Ask the Expert
November 2011 Post
Q: We’ve been looking at creating a mission statement for our desk. What are some good ways to go about this?
A: Mission statements are vital for a service desk as they articulate what you’re striving to achieve. The best way to create one is to make it a collaborative effort and involve all of the team. Mission statements live and die by the people who actually have make them happen, so it’s important that everyone is involved and can inject their own thoughts. If you want to realise the goals that are detailed in your mission statement then you must have the buy-in of your desk.
Another key point is to remember that your mission statement must align to that of the business – after all you’re both working towards the same goals, even if the similarities are not immediately evident.
October 2011 Post
Q: We’re currently looking to create customer satisfaction surveys to help us better understand our customers’ perception of the services we provide. Have you got any tips on how to put a survey together.
A: Customers are integral to everything that the service desk does, so it’s vital that the surveys are logical and tell us what we need to know to help drive improvements.
With that in mind, here are some top tips:
- Who is the survey for? Who do we want to survey and what areas of the business do we want to question? It might be that you only want to gather the opinions of the customers of the service desk or you might want to see what senior management and other areas of the business that do not necessarily use your service desk think.
- What do we want to find out? This is how you’ll create your questions, and it’s worth spending time deciding exactly what you want to discover from the survey. The ideal customer satisfaction survey will indicate what customers think about the service you deliver but will also identify clear areas for improvement.
- How will it be distributed? There are now more ways than ever to send out surveys, especially with the rise of social media. For most service desks email will still be the most practical channel but it’s also the most familiar so there is a danger that your emails will be ignored, so it’s worth considering alternative channels.
- Variety is important. Try to avoid surveying customers in the same way with the same questions. Although changing the questions does mean that it’s more difficult to trend the results, adding variety will help keep your surveys fresh and engaging.
- Monitor the response rate. The biggest question for service desks who conduct customer satisfaction surveys is what is a good response rate? The answer will vary widely by the type of industry that you work in (high pressured businesses like investment banks or stock traders are less likely to fill in surveys) but a good rule of thumb is that 10 percent or higher is an excellent return, with around 5 percent being the average.
September 2011 Post
Q: We don’t currently have a mission statement for our Service Desk: how would we put one together?
A: Mission statements are a vital component of the support operation. Here are some tips to putting one together: The purpose of a Service Desk Mission Statement is to define its reason for being, in a clear, simple and straightforward manner. In other words: what we are doing and why we are doing it. A clearly defined mission statement provides the staff (and their customers) with an overall objective against which they can measure performance. You must then trust and support your staff and empower them to serve their customers well. Additionally, the principal characteristics of a Service Desk Mission Statement are as follows:
- It should contain a clear description of its principal purpose and role.
- A purpose statement (i.e. what the service desk is trying to achieve)
- A business statement (i.e. business activities/practices that are required to achieve the purpose as stated)
- A value statement - this means defining the principles or beliefs to which it subscribes and its commitment to quality, integrity and innovation
Finally, the mission statement should provide an instrument for both measuring progress and moving ahead day-by-day. An example of a mission statement would be "We provide company X with a single point of contact for all ICT issues and needs and deliver exceptional customer service, excellent technical knowledge and provide a professional and consistent service to all of our customers."
August 2011 Post
Q: Alternative to phone and email channels? Would be interested to hear what products you have used and what are the benefits / issues.
A: There have been some great responses to this discussion already, though every company's/ individual's experience and solution recommendation is different and valuable so please do join in! This is one of a vast array of discussions taking place on the SDI LinkedIn Group, share, learn and network with your industry peers by joining the group today.
Current top discussions include:
- What processes have been put in place when resetting users network password, from a security point of verifying the user on the phone is who they say they are?
- Does anyone have any suggestions to reduce ineffective handovers between service desk agents between shift changes?
- If somone loses a piece of equipment e.g. Blackberry. Would you log this in your service desk tool as an Incident or a Request for Service?
If you would like to find out more about LinkedIn as a useful network engine, please feel free to contact one of the SDI Advisors on +44 (0)1689 889100.
July 2011 Post
Q: I have been in my current role as a Service Desk Supervisor for over three years now and would like to have the opportunity to progress in my career, undertake further challenges and have the potential to earn more. How would you recommend I get on the path to achieving this?
A: We always like to hear from people who have the drive to commit to progression in their career. Many people have been looking to add to their skill set in the hope to move into a higher working role within their organisation, this is a realistic target and can be attained. I would always recommend arming yourself with a valid qualification which is recognised across the industry and proves your competency level. Most companies have set budgets for the year which can be used on training to meeting personal and career development targets set out in annual reviews or by personal mentors if you are lucky enough to have one. Look into Service Desk qualifications further, in particular the SDI Service Desk Manager qualification and you could be pleasantly surprised by the career path which can be opened up to you.
Answer by Sally Cooper, Membership & Training Co-Ordinator
June 2011 Post
Q: How do we decide what devices we should support?
A: This is becoming a very common question in the industry. The first step is to determine what you are being asked to support. What is at the top of your customers’ wish list? Once you have ascertained what you are being asked to support then it’s a case of auditing your Service Desk to assess its current capabilities. Do we possess the correct technical knowledge? If not, what training will it take to get us to the level we need to be at? Do we have the capacity to support additional devices? How will support for existing devices be affected? Armed with this knowledge, it’s time to consult with the business and customers to determine what can be achieved and what is feasible. It’s unlikely you will be able to support everything that is being requested, but it’s important that you explain why. Consultation is the key to this process – managing your customers’ expectations will ensure a smooth(er) transition to expanding your supported devices portfolio.
Answer by Daniel Wood, SDI Head of Research
May 2011 Post
Q: What's the quickest way to start up a knowledge base?
A: Knowledge bases can be started off by something as simple as an excel spreadsheet – basically anything that can act as a repository for people to enter knowledge is sufficient. They certainly don’t have to be complex and expensive, as long as there is a facility to share the knowledge that’s on there. The key is to make sure that the knowledge is correct, up-to-date and has been thoroughly tested. All new additions should be moderated to ensure that they are correct (this is especially important if you are giving customers access to the knowledge). A good way to give people an incentive to add to the knowledge base is to offer rewards for the highest number of entries – a little recognition can go a long way to keeping people enthused and motivated to add to the knowledge base.
Answer by Daniel Wood, SDI Head of Research
