Help Desk Standard Operating Procedures

Standard Operating Procedures are developed by businesses and organizations that wish to provide regimented quality service to their customers. Companies regularly receive calls regarding service issues or problems. Typically, customers report problems to a Help Desk, where questions are asked, problems reported and information gathered. Front line analysts assess where to send problem calls for further support and action. SOPs vary, but they exist to provide uniform handling by company employees from initial contact to successful resolution.

Initial Contact

Customers call in to the Help Desk and state the nature of their problem. Tracking software guides the front line analyst to ask pertinent questions pertaining to customer contact information, the complaint and location of any problem equipment. Model numbers and licensing agreement information are gathered. Customers are then queued to the appropriate support center.

Assign Priority

Calls are assessed and then assigned priority based on the initial interview. The company determines what constitutes a priority call based on specific criteria. Priority labels may include enterprise failure, critical situation, regular scheduled service and planned events.

Create Tickets

Customers may have more than one problem, regarding different issues or equipment. Employees write up discrete problem tickets so each issue can move separately on to the appropriate center.

Documentation

Computer systems that track data provide instant access to technicians who require it. Documentation procedures are followed to allow the next technician or manager to see what’s been done on the ticket up to that point.

Problem Solving

The goal of the help desk analyst is to solve the problem to the customer’s satisfaction. That entails having a clear understanding of what the customer wants and, occasionally, what he did to find himself in his predicament. SOPs are written to obtain this information. Analysts can then propose solutions. Sometime this means duplicating the problems for themselves and then working to resolve the issues.

Customer Communication

Customers expect to be reassured that their problems are being solved, not overlooked. Company protocols are typically set up to require analysts to call their customers at regular intervals to touch base with them about their concerns. Any communication with a customer is documented.

Problem Escalation

Procedures are written to facilitate moving problems to more advanced and experienced teams when the problems aren’t resolved quickly at the initial help level. Some companies have two or three levels of technicians to solve problems in particular technical areas.

Article Source: http://www.ehow.com/list_6345581_desk-standard-operating-procedures.html

Author-Erin Moseley

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