AV and IT managers and leaders, ponder this for a moment: Would you believe it if you were told to stop focusing on exceeding service KPIs? Most key performance indicators, or KPIs, focus on tracking utilization, performance, tickets, response times, and other equipment-focused metrics. The most forward-thinking service providers focus on relentless attention to customer satisfaction to maximize their clients’ success, but that only tells half the story.
To be clear, it’s important for users to be happy. In fact, Mechdyne’s long-standing philosophy toward customer service is that “people first, technology second” when tracking and understanding overall technology performance. However, user satisfaction is not about meeting or exceeding issue resolution expectations per the raw, numerical terms of a contract. The most successful IT and AV managed services support teams ensure end users are satisfied with overall technology performance, the effort it takes to resolve tickets accurately, and timely resolution experiences.
It’s clear strategic resolution matters most to users. Unfortunately, inefficient resolution causes them to dread calling the help desk. Here are some quick stats to help you gather the facts for the current IT service desk and end-user landscape:
- 89% of Millennial end users leverage search engines to find their own answers prior to calling any sort of customer service or help desk line.
- In that same vein, 81% of end users report they try to solve their own issues and troubleshoot tech before making an official call.
- Self-service may be handy, but it’s not always preferable: 50% of end users report they prefer no self-serve option if that means the experience would be worse than if it was conducted by a service agent.
- 80% of end users perceive that their lost productivity can be attributed to a mere 12.8% of the total tickets available for a service agent to resolve.
- 67% of service desks reported conducting employee satisfaction surveys in 2023.
As you take these facts into consideration, assess how these realities may ring true for your current service desk, and how they interact with end users. Are they providing flexible and nimble support on the spot? Or causing more work than is necessary down the road? Avoiding “desk dread” is the key factor to creating an experience that your end-users will like, while simultaneously empowering your technicians to do their best work. To create an environment by which you are actively benefitting your end users as much as you are your service desk technicians, you’ll need to create an ironclad strategy that truly positions your organization as a “friendly face” that end users can approach, any time.
Tip #1: One unified face for the client.
When an end user connects with a service technician, we suggest identifying a pathway to resolution through a single point of contact. From the moment an end user first makes contact, minimize downtime by expediting incident response and restarting workflows in the fastest way possible. When incidents are transferred to a knowledge expert, the initial service technician can continue to track the incident to ensure timely resolution, including following up with the user to ensure they are back to full productivity.
Tip #2: A commitment to continuous quality improvement.
Issue resolution does not stop once a ticket is closed. The moment a workflow resumes, it’s important to focus attention on the underlying source of disruptions. Through careful root analysis, it’s crucial to gather specific information regarding:
- Incident source
- Equipment and room details
- Maintenance frequency
- Technician action plans
- All other relevant details that will support process improvements
An empowered team of technicians should target efficiency, reduction in downtime, lowering incident results, and identifying training opportunities to keep users feeling confident in their technology and empowered to resolve issues. In fact, in 2024, ITSM determined that 76% of service desk employees are more likely to remain in a company if it provides ongoing training and development opportunities. By promoting ongoing learning and growing, your technicians will be able to serve your end users on an ongoing basis, no matter what technology trends are present.
Tip #3: People First, Technology Second
Calling the help desk should never focus on how to fix technology; the best technicians focus on how to restart workflows and return productivity to the users as soon as possible. User-focused service models support and train the end user, empowering them to perform to their greatest potential which results in overall satisfied clients. Diligent attention to the user’s productivity (instead of endlessly fixing broken technology) results in extended lifecycle of AV technology assets, increased asset availability, and utilization, and improved productivity.
Hooray, I Get to Call the Help Desk!
While it’s never ideal to have obstacles or tech issues that get in the way of day-to-day work, they are inevitable— meaning that end users should feel encouraged to call your help desk. By end users gaining confidence in the assistance they receive from your technicians, you’re setting you and your tech stack approach up for future-proofed success. This, of course, can be achieved through a focus on a single unified point of contact for the end user, ongoing quality improvements, and an openness to continual training. By truly prioritizing your end users, everyone stands to win, and everyone will feel much less apprehensive about calling the service desk.