Transcript Manage Help Desk Staffing - Info

Practical IT Research that Drives Measurable Results
Manage Help Desk Staffing
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Introduction
Hiring the right help desk people in the correct quantity is challenging. Even
more challenging is having to reduce help desk staff without impairing service
delivery to the business.
Whether you need to staff a new help desk, increase staffing in an existing
help desk, or manage staff cuts, it’s important to hire and maintain resources
that can handle your volume of incidents and requests.
This solution set will:
• Help you determine your optimal help desk staffing ratio
• Guide you through the help desk staff selection process
• Outline best practices for staff reduction
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Depending on the size and complexity of the organization, the
help desk can be organized into three levels or tiers.
By allocating resources to help desk according to the volume and complexity of IT issues, the
tier structure enables highly skilled resources to dedicate their expertise to IT projects.
Tier 1
Tier 2
• Provides front-line support
to inbound requests
• Conducts initial
troubleshooting on a wide
range of technology issues
• Escalates unresolved
requests to higher tiers
• Receives requests
escalated from tier 1
• Works to resolve
technology issues that
require deeper knowledge
and narrower expertise
• Identifies trends in
incidents to support
problem management
Tier 3
• Receives challenging
requests escalated from
tier 1 and 2
• In most shops, tier 3
resources are not fully
allocated to support
functions
Info-Tech Insight:
Info-Tech client data shows that small shops with simple technology needs struggle to justify
the cost associated with dedicated help desk staff. Small shops often handle incoming requests
on an ad hoc basis, but IT is most effective with at least one dedicated tier 1 resource.
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Established help desk centers with accurate historical data
should start with the ‘gross staffing level’ method.
Use Info-Tech’s “Help Desk
Staffing Calculator.” This
tool uses client data and
industry standards to
develop the ‘gross staffing
level’ method.
Help desks with stable request
volumes and consistent staffing
numbers should use this tool to:
– Determine the number of
productive hours for help
desk staff
– Calculate the number of
hours required to address
annual help desk requests
– Establish the optimal
number of help desk staff
required to handle annual
requests
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Attitude and behavioural skills are the most important criteria
for selecting help desk staff.
Candidates should undergo a two-step interview process.
Interview Type
Sample Questions
1. Technical skills interview. Help
desk managers should use a
scenario-based approach to test
the candidate’s ability to drive a
technology incident to closure.
• Ask candidates how they would troubleshoot an issue with e-mail
connectivity.
• A strong candidate would know to explore the following areas:
base network connectivity, the e-mail server, e-mail setup, as well
as authentication, firewall, and security settings.
2. Behavior-based interview. HR
directors should ask non-technical
questions that identify
fundamental behaviors found in a
mature frontline professional.
• How do you handle an upset end user?
• Explain your troubleshooting and problem solving process. How
would you handle problems you’ve never seen before?
• What do some users do that upsets you? How do you cope with
this?
Info-Tech Insight
You don’t hire a resume, you hire a person. The negative consequences of hiring a person with
the wrong behavioral characteristics will far outlast any technical shortcomings they may
have had coming in.
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When organizational staff cuts spill over to the help desk, overcutting tier 1
support will disrupt service and endanger projects.
Cut staff with
less valuable
skill sets first
•
•
Decrease staff in
tier 2 & 3 last
•
Outsource when
appropriate
•
Help desks tasked with reducing staff should
avoid removing unique skill sets whenever
possible and focus on individuals and
qualifications that are less valuable to the
organization
While it’s tempting, don’t overcut tier 1 staff
because it will disrupt your ability to provide
support in a timely manner and put more
pressure on tier 2 and 3 resources
Remove staff in tier 2 and 3 last to avoid losing
specialized skills and endangering maintenance
tasks and projects
If outsourcing is an option, you may be able to
remove some tasks and skills without negative
impact on service delivery
For more direction, tune in to Info-Tech’s videocast, “Help Desk Cost Cutting: Think
Before You Chop.”
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Summary
•
The help desk can be organized into three key tiers of support to make
optimal use of IT resources.
•
Regardless of its tier structure, the help desk must have the capacity
to handle all incidents and requests.
•
In addition to having the right number of staff, your help desk must
have staff with strong people skills, customer service experience, and
the ability to develop technical expertise.
•
To select the best candidates, evaluate both technical and behavioural
skills during the interview process. Whenever appropriate, invite
existing staff to support recruitment activities.
•
When staff cuts become necessary, mitigate any negative
repercussions to help desk service delivery with communication,
automation, and self help resources.
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Additional Tools and Insight Included in Complete Report
•
Executive Summary
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Shops with advanced service needs dedicate staff with specific qualification
•
Help desk must be staffed to handle all incidents and requests. It’s important to find
the right staff to end user ratio.
•
Getting the staff number right is important, but pay attention to attitude and
qualifications, especially with tier 1 hires.
•
Manage the impact of staff cuts with communication, automation, and self help
resources.
•
Info-Tech’s Help Desk Job Description Templates
•
Info-Tech’s Help Desk Staffing Tools
•
Other Resources for Erlang C Software
•
Information on Help Desk Salary and Benefits
•
Info-Tech’s Video Sessions on Help Desk Staff Cuts
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projects, on time and
within budget
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prove the value of IT
6. Train IT staff and effectively
manage an IT department
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