Every company has a help desk of some type. Some are the type where the customer logs into a web site and tries to diagnose the problem himself and find his own solution. Some include a web-based chat. Most also include a call-in help desk with a real person in front of a computer answering a telephone. Nobody doubts the necessity of a helpdesk. Every company wants their help desk to be better and to give their customers a better experience. Here are eight tips for making yours uniquely better:
1. Speak English Please. It is very annoying to call a help desk and not be able to understand the person at the help desk. Customers will hang up if the help desk person’s English is hard to understand. Most people do not like having to “press 1 for Spanish and 2 for English” as if English is the secondary language, so if you must have such a scenario, at least make it “press 1 for English and 2 for Spanish” or “stay on this line for English or press 2 for Spanish.” (By the way, people speak lots of other languages too.)
2. Be Polite and Courteous. There is nothing more demeaning than a 25-year-old calling a 65-year-old “hon” or “dear” so make sure that help desk trainees understand correct methods of addressing the callers. Words and phrases like “I’m sorry you had that experience” or “we appreciate your calling to let us know” go a long way to making the customer feel good, especially when uttered with sincerity.
3. Ask Relevant Questions. Many questions asked of the caller are relevant. However, there are questions that are relevant to the company that the customer thinks are totally irrelevant to his problem. It helps if you can preface those questions with a phrase such as “we are collecting some data for improving our customers’ experience, so could you help us by answering the next three questions?”
4. Get the Details Right. After listening to the information, repeat it back the way you thought you heard it (or the way you typed it into the system) and ask the customer if it is correct. Key details that are changed or misunderstood tend to change the entire problem – and, therefore, the solution.
5. Give the Caller an Exact Day (and Time) the Problem will be Resolved. Do not simply tell the caller you will ‘report the problem.’ Be specific in telling him how the problem will be resolved. While you may not be able to tell the caller exactly when the technician or package will arrive, you can tell the caller that it would be a good idea to call a particular phone number if it has not arrived by a particular day (or time). The caller will feel he got ‘results.’
6. Use Help Desk Software that Interfaces with Order Software. By doing this, you will not ask questions that have already been answered. In fact, you may even have information you had not thought to ask.
7. Use Help Desk Software that Interfaces with Dispatch Software. In this way, you can tell the customer when the replacement part will ship or when a technician will be dispatched. It also eases the problem of ‘exact directions’ to the customer’s home and making sure the customer’s correct telephone number is easily available.
8. End on a Positive Note. Always make sure the help desk call ends with the customer feeling good. Don’t be afraid to ask if all the customer’s concerns have been dealt with or if the customer has any other questions. And make sure to let the customer know that you have enjoyed helping him or her today.
No matter what type of customer you have, the person calling your help desk will be impressed with your help desk. Their experience will be so refreshingly positive, they will be trying to take notes on what was different so they can replicate it for their own help desk.
