Posted by Hoyt Mann on Sun, Jan 25, 2009 @ 07:49 PM
According to a Computerworld annual forecast survey, help desk and technical support skills are very much in demand. So much so that it was forecast as one of the 9 hottest IT skills in 2009. The need is greatest for excellent customer interaction skills paired with a depth of expertise.
One of the most needed types of help desk/support worker is one who is extremely flexible, able to do phone support as well as fixing problems on the desk top.
As I have mentioned before (Invest in Customer Service It Will Never Decrease in Value , Four Ways to Ensure a Calm Customer Experience) the need for customer interaction skills cannot be overstated. These are the people at the front line, the face and voice of your company. How do you want to be perceived?
Considering many people will bolt for the door after one, just one bad customer support experience, isn't it worth it to hire the best you can?
Do I hear you saying,"But my support desk is a cost center. I can't justify the higher wages to get those kinds of people."
What if those same people who help your customers with any problems they have with your product were also taking the opportunity of offering further services? After all, the customer is on the phone already. When practicable, the agent can sell some more stuff!
That makes your support desk a profit center. I doubt there is any trouble justifying having extra money coming in.
Now you can afford to hire those people who can help grow your business. The ones who could calm an angry crowd of bees, trouble-shoot the problem, and then get them to buy honey from you. Maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but that is the type of person you need.
What are some of the so-called soft skills you look for in a support desk agent?
In the next post I will write more about these skills, but I really would like to hear from the front lines: what do you need to do to be an elite support desk agent?
Posted by Hoyt Mann on Sun, Sep 14, 2008 @ 09:30 PM
Smart companies have realized their customer support desks have strategic value. The Service Desk can:
- Operate as a profit center rather than a cost center
- Handle business growth without adding headcount.
- Improve communication internally throughout the organization and externally to customers.
- Leverage existing IT investments while implementing next generation technology.
How?
Since the service desk already has contact with the customer, there is the chance to up-sell or cross-sell.
Through automation and self service, more business can be handled by the same number of staff. Moreover, incidents can be tracked from end-to-end.
Through knowledge management, the same information is available to everyone from the service desk to the self service center. Everyone from customers to internal staff will receive the same answer to a particular question.
Existing IT solutions can be integrated with a next generation customer service solution that can scale with the company's growth.