
Some issues surrounding IT Helpdesk support involve wait-time, lack of responsiveness, lack of experience, and a limited number of tools to provide a customer with end-to-end support. Below is a list of five qualities detailing what good helpdesk support should have.
1. Designated Phone Number, Email, Live Chat, and Webpage
When dealing with an IT-related issue, the best scenario is when there’s a designated phone number, email, live chat, and web page to quickly reach out to an organization’s helpdesk support department.
Having a clear way of being contacted is crucial for any organization looking to provide products or services to customers and clients. Typical modes of communication include live chat, email, or phone. All three listed on a designated webpage can mitigate any cause for confusion when an end-user is looking for help.
When there isn’t an established way of contacting helpdesk support, this can lead to more downtime where a customer isn’t being helped with a problem.
2. Minimal Wait
If there is a clear path for an end-user to take when faced with an IT issue, they will know what number to dial, where to start a live chat, or what email address to send an IT support request. This can limit the amount of time that it takes to resolve a customer’s IT problem.
Whether a customer prefers to dial a phone number, use live chat, or send an email, once connected to a helpdesk support specialist, the response time it should take a representative to answer should be as immediate as possible.
Suppose an end-user is awaiting a reply or answer from a support specialist for a long time. It can appear as if the organization does not care about their customer’s problems which shows a lack of attention and can damage a business’ reputation.
The goal is for an end-user or customer not to be kept waiting for a reply or answer. Although it is acceptable to provide an exact response or wait time, it’s best to provide IT helpdesk support that does not exceed that time.
Building trust with an end-user is about being responsive, helpful, and punctual with your support. Generally, supporting a customer within 24-hours is an acceptable amount of time. Anything more than a 24-hours can significantly affect your business.
3. Documented Resolution Strategy
Have you ever gotten on the phone with an unprepared support specialist that can’t answer your question? You may hear an “Um” or two, a “Hold on a moment while I retrieve your answer,” or even dead silence.
Good IT helpdesk support includes a support specialist who has a fixed strategy or talk track. This strategy will provide the end-user or customer with their name, job title, and a follow-up question to get to the root of the end-users issue.
While questions may vary from one organization’s helpdesk support department to another, the goal of helping a customer is the same. A documented resolution strategy includes gathering information from the end-user, processing it, and resolving the issue.
A well-prepared support specialist can put any customer or end-user at ease when they can easily abide by a strategy that works for them.
4. Flexibility and Empathy
When faced with an issue, a humane approach is always better than an automated one. A helpdesk support specialist who communicates well and understands how important listening is can make an end-user feel well cared for.
Having a human being identify and resolve your problem is also much easier than speaking to an automated messaging system.
A good support specialist should be flexible in navigating any software program the end-user has. A support specialist should be able to solve the problem at hand even if they are working on a different type of computer than the end-user.
Speaking with a support specialist who can work with different computer systems, software, and hardware; will show the expertise of the IT Helpdesk and will make the end-user feel secure.
5. Great Tools For Remote Support
With most companies having a hybrid or remote work environment, it is imperative that every organization with IT helpdesk support have the necessary tools to remote onto another person’s computer.
Remoting onto an end-users computer involves the support specialist actively fixing the issue while the end-user is watching it happen. With remote desktop software, a specialist will quickly be able to visually show the end-user what the problem is with their computer and can then teach them how to mitigate this issue if it ever occurs again.
Remoting into an end-users computer takes frustration away from the end-user trying to solve the issue manually on their end while being guided on a telephone call by a support specialist. Instead, the specialist can explain step by step what they are doing to remedy the end-users problem.
Tired Of Dealing With Terrible IT Helpdesk Support?
You now know the top qualities of what IT Helpdesk Support should consist of. Whether your business has its own IT department or outsources IT services from a Managed IT Provider, it is good to be aware of what qualities your own company should adopt when it comes to helping out an end-user with IT-related issues.
At LDI, we provide support to clients through remote support, concierge services, onsite support, and support links.
Ensuring that our customer’s and client’s questions are answered is paramount to our business model, and we encourage you to reach out today if you require any IT-related assistance.