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Objectives:
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This section concentrates on the interpersonal skills, profile and personality required to interact with Customers and Users in order to manage and work on the Service Desk.
Everyone in the service business talks about Customer satisfaction, retention and long-term relationships. The big issues such as quality, consistency, reliability and value, build relationships. But it's often the small things that destroy relationships. When a Customer goes to a competitor or complains to management, it's usually a number of little things added to one final straw that breaks the relationship.
When considering how better to foster Customer relationships, you should consider the things you do to them, not just for them. Ask yourself whether everything you say you do, you actually do. Perhaps you are missing chances to turn business opportunities into clients and happy Customers for life. Start to look at the little things. They can keep your relationships from dissolving before your eyes.
There are three aspects of management focus that need to be mentioned here:
Service managers should encourage teamwork and participation. To many support staff, it seems that the only time a Customer speaks to them is when they want to complain. In today's environment, the rate of change can be very stressful. It is important to empower and involve the whole team, asking staff to regularly review and, if required, redesign processes. If a team member has an idea, encourage it. In many cases they are in a far better position to make a valid judgement than a manager is.
If the team is involved in the decision-making process, the members are more likely to buy into the final decision, and the success of the new process is almost guaranteed.
In a stressful support environment, it's not always easy to make the right decision. Managers tell staff that it's okay to make a mistake or not to know an answer. However, managers tend not to live by that advice themselves, often trying too hard to be the perfect manager. If we cannot be open and honest with our team, we can't expect the same from them. While this is extremely hard for many people, it is also extremely powerful. Not only does it create a good channel of communication, but it also builds a great deal of loyalty.
Managers' days are filled with meetings, reports and problems, and many do not have a spare minute to do another thing. Everyone knows this, especially your team, but you should make time to roll up your sleeves and participate in the handling of Customer requests. It doesn't have to be daily or even weekly, but the effort has to be sincere and frequent enough so that your team remembers it.
Be sure to strip yourself of your manager title and role when you participate so that you really experience their world.
Selecting and retaining the correct staff is critical to success. It is no longer enough to have 'technical skills'; professional skills are key. In fact, many successful service departments recruit staff from the 'business' or employ staff from other service-based industries who are then, if required, technically trained in the required areas. Today's Service Desk professional is master of many essential skills, with a mindset to match. A Service Desk member should be:
Customer and Service Support is one of the most challenging roles in any organisation.
The primary role of Service Desk staff is to ensure that the services provided to the business are operational, exemplified by the attributes discussed below.
Teamwork is critical to success. Support staff are generally in the best position to review and/or amend processes and procedures and, most importantly, do the same with Customer perceptions.
In a stressful support environment, it's not always easy to look at things from your Customer's perspective. When seeking assistance, they may themselves be under stress, or up against a deadline. Your support and respect at this point is critical, and is often 'a moment of truth' for the support teams to deliver value to the business.
Because Customer support is a stressful activity, a clear and helpful frame of mind is essential. Customers quickly detect disinterest and respond accordingly.
Before you start a day's work, take a few minutes to leave your personal problems behind and get into the right mindset to act professionally - smile, and be positive,
This sub-section describes some of the other skills involved when handling Customer requests.
When making contact with your Customer for the first time, take a moment to introduce yourself. Describe the approach you have planned to take to diagnose and resolve their issue. Rather than simply solve their problem, it is important to demonstrate your ability to reason and effectively troubleshoot. Through this, the Customer will become confident in and trust your ability, which will in turn provide you greater freedom in future interactions.
Let the Customer play a role in the solution, no matter how small. You will be viewed as 'here to help.' If you don't know the answer to a question, don't pretend to; you aren't necessarily expected to know everything about everything. Of course, saying 'this is outside the realm of my particular expertise, but I can look into it for you' might be better received than a simple 'I don't know', because the former at least demonstrates a definite focus and direction. Always be constructive; never be confrontational.
Treat the Customer's concerns as if they were your own. Formulate a plan of action and keep the Customer updated on any developments, as they occur. This clearly demonstrates that the Customer's concerns are important to you, and whether the solution to their problem is simple or complex, you are 'here to help'.
In an environment where support is divided between different support groups, never simply pass on the Customer to a new team without first describing the process. It is imperative that you retain accountability, even when you delegate responsibility for the resolution of the Customer's problem. Explain that while your expertise is in this area, another team might be better suited to address the particular issue.
It is important to identify quickly the level of expertise that your Customer has in the area they have reported. Leading questions such as 'Have you been using this application/equipment for a while? 'will assist you in your approach. In many cases, especially business applications, the Customer may be more expert than your support staff.
When explaining or exploring a Problem with a Customer try to stay away from technical jargon; rather, use familiar analogies. Comparing a low bandwidth to a residential street and a high-speed connection to a motorway is one example. Comparing a Mini's performance to a Porsche 911 can be used as another. Do not, however, patronise your Customer.
Seemingly strange things may occur as part of your diagnosis of an Incident. Avoid saying 'This is strange' or 'I've never seen this before', or 'This doesn't happen on my machine', instead, refer to such occurrences as 'unique'.
The Customer with a Problem is only concerned with getting back to work as quickly as possible. They are themselves probably under pressure to get a quotation out or working to a project deadline. Take this into account and remain composed if the Customer becomes anxious. If they demand an action beyond your control, politely refer them to the duty Service Manager.
Some people, although they might talk well, simply talk too much - smothering others with words, and attempting to sweep them off their feet with one point or question after another. People like this probably cause more Customer upset and produce more frustrations than any other mistake that people can make.
In a support role, listening is a major skill to improve service - just as surely as speaking is a skill. Learning to do both is essential. Here are some points to remember:
For example, do not be too quick to jump on someone coming out with a statement such as 'Your service is awful'. If you handle this as a simple service objection, you may have missed the point. What is probably meant is 'I don't understand why I cannot access my application in the evenings'.
The best listeners are the ones who ask the most pertinent questions. Questions help the other person to say what they are trying to say, and they demonstrate that you are sincerely interested in the person as well as the Problems.
Listening can be divided into two forms, passive and active. A passive listener receives the other person's messages as they are transmitted, but takes no initiative to react to them or to seek amplification on any points that are not understood. An active listener takes the initiative in drawing out the other person and seeks clarification of the message being transmitted.
Active listening is an essential skill to learn and is highly recommended for all Service Desk staff.
Service Desk training is often seen as something only for first-line support staff. However, to promote a professional and consistent approach to the Customer, all support staff, from the Service Desk to Computer Operations and Development should be trained in several important areas. Being technically competent is no longer enough in a modern service organisation. The ability to communicate and work with Customers is an essential skill and a worthwhile investment in developing:
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