12 Qualities of the Best Help Desk Support Services
Your organization has to support its end-users. But your IT team may already be busy putting out fires elsewhere. A help desk support service or service desk support is the answer. Help desk support services provide ticketing support to your employees, so your internal team is free to act on other issues.
Still, finding an outstanding help desk support service doesn’t happen overnight. Let’s look at some of the best qualities of help desk support services.
What Are Help Desk Support Services?
A help desk support service is a company you outsource to manage your end-users’ IT ticketing requests. Sometimes, the help desk support company will have its ticketing system, often called help desk software, integrated with your organization’s systems. That way, when an end-user raises a ticket, it appears in the help desk support company’s system. The help desk support service will then assign the ticket to one of their team members to resolve. Other times, the support team will use your existing system.
The help desk support service is responsible for managing and resolving the ticket. Desk services will also keep the end-user updated on the status of their ticket throughout the process. (Note that customer service also goes through help desk support, but most enterprises need end-user support rather than customer service.)
12 Qualities of Excellent Help Desk Support Services
When looking for a help desk support service, you want a company that provides comprehensive managed IT services in addition to its help desk services. In addition to remote IT, managed services and other technical support, your helpdesk service should be one that:
1. Provides 24/7 support
The best help desk support services offer 24/7 support to their clients. That way, you know there will always be someone available to help resolve any issues that may arise, regardless of the time of day. This is increasingly important, as people are now working remotely and in different time zones.
2. Has a Quick Response Time
They will acknowledge and begin working on your ticket as soon as possible after it’s been raised. When employees are left waiting on responses, they are inefficient. Most help desk ticketing issues should be fairly simple, such as password changes.
3. Uses Automation Wherever Possible
The best help desk support services use automation wherever possible. That way, they can resolve more tickets in a shorter amount of time. Automation will save you money; you aren’t paying for a person to handle tasks that can be done by a computer.
4. Provides Training and Knowledgebase Articles
The best help desk support services also provide step-by-step guides to help their clients resolve common issues themselves. That way, you don’t have to wait for a support agent to resolve your issue. Over time, your help desk company learns your organization’s tech stack and user needs. They build documentation that your users can follow.
5. Communicates Effectively
They will update you on your ticket status and let you know if there are any changes. A great deal of help desk management is workflow and process management; tickets also have to be able to travel through the system and be elevated when needed.
6. Is Proactive
The best help desk support services are proactive. That means they will take steps to prevent issues from happening in the first place. An MSP is a comprehensive security body that will help you improve your security posture and provide help desk ticketing and support. At Red River, for instance, we conduct complete security assessments while providing day-to-day support and maintenance.
7. Shares Their Knowledge
The best help desk support services share their knowledge. They will train your team to use their systems and resolve common issues. They aren’t going to silo information simply so that they don’t render themselves obsolete; they will produce reports that are readable and understandable regarding their performance and the needs of your employees.
8. Is Friendly and Personable
The best help desk support services are friendly and personable. That means you will enjoy working with them, and they will make the process as stress-free as possible. On a practical level, this usually means a culture fit. Your employees must find the help desk approachable or they will hesitate to go to them with future issues.
9. Is patient
They will take the time to listen to your issue and understand what you need before trying to resolve it. The more patient they are, the better; help desk issues tend to be extremely repetitive and redundant. Of course, that also means that your IT team will not need to deal with these potentially frustrating requests.
10. Is a Good Fit for Your Company
The best help desk support services are a good fit for your company. That means they will understand your business and be able to resolve the majority of your issues. They will also have access to technology that makes sense for your help desk ticketing needs and will frequently be able to save you money through economies of scale.
11. Has Experience in Your Industry
They will be familiar with the common issues that arise and will be able to resolve them quickly. Different industries rely on different tech stacks and have different workflows and processes. While they don’t need to be experts in them, it does help to have prior experience.
12. Offers a Competitive Price
Finally, the best help desk support services offer a competitive price. That means you will get the service you need at a price that is fair, not that you get the lowest, rock-bottom pricing. Rock-bottom pricing tends to come with some critical caveats.
How to Find the Best Help Desk Support Services
Begin with your organization’s IT needs. Make a list of the qualities that are most important to you in a help desk support service. Then, research companies that offer help desk support services and compare them based on your needs. Choose the company that is the best fit for your organization.
Red River provides comprehensive help desk support services and other managed IT solutions. As a one-stop shop for all of your organization’s IT needs, Red River can provide comprehensive help desk support and ticketing.
Want to find out more about the best help desk support services? It’s time to contact Red River.
FAQs
What are the services provided by a help desk?
A help desk provides various services to its clients, such as 24/7 support, quick response times, automation, step-by-step guides, effective communication, proactive measures, sharing of knowledge and more.
What is help desk user support?
Help desk user support is the process of assisting users of a particular system or software. This can be done via phone, email, live chat or other means.
