The purpose of a help desk is to provide customers with information that they need in order to access and better utilize a company’s product or service. The help desk is also responsible for troubleshooting problems that may arise with the product. This is especially useful and important for IT and technology companies and it is on their behalf that many recruiters seek to recruit the ideal help desk team.
Recruiters understand that for a help desk to function effectively, it is important to retain a dream team, as opposed to recruiting and training new personnel every few months. This is why it is essential to get the right team, right off the bat. When recruiting a team for a company’s help desk therefore, the four main considerations are:
1. Industry-Specific Knowledge
The help desk team provides technical support that is very specific and factual. A deviation from these facts would likely not produce the desired result with the product or service. It is therefore important for the team members to have some knowledge in the fields of IT and/or technology as the case may be. That way, even though they will receive some training on the specific product or service, this training is going to be building on knowledge that they already have; as opposed to beginning right from the basics.
2. People Skills
The help desk provides support to people and in many cases, these people are frustrated. This is usually because they feel that the product or service is not working for them as it should. It is therefore important for the help desk team members to be patient, and possess the ability to remain calm even when the customer is agitated.
Besides this, recruiters also look out for candidates with excellent communication skills. These incorporate:
- Language fluency (both spoken and written)
- The ability to clearly put forth thoughts and ideas
- Conciseness: The candidate should be able to put forth accurate information in a simple and direct manner.
- The candidate should be pleasant and likeable.
Recruiters recognize that even though the technical elements of a help desk can be taught, the same cannot be said for personality. Candidates for this position are therefore required to be warm and genuine.
3. Responsibility
Responsibility includes the individual’s ability to take ownership for their decisions and the consequences thereof. Candidates who are prone to making excuses are not well suited for the help desk team. This is essential because in many cases, the team may even need to take responsibility at times when they are not at fault. This will mostly be done in order to calm the customer down enough to understand the problem that they are experiencing and consequently, be of assistance to them.
4. Innovative and Flexible
The ideal help desk candidate is willing and able to deal with problems as they occur. They are innovative in tailoring solutions to suit any specific situation. A candidate who procrastinates is not ideal for the help desk team as they are unlikely to be quick on their feet. The candidate also needs to be flexible because feedback is imperative to the effective functioning of a help desk. The ideal candidate should therefore value any feedback that they receive, and act on it as needed. This is essential in order to be helpful to the customer, and in order to improve their interaction with customers. It also ensures their continuous improvement.