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A template that walks you through the creation of a strategy. The Help Desk Strategy aims to deliver excellent customer service by outlining the current state, vision, and objectives for the help desk. It serves as a roadmap for enhancing customer interactions, operational efficiency, and technological innovation. The help desk is instrumental in supporting the organisation's products/services and customer base. Current State Overview Staff numbers, roles, and hours of operation Time zones served and any special considerations Service Metrics Includes KPIs such as average resolution time, FCR rate, and customer satisfaction scores Uses historical data to identify areas for improvement Technology & Tools Details current technology like software, communication channels, and knowledge management systems Assesses effectiveness and limitations Vision & Objectives Vision Statement Aims to encapsulate the ideal future state of the help desk Strategic Objectives Focus on what's important. Delivery Plan Initiatives & Projects Training, process improvements, and technology implementations Timeline & Milestones Establishes a timeline considering potential challenges and dependencies Roles & Responsibilities Defines roles and ownership for each initiative or project to ensure accountability and progress tracking. Measures / Key Results KPIs KPIs such as reduced resolution time, improved FCR rate, and increased CSAT scores Monitoring & Reporting A system to track and report KPIs, including the frequency and responsible parties for sharing updates How to Use The Help Desk Strategy Template This strategy serves as a comprehensive guide for the help desk team to improve their service quality and operational efficiency. Regular monitoring and updates are crucial for ensuring its success.

Job description for a help desk team member This downloadable template aims to simplify the hiring process by providing a detailed job description for the role of a Help Desk Analyst. Created for IT managers, HR professionals, and recruiters, this template lays down the key responsibilities, qualifications, and skills required for the position. What is the Purpose of this Template? The template is designed to offer a clear and comprehensive job description for a Help Desk Analyst role. It's intended to facilitate the recruitment process, helping to attract candidates who are the best fit for your organisation’s specific needs and culture. Where and When to Use this Template? This template is versatile and can be employed in various sectors that require IT support. Use it when: Creating a new Help Desk Analyst position Updating an existing job description Posting job adverts online or in print What's Inside? The template encompasses: Job Summary: An overview of the role, its importance within the team, and the qualifications desired in a candidate. Key Responsibilities: Detailed list of tasks and duties that the job involves. Technical Skills: The technological competencies needed for the role. Required Qualifications and Skills: Educational and experience-based qualifications, along with essential soft skills. Additional Information Customer Service Emphasis: The template places a strong focus on excellent communication skills and customer service. Work Hours: Indicates the flexibility required to work outside regular business hours to support a 24/7 operation. Why Choose Our Template? Comprehensive: Provides an exhaustive list of responsibilities and qualifications, ensuring you attract well-rounded candidates. User-Friendly: Designed to be easily understood, allowing for quick and effective customisation. Time-Saving: Aids in accelerating the recruitment process by offering a pre-made, yet adaptable, template. Up-to-Date: Aligned with industry best practices, including ITIL principles. Use this Help Desk Analyst – Job Description Template to streamline your hiring process and ensure you attract candidates who meet your specific needs and criteria.

Let's take a moment to consider the core purpose of a help desk beyond its tasks and processes. What is its fundamental role? The three primary objectives of a Help Desk 1. To serve as a centralised point of contact for user support The primary function of an IT help desk is to provide hands-on assistance to users encountering technical issues with hardware, software, or network connectivity. Help desk staff are responsible for diagnosing and fixing these problems and offering support remotely or in-person to ensure a smooth and efficient IT infrastructure. 2. To provide information & guidance IT help desks act as a knowledge resource for users seeking advice on optimising their use of technology, tools, or software applications. This includes providing best practices, answering questions, and making recommendations to enhance user productivity and experience. 3. Workflow management and issue escalation Help desks play a crucial role in handling technical issues and service requests. They are responsible for logging, categorising, and prioritising incidents and requests and tracking response times. This ensures that problems are addressed promptly and, when necessary, escalated to the appropriate teams or individuals for resolution. So, in short, they typically fix stuff, communicate with users, and monitor and report on things. Why do we need to state the obvious? Because in the future, if we need to capture key KPIs, Objectives, or articulate the central premise of the Help Desk, then this is where we should refer back to. It's our reason for being. It's vital to know overall what you are trying to achieve so that you can start putting stakes in the ground and moving towards it. The Activities Of A Help Desk As we deepen our understanding of the help desk's role and capabilities, let's explore the key activities that drive it towards its objectives. Each of these things will be explored in more detail as we move through the course. In no particular order, these include: Logging, resolving & escalating issues More commonly referred to as 'Incident Management'. I've got a whole chapter on this, as it's the bread and butter of the help desk. Handling Requests Handling and processing service requests such as password resets, software installations, hardware upgrades, or access to specific resources. It's similar but different to incident management, and is often called 'Request Fulfilment'. Investigating Root Causes Identifying, diagnosing, and addressing the root causes of recurring incidents to prevent them from happening again is known as 'Problem Management'. Where incident management is about trying to get things working again, problem management is about finding the root causes behind incidents. Managing Knowledge Creating and maintaining a knowledge base of solutions, troubleshooting guides, FAQs, and other resources to improve the help desk's efficiency and effectiveness. Communication and coordination Maintaining clear communication channels with users, informing them of issue resolution progress, and coordinating with other departments or external vendors when necessary. Customer service and satisfaction Ensuring customer satisfaction through empathetic and timely support, including feedback collection and analysis for continuous improvement. Reporting and analytics Monitoring help desk performance and generating reports for management, including key performance indicators, service level agreements (SLAs), and other relevant metrics. Training and development Continuously improving help desk staff's technical knowledge, problem-solving, and communication skills through training and professional development.

What are the types of help desk? Effectively, most people group help desks into one of three types; Internal External Managed service providers All the following advice and guidance can be used across each of the types of Help Desk, but some points may be more relevant to particular styles than others. Here is a quick breakdown of the three. Type of Help Desk Scope Target Audience Purpose Examples of Services Internal Within organisation Employees Ensure smooth operations and minimise downtime for the organisation's employees. IT support for hardware, software, and systems; password resets; network connectivity issues; VPN support. External Outside organisation Customers Maintain high levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty by resolving customer issues. Product troubleshooting; billing inquiries; account management; technical support for software or services Managed Service Provider (MSP) Third-party organisation Internal / External depends on agreement Provide help desk services on behalf of another company, allowing them to save costs and focus on core business functions. Outsourced IT support; network monitoring; infrastructure management; security services Help Desk vs Service Desk What is the difference between a Help Desk and a Service Desk, and who would win in a battle? Many often use the terms interchangeably, but there are notable differences, particularly in ITIL (what's ITIL? We'll come to that shortly). To cover it off quickly so that we continue to build that standard frame of reference, and nobody is yelling at their screen, 'But it's a Service DESK!', you can categorise help desks and services desks by the following broad criteria; Help Desk Service Desk Technology focused Can be extended to other services such as HR or Facilities Primarily focused on resoving incidents & handling user requests A single point of contact for all service related issues Typically reactive to issues Proactive service management processes Knowledge management practices are ad hoc Incorporates advanced knowledge management practices Basic metrics on volumes Advanced metrics and reporting capabilities So, for the sake of consistency, I've focused on using the term 'Help Desk' as it's more widely used, but the reality is that as the help desk evolves, it will mature into a 'Service Desk'. How and when you use the terminology is entirely down to you. However, it can be a way of relaunching yourself in the future as a 'Service Desk' and letting customers know what's different and new and why you're changing. Customers Vs Users While we are clearing up terminology, I also use the term ' customer ' as a catch-all. We should be treating our ' users ' as customers. We want to give them excellent service, whether an internal company colleague or an external paying customer. Typically, ' user' means the person using software or a service, and ' customer' refers to whoever pays for it. So, for example, you may have several end-users accessing a software application, but the customer is the person you are engaging with on a managerial/commercial level. But resolvingthis point forward, any reference to 'customer' and 'user' are synonymous.

Using a 5 stage maturity model to evaluate and position your help desk without being too onerous in terms of auditing can really help focus attention on where improvement can be most beneficial. The following download will help you assess your maturity by answering 10 key questions that will give you a feel for your help desk's maturity. Once you have answered the questions, you will be presented with a maturity map per the screenshot below. Use this to identify areas of improvement on the 5-step maturity scale. The following is a high-level overview of the 5 steps I use when I want to measure help desk maturity. Criteria to Measure Help Desk Maturity Level 1: Ad-hoc Minimal or no formal processes in place Inconsistent response and resolution times A reactive approach to handling issues Limited documentation and knowledge sharing Low or unmeasured customer satisfaction Level 2: Basic Some formal processes and procedures are in place, but no standardisation Basic ticketing system to log and track issues Inconsistent application of processes across the team Limited use of performance metrics and SLAs Some focus on customer satisfaction, but improvements are needed Level 3: Structured Established processes and procedures consistently applied Functional ticketing system with categorisation, prioritisation, and escalation Regular reporting on key performance indicators (KPIs) Use of a knowledge base for information sharing Proactive measures to improve customer satisfaction Consistent adherence to service levels Level 4: Managed Advanced helpdesk tools and technology (e.g., automation, AI) Integration with other IT systems and processes (e.g., ITIL) Proactive identification of problems and trends Continuous improvement efforts based on data analysis and feedback Focus on staff training and professional development High customer satisfaction with consistent SLA adherence Level 5: Optimised Highly efficient and streamlined processes Proactive issue detection and prevention Strong collaboration with other departments and teams Ongoing innovation and adoption of best practices Exceptional customer satisfaction and loyalty

Why Have Incident Categories and Subcategories? It's common practice to configure your Incident Management tool or ticketing system to have a list of categories and subcategories to collect and analyse the tickets that are being logged. This can offer valuable insights into trends and underlying root causes of issues. Service Desk Categories & Subcategories Examples The following is a list of commonly used service desk categories and subcategories examples; Hardware Desktops/Laptops Repair or Replacement Upgrade Peripheral Issues (keyboard, mouse, monitor) Mobile Devices Setup and Configuration Repair or Replacement Application Issues Printers and Scanners Setup and Configuration Repair or Replacement Connectivity Issues Software Operating Systems Installation or Upgrade Performance Issues Security Patches Applications Installation or Upgrade Licensing Issues Functionality Problems Email Account Setup Performance Issues Connectivity Problems Network Connectivity Wired/Wireless Access Issues VPN Problems Network Performance Security Firewall Issues Unauthorized Access Security Breaches Accounts and Access User Accounts Creation or Termination Password Resets Access Rights Modifications Email Accounts Setup and Configuration Issues with Sending/Receiving Mailbox Quotas File and Resource Access Shared Folder Access Permission Issues Network Drive Problems Services Printing Services Print Queue Issues Quality Problems Access to Printers Database Services Access Issues Performance Tuning Backup and Recovery Web Services Website Accessibility Content Updates Domain Name Issues General Training and Guidance Software Use Security Awareness Best Practices Policy and Procedure Enquiries IT Policies Usage Guidelines Compliance Issues How to Use Service Desk Categories and Subcategories Efficient incident resolution By categorising incidents, the incident management team can more effectively prioritise and respond to incidents based on their severity and impact on the business. For example, if you have a category of 'virus detected', this might be a much higher response SLA than something such as 'request for a new mouse'. By classifying the types of incidents into simple groupings, you can set up rules within most Service Desk systems to allow you to automatically set priorities for tickets. Better resource allocation Categorising incidents enables the team to allocate resources and expertise to resolve incidents quickly and efficiently. If you have multiple levels of escalation or different support teams, categories and subcategories can allow you to quickly identify where the issues need to be directed. For example, if a request comes in for a new laptop, and you are lucky enough to have a hardware provisioning team, the ticket could be set to automatically forward to the team based on its category. Or, if you have a smaller team, you might use categorisations to give you supporting data on requests vs faults and then allocate dedicated resources to address the requests while others focus on the faults. Identifying trends and patterns The incident management team can identify trends and patterns indicating underlying IT services or infrastructure issues by analysing incident categories and subcategories. This can help the team address the root cause of incidents and prevent similar incidents from occurring. Data is a powerful tool which allows a Service Desk manager to gain better insights into their customers, services and staff. By allocating categories and subcategories to different types of Service Desk incidents, you can create reports that give you powerful insights into the types of issues. For example, you might look at the data and detect that a certain application is causing most incidents and that it might need to be replaced or upgraded, which in turn would then lower the volume of incidents being recorded with the Service Desk. Tracking incident metrics Incident categorisation helps the team track incident metrics such as incident volume, resolution times, and customer satisfaction. These metrics can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the incident management process and make data-driven improvements. Reporting on metrics and types of service desk issues can help move sometimes emotional arguments for additional resources with data-driven business cases. Good metrics on volumes and other measures can show senior leadership exactly why resources are needed to improve service provision. Don’t overcomplicate it. Record what you need—no more. My biggest piece of advice here is to start as simply as possible. You can add categories over time. However, too many may confuse the Helpdesk during the classification stage and potentially dilute valuable data when analysing it. So, if your categories and subcategories are numerous and confusing and perhaps don't follow a logical structure, rationalising them back is a good idea. Maybe by running a top 30 call types and categories, seeing the categories that people are actually using, and building it out around that. Too many categories will water down your reports and make it potentially quite difficult to pick up on trends. You can always adjust as you go, but if you over-complicate the options, it can be hard to get quality data out the other side regarding reporting and trend analysis. Template for Capturing Categories The following template can help you capture incident categories to upload into your IT help desk / ITSM system. I've already populated it with common categories, but it must be adapted to your needs and kept as simple as possible. Some guidance; Add in common user support issues. Add in any major applications. If you use any major applications, does it warrant its own type and sub-types? Ensure every category has an 'Other' or 'Unable to categorise' option. This allows us to review and add in types at a later point. Keep it as simple and lean as possible. Ensure there aren't multiple ways to log the same issue. For example, would one analyst log something as a 'database issue' and another might log exactly the same issue as 'application - SQL'? It's fine occasionally, but if we have a complex list, it will lead to confusion and inconsistencies.

Measuring performance with help desk reporting and analytics In any business environment, measuring performance is vital to understanding how well your team is doing and whether the desired outcomes are achieved. Help desk metrics provide a quantitative way to assess your team's efficiency and effectiveness in handling customer inquiries, resolving issues, and ensuring overall customer satisfaction. By tracking specific metrics, you can identify strengths and weaknesses in your team's performance and address them accordingly. Good help desk reporting and analytics will enable you to optimise your team's workflow, improve training efforts, and adjust your approach to problem-solving. You're probably looking for metrics, KPIs and reports, so let's give you those up front, and then we'll look into methods and approaches. Suggested Dashboard Metrics Metric Variants Process Stage Why? # Incidents logged in the past 24 hours # Incidents reported by customers # Incidents logged by alerts Record Incident Measures levels of incoming incidents. Has there been a sudden rise? If so, what’s causing it? Average first response time By team By Person Classification & Assessment This shows how quickly your help desk agents are responding to incidents on average, giving you insight into their responsiveness. # Incidents waiting for first response ​ By priority Classification & Assessment What is the backlog build up of uncategorised tickets? # Incidents approach SLA n/a ​ Investigation & Recovery Having a visual counter and ability to drill into this can help, but there is also an assumption that the ITSM will escalate any incidents approaching an SLA limit to a team leader. # Open incidents By team By person Investigation & Recovery Helps identify if there are any backlogs building up in the system # Incidents in resolved status By team By person Contact Customer with Resolution Captures how many tickets are waiting for user confirmation that issues are truly resolved Average resolutions time By team By person Contact Customer with Resolution This reflects the time taken to resolve incidents, allowing you to gauge the efficiency of your help desk. # Incidents closed in past 24 hours By team By person Contact Customer with Resolution Volumes of closed tickets coming through process. Is it significantly less that # in? Suggested Daily Reports Report Variant Why? List of priority 1 & 2 incidents Group by team / person Shows a succinct list of high priority issues and if any need communication within the team or special attention. Remember, a service / help desk should be tracking incidents across all teams on behalf of the customer. Incidents that have been open beyond X days Group by team / person Looking specifically at the oldest open incidents and focusing on how to unblock them. Incidents that are out of SLA ordered by priority and age Group by team / person Allows you to pick up on the issues that have failed SLA but in a prioritised list. Therefore you should look at what's top of the list and start to address them daily. Suggested Key Performance Indicators (Monthly) So, these are some suggestions in terms of the KPIs which you might want to consider for monthly review. These will show trends, especially as the data build each month. KPIs won't offer answers, and it is important to remember that; they will only trigger the questions. KPI Reason Monthly incident volumes To track the number of incidents occurring each month and identify any trends or changes in volume. Incident resolution rate by SLA To monitor how many incidents were resolved within the agreed-upon Service Level Agreement (SLA) timeframes and ensure that customer expectations are met. Mean time to response To measure the time it takes for a service desk to respond to incidents, which can impact customer satisfaction and service level agreements. Mean time to resolve To measure the average time it takes to resolve incidents, which can impact customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and compliance with SLAs. Monthly SLA achievements by Priorities To ensure that SLAs are being met based on the priority level of the incident and to identify any areas where improvements are needed. Incidents by category To track the types of incidents occurring and identify any patterns or trends in incident categories . This information can be used to focus on specific areas for improvement or resource allocation. Escalation rate To monitor the rate of incidents that require escalation to higher levels of support or management, which can indicate gaps in processes, knowledge, or resource allocation. First contact resolution rate To measure the percentage of incidents resolved during the initial contact with the service desk, which can impact customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. High first-contact resolution rates indicate effective training, processes, and tools. Getting Started With Metrics This section will discuss some of the most important help desk metrics you should monitor as a help desk manager. These metrics will provide a comprehensive view of your team's performance and help you make informed decisions for improvement. So, here are some of the big ones... First Contact Resolution (FCR) First Contact Resolution (also called 'First Time Fix Rate') measures the percentage of customer inquiries resolved during the initial interaction with a support analyst. A high FCR rate indicates that your team efficiently addresses customer issues without requiring multiple interactions, increasing customer satisfaction and lessening the load on some of the other technical teams. To improve FCR, focus on training, providing up-to-date knowledge resources, and streamlining processes. Average Handle Time (AHT) Average Handle Time is the average time an analyst takes to resolve a customer issue, including the time spent interacting with the customer and any follow-up work. While resolving issues quickly is important, be cautious of emphasising speed at the expense of quality support. Balancing efficiency and thoroughness is vital to maintaining customer satisfaction. To optimise AHT, review your team's processes, identify bottlenecks, and ensure agents have the necessary tools and resources. Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Customer satisfaction measures how satisfied your customers are with the support they receive from your help desk. This prevalent metric can be gathered through post-support surveys or direct feedback. Tracking CSAT can help you identify trends in customer sentiment, which can be used to improve processes, training, and communication. Addressing negative feedback and continually striving to enhance the customer experience is essential. But, again, we'll come back to customer satisfaction in a section on its own, as it's such a big bone to chew. Ticket Volume and Backlog Ticket Volume refers to the number of support tickets your help desk receives within a specific timeframe, while backlog represents the number of unresolved tickets at any given time. Monitoring these metrics can help you assess your team's workload, identify trends in ticket volume, and allocate resources accordingly. In addition, managing backlog efficiently is crucial for ensuring customer issues are resolved promptly. Time to Resolution Time to Resolution measures the average time for a support ticket to be resolved, from the moment it's created until its closure. This metric provides insight into the efficiency of your help desk's issue resolution process. To reduce resolution time, you can review and optimise workflows, ensure analysts have access to necessary resources, and invest in training to help analysts resolve issues more effectively. Analyst Utilisation and Occupancy Analyst Utilisation refers to the percentage of an analyst's working hours spent on handling customer inquiries, while Analyst Occupancy represents the proportion of time spent actively resolving tickets versus waiting for new tasks. Monitoring these metrics helps you assess your team's capacity and productivity, ensuring you have the correct number of agents to manage workload effectively. This can lead to better resource allocation, workload balancing, and overall team performance. Some Suggestions & Guidance Don't Beat People Up With Metrics Be careful about how data is published back to the team and how it is used. It shouldn't be weaponised, for example, "Our open incidents have gone up! Everyone work harder!" it should be "Our open incidents have risen steadily over the past month. Let's try to understand what's happening." KPIs are a tool for understanding, not a conclusion. Identifying areas of improvement Metrics can help you pinpoint areas where your help desk team is underperforming or struggling. By analysing trends in key performance indicators (KPIs), you can identify patterns that may indicate a need for additional training, improved processes, or resource reallocation. With this information, you can implement targeted improvements that will directly impact your team's performance and customer satisfaction. Aligning team efforts with organisational goals Help desk metrics can serve as a valuable tool for aligning your team's efforts with your organisation's broader goals. By establishing performance benchmarks and setting specific targets for your team, you can ensure everyone is working toward common objectives. This alignment fosters a sense of purpose and shared responsibility, driving your team to achieve individual and collective goals. Senior management always loves it when you tie the objectives of the Help Desk or a process to the broader organisation's goals. A common goal is usually 'optimise and automate processes where possible'. Ensuring customer satisfaction At the heart of help desk management is a focus on customer satisfaction. We'll pick this up in the section specifically around customer satisfaction, but recognise its importance here. Metrics provide an objective way to measure how well your team meets your customers' needs, allowing you to make informed decisions about improving the customer experience. By tracking key customer satisfaction metrics such as First Contact Resolution (FCR) and Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) scores, you can identify areas where your team excels and areas that require improvement, leading to a more satisfying customer experience. Baseline as soon as possible As soon as you can measure aspects of the service, do so. This will let you know how changes you make to processes, tools, services, or people impact performance. It also lets you understand what can be done and current performance levels rather than picking targets out of the air. So many times, people set an SLA target of 95%, not knowing if that's achievable or not... Only measure what you can measure Too many people outline metrics or KPIs that sound great, but they have no way to measure them. So save the dreams for bedtime. Keep it simple I know, I keep saying this... but it's important. When implementing an Incident Management system, the temptation is to start measuring everything. It is recommended that you resist the temptation and pick just a few KPIs or basic metrics that you are interested in, the results of which might drive behaviour. Automate your reporting wherever possible. You want to avoid manual reporting and collation of reports where possible. Using reporting tools and analytics software to automate gathering and presenting data will save time and reduce errors. Most ITMS systems have them built in. If you are using something like SharePoint, then go straight to PowerBI. Make your reports easy to understand Use clear and concise language, avoid technical jargon, and present your data in a format that is easy to read and interpret. Use charts and graphs to help visualize the data. Do share your reports with stakeholders Share your reports with all relevant stakeholders, including management, help desk staff, and customers. This will help to promote transparency and collaboration. Remember, you'll hold back if you think data is a weapon. But on the other hand, if the mindset is that data is an enabler, then it can help everyone to review it. Keep an eye on trends in your data, both positive and negative. It seems a bit obvious, or why measure anything, but trends can help you identify areas where improvements are needed or where you can capitalize on successes. You need to put your analysis hat on, look at the data and say, 'What is it telling me?'. Don't present data without context Always provide context around your data. Explain what the data means, why it's essential, and how it can be used to improve performance. Are there seasonal trends, specific points in the year where incident volumes drop, or lots of holiday impact resolution times? Make sure any anomalies are highlighted and explained before someone draws their conclusions. Investigate outliers Look for outliers in your data, as they can provide valuable insights into areas where improvements are needed. Continuously Improve Maybe another statement of the obvious, but use your reporting and analytics to identify areas where improvements can be made and take action to address these areas. Then, continuously look for ways to improve your service desk reporting and analytics.

Service Desk Metrics & KPIs Evaluation If you are looking for something more prescriptive to help kick-start your evaluation of a help desk's capabilities, then the following is an 'out of the box' starter set of evaluation metrics & questions you might wish to apply. Ticket Volume How many tickets are received daily, weekly, and monthly? How does the current period compare to previous periods? First Response Time What is the average time it takes for a customer to receive the initial response? Are there any fluctuations in this response time? Resolution Time What is the average time taken to resolve a ticket? Are there tickets that are taking significantly longer than average to resolve? If so, what are the common factors? Customer Satisfaction How satisfied are customers with the resolution of their issues (usually obtained through a survey)? Are there common factors in instances where customer satisfaction is particularly high or low? First Contact Resolution Rate What percentage of tickets are resolved in the first interaction? Are there common issues that are not being resolved at the first contact? Escalation Rate What percentage of tickets are escalated to higher support tiers? What are the most common reasons for escalations? Agent Utilisation How much time are agents spending on active tickets vs idle time? Is there a balance between workload and idle time, or is there room for improvement? Backlog How many tickets are left unresolved at the end of a day, week, or month? What are the trends in backlog volume? Ticket Channel What channels (email, phone, chat, etc.) are tickets coming from? Are there channels with particularly high or low resolution rates or customer satisfaction? Service Level Agreement (SLA) Compliance What percentage of tickets are resolved within the agreed-upon SLA? What factors contribute to SLA violations? Analysis For each of these metrics, consider the following: Metric Analysis: Current Status : Describe the current performance based on the metric. Benchmark/Goal : Describe what an ideal performance would look like. Gaps : Identify gaps between current performance and the ideal state. Cause of Gap : Analyse and identify potential causes for the identified gaps. Proposed Improvement Plan : Propose strategies or actions to close the gap and improve performance. Responsible Person/Team : Assign who will be responsible for implementing the improvement plan. Timeline for Improvement : Set a realistic timeline to achieve the proposed improvement. Follow-up/Review Date : Set a date to review progress towards the improvement goal. Application The above data could help you with the following assessments; Identify Training Needs : If certain types of tickets are frequently escalated or have long resolution times, there may be a need for additional training for the help desk team in those areas. Process Improvement : If there are systematic issues causing high volumes of certain types of tickets, you may need to refine your processes or even collaborate with other departments to fix the underlying issue. Staffing Decisions : If your help desk team is consistently overworked (high agent utilisation) or underworked (low agent utilisation), you may need to adjust staffing levels or schedules. SLA Review : If SLA compliance is low, it may be necessary to renegotiate SLAs or improve efficiency to meet existing SLAs. Technological Investment : If certain channels consistently perform poorly, it might be worth investing in new tools or software to improve service delivery through those channels. Customer Satisfaction : Understanding which aspects of your service lead to high customer satisfaction can help you to emphasise those areas. Similarly, identifying areas leading to dissatisfaction can guide improvement efforts. Performance Reviews and Incentives : The information from this analysis can be used in performance reviews, identifying top performers and areas of improvement for each team member. You can also use it to set targets and incentives for your team. Help Desk Strategy : Over time, analysing these metrics can help shape the overall strategy for your help desk, such as deciding to specialise in certain areas, expanding the team, or investing in automation.

Recruiting for a Service Desk Much of the following will be generic for recruitment and training across various roles and most likely strongly influenced by an organisation's HR or People team, but where it touches the running of the Help Desk explicitly, I will call it out. Team Structure The following is a generic summary of roles within a Help Desk. Likely there will be more, depending upon the size and complexity of the environment you are working in. However, regardless of nuances, they will broadly align to the following. Roles & Responsibilities Support Analyst (or Help desk agent) Respond to user inquiries and support requests Diagnose and troubleshoot technical issues Document incident details and resolutions Escalate complex issues to higher support tiers or specialised teams Follow up with users to ensure satisfactory resolution Helpdesk Team Leader(s) Oversee a group of helpdesk agents Assign and prioritise tickets to team members Monitor team performance and provide guidance and coaching Handle escalated issues that require advanced troubleshooting Collaborate with other team leads and departments to resolve cross-functional issues Helpdesk Manager Manage the overall helpdesk operation Develop and implement policies, procedures, and service-level agreements Monitor helpdesk performance metrics and identify areas for improvement Allocate resources, including staff and technology, to meet support needs Ensure effective communication and collaboration among team members and with other departments The Benefits of Team Leaders OK, if you don't have team leaders or senior members of your Help Desk, now is the time to consider it. Implementing structure and training is very organisation-specific, but flat structures aren't ideal. By introducing team leaders (or perhaps Senior Analysts), you can delegate some of the more routine work from the plate of the help desk manager to the team. For example, team leaders can; Free the Help Desk Manager to focus externally (customer focus) rather than internally (team mechanics). Provide support and guidance to help desk agents, ensuring they have the knowledge and resources to resolve customer issues effectively. Monitor help desk metrics and identify areas for improvement, helping to drive continuous improvement in the quality and efficiency of help desk services. Act as a first point of contact for escalated issues, ensuring that high-priority problems are addressed quickly and effectively. Promote a positive and supportive team culture, fostering collaboration and teamwork among help desk agents. Provide valuable feedback and coaching to help desk agents, allowing them to develop new skills and improve their performance over time. I've included a role description for a Help Desk Analyst and a Team Leader for you to download. Trainers Throughout my experience in the IT industry, I've had the opportunity to collaborate with several internal IT trainers. I can confidently vouch for the significant value they bring to an organisation. Having an in-house trainer available to offer personalised training not only eases the burden on the Help Desk team but also dramatically enhances the department's overall efficiency and perception. These trainers can often serve as an essential escalation point for "how-to" inquiries, ensuring that complex issues are addressed swiftly and effectively. Moreover, they can step in and serve as ambassadors during the launch of new projects, liaising with different teams across the organisation to ensure a smooth rollout. Technical Authors / Content Creators The value of technical authors or content creators in an organisation cannot be overstated. These skilled professionals possess the expertise to create high-quality documentation, such as application user guides, and can effectively build and maintain a comprehensive knowledge base. In addition, their ability to produce precise, concise documentation is a skill set many analysts may not yet possess. In many organisations, staff members are reluctant to document information, and the time constraints most employees face only exacerbate this challenge. Consequently, the process of creating and maintaining documentation becomes a considerable struggle. This is where a technical author's role proves invaluable, as they can provide the much-needed boost to address documentation gaps and ensure that knowledge is captured effectively. For organisations that may not have the resources to hire a full-time technical author, engaging a contractor for a specific period with a well-defined scope of work can be a viable alternative. This approach helps enhance the quality of the organisation's documentation and facilitates better knowledge transfer, ultimately leading to a more efficient and knowledgeable workforce. Onboarding New Team Members When welcoming new members to your Help Desk team, setting them up for success is vital. A well-planned onboarding process is crucial for helping new hires feel comfortable and confident. One of the key concepts is that new people, no matter how well-skilled, will need far more support in the early days as they ramp up in competency and confidence. It's startling how many organisations don't enforce the need for a planned induction and think that a new starter can just read some documents on a shared drive somewhere and then get on with things. The greater the thought, planning and support issued to new starters in their early onboarding period into the organisation, the better it will be for everyone. It might be that your organisation already has a slick induction programme, or it might be entirely down to yourself, but here are some points of consideration; Company Culture, Policies, and Procedures Start by familiarising newcomers with the company's values, work culture, and the policies and procedures they need to know. This will help them understand the ethos and how their role contributes to the bigger picture. Remember what I said about getting staff out into the business? I'd encourage new starters to shadow teams, watch, and learn what they are doing to understand the organisational context better. Overview of Help Desk Tools and Systems It's essential to provide a thorough introduction to the tools, systems, and processes they'll be using daily. Clear explanations and hands-on practice will ensure they're well-equipped to handle any helpdesk situations that arise. Don't forget to train them properly on the applications they are supporting. It's pretty amazing how people are sometimes dropped into a Help Desk team and expected to respond with scripts and knowledge articles but no real training in the technologies they are supporting. Mentoring and Shadowing Pair new team members with experienced staff to show them the ropes, answer questions, and provide real-time support. This mentorship approach helps them learn more quickly and builds strong working relationships within the team. New team members can potentially listen in on phone calls to get a feeling of how they are handled, or they could start by responding to the email / written requests, which may be more routine and procedure based. Ongoing Training and Feedback Finally, don't overlook the importance of continuous learning and feedback during their probationary period. Regular check-ins and constructive feedback encourage growth and development, leading to more competent and confident team members. Recruiting The Right Team Members & Setting The Tone The help desk is different from most other technical teams. Sure, there's overlap; they should all have good interpersonal skills and a knack for technology and troubleshooting, and positions on the help desk are often the first step on the ladder to technology guru. However, Help Desk is a unique skillset in an IT team and one that is often criminally undervalued. The Groundskeeper Trap It's long been a joke that the groundskeepers at golf clubs shout at the golfers to "keep off my grass!" The joke is that they put so much work and effort into their lawns that they don't want the golfers to walk on them, putting their wants ahead of their actual purpose. I've often seen team members indignant because people are using their software perhaps in a way they hadn't anticipated or want to evaluate non-standard software. After all, it fills a business need. Ultimately, the team needs to support the end to which the user works rather than protect the sanctity of standardisation (security concerns acknowledged). Never let your team fall into the trap of becoming the groundskeepers! Instead, always foster an approach of 'let's find a way to enable our customer' rather than 'let's find a reason not to help'. I would recruit kind, happy, communicative people every day of the week over technically talented but socially awkward staff. Technical skills can be learnt, but good communication isn't easily taught. You either have it or don't. We can all improve, but it's the raw materials I'm referring to here. The tone the help desk sets, often led by other teams, will massively impact their perception of them. Essential Skills To Recruit & Nurture In A Team These are the skills I'd been looking for in staff joining the team. They'd also be the skills I'd be fostering and helping grow. Communication Skills Active Listening: Analysts should be able to listen attentively to customers, understand their issues, and ask relevant questions. This skill is crucial for accurately identifying problems and providing appropriate solutions. There's more on active listening in a later section. Communication : Clear and concise verbal and written communication skills are essential for help desk analysts to effectively convey information, instructions, and solutions to customers in an easy-to-understand manner. Empathy : Understanding and acknowledging the customer's feelings and frustrations is crucial for building rapport and trust. An empathetic approach demonstrates that the analyst genuinely cares about the customer's concerns. Patience : Help desk analysts often deal with customers who might be frustrated, confused, or upset. Remaining patient and calm while handling such situations ensures a positive experience for the customer and facilitates effective problem resolution. Conflict Resolution : Analysts may encounter situations where customers are unhappy or dissatisfied. The ability to handle conflicts professionally, calmly, and efficiently can help turn a negative experience into a positive one and maintain customer satisfaction. Competencies Problem-Solving : The ability to analyse issues, think critically, and identify the root cause of a problem is essential for help desk analysts. They must be able to provide timely and efficient solutions to resolve customer concerns. Adaptability : Analysts should be able to adapt to various situations, handle different customer personalities, and stay up-to-date with evolving technologies and processes. This skill is necessary to provide relevant support and guidance to end users. Time Management: Help desk analysts need to manage their time effectively to prioritise and address multiple customer requests, ensuring prompt resolutions and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction. Technical Knowledge : A strong understanding of the organisation's products, services, and systems is essential for providing accurate and effective support. Analysts should also be willing to learn and update their technical knowledge to stay current continually. Teamwork : Help desk analysts often work as part of a team and must be able to collaborate effectively with their colleagues. Sharing knowledge, assisting team members, and working together to resolve complex issues contribute to a successful help desk operation. I said that these were the things I'd be looking for. However, effectively evaluating them in one or two interviews can be very difficult. However, here are a couple of ideas; Ask some behavioural-based questions - Ask candidates to provide examples of past experiences demonstrating their customer service skills. This helps reveal how they have handled specific situations and applied their skills in real-life scenarios. For example: Can you describe a time when you dealt with a demanding customer? How did you handle the situation? Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a complex problem for a customer. What steps did you take? Ask candidates to explain something simple to you - I suggest asking a candidate to describe something like 'how to make a cup of coffee'. This will allow you to gauge their communication skills. Everyone knows how to make a coffee, right? But can they explain a simple process methodically? Active listening and empathy - Observe the candidate's ability to listen attentively and empathise with your questions or concerns. Candidates who can actively engage and ask follow-up questions to clarify understanding will likely possess strong, active listening skills. Time management skills - Ask candidates how they prioritise tasks and handle multiple requests simultaneously. This will give you an understanding of their time management skills and ability to work efficiently under pressure. Team Development & Training Maturity Model Level Description Summary 1 Ad-hoc No formal training and development process is in place. Inconsistent skill development. Reliance on individual efforts and experience. 2 Basic Basic onboarding and training programs. Limited focus on professional development. Inconsistent performance evaluation and feedback. Informal knowledge sharing. 3 Structured Well-defined training and development procedures. Regular performance evaluation and feedback. Structured professional development plans. Improved collaboration and communication. 4 Managed ​Proactive approach to training and development. Continuous improvement processes in place. Comprehensive training programs and career development paths. Established performance metrics and KPIs. Focus on retaining and developing talent. 5 Optimised ​Fully integrated and optimised training and development. Advanced learning methods and tools. Strong leadership and mentoring culture. Continuous improvement is a core value. Alignment with IT and business goals.

Ongoing Professional Development If you aren't developing your Help Desk staff, you're failing them, the team and the organisation in getting the best from them. In my experience, most analysts are incredibly hungry for knowledge. It's controlling that in a constructive way that becomes the challenge. We can't always give people the career progression they would like, but we can progress their skillset, both in terms of soft skills and technical skills. Help Desk Analyst Training Courses Here are some examples of the typical training I've seen over the years that people seem to value. CompTIA A+: This certification covers foundational IT skills, such as troubleshooting, networking, and hardware maintenance. It is widely recognised in the industry and is an excellent starting point for helpdesk analysts looking to demonstrate their technical competency. CompTIA Network+: This certification focuses on networking concepts and skills, including network installation, configuration, and troubleshooting. It is a suitable certification for helpdesk analysts who deal with network-related issues. Microsoft Certified : Modern Desktop Administrator Associate : This certification demonstrates proficiency in managing, securing, and monitoring Windows devices. It's a relevant certification for helpdesk analysts working in organisations using Windows devices. Apple Certified Support Professional (ACSP): This certification is geared towards support professionals who manage and troubleshoot macOS systems. It is a valuable certification for helpdesk analysts in organisations that use Apple devices. ITIL Foundation: The ITIL Foundation certification provides a solid understanding of IT service management (ITSM) best practices. It is relevant for helpdesk analysts working in organisations that adhere to ITIL or similar ITSM frameworks. HDI Support Center Analyst (HDI-SCA): This certification focuses on best practices for customer service and support centres. It is designed for helpdesk analysts looking to improve their customer service skills and demonstrate their commitment to providing high-quality support. Help Desk Manager & Team Leader Courses ITIL Intermediate and Expert Levels: Building upon the ITIL Foundation, these advanced courses provide in-depth knowledge of IT service management, allowing managers to optimise help desk operations and better align them with the organisation's objectives. HDI Support Center Manager: This certification, offered by HDI (Help Desk Institute), is specifically designed for help desk managers. It focuses on leadership, strategy, operations, and performance management to help managers develop and maintain high-performing support centres. Project Management Training : Courses like Project Management Professional (PMP) or PRINCE2 provide help desk managers with project management methodologies and best practices, enabling them to lead projects more effectively and meet organisational goals. Leadership and Management Training: Help desk managers can benefit from leadership, team building, and personnel management courses. Consider programs like The Leadership Challenge or The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to develop and refine essential management skills. As previously mentioned, Situational Leadership II has been invaluable for me. Agile and Scrum Training: As more organisations adopt agile methodologies, help desk managers may find value in agile and scrum training programs. These courses can help managers better understand and implement agile practices within their teams and throughout the organisation, especially in developing software. IT Security Courses: Advanced IT security courses, such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), can help managers develop a more comprehensive understanding of IT security and risk management, ensuring that their teams are well-equipped to handle security-related issues. This is something I took many years ago and has been incredibly beneficial.

Performance Management Effective performance management is essential for evaluating help desk analyst performance, but it is crucial not to rely solely on KPIs and statistics. While metrics can provide valuable insights, they may not wholly depict an individual's performance. Each metric may have potential counter-arguments that challenge its validity as a performance measure for help desk personnel. For instance, tracking the number of incidents closed by an analyst can offer helpful information. However, using it as a performance indicator could encourage undesirable behaviours, such as prioritizing easy tasks over more complex ones. This approach might result in internal conflicts and perceptions of unfair assessment among team members. While measuring various aspects of help desk performance is crucial, it is essential to recognize that certain metrics may not be appropriate for evaluating an individual's performance, especially when tied to compensation. Consider the following performance measures as more suitable alternatives for assessing individual help desk analysts: Knowledge Sharing The number of knowledge base articles an analyst contributes can indicate their willingness to share learning experiences and document valuable information. While it should not be viewed as a competition, a lack of contribution could signal that an analyst is not meeting expectations in this area. Customer Satisfaction Response Scores Linking analyst performance to customer survey responses can provide valuable insights into their communication skills and overall effectiveness. Ensure that survey questions are designed unambiguously to focus on the individual's abilities. Random Ticket Audits Assigning team leaders or help desk managers to periodically review a random selection of incidents/tickets handled by analysts can be an effective performance assessment method. Evaluating ticket completeness, professional communication, and categorization can provide tangible examples for feedback and review sessions, highlighting both areas of excellence and opportunities for improvement. Training Progress and Results Tracking an analyst's progress in completing professional development courses and their performance in these courses can serve as a useful performance measure. This approach emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and skill development, contributing to the analyst's overall effectiveness. By employing a balanced and comprehensive approach to performance management, help desk managers can better evaluate their team members, foster continuous improvement, and maintain a positive and supportive work environment.

Introduction Purpose The primary purpose of the service desk practice is to act as the central point of contact between service providers and users, focusing on promptly resolving incidents and facilitating service requests. The service desk is essential for capturing and directing user communications within the service value chain, ensuring all user interactions are managed efficiently and effectively. Scope The scope of the service desk encompasses several key areas: managing user queries from receipt to resolution, maintaining effective communication channels with users, and optimising processes to enhance service delivery. This comprehensive approach ensures that the service desk is pivotal in the overall IT service management framework. Key Benefits Implementing a robust service desk practice offers significant benefits, including; Improved user satisfaction through efficient query handling and communication Reduced response times for incidents and requests Enhanced organisational efficiency. These improvements contribute to a more reliable IT service framework, ultimately supporting the broader organisational efficiency and goals. The service desk practice involves several foundational concepts and terms that are vital for understanding its operation within the ITIL framework: Service Desk: A function or a dedicated team responsible for acting as the first point of contact between the service provider and the users. Incident Resolution: Addressing any unplanned interruption to an IT service or reduction in its quality. Service Requests: Requests from users for information or advice, a standard change, or access to an IT service. Value Streams: An organisation's complete sequence of activities to deliver on a customer's request. Processes The service desk practice is structured around key processes that ensure effective management of user communications and queries: User Query Handling: This process involves the receipt, acknowledgement, and categorisation of user queries, followed by their appropriate resolution or escalation. Communicating to Users: This area focuses on ensuring that information is conveyed to users effectively using the most appropriate communication channels. Service Desk Optimisation: This aim is to continually improve the service desk processes and tools to enhance user satisfaction and operational efficiency. Each process is critical in ensuring that the service desk functions effectively as the nerve centre of user communication within the IT service management framework. User Query Handling This process is foundational to the service desk function, managing the lifecycle of user queries from initiation to resolution. The main activities involved in this process are: Acknowledgement and Recording: Upon receiving a user query, the first step is to acknowledge receipt and record the details in a user query management system. This ensures no request is lost and provides a basis for tracking and analysis. Validation: Each query is validated to ensure it is directed to the appropriate resources or departments. This step confirms the user's eligibility to request the service and the relevance of the query to the services provided. Triage and Categorisation: After validation, queries are categorised based on urgency, type, and the appropriate handling path. This categorisation is crucial for prioritising responses and directing queries to the correct resolution teams. Initiation of Actions: Depending on the category and nature of the query, specific actions are initiated to resolve the query. This might include forwarding the query to technical experts, involving higher-level management, or initiating a service request fulfilment process. Communicating to Users Effective communication is vital to maintaining user satisfaction and ensuring clarity in the resolution process. The activities in this process include: Identifying and Confirming Communication Channels: Determining the most effective means to communicate with users based on their preferences and the nature of the information. Information Packaging: Tailoring the information in a format that is easy to understand and actionable by the user. This might involve preparing standard templates for common types of communications. Sending Information: Delivering the information through the chosen communication channels, ensuring timeliness and accuracy. This includes not only sending out resolutions or updates but also proactive communications about ongoing issues. Gathering Feedback: After the resolution, users are solicited for feedback to gauge their satisfaction and gather insights for continuous improvement. Service Desk OptimisatOptimisation Performance Analysis: Regular reviews of the service desk performance metrics to identify areas for improvement. This involves analysing user feedback, resolution times, and satisfaction levels. Process Refinement: Based on the performance analysis, processes are refined to improve efficiency and effectiveness. This might involve redefining workflows, introducing automation, or enhancing training programs for service desk agents. Implementation of Improvements: Executing the improvements identified in the refinement stage. This includes rolling out new tools, processes, or policies to enhance the service desk function. Monitoring and Reviewing Improvements: After implementing changes, the impact is monitored against predefined metrics to ensure that the desired improvements are realised. Continuous feedback loops help refine or adjust the improvements made. These processes and their respective activities form the backbone of the service desk practice, ensuring that user queries are handled efficiently and communication is maintained optimally throughout the user's interaction with the IT services. Relationship with Other Practices The service desk practice does not operate in isolation but is intricately linked with other ITIL practices. It enhances overall IT service management by facilitating efficient communication and support. Integration with ITIL Practices Incident Management: The service desk is often the first point of contact for reporting IT service disruptions. Effective communication between the service desk and incident management ensures the timely initiation of incident resolution processes. Problem Management: While the service desk handles immediate user issues, problem management addresses recurring problems. Information from the service desk can provide valuable insights into underlying issues, helping to prevent future incidents. Change Management: The service desk plays a critical role in communicating scheduled changes to users and gathering feedback on the impact of these changes. This information helps change management evaluate the success of changes and plan future modifications. Knowledge Management: The service desk uses knowledge management tools to provide users with accurate information and solutions. Conversely, it contributes to the knowledge base by documenting resolutions and common user queries. Value Stream Contribution: The service desk contributes to several value streams by ensuring smooth communication and handling queries efficiently. This includes: User Query Value Stream: Direct involvement in managing and resolving user queries from initiation to closure. Incident Resolution Value Stream: Facilitating communication between users and technical teams, ensuring users are informed and satisfied with the resolution process. Change Notification Value Stream: Communicating planned changes to users, collecting feedback, and ensuring that users are prepared for their impact. By integrating with these practices and contributing to value streams, the service desk enhances the organisation's ability to deliver value to its customers and maintain high levels of service quality and user satisfaction. Roles & Responsibilities The effectiveness of the service desk is significantly influenced by the roles within it, each with specific responsibilities and required competencies. Service Desk Manager Responsibilities: The service desk manager oversees the operation, ensures compliance with ITIL practices, manages the team, and drives continual improvement initiatives. Skills: Leadership, strategic planning, problem-solving, communication, and a deep understanding of ITIL frameworks. Service Desk Agent Responsibilities: Acts as the first point of contact for users, handles queries, logs incidents, provides solutions or escalates issues as necessary. Skills: Strong communication, technical knowledge, problem-solving, customer service, and working under pressure. Implementation Advice Implementing a service desk effectively requires strategic planning and understanding key metrics and potential pitfalls. Key Metrics To measure the performance and effectiveness of the service desk, consider the following key metrics: First Contact Resolution Rate: Measures the percentage of queries resolved during the first interaction, indicating the efficiency of the service desk agents. Average Resolution Time: Tracks the average time taken to resolve queries, providing insights into the effectiveness of the service desk processes. User Satisfaction Score: This metric, gauged through surveys and feedback forms, assesses how satisfied users are with the service desk's performance. Ticket Volume Trends: Monitors the number of tickets raised over time, helping identify peak periods and potential issues in IT services. Escalation Rate: The rate at which issues are escalated to higher-level support, indicating the complexity of problems handled by the service desk. These metrics provide valuable data that can help refine the service desk operations and enhance user satisfaction. Things to Avoid Certain common pitfalls can undermine the effectiveness of a service desk. Being aware of these can help in avoiding them: Understaffing: Insufficient staff can lead to delayed response times and poor user satisfaction. Ensure the service desk is adequately staffed to handle the volume of queries. Lack of Training: Service desk agents must be well-trained in technical and communication skills. Regular training and updates on new ITIL practices and technologies are crucial. Poor Integration with ITIL Practices: The service desk must be well-integrated with other ITIL practices, such as incident and problem management. Poor integration can lead to inefficiencies and user dissatisfaction. Ignoring User Feedback: User feedback is vital for continuous improvement. Ignoring this feedback can prevent the service desk from evolving to meet user needs. Over-reliance on Automation: While automation can enhance efficiency, over-reliance without adequate human oversight can lead to issues being overlooked or misclassified. Frequently Asked Questions To conclude the article, here are answers to some frequently asked questions about the service desk practice: What is the difference between a service desk and a help desk? A service desk provides a broader range of services, focusing on proactive management and governance within ITIL practices, whereas a help desk typically focuses on resolving immediate technical issues. How does a service desk contribute to ITIL compliance? The service desk is central to the ITIL framework. It provides the primary communication link between users and the IT service provider, facilitating effective implementation of ITIL practices such as incident, problem, and change management. Can the performance of a service desk be measured in real time? Yes, modern service desk software offers dashboards that provide real-time metrics on various aspects of service desk performance, such as ticket resolution times, user satisfaction scores, and current service levels.