IT helpdesk professionals can enhance their efficiency by breaking these bad habits

IT helpdesk professionals can enhance their efficiency by breaking these bad habits

According to a recent study of IT job postings by Igloo, the demand for helpdesk technical support jobs exceeds that of almost any other position in the same field. Unlike other jobs in the IT industry, helpdesk technical support positions are easier to obtain. But the catch is that they’re often entry-level with lower salaries.

Nonetheless, helpdesk professionals are great at troubleshooting day-to-day IT issues. Because they will primarily be interacting with employees, the position calls for people that are patient, knowledgeable and competent problem solvers. Like any other job, there are a number of mistakes that those in the field could make that makes them less effective at what they do. Here are some bad habits to watch out for with your help desk employees.

Cherry-picking tickets

Most helpdesk departments use a ticketing system to manage support tickets. It's understandable for staff to go for the easier tickets instead of the more time-consuming and complex ones -- but this needs to be stopped immediately.

If agents work only on 'easy' tickets, they never leave their comfort zones or increase their knowledge about the product or service they're supporting. Cherry-picking tickets also defeats the purpose of customer service departments establishing processes to ensure all clients are taken care of in a timely manner.

Impersonal, overly formal speech

According to Jamie Domenici, VP of SMB Marketing at Salesforce, the biggest mistake helpdesk staff make is communicating robotically. While it might be easier to use a script or templated email when you need to quickly respond to a support request, it doesn’t make users feel comfortable bringing issues to the help desk.

While helpdesk professionals must be polite, overly formal language can alienate the people they need to be helping. Opt for a relaxed, playful tone every now and then; this puts users at ease so they’re comfortable to ask more questions.

Letting emotions take over

It's imperative that IT help desk employees know how to leave their emotions at the door and remain calm, cool and collected while on the job. Encourage employees to take some time before starting their shift to lighten their mood.

Encourage them to eat breakfast, meditate, and/or chat with a friend. Emphasize the importance of doing whatever it takes to get themselves out of a negative headspace. The last thing you want is your help desk employees becoming defensive, argumentative, or dismissive of customer problems.

Lacking confidence in your solution

Golden rule: Help desk employees should never respond to a user’s question when they aren't confident with their own answer. Otherwise, the worst case scenarios could range from lost productivity, to equipment damage, to data breaches

When IT support doesn’t know how to answer a question, it's best to escalate the issue to someone with more technical experience. Although it may be an inconvenience, it minimizes the potential for damage and conflict in the long run.

Ignoring practice reviews

Helpdesk professionals work at fast pace, and much of the work is reactive. There is very little time to audit and review solutions once they've gone live. If not properly managed, this could lead to missing key opportunities as well as underlying issues that could cause critical business errors. For teams with the resources to review platforms and notify clients of proposed or actioned changes, do so since it could make for better service.

Humans are creatures of habit, some good, some bad. What’s important is that you know which habits you can bring to work and which you should lock away in the basement forever. If you’re interesting in getting started, Founders Technology Group offers Help Desk IT Support services that immediately address your tech-related issues, ensuring that your IT always performs at its peak.