| What is a help desk? What are the useful metrics for | | | | performance evaluation of call center agents is a |
| help desk performance evaluation? For the many | | | | priority for many call centers that function as help |
| corporations who plan to provide customer service | | | | desks. For these call centers, customer satisfaction is |
| support through this information resource, the | | | | on top of their list. |
| preceding questions have to be answered. | | | | Call center agents undergo a stringent process before |
| A help desk is actually an assistance and information | | | | they are qualified to provide help desk support. They |
| resource that is usually extended by companies to | | | | would have to undergo several training programs, like |
| their customers through their website, email, or a | | | | regular English proficiency, as well as exams that test |
| toll-free number. Some help desks, on the other hand, | | | | logical and technical skills. Once on the floor, help desk |
| are created not to provide assistance to customers, | | | | employees have to make sure that a high percentage |
| but to employees. Customer requests that help desk | | | | of incoming calls will be answered. At the same time, |
| employees receive are usually monitored or tracked | | | | they have to keep the number of abandoned calls to |
| using help desk software that comes with an incident | | | | a minimum so as to obtain customer satisfaction. |
| tracking system that assigns a unique number to each | | | | Most of the time, stress take its toll on many call |
| request. | | | | center employees. One of the undeniable |
| Help desks are generally created with different levels | | | | manifestations for this sad fact is the high turnover |
| to provide assistance to different types of customer | | | | rates that many call centers experience. In fact, this is |
| problems. First-level help desks are usually assigned to | | | | one of the most urgent dilemmas of human resource |
| provide resolutions or assistance to the most basic | | | | departments of call centers. In addition, many call |
| customer complaints. Issues that are not resolved in | | | | centers are also plagued with problems of inefficient |
| the first level are escalated to the higher level help | | | | agents who are not able to pass performance |
| desks that are trained and designed to handle more | | | | standards. To solve the latter, there is a need for call |
| difficult issues. Large help desks usually have many | | | | center or help desk administrators to take a second |
| teams that are trained to handle different customer | | | | look at the metrics that they consider as critical |
| issues. | | | | success factors. |
| To minimize operating costs, several companies resort | | | | There are plenty of metrics for help desk information |
| to a business process outsourcing (BPO) strategy to | | | | that administrators can choose. What is important is |
| be able to provide customer service support. They | | | | for them to analyze whether these metrics are |
| commonly hire call centers or contact centers to | | | | compatible with the nature of their operations. |
| provide assistance to their customers who call their | | | | Moreover, they should also make sure that the metrics |
| toll-free numbers or email their websites to ask for | | | | they choose do not focus on only one perspective of |
| assistance on how to use the products or services | | | | their operations. Rather, a more balanced perspective |
| that these companies offer. Hiring the services of call | | | | should be taken into consideration. |
| centers does not come cheap. For this reason, | | | | |