Controlling the Consult

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Controlling the Consult

• Soft Skills for the Help Desk

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What do we do?

• The primary responsibilities of a help desk are
  to provide a single point of contact for all
  support services, deliver assistance to clients,
  and capture and distribute information.

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What our clients want

• If you were a client, what characteristics would
  you want your Account Specialist to have?

4
Understanding Caring Attitude

• Enthusiastic
• Upbeat
• Courteous
• Friendly
• Respectful
• Helpful

• Nurturing
• Caring
• Pleasant
• Empathetic
• Tactful

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Problem Solving Ability

• Resourceful
• Quick-Thinking
• Responsive
• Committed
• Knowledgeable
• Accurate

• Good judgement
• Persistent
• Confident
• Professional
• Thorough

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Soft Skills

• Active Listening
• Good Customer (Client) service
• Good Problem Solving skills
• Good Verbal Writing Skills
• Ability to be calm under pressure
• Ability to be a team player

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Helpful Help Desk Hints

• Speak Clearly
• Explain Plainly
• Put enthusiasm in your voice
• Know your products and services
• Show empathy
• Dont jump to conclusions

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The Irate Client

• What do you do when you have someone on the phone
  whos unhappy?

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The Irate Client

• Stay calm (allow client to vent)
• Be helpful positive
• Gather as much information as you can
• Repeat what theyve said and give feedback
• Where possible, offer a solution

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Creating a Great Remedy Ticket(Getting Started)

• Relax
• Record as much information as possible.
• Your first priority is to collect information
  from the client in the following order
• UFID
• Contact phone number
• Summary of situation.

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Creating a Great Remedy Ticket(Gathering the
Essentials)

• The Greeting!
• Good morning/afternoon, UF Computing Help Desk!
  May I have your 8-digit UF ID number please?
• Get their phone number!
• While Im accessing your information, do you
  have a phone number where I can call you back in
  case we get disconnected?

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Creating a Great Remedy Ticket(Giving the Client
Feedback)

• Type as they talk, and give feedback
• Ok, tell me if Im understanding this
  correctly
• Speak to the client empathetically as youre
  gathering information
• You may have experienced a similar situation and
  that knowledge can put them at ease.
• Use the clients first name when appropriate.

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Creating a Great Remedy Ticket(Using the
Checklists)

• Clients buzzwords may trigger a checklist.
• Once you have a good summary of what theyre
  trying to do, go through any checklists that
  their description may have triggered.
• Take your time, but work on your efficiency.
  (experience speed)

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Creating a Great Remedy Ticket(Remember, Youre
Not a Robot)

• Sound natural and friendly
• If referring to the AUP (for example), come up
  with phrasing that will be accurate, but sound
  friendly and natural coming from you.
• Always stay positive!
• Never say, We dont do that here, or We cant
  help you with that.

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Creating a Great Remedy Ticket (Ending the Call,
Referred)

• If you have to refer the call to another queue,
  let the client know.
• You wont be able to solve every problem
  immediately, so let the client know that weve
  stored their information and a consultant or
  staff member will be contacting them shortly to
  follow-up with them regarding their situation.

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Creating a Great Remedy Ticket (Ending the Call,
Resolved)

• When ending a call, end with a Promise of
  Service
• If the issue is resolved, let the client know
  that well be glad to assist them if they have
  any additional difficulties (with this issue or
  anything new)

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Questions?