IT support is a department, a team or an individual who is called upon to provide support with hardware and software problems. Aids such as ticket systems or call centers are often used for this purpose. IT is complex and the technology does not always work the way people want it to. Well-organized IT support is therefore a key factor for successful IT.
According to a study by ERS Computer Solutions IT-related outages cost us an average of $ 1.55 million a year and each employee spends around 30 minutes a week solving IT problems. Furthermore, a study by Cherwell with over 1000 participants shows that generally the blame for the failure of IT is almost always placed on IT support.
THREE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SUCCESSFUL IT SUPPORT
Looking at the facts from the studies, the expectation of IT support is clear: It has to solve IT problems quickly, silently and without anyone being disturbed in their work. But how can this be achieved? In the following I give three recommendations for action.
1. KINDNESS AND COMPETENCE
The voice on the phone or the choice of words in an email is the central medium of IT support work. In IT support, it is very important to exude friendliness on the one hand and competence on the other. It is important here:
- to explain the often complex IT to non-IT-savvy users in a simple and understandable way.
- to calm the excited user who is currently annoyed by IT problems.
- Letting frequent speakers get to the point on the phone.
- to calm aggressive users sensibly and constructively.
The foundation for success in IT support is having a positive attitude and having fun helping others.
2. SELF SERVICES
A self-service portal can help to solve routine problems themselves (by the user) or to make service inquiries. For example, inquiries can be made through a ticket system or a chatbot.
Furthermore, an FAQ or a knowledge database can contain solutions to known problems. Users are able to help themselves and IT support is relieved. An important success factor here is the permanent documentation of problems in the knowledge database by IT support.
3. IT HELPDESK SOFTWARE
Every craftsman needs good tools – so does IT support. In order to be able to help users particularly quickly and individually, in addition to the described systems for documentation (knowledge database) and ticket systems, software is also required to be able to access the user’s screen. After approval, the support employee can repair the problem in front of the user. This saves the situation that the user has to carry out the instructions of the support employee on the phone under stress. The three software components mentioned (ticket system, knowledge data and screencast) relieve IT support, increase processing time and the solution rate for every IT support employee and increase customer satisfaction.
ALTERNATIVE: USE SERVICE PROVIDERS FOR IT SUPPORT
According to a study by the Federal Statistical Office Only 46% of over 1000 medium-sized companies have their own IT support. With a view to the possibilities of digitization and the high trend of outsourcing, it is easily possible that IT support to be handed over to reliable service providers. Special advantages are:
- a focus on the core business,
- Savings on infrastructure and technology as well
- Access to specialist knowledge and experience of the service provider.
This is a service provider for IT support CompiPower company from Bothel near Rotenburg in Lower Saxony. The service provider looks after business customers of all sizes and from all sectors and ensures that the customer’s business processes run smoothly. He acts according to the following motto: You basically don’t have to worry about anything and can concentrate fully on your core business.
CONCLUSION
Successful IT support is important – both internally and externally. In this article, studies with numbers, data and facts on the expectation of IT support were presented. He has to solve IT problems quickly, silently and without anyone being disturbed in his work. In order to implement this successfully, recommendations were made in this article and suggested as an alternative to look for reliable partners. The decision is yours! How do you deal with your IT support?
[yop_poll id=”50″]Image source: Business photo created by pressfoto – de.freepik.com
Gender reference : I have used the masculine form to make it easier to read. Unless an explicit distinction is made, women, diverse and men as well as people of all origins and nationalities are always meant.
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