Need Your Own Help Desk?
What do you do when you can’t print? What about when your computer is running slow? Or when you can’t get your smartphone to sync to your office Outlook?
In many offices, there is one person to whom everyone turns for these types of problems – someone who understands how to fix issues as they arise, and keeps everyone productive. If this person is an IT person, then many may see this as part of their job description… but many times, it just happens to be the person who enjoys and understands technology and has a natural talent for fixing problems.
Having a real, live human being available to help you solve your tech problems is probably at (or very near) the top of the list for office necessities. But regardless whether that person is an IT person or just someone who’s very tech-savvy, taking time out of their day to fix issues here and there is probably not the best use of their productivity.
Enter the Help Desk.
What Does a Help Desk do?
Most of us are familiar with help desk services, particularly on the larger scale of a credit card company, cell-phone service, or cable company. The reps that answer the phone for these types of help desks are armed with a wealth of information, a knowledge database of common issues, and the ability to solve most problems over the phone.
When it comes to your business’ day-to-day operation, a help desk can be the single point of contact for a variety of IT problems, helping you and your staff to resolve issues and remain productive. A help desk makes use of software that allows for the tracking of issues, prioritization of cases, and the establishment of a clear path to resolution.
The primary focus of a help desk is to provide knowledge and support for common issues and to track incidents, allowing your business to bypass major issues well before they arise.
Help Desk Best Practices
Because a help desk is designed to provide assistance with and resolution of common issues, there are certain best practices that should be in place:
- Knowledge Management – A base of knowledge regarding previous incidents or problems
(ie. How do I print?) - Problem Management – Identification of problems common to frequently recurring incidents
(ie. Why can’t I print?) - Access Management – A central source for information regarding user accounts and passwords
(ie. I need to reset my password so I can print!) - Service Catalog – Containing detailed service descriptions as well as pricing information
(ie. How much is a new printer?)
Advantages to using a help desk
Probably the most obvious advantage to using a help desk to troubleshoot tech issues is the increased productivity you are likely to see from your staff. Your go-to person can better focus on his or her core job responsibilities, and your employees can get their issues addressed and resolved more quickly. Other benefits include:
- 24/7 availability – beneficial to those employees who work outside of regular office hours or travel on business.
- Help with spotting problems before they occur by identifying the root cause of frequently recurring incidents
- Equipping your internal IT staff with an additional resource
- Reduction of downtime
- Immediate response from a real human being, not a recording
- Resolution of issues with varying degrees of complexity
- Ability of employees to trigger a service ticket with a phone call or message to the help desk
- Help with recommendations for tools that streamline your internal communication and collaboration
Ask your employees what one thing would help them to do their jobs better, and many would tell you they would like assistance with their tech. Just knowing where to turn when a snafu happens can help with morale, productivity, and overall job satisfaction – and what helps them helps you, the employer. As part of a managed services offering, help desk services can help your business to run more efficiently, keep up with emerging tech trends, and stay ahead of major issues that can bring your business to an abrupt halt.
Want to know more? Let’s start a conversation about managed services, help desks, and improving your company’s productivity!