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5 Simple Ways You Can Help Improve Your Help Desk

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Not very often, but certainly one of the reasons some end users look out for before purchasing a product is the help desk support. And if it is not taken care of properly, it can also be one of the reasons for the decline of brand patrons and fans. When that happens, more expenses are made in order to recover loss trust and the process of strengthening that trust.

As an entrepreneur, there are simple ways you can do to help improve your tech support help desk without having to burn your profit to the ground.

Live Support

It does not always need to be a 24/7 live support, although it can be a good impression for the end users. Your live tech support help desk agents can be assigned to be active only during peak times, the times when more calls are expected to come in. When peak time is over, you can revert back to your basic tech support system or automated ticketing system if you have the software. It is also important that end users are well informed about your live support schedules to avoid misunderstanding and irate calls about it in the future. This technique is good for start up businesses and companies that struggle populating their bottom line.

Determining Priorities & Allocating

End user issues ranges from simple tech misuse to more advance IT problems that requires more attention of your most skilled help desk agent. When using a customer support software system, your agents should be knowledgeable enough to determine which are top priorities, depending on the severity of the issue, so it can be handled properly. Likewise when determining which should be prioritized; online tickets, phone calls or walk-ins.

Allocating tickets with severe tech issues is also important. Why let a junior help desk agent take an hour or two to resolve an advance tech problem when a senior agent can tackle it in only a few minutes?

Eliminate Minor Software Setting Issues

Make sure you double check your software settings to eliminate minor issues with automated email replies, setting and distribution of tickets and organization of reports. You wouldn’t want your help desk agent spend hours untangling software issues when he could have spend helping customers.

Prepare Training Modules

Some help desk agents learn on their own by reading or by asking a senior for help. This is okay, but it would be better if all of your tech support agents are a hundred percent ready to solve problems rather than have them research it first and then go back to the customer. Preparing a training module would be perfect, even if it is just a one page call guide for basic to advance tech issues.

Utilize Social Media

End users love it when you make it easier for them to reach you. Customers would want to purchase from brands that actually has active tech support, live and online preferably because most people now a days are always online whether they’re on their computer, laptop or mobile phone.

5 Major Advantages of Outsourcing Your Help Desk

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In any way you look at it, help desk is a big help to a company. It generally takes calls, emails and even tickets filed online by customers with concerns and employees seeking technical assistance. Outsourcing your help desk can provide multiple advantages for your business but it can also gain a negative impact on your bottom line if not done properly.

In order to gain success from outsourcing your help desk, you should have a solid plan and the right service provider. If you are still wondering what‘s in it for you, here are five (5) major advantages you can reap from outsourcing your help desk.

#1: Operational and Financial Leverage

Financially, outsourcing costs less than housing a help desk team, especially if your business requires a large number of service desk agents working 24/7.

By outsourcing your help desk, you generally get:

  • Recruitment assistance – No more need to go through all the tiring process of recruiting more heads because your service provider will be responsible for that. All that’s left for you to do is to hand pick the staff you want to hire from a list of qualified candidates.
  • HR assistance – Employee benefits, payroll and taxes are handled by the service provider. There is no need for you to worry about them anymore.
  • Opportunity to expand and expand more – You will no longer need to add more office space and equipments to house your newly hired help desk agents, and you will never have to worry about additional software licenses and basic office supplies.
  • Access to latest technologies – Outsourcing companies are always up-to-date with the latest technologies and gadgets to run a smooth call center.

#2: Flexible Solutions Based on Your Needs

Since outsourcing companies today have become more competitive, some have created flexible and customized solutions to accommodate any type of businesses in need. So for companies with complex employment or project requirements for help desk agents, you are sure to find a service provider that will take on your challenge without having to spend a fortune.

#3: Free Supervisor or Manager

Before, you will need to hire a supervisor or manager to monitor your outsourced employees, but not anymore today. Most outsourcing companies already have a supervisor or manager assigned to monitor your help desk agents, whether you hire just one staff or a team.

You will be having an additional pair of eyes and ears to monitor the performances and punctuality of your leased employees. Plus, some work issues can be resolved by the supervisor or manager before it even arrives at your doorstep.

#4: Continuous Upgrade

There will be times that your outsourced help desk agents will need trainings in order to learn new software and online applications. With an outsourcing company, your leased employees will always be updated; all you have to do is give your permission so they can attend the free trainings and seminars.

#5: Technical and Industry Expertise

When you look for an outsourcing company, it is best if you choose the service provider that specializes in your industry because they are the experts when it comes to handling various call issues, hardware and software upgrades, and they are always up-to-date with the latest technologies that can enhance your help desk. They provide an edge over other outsourcing companies that are not in your industry, a great benefit for you!

Over-all, help desk can either be outsourced or not depending on the needs of your business. If you do decide to partner with an outsourcing company to help you, you better be prepared because no successful business has made it to the top without taking risks and sacrifices. There will always be a con whenever there is a pro, the key is to overcome the con with strategic and intelligent planning.

How to Improve Help Desk Performance?

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The help desk is a very important part of any business, it maybe tedious and routine but it does have its great uses like improving customer experience, relaying useful information about the customers to the marketing team, helps improve products and services, adds positive reputation to the company and many more.

Because help desk can be a really boring job or highly stressful in some cases, your employees’ performance can be at risk. You may experience employees resigning due to lack of challenge, workload mismatch, or better opportunities offered to them by other companies.

So how can you improve your help desk’s performance? Here are some tips to help you out.

Establish Metrics with a Rewards System

Whenever a goal is set to be achieved, it is not too much to add a reward along the way. A reward system can be a powerful influence not just to employee performance but as well as motivation and behavior.

You can set different levels of metrics and provide a reward whenever a help desk agent reaches it. It can be based on quantity of work output or quality of work delivered, or both. If you are having difficulties determining what type of rewards to give based on the level of metrics you are going to set, ask your department managers to assist you.

Encourage Company Trainings and Seminars

Your help desk agents might not pursue a promotion today, but they will eventually. But how can you promote an employee with little knowledge and lack of experience for the promotion they are asking for? Help them grow professionally by encouraging them to attend company trainings and seminars.

If you make your employees feel that you care for their career growth, it will add up to their loyalty and morale thus improving their performance.

Team Building Is Not Just For Having Fun

If you think that team building is just another excuse for a short-term out of town vacation for your employees, you are dead wrong. Psychologically, it is a discipline that helps improve your help desk agents’ personality such as leadership and problem-solving skills. It also helps foster creativity, build trust amongst co-workers and develop better communication.

Using various fun and motivational activities that are carefully planned to help your employees’ mental health, your help desk agents can growth both personally and professionally.

Improving Employee Retention is Also Important

Some help desk agents can handle pressure but not the stress that accompanies it. So before they can call it quits, you better prepare a plan to retain them. Don’t let your talented employees leave your company and head straight to your competitor’s doorstep.

Here are a few tips:
• If the rewards system you have establish is not working or not enough, revise it.
• Motivate your help desk agents by improving their employee benefits.
• Offer them career growth through company trainings and seminars.

If a help desk agent is happy with his job, he is likely to be more productive which is beneficial for the company. But there are times when a talented employee can’t be persuaded not to leave his position due to personal reasons or an issue with his co-worker. It will help you a lot to perform an exit interview with them so you can pin point the real cause and prepare a solution the next time it happens.

When to Outsource Your Help Desk?

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In any way you look at it, outsourcing your help desk is not an easy task, considering to outsource it is even harder. So every time you ask yourself when is the time to outsource, make sure you are going to do it for the right reasons.

Some companies have complex business models wherein their help desk agents can grow big only during peak seasons. While some companies only need a handful of help desk agents but do not want to build their own call center, they want to focus more on the quality of their products and services, therefore outsource them to the experts.

When the Cost Is Way Too High For Your Business to Support

New office space, equipments, chairs, tables or cubicles and even software are needed when expanding, and it can cause a lot of strain in your budget. It even cost more when customer service needs to be around the clock 24/7. Outsourcing your help desk agents erases all of that.

Outsourcing firms also thrives to be the best in their field; therefore they are always equipped with the latest technologies available in the market. Hardware and software upgrades will never be an issue.

When You Lose Sight of Your Main Goal

Customer care is important for your business but sometimes it can make you lose your focus and steer you away from the right path. It can also take so much of your time which you could have spent improving your products. Newbie entrepreneurs tend to lose valuable time because they try to manage everything, thinking they can. Outsourcing your help desk to the right third party provider can help you overcome this issue.

When Customer Service Isn’t Helping At All

You want to make a better product for consumers and a better service for your clients, but managing a help desk department is not your expertise. Hiring a third party provider, an outsourcing firm that specializes in call support, can be a wise decision if done right. They can provide you with highly skilled help desk agents who had real experience in helping customers through the phone.

When you have finally decided to outsource, do consider partnering with the right outsourcing firm that can help you improve customer satisfaction. Don’t just hire someone outside to take calls for you, establish metrics so you can determine if the partnership is successful or not.