3 Things You Should Expect From Your IT Help Desk

There are certain things, typically mentioned in SLAs, that a customer should receive as integral components of their IT help desk purchase. But, while an SLA is a vital part of B2B transactions, not all vendors will act in accordance with it. What is worse is that in many cases the SLA itself fails to provide clear-cut and comprehensive details on the level of service a customer will receive. In both cases, the customer suffers the consequences. Here are three things that organisations should expect from their IT help desk vendors:

1. First call resolution for common issues

   When you or your employees call to resolve a common or recurring technical issue, the help desk should be able to deal with it quickly and efficiently from the first call. This can only be achieved when its personnel are capable, well trained and have the knowledge that is needed to walk you through the solution process. There is nothing more frustrating than being continuously transferred from one technician to the other just to receive a simple answer to a basic question. The technicians that your company has to deal with should be well experienced so that you are not forced to suffer the consequences of their mistakes.

2. Proper documentation of problems and user information

   Ticketing systems are designed and used to monitor and keep tickets updated enabling IT teams to respond quickly. But when help desk teams fail to correctly document issues and provide the required details, ticket transparency becomes lacking, response times become longer and more mistakes happen. Before looking to solve the problem, front line technicians need to understand it and that only occurs when they have all the required information. One way to extract this data from a client is through asking the right questions. However, in the event that something is unclear, a help desk technician should be able to work with you to recreate the problem and determine its cause and effect. As a customer, you should not feel the need to repeat your details or issues to every person with whom you speak. Rather the help desk should have everything they need to know about you or your company ready for the use of other technicians who may be assisting you in your queries.

3. Strong communication between the customer and the help desk

   As an end user, you are not expected to comprehend the technical aspect and terminology of the help desk. Accordingly, help desk support staff should be able to explain the situation to your employees simply without overwhelming them with unnecessary information and making you feel inadequate. The frustration that comes with being smothered with tech talk that has nothing to do with you and your employees is great. A skilled technician will be skilled enough to empower you with a simple piece of information that teaches you how to self-serve yourself in the future, if put in a similar situation. Additionally, your help desk of choice should offer to coordinate periodic check-ins to discuss any issues, overall help desk performance, and to update their service goals.