3 Common IT Helpdesk Support Challenges
A robust IT helpdesk support framework is critical for the smooth functioning of various processes at an organization – the users expect immediate response and resolution when they call the help desk with issues or requests. That’s why institutions make all the efforts possible to keep their IT help desk up and running. Despite the constant efforts, keeping an IT help desk or IT service desk running smoothly can be a constant challenge. Institutions might have to struggle with issues like outdated tools and processes, making life difficult for the end-users as well as the IT help desk staff.
While your IT help desk might be struggling to keep pace with the growing expectations of your end-users or the rising standards of the industry, modern IT service management (ITSM) technology can help. Integrated ITSM platforms provide advanced IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) capabilities like incident management, problem management which improve your IT help desk services levels as well as its productivity.
Three common IT helpdesk support challenges that ITSM can resolve are:
Too many phone calls:
While taking calls is what the help desk is for, too many calls for issues that can be resolved by the end-users themselves overwhelm the help desk staff. This results in the important resources’ time being wasted in addressing tier-1 level support issues. To address this, you can use ITSM to create an easy-to-use self help knowledge base portal like BlackBeltHelp’s Lexicon which enables the end-users to solve their tier-1 level issues themselves. Automation can also come in handy in resolving this challenge. For example, you can automate password reset process since about 40-50% of help desk support requests are for password resets.
Repetitive, time-consuming tasks:
Hundreds of your different customers have asked you the same questions at different times and your support agents have given the same answers. What if you published these answers in a knowledge base that your customers could surf and find answers to their questions from? It would help them find quick answers and save your agents’ valuable time, don’t you think?
You could also adopt business or robotic process automation at your organization. RPA/BPA delivers a real customer service center benefit by empowering the service agent to integrate data into fields across all associated systems with only one entry. This benefit disposes of two of the biggest complaints heard from contact center customers, “Why are you asking for that information again? I already provided it” and “Don’t you keep notes in your system?”.
Lack of documented procedures:
Having a laissez-faire approach to the help desk hasn’t ever done it any good. If the number of interactions and scope of support have grown since you started, you are more likely to feel the repercussions of letting your help desk staff do whatever they desire. If they don’t have documented standard operating procedures to abide by, you are bound to experience inconsistency in the service levels.
In the absence of documented procedures, one agent might be working the whole time while another may be sitting idle because the former is more knowledgeable and delivers better service and gets more calls as a result. It may also mean that you don’t have a proper structure in place to handle tickets and escalations.
With a good knowledge base for your helpdesk staff, you can streamline the operational procedures at your organization. The integration of the same knowledge base with a self-service portal can be instrumental in deflecting the majority of the help desk tickets.
Listed above are three common IT help desk challenges and how you can address them. Tell us about a few of your own in the comments below.
Anthony Banford is an esteemed executive with 19 years of experience in technology, consulting, and education. He begins his latest chapter as Chief Revenue Officer at BlackBeltHelp, aiming to innovate in the higher education support industry. His move follows a successful stint as Head of Revenue at StudentBridge since March 2023, where he significantly contributed to the company’s merger with Full Measure Education, enhancing its service offerings.
Todd Hollrah joins BlackBeltHelp bringing 25+ years of experience managing service delivery operations for several Fortune 500 clients around the globe. After a distinguished career as an executive in the BPO industry, Todd will provide critical insight into building an exceptional customer experience combining both live voice and automated solutions.
Inspired by a family computer that always needed fixing, Chris Uthe has submerged himself in business and technology for the last 20 years. His first company, a PC repair and networking business, was started at just 16 and successfully fueled a deep interest in solving problems as he helped business customers throughout his hometown adopt technology into their business. He would go on to successfully run a media & managed IT company before joining the Ed Tech industry with a successful 13-year tenure within an ERP/SIS company leading the Student Portal & Learning Management division. His last startup, EdSolio, helped to fuel the winds of competency-based education by providing a comprehensive view of a student’s work and achievements. Chris is now focused on creating successful learners by ensuring the highest quality help and support through the use of AI backed toolsets spending the last 3 years in the student engagement and support markets.
Quaiser Absar is the Chief Technology Officer and Director of Institutional Computing at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia.
Bringing in over 2 decades of experience with him, Manish has ensured seamless operations in terms of client delivery, reporting & analytics, quality, training, and transitions with a special focus on technical integrations to help reduce costs and improve the bottom-line.
Anthony has served higher education in diverse, leadership roles for over 30 years and has helped organizations thrive through his expertise in developing, analyzing, and executing growth strategies. Prior to joining BlackBeltHelp, he served in College Administration as well as in leadership roles within Blackboard Student Services and Ellucian, Inc.
Accomplished IT Specialist and Manager with extensive experience in a higher education setting and demonstrated abilities to effectively manage both student and professional staff. Self-motivated problem solver, who is skilled in managing many issues and prioritizing their importance to find resolutions in a timely and effective manner. Possesses strong abilities to adapt to new technologies by extrapolating from existing experience. Possess first-rate communication and collaboration skills to work with diverse groups effectively.
Lila Buytendorp has been serving as the Director of User Services at Moraine Park Technical College (MPTC) since 2000. In this role she is responsible for staff & lab desktop computing and end user support. She guides and supports technology based on the curriculum needs and ensures technology is implemented to support the emerging needs of the college. She builds and supports integrated systems to improve efficiencies and uses technologies to support data-driven decision making. Lila is a member of the Capital Projects Planning and Design Committee to ensure new or remodeled facilities have appropriate technology.