What is the Help Desk? Operation of the first level Support:

• A first level made up of qualified personnel, with certified technicians in different ICT technological specialties. Which are prepared to answer and solve the most frequently asked questions, that is, those that belong to the FAQs (frequently asked questions) included in our knowledge base.
• And a second level and higher Help-Desk levels, made up of qualified engineers  who handle the most difficult calls and which could not be resolved by the first level. This function can be carried out even in person at the client's place if necessary.

What is the Help Desk? Operation of the first level Support:

The process or operation of the first level support service - Help Desk would be as follows:

• The user reports his problem through one of the access channels such as telephone number, website, portal, email service or online chat.
• Our first-level support issues a ticket that contains the details of the problem.
• The first level analyzes the problem and tries to solve it. If so, the ticket is closed and updated with the documentation for the solution. This allows other service technicians to have a reference.
• If the problem needs to be escalated, it will be referred to the second level.
• Finally, the second level will analyze and solve the problem by closing the corresponding ticket and updating it with the solution documentation to allow other service technicians to have a reference.

More info:  help desk job description

How to Get a Help Desk Analyst Job

The help desk analyst is one of the most visible IT roles – as well as an evolving one. In fact, it’s one of the few public-facing IT jobs. But what does an average workday look like for this professional? Here’s a quick overview.

A tiered role
Help desk analysts are on the frontline of customer support. They are focused on helping to resolve technical issues end users encounter, or connecting those users with more intensive IT support, when needed. Here are the three levels of analysts:

A Tier 1 help desk analyst typically takes the initial inquiry and manages relatively simple hardware, software or network issues. If they can’t address the problem, they escalate it to a Tier 2 analyst.

A Tier 2 analyst is able to resolve more complex systems and applications problems. These help desk analysts generally decide whether or not to generate a trouble or work order ticket, or escalate the issue to the next level.

Tier 3 analysts research and resolve the most complex issues that other help desk levels have been unable to fix. They also identify trends in issue reporting and come up with preventative solutions.
Remote assistance

A help desk analyst spends the majority of the day performing remote support. This can take a number of forms:

Over-the-phone support
Screen sharing or remote control
Live chat support
Email support
Performing any kind of technical support is challenging enough, but remote support can require even more skill.

If screen sharing or remote control tools aren’t available, help desk analysts must depend on users to be their eyes and hands when trying to resolve a problem. The help desk analyst must visualize what the user is seeing on his or her screen and know exactly what suggestions to give, and how to word that guidance so the user can follow it.

Providing remote support can be particularly tricky during busy periods of the day when the volume of calls picks up, queues get longer and pressure mounts. The help desk analyst therefore needs to know how to keep cool and work efficiently – and it doesn't hurt to have a sense of humor, particularly when receiving requests like these. (Although laughing at end user requests while helping them is obviously not a good idea!)

More info:   help desk level 1 salary

Help Desk Technician: The First Step on Your IT Career Path

A job in tech support—typically referred to as a help desk technician, computer user support specialist or technical support specialist—is the perfect stepping stone to higher-level IT careers. You can earn a respectable annual salary of approximately $52,160, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), and the experience you’ll gain in the trenches of customer support is just what many IT hiring managers are seeking.1

Even still, you likely have some lingering questions. That’s why we connected with some IT experts to find out just how valuable this experience is. Here are four ways working as a help desk technician prepares you for the IT career of your dreams.

Take the first step toward a successful IT career
The BLS projects employment in computer support to grow by 10 percent through 2026. This is your chance to ditch your dead-end job and achieve financial success in your dream career.

The invaluable knowledge and experience you can acquire by becoming a help desk technician could serve as the first step to a long and lucrative career in IT. Learn how you can get started in as little as 18 months by earning an Information Technology Associate's degree.2

Read More:    service desk jobs

The role of a Help Desk within the organization

Help Desk Management:

The function of the Help Desk is to provide users with a single point of contact through which their needs regarding the use of resources and services of technological platforms are resolved and / or channeled, always according to a standard adopted by the company. Among the objectives of a help desk are:

• Answer all received calls.
• Solve a high percentage online.
• Online monitoring of derived cases.
• Reduce recurring calls over time.

Definition:

The Help and Support Desk is a work team, a point of contact between the users of the company and the standard technologies adopted by it, and whose main objective will be to respond in a timely, efficient and high-quality manner to requests that said users carry out, in relation to the various aspects of Information Technology.

Scope:

The scope of a Help Desk is very wide. Some of the categories in which we could group its various functions are the following:

• Services
• Attention of Reports
• Use Policies
• Training
• recommendations
• Advertisements
• Publications

More info:  service desk job description

10 reasons to use a help desk in your business

Now that you know what a help desk is, let's give you 10 reasons to implement it in your organization, mainly because of the software used to manage this area.

1. Do you better understand customer behavior

With a help desk software, it is possible to monitor the actions of your customers, thus finding patterns of behavior, which can be used in favor of the company.

For example, you may notice that normally a customer who buys a certain product, in two months he comes back to buy another one that adds value to the first.

Thus, you can now add to your sales process the offering of this second product, thus increasing your revenue.

2. Process improvement

With automated work and on a single platform, processes are more streamlined, since there is no need to migrate from one platform to another or move from paper forms to e-mails and then to online tables.

The process is much more fluid and easier to understand and follow when everything is on a single platform, which reduces the likelihood of errors and increases productivity .

3. Allows opening of tickets per ticket

Opening tickets per ticket is a great strategy when we talk about customer service, because now the customer does not need to pass all the data back when the call goes down or needs to talk to the help desk area again.

This type of opening of calls creates a unique identification number for the attendance, thus, the attendant has full access to the details of the request, previous requests, customer data and history.

4. Everything is archived

From customer data, to service histories and solutions found. Everything is filed in one place and always available for consultation.

5. Can be used as evidence in lawsuits

As everything is archived, including conversations, if any customer tries to act in bad faith with you the evidence of all communication between you will be archived in the software.

So, in the event of a legal problem, you will be protected by the conversation files.

6. Tracks the consumer

In addition to allowing knowledge of the customer's behavior, a help desk software tracks the user's location, what type of computer he is accessing the platform, etc.

Read More:   help desk career

Why does my company need a Service Desk?

• First Level of Support : This role represents the first point of contact with the user. The first level of support is made up of personnel in charge of solving simple and / or procedural requests by phone, based on procedures previously reviewed for first instance resolutions.
• Second Level of Support:  This role corresponds to the groups of technicians responsible for solving requests that require a higher degree of specialty. The second level of support is made up of more specialized personnel and they act on the basis of predetermined procedures according to the respective specialty of each one.
• Supervision:  With the purpose of administering the service, the figure of the Supervisor is understood as the one that will be in charge of overseeing and controlling compliance with the predefined solution time standards for all calls received, as well as monitoring and control. the correct compliance with the solution time standards for all problem reports, as well as the commitments assumed by the resolving units regarding the solution deadlines for these reports. The Supervisor will then act as the first escalation level for cases not resolved in the specified time.

Analysis unit:

The function of an Administrator or Analyst of the Help Desk Software, will consist of carrying out a monthly analysis of Indexes and Data, whose objective is to evaluate the behavior over time of all the Indexes defined in advance in the detail of procedures, according to agreements of service, timely warning of deviations that may occur, and generating proposals for corrective actions. In addition, it must have a user survey service according to its sector, which includes conducting semi-annual surveys of all users associated with the Help Desk service, in order to identify weaknesses in care and establish continuous improvement. The survey format can be developed in conjunction with the client.

Reports:

It is part of the service of a Help Desk, the delivery of periodic Reports, which reflect the historical activities and the level of compliance with them. Likewise, these reports allow viewing situations to be improved for both the Client and the Help Desk and make the necessary changes. The report identifies the requirements according to their scope, type of report, type of service and statistical graphics, as well as a list of the reports most frequently generated in the month. As attached data, the various analysis of results regarding the periodic management provided by the Failure Registration Administration system must be included in these reports.

Implementation:

In each implementation of a service of these dimensions, the following activities are carried out:

- Induction of technical support personnel in the culture, objectives and business processes of the client.
- Periodic training of human resources provided by the Help Desk.
- Analysis and implementation of the Help Desk Administration system, procedures, methodology and controls, as well as feedback or feedback from the client for the continuous improvement of said Administration system.
- System definitions: Problem categorizations, Adequate and efficient allocation rules, Impact Levels, Prioritization of cases according to criticality, Adequate Escalation Policies so that the requirements are reassigned according to their complexity in combination with minimum waiting times for the end user, Notifications and alarms of active servers and equipment, Documentation of Solutions to apply to future resolutions (knowledge base).

HELP DESK SPECIALIST JOBS

Position General Responsibilities :

Provide first tier technical help for computer network, computers, printers and other pc equipment. Provide technical help for applications, and other software.

Education, Experience and Certification Requirements

Note: Only minimum responsibilities are listed. Other responsibilities may be required as requested through management.

Minimum Qualifications :

• Strong dedication to providing superb consumer service..
• Strong problem solving abilties.
• Strong knowledge of pc networks, hardware and software program.
• Strong written and verbal communique skills required.

Preferred:

• Help desk and user support experience.
• A diploma in computer science, networking or other associated field or equivalent technical abilities/work experience.
• Experience in a complicated pc and software set up and aid environment.
• Knowledge in areas including Windows Server, Citrix, Virtual Computing, MSSQL, Exchange, TCP/IP, Security and Antivirus.

Dimension of Job:

Position requires expertise of pc software program and hardware. Daily obligations consist of pc setup and Help Desk support. Position also requires organizational capabilities and stock management.

Find the latest helpdesk jobs near me