When it comes to recruiting help desk staff in reputed IT firms, what are the parameters and requirement thresholds for making nice picks from a large pool of applicants? It is a fact that every other resume an IT manager is handed over to run a fine glimpse at usually consists of same patterns e.g. graduated from X College in computer science and served Y amount of time in Z organization as a help desk staff member.
It’s the right set of IT management skills that make an applicant stand apart from other individuals applying for the same job post. And what exactly are those right set of IT management skills? Below we have listed some of the most crucial IT management skills that an enterprise help desk staff must possess or any new applicant willing to apply for the desired position which can be acquired with the help of an extensive IT Ops training:
Hardware Troubleshooting
This is the basic requirement for any employee who is associated with a networking job. Check to see if your employee is able to troubleshoot a hardware problem if persists in a computer system. Also, make sure that your help desk staff is quite capable of identifying possible network and server glitches. The problem is that the help desk staffs these days are more knowledgeable about the software side of the entire IT infrastructure and thus possess very less information about hardware troubleshooting which is of course very necessary to upkeep the seamless day-to-day operations.
Technical Knowledge for Superior Customer Services
Help desk officers in IT firms require robust technical knowledge for providing superior customer services at the time of responding to queries and solving them. This is where system administration and maintenance play a major role in combination with soft-skills such as communication skills, analytical skills, and time management skills.
Security
Security is not to be taken for granted. It has now become an integral part of IT infrastructure. The right candidate should possess firm cyber security skills and in addition to that the ability to detect future possible cyber-attacks in order to prevent them in a timely fashion. Moreover, an IT help desk officer should be able to collect traces and highlight the detailed evidences in case of any cyber-attack lodged to the networking system.
Telephonic Communication
The latest telecommunication technologies may have eased the entire process for help desk officers, but the traditional phone call method is still there and shall remain forever. Whether a client is calling for any sort of query, or an internal communication that needs to be done, or even an external vendor for checking into the everyday order booking, a help desk officer should possess the right telephonic communication skills for effective management.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is now the key to successful business operations, TechRadar says. It has now become an integral part of day to day IT operations. Businesses worldwide have implemented some kind of cloud storage application and this number is set to increase at a faster speed in the coming years. An ideal help desk staff should be equipped with sound knowledge and deeper understanding as to how cloud computing infrastructures work and what makes them operate effectively.
Project Management
Project management is more of a broader term that covers different aspects in an IT firm that include ordering new equipment from vendors, managing cloud computing, and other necessary tasks that come under the zone of IT department. Coming up with different projects and streamlining different activities is at the heart of the help desk department which needs to be managed effectively in order to sustain the enterprise’s business. A detailed IT Ops training session should be ideal for any help desk officer to gain command over some of the widely used project management software and tools.
Microsoft Windows Maintenance and Management
Enhancing the life of computer systems is very important for the help desk unit and for this basic performance management skills are needed. And since Microsoft Windows 10 is being widely used across different IT firms and enterprises, the help desk support staff should be able to tweak the performance level of the operating system and also perform timely back-ups for an added layer of security.
Database Management
Data management is of great importance for a help desk unit to perform at an optimal level. Many big enterprises have already implemented extensive database projects. Whether your help desk officers are managing the entire database or small chunks of it, they need to conduct in-depth analysis and for that, a standard SQL database training is very necessary. A deeper understanding of how data management system functions with networks is an element you shouldn’t overlook in your help desk technicians. They should possess sufficient knowledge about as to how DNS works and how to ping.
Granting Access Levels
Sound knowledge of file permissions and granting access levels is an IT management skill you should never overlook when hiring a help desk staff of any level or experience. The same requirement is mandatory for existing help desk staff members.
PC Performance Optimization/Tweaking
Learning the essential skills pertaining to system maintenance and performance is quite crucial for help desk support staff. This makes sure that the computer systems being operated within the help desk unit are working in perfect condition and that they are perfectly tweaked for optimum level of performance. All of the above necessary IT management skills can be acquired from either of two ways, i.e. experience (proven track of similar job roles) and second, enrolling your staff in IT ops training programs. The latter option will also help your enterprise prevent IT help desk loopholes that are often overlapped by even some of the most experienced help desk technicians. A standalone IT help desk training module should suffice to cover different courses for effective management of help desk department within an IT enterprise.