“Managing the IT service desk is a like a day at the beach,” said no IT manager ever!
Ask any IT support manager and you’ll likely hear, “Managing IT support productivity is like a pressure cooker, full of testing and maxed out daily activities.” And to add to that, the daily activities are ever-increasing, changing constantly, and often require doing more with not enough resources. All the while, you must ensure an efficient and exceptional customer experience. Managers also have the increasing pressures of delivering the expected results on-time and on-budget.
With the mounting pressures on an IT manager, the outcome can often be an unproductive help desk with a frazzled and inefficient staff who under deliver. The result is a team constantly spinning their wheels, wasting effort, talent, and time.
How to Get Help for Your Help Desk
With the constant change and evolution facing the technology sector, there is one constant – your help desk is an important face of your company, and it is frequently one of the first and last encounters your customers have when looking for information, answers, troubleshooting and general help.
Your organization’s customer service is judged on the customers’ satisfaction with the help desk support team. So, helping your help desk support keep their cool and remain calm, collected, and confident when dealing with the pressure of the job is essential for customer retention, company reputation, and sales growth.
So, how can you help your help desk staff remain calm, while also enhancing productivity, improving efficiency, and providing a superior customer experience? The answer may be simpler than you think!
Small Changes Make a Big Impact
The list of software solutions and tools designed to streamline business processes or help improve productivity and efficiency are endless, and you can spend months vetting them. But there are some basic changes you can make to help relieve some of the ongoing pressures, increase staff productivity, and get you the results you need.
- Enhance Autonomy—Empowering your help desk staff can increase productivity. A staff that that has the autonomy and flexibility to make decisions will help to ensure they are capable of effectively handling the needs of customers. The net benefit is a staff that exudes confidence and a higher morale, which helps to decrease the need for additional managerial support, improves the call center workflow and boosts productivity.
- Implement Frequent Short Breaks—As help desk pressures rise, productivity and job satisfaction can quickly fall. One way to help staff is to create a culture where it’s not only ok but expected that you take a “breather.” Giving staff the flexibility to take breaks as they feel are needed empowers them with a greater sense of control to handle personal pressures and the resulting stress, which means greater productivity when they are at their desk.
- Enhance the Work Environment—The help desk environment can have a significant impact on productivity. Make sure the layout is as open as possible with little to no individual offices. Productivity and retention are proven to be higher when staff feel connected and empowered.
- Increase Awareness of Impact—A study conducted by the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania indicates that raising staff awareness of how their work impacts customers increases productivity. Encourage staff to share positive customer experiences and stories with and you’ll create a more unified team that motivates one another.
- Reward Accomplishments— Provide an incentive and rewards program that recognizes successes. This helps motivate staff to perform at optimal levels and keep your most talented employees on board.
Helping your staff manage their day-to-day pressures with a few small changes will go a long way in decreasing stress levels and increasing overall productivity. If you treat your staff as invaluable, just as you would want them to treat your customers, and you’ll see just how successful they can be. The more invaluable you make them feel, the more they’ll help you boost the value of your organization— and that’s a win for everyone! Contact us today to learn more about how we can help.
