IT Support/Helpdesk Operations Event, 13.Jan.2025

Introduction

The job of help desk representative is one of the most challenging in Today's technology-driven society. Those who seek expert help by phone or email are often perplexed, stressed out, or downright ticked off. They want answers, results, solutions—and they want them NOW! To the rescue, the course for help desk staff will keep these workers from being pulled under by the riptide of requests they get each day.

Besides learning methods for effective listening, questioning, and resolving problems, participants will also find out how to write clear, accurate email responses and follow-up reports that will answer users’ requests and satisfy their managers’ expectations. They will also learn “life-preserving” techniques to help reduce stress and maintain enthusiasm and productivity while dealing with even the most difficult clients.

Course Objectives of Help Desk Operation Support

• Provide guidance for managing customer expectations
• Offer suggestions for asking questions that will get to the root of a customer’s concern
• Give practical advice for using active listening skills and staying focused
• Review the ins and outs of email etiquette and staying positive online
• Explain communication styles and how to tailor service to different types of people
• Make suggestions for staying productive and managing stress

Course Outlines of Help Desk Operation Support

Hearing Distress Signals: Identifying Calls for Help

• Identify service challenges specific to a help-desk environment

Credible Service: How to Build Rapport and Actively Listen

• Putting customers at ease
• Communicating a sense of urgency
• Listening to what people tell you
• The essential people skills
• Use positive language and avoid inflammatory words and phrases

Write This Way: Effective Email and Documentation

• How to strike the right tone when writing emails
• Understand how to quickly and accurately document technical issues
• Writing and best practices for creating professional text
• Compose courteous and complete email messages
• Explain technical information in such a way that non-technical people can understand a subject

Patience and Poise: Keeping Your Head When the Situation is Tense

• Patience, poise, and maturity
• Ride out the storm of negative comments
• Use emotional intelligence and a proven de-escalation process when dealing with difficult situations and challenging people
• Practical strategies to calm unknowledgeable, inexperienced, perplexed, angry, or abusive customers
• Stress Management Skills: How to Survive Turbulence
• Some people just aren’t that easy to help!
• Systems aren’t compatible, technology doesn’t work as planned?
• Stress management skills and techniques for managing the challenges
• Practice stress-reduction techniques to minimize the possibility of anxiety, anger, and job burnout

Next Steps: Moving Ahead with a Plan

• Create a personal action plan based on their specific needs as help desk staff
• Tips and tricks for better managing their work at the help desk
• Develop a personal action plan to improve customer-care skills