The IT help desk serves as the interface/connection between either the business user and the IT teams, or the latter and the internal teams within an enterprise. This distinction depends on the type of enterprise, although for a company working within the IT sphere, it could be both.
The traditional IT help desk of even 5-10 years ago is starkly different from the one in operation today. Innovation is one of the reasons, as it brought highly interactive and detailed interfaces, allowing users a degree of control over their systems. For the longest time, the IT help desk handled support-related questions, device rollouts, software-related queries and fixes, and miscellaneous issues that the enterprise encountered, internally. On the surface, the role of IT is still the same. It is only the technology backing the position, and the desire to cut costs in favor of outsourcing, has changed the fabric of what the IT help desk was.
On one front, it may seem like the competent help desk operator has all the tools they need to stay firmly in their post within the company, and function optimally. However, the truth is that despite cloud services, remote access, global and mobile interconnection, the in-house IT help desk officials are encountering immense pressure to function well, even to prove their worth as viable employees.
The reason for the above can be summed up by the following points:
- Managers and teams preferring to make a run to the IT help desk around the end of the project, instead of including them as integral members of the development cycle, and collaborating with them towards the achievements of goals.
- Operations searching for faster gratification out of their organizational fixes.
- IT officials who do not keep up with technological advancements, and are hampered by their own attitude towards tech solutions, in favor of legacy solutions.
- Technologically challenged IT professionals who pretty much defeat the purpose of an IT help desk, negating their position as negative revenue preventers.
A competent IT help desk official ensures that the remaining staff and their tools are functioning at their best, allowing for seamless development and operations, as well as general functionality. To that end, following are some operational methods that can align the help desk with the larger priorities of the business, and make them better at their jobs.
- Streamlining the ticketing process can help relay the issues that the operations and development teams are facing, in real time, in order to produce quicker fixes. There are two things that IT reps will have to face here; namely the volume of tickets, as well as the variety. The latter is far more troublesome when advanced operational technologies are involved – which creates the need for a proportionately efficient ticketing system to combat the issue.
- Training the help desk officials according to the specific needs of the company always helps them produce better support to the company. If the IT staff is not aligned with the unique tools and systems of the company, then they will encounter a learning curve which will curb their ability to provide ongoing solutions.
- Having the appropriate number of help desk staff is immensely helpful in streamlining technology and processes. According to a Gartner research, the ideal ratio of help desk reps ad general staff is 70:1. This number can be higher or lower, once again, according to the unique needs of the company. However, having the right number of IT experts is absolutely necessary, in order to mitigate a lot of the problems that come, especially with brand new, hitherto unseen systems.
Now, it is true that some outsourced IT services are well worth the money, and can potential provide 24/7 services as well as an incredible infrastructure which the enterprise can depend on. Despite this, there is really no competition for a hands-on IT help desk technician who knows what they are doing, and can tackle situations as soon as they arise. This can be accomplished by providing the IT staff efficient and effective IT ops and management training, which enables them to come to grips with the latest in technology and IT situations, but also makes them more efficient in their day-to-day jobs, through personality training as well.
Said training consists of several intrinsic elements, such as software-related streamlining and direct solutions training. This training can not only empower your help desk staff to take on the challenges of a tech-rich environment of today, but ensure the success of the entire IT ops and management program within your enterprise.