Overview

This track verifies that customer service professionals are knowledgeable in skills and techniques required to provide exceptional customer service and support in both support center and call center environments. It ensures they understand how to access customer needs while exceeding their expectations.

• Explain what it means to be a world-class help desk
• Define and explain help desk best practices in the areas of
• Strategy
• Operations
• Human Resource Management
• Performance Measurement and Management
• Technology
• Stakeholder Communication
• Identify performance gaps in their help desk when compared to Help Desk Best Practices
• Describe how best practices can be implemented and applied in their own day-to-day jobs
• Articulate an action plan for improving performance in their own help desk

Self Assessment

The course begins with a brief self assessment where students complete a diagnostic questionnaire identifying strengths and weaknesses in the help desk. The results of the assessment are then discussed and analyzed.

The World Class Help Desk Defined

In Module 2, defines what it means to be a world-class help desk. This is critical to all future modules, as the course makes frequent references to world-class performance.

Best Practices in Help Desk Strategy

Define help desk strategy, and the importance of having a well defined and documented help desk strategy. Best practices in developing and maintaining the help desk strategy are discussed.

Best Practices in Human Resource Management

Discusses the life-cycle management of help desk human resources, including recruitment, hiring, training, career pathing, retention, coaching/mentoring, and performance standards.

Best Practices in Help Desk Operations

This module addresses the industry’s proven best practices in handling contacts and transactions in the help desk. Workflow integration (e.g., combined call and e-mail queues), call handling standards, and managing call peaks and troughs are among the topics covered.

Group Exercise – Action Planning #1

In this exercise, the students are broken up into groups, and asked to develop an action plan that would result in the help desk achieving best practices in the areas of strategy, human resource management, and operations. The results of each group’s action planning session will be communicated and discussed.

Best Practices in Performance Measurement and Management

Module 7 discusses the importance of using measures diagnostically, to continuously improve help desk performance. The five most important operating metrics are defined. Benchmarking ranges for each metric, and key correlations and cause/effect relationships between the metrics are defined.

Best Practices in Help Desk Technology

The role of technology in help desk success is discussed in this module. The people/process/technology pyramid is defined. Work through a sample technology business case, and defines the key success factors in vendor management and technology implementation.

Best Practices in Stakeholder Communication

Stakeholder communication is often overlooked as a success factor for world-class help desks. In this module, define several distinct stakeholder groups, and the importance of tailored communication with each group. The specific types/modes of communication with each stakeholder group are defined.

Group Exercise – Action Planning #2

In this exercise, the students are broken up into groups, and asked to develop an action plan that would result in the help desk achieving best practices in the areas of performance measurement and management, technology, and stakeholder communication. The results of each group’s action planning session will be communicated and discussed.

Summary and Proficiency Exam

In the final module of the course, will briefly summarize the Help Desk Best Practices. Students will then take a brief exam to demonstrate their proficiency and knowledge of help desk best practices.

Each exam consists of 65 multiple choice questions and must be completed in 75 minutes. A minimum score of 80 percent is required to pass a certification exam, unless otherwise published. Individuals who achieve the passing score will receive a certificate from HDI acknowledging their accomplishment and a credentialing logo that may be added to signature blocks and business cards.

Summary and Proficiency Exam

In the final module of the course, will briefly summarize the Help Desk Best Practices. Students will then take a brief exam to demonstrate their proficiency and knowledge of help desk best practices.

Each exam consists of 65 multiple choice questions and must be completed in 75 minutes. A minimum score of 80 percent is required to pass a certification exam, unless otherwise published. Individuals who achieve the passing score will receive a certificate from HDI acknowledging their accomplishment and a credentialing logo that may be added to signature blocks and business cards.