Cynergy Help Desk Software

Help Desk Software Agents are not always easy to find. All organizations at one time or another have had to conduct a series of interviews for something. Generally it centers on an immediate need such as a new hire, whether it’s for an employee, new insurance agent, legal advisor or accountant. The following steps are designed around the search for Help Desk Agents and an outline that can be helpful in the process.

1. Identify the need
Obviously the first step is to identify the need and write a job description. Be as detailed as possible, both in the expectations that you want to receive from the help desk software agent, and what you would like to see in an ideal candidate. In other words, a life insurance company that is dealing with conversion clients and will be dealing with senior citizens could not afford to hire college kids to take calls on the helpdesk. The caller has to have someone they can relate to, and obviously is knowledgeable, but if they are talking a new-age limbo, the caller will become frustrated and end up costing the call center more money as they escalate the call.
Build an outline of the ideal candidate for the position, and then stick to the outline. Try not to be influenced by factors such as: he had a great personality, or spoke 3 languages, or she was a single mom with 3 kids etc; Make sure the outline is flexible enough to include handicapped workers. In today’s workforce, special considerations often must be invoked to follow federal guidelines etc; but often times handicapped workers are the more dependable, enjoyable to be around, and can be a motivator for those that are around them in the helpdesk call center.

2. Write the Job Description
The job description can be as detailed for the candidate as you want. I know it sounds silly, but having a detailed description for a help desk software agent will just make your life and job easier.

For example:
a. No coffee in desk area
b. Appropriate clothing during working hours
c. Ability to handle questions easily
d. Ability to deal with frustrated callers
e. Knowledge about the business etc ; etc;

3. Where to find the applicant
This is an area that you will have to explore to some degree based on your needs as well as area you are in. Obviously a 150 agent help desk software call center in a large metro area has a greater challenge than one in a small town. But a few ideas are:
a. Craig’s list
b. Other internet resources such as www.jobs.com
c. Local newspaper
d. Some local news stations have a nightly job announcement
e. Job fairs at local colleges and trade schools
f. Posting at local colleges and trade schools
g. Get to know the counselors at colleges, high schools, and trade schools. They generally know who is looking for work and available.
h. These are also good sources for hiring instructors and teachers in summers and during vacations
i. Consider temp agencies. Often a good way to fill a seat temporarily and be able to assess their performance
j. And of course recruiters in many cases can help you find applicants.

4. How to Screen Calls, Emails, Resumes
Run the resumes for the help desk software agent that you receive against your needs. I suggest email resumes for the first round. If they don’t use email, they probably don’t use a computer on a regular basis, thus will increase your training curve. And the emails can come to: resume@yourcompany.com avoiding a flood of phone calls to your desk. You may also want to send the emails to a gmail address to avoid calls to the receptionist. Once you narrow down the list, you can inject your company email into the conversation when desired. I suggest numbering the candidates resumes 1-5, with 5 being the perfect candidate. You will be able to further define the final candidates as the process continues.

5. Narrowing down the selection (for interviews)

a. Screening the Applications
b. Initial Phone Interview
c. 2nd Phone Interview

The initial phone interview has become the norm these days in the job market process. The goal of course is to minimize the amount of time the HR person spends narrowing down the list. As the HR manager, you want to insure that you don’t miss anything in the process, thus make sure when you call the person to be interviewed, that they have at least 15 minutes of uninterrupted time to visit. More if it flows well. If you call them during work hours or catch them during lunch, or on break, they are going to feel pressure to return to the current job, or get you off the phone, thus blowing the interview. I strongly suggest the first call is not for the interview, but to set the appointment for a phone interview. Have someone else set the appointment so you don’t get pulled into an interview unnecessarily. That way, both you and the candidate are prepared for the process.

6. Appointment
Set a time and date for the interview appointment several days in advance so you and the candidate have a chance to organize. Send the candidate some brief information about the job description and your company.

7. Background Checks
I highly recommend background checks. Sometimes the smoothest talking help desk agents have learned their craft in places you will certainly want to know about. Look for discrepancies in their resume, timelines that don’t add up, and dates that don’t match and overlap. Make sure you speak to employers for last 2 years, and confirm their existence as well. A client I had once had hired an employee, did a phone call to the former employer’s cell phone, to later find out that it was simply a friend of the employee that had stolen from him. By the way, the thief had been out of prison for less than a year. Hire a competent company to do the background checks. If you can’t afford one, there are a number of public agencies that can give you basic information about recruits, and you can always subscribe to certain agencies that can also be helpful in this.

8. Psychological Testing/Profile Testing
I am a huge believer in Profile Testing. A simple 10 minute test which costs you less than $25 can save you hours and hours of training and interviewing time.

9. Making the Offer
Decide at the beginning of the process what this position is worth. Don’t be influenced by the applicant. If you have low balled the position, you need to raise the bar. But set expectations based on the pay level and position.

10. Dealing with Acceptance/Rejection

Obviously if you have decided to hire someone, a phone call is appropriate. And should be placed by someone that can properly welcome the applicant to the company and answer any immediate questions they may have.
If the help desk software applicant has decided to reject your offer, it is important to query the applicant to discover why.