Before I begin this post, I want us to agree that any service desk can only improve as much as you can put in. The amount depends on the level of input you put into your training. If you want your service desk to soar and score in terms of customer service, a lot depends on your staff, their attitude, their desire and their drive level.
If we do not realize by now, helpdesk or service desk services are essentially customer service. You are measured not only by your technical capabilities but also by the level of professionalism, courtesy, timeliness and friendliness.
Apart from all the soft skills that you have been preaching to your people, the trainings provided by your external training partners, you should encourage your team to practice self improvement. Self improvement can be achieved on technical aspect, from conversation skills, going a step further with the customer, and a whole lot more. I realized in my role as a global service desk manager that no matter how hard I push all my teammates to practice self improvement, a large majority do not.
I am thankful that a handful of my teammates do go that extra mile for self improvement. An extra follow up call to the customer can do wonders to your customer satisfaction results. I know because I’ve done this, I’ve experienced this and I can reproduce this result. For the small majority of them who did improve on their own and introduced these small gestures into their teams, I make sure I reward them. Rewards are mainly in monetary terms because a clap, an email and a pat on the shoulders is not tangible. Reward giving are announced to the entire service desk operations to let them know my appreciation and more importantly that hard work does pay.
We can all learn from Johnny, a Down Syndrome who is a grocery store bagger. If Johnny can do it, surely we can too. If you do not know Johnny’s story, play the video below.