Optimising for Efficient Help Desk Support Operations
Optimising for Efficient Help Desk Support Operations
In today's highly competitive global markets many businesses are looking to reduce indirect costs. Advancing technologies, and increasing availability of cheap band with are making distributed systems and "cloud" based services commonplace. Outsourcing and offshoring have allowed larger organisations to save money by moving some or all of their help desk and IT employees, but this may not an option if supporting niche or legacy systems. Growing concerns about data protection and security can also be reasons for opting to keep help desk services in house.
So for sound reasons outsourcing or offshoring your help desk services are not options; but retaining the help desk in situ is too expensive! How to reduce costs? One route is to consider the amount of "support" your organisation needs, after all users needing support because they are not able to get on with the day job means business processes are not running smoothly, and inefficient business process cost money and erode customer service.
Here are a few things to consider
Get Up to Date
We are all too familiar with the risks posed by security vulnerabilities in modern software systems. Virus outbreaks or denial-of-service attacks can cause massive disruption to your business and eat up help desk resources so ensure that all your systems are maintained and up-to-date and put in place appropriate firewalls and "good practice" guidelines for all employees. Getting "up to date" will cost your business some money, but providing suitable software and hardware protection for your IT infrastructure will help prevent major service interruptions and this means fewer help desk incidents requiring action!
Get Automated
Make sure that wherever possible routine tasks have been automated and, borrowing from Total Productive Maintenance theory, devolve control and autonomy for routine tasks to users you be able to distribute some "traditionally" IT functions to key users out in the business.
There are several automated tasks that companies can implement in order to give their users greater control of the systems that they use regularly. For example, allowing employees to create their own passwords will save time for everyone, including the helpdesk. Not only does this reduce the work load handled by your help desk but it keeps people working, rather than waiting on the help desk for a response.
Get Trained
Poorly trained employees can create significant work for your help desk team. Make sure that employees know how to operate the software and systems they need to perform their roles. It is a simple fact that trained employees ask fewer questions and make fewer. Training increase productivity and reduces the load on your help desk. Over time training employees reduces the reliance on "experts" on the help desk; and this can be particularly important if knowledge of niche or key systems is tied up in few individuals.
Get the Best Help Desk Software
Firstly, if you don't have help desk software then get some! Choose the best, and remember there are free systems just as good as any you might purchase!
The best help desk software will allow users trouble shoot their own problems by providing a searchable knowledge base and FAQs for commonly encountered issue. This has great benefits to the business because it gets people back to work faster!
Helpdesk software allows the business to track the type and frequency of the issues raised; through reporting this can help identify vulnerabilities in the IT infrastructure (such as failing hardware) or weaknesses in the training of the user base allowing the organisation to invest time, money and resources where they are most needed.
In Summary
There are steps that a business can take do to reduce the cost of running an internal help desk. It may be outsourcing or offshoring but where these are not options there are still options.
By modernising IT systems to ensure security and reliability the business and through the automation of day-to-day IT tasks the business will reduce the number of help desk calls reported.
Through training of employees in the correct operation and appropriate use of IT systems the business will reduce the dependency on key individuals in the help desk team and reduce the number of help desk calls reported.
By implementing a good help desk system users can troubleshoot and find solutions to their own problems in the knowledge base. FAQs can be provided for commonly occurring issues, and appropriate investments made where help desk issue reporting shows recurring problems.
Of course, every business works differently, but many will face the same fundamental challenge producing more, with fewer resources while improving customer service. Optimising your help desk operations and tackling the root causes contributing to the help desk workload will save time, and time is money!
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